The Parish of
St. Mary and St. Jude
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A MESSAGE FROM THE RECTOR, DAVID J. LUCEY NOTICES FOR OUR COMMON LIVES Before things run away from us in the summer frenzy, I would like to highlight a couple of items about our common lives. First, there is a new feature in this Harbor Chart that will run monthly. It is a column from our Finance Committee, and as with this month, it will generally be written by our Treasurer. The article will be brief -- a couple of numbers, a pie chart, a brief statement of financial condition. It will provide a snapshot of this one aspect of parish life -- how we are doing financially. It is a vital component of our common life and one everyone should know. Second, on May 4th I preached a sermon about our mission -- the reason we are here in Northeast and Seal harbors. Some of those statements will appear in sermons this summer. One component of that mission that I would like to emphasize now is "welcome" -- extending invitations to those who are not in church with us. Saint Mary's and Saint Jude's have been centerpieces of our communities for almost the whole length of their existence. Bishop Doane was a noted summer resident. The parish he helped to establish here provided for the social as well as the spiritual lives of the residents -- summer folk and year Śrounders. To help maintain this tradition I will be looking for ways to expand our lives beyond the church walls and beyond Sunday mornings. In the meantime, however, I want to give you a heads up on the Sunday offerings for July and August of this year. At 8:00 a.m. the stone church will host a Communion service designed for busy lives but filled with the substance that is expected in a church service. There will be readings, a sermon, prayers, and Communion, all designed to send you on your way to summer activities by 9:00 a.m. So plan to come, and plan to come as you are, dressed to move onto the water, the park, the links, brunch, or work. At 10:30 a.m. the stone church will host a traditional service with a full choir, hymns, and other musical offerings in addition to the readings, prayers, and Communion. We will continue the use of Morning Prayer with Communion on the second, fourth, and fifth Sundays. So come and sing your favorite hymns and canticles, and rejoice in the full glory of our Episcopal traditions in our beautiful and spiritual space. St. Jude's will host its normal traditional service at 10:30 a.m. with Communion on the first and third Sundays and Morning Prayer on the remaining Sundays in the intimate setting of that particularly charming shingle chapel. Our services will continue to be supplemented by some familiar faces. During July Fr. Bill Hague will again be officiating at Saint Jude's. In August Fr. Mike Wheeler will take on that role. But both have promised to give me the officiating role enough to really get to know Saint Jude's. We will have Stuart Gardiner as organist and choirmaster for St. Mary's-by-the-Sea in August. Choose the service that fits. See old friends and make some new ones. See you there. Welcome! Faithfully yours, David TREASURER'S REPORT Total revenue from the offering plate and pledges for April, 2003 was $5,091 compared to $4,527 for April, 2002. Although this was an increase year over year, the parish expenses continue to run at a rate of over $15,000 per month, or three times income. This trend is not sustainable and we have work to do in order to change this deficit. BANNS OF MATRIMONY "Christian marriage is a solemn and public covenant between a man and a woman in the presence of God." (Book of Common Prayer, page 422) The banns of matrimony published below conform to the Prayer Book, page 437. I publish the Banns of Marriage between Ralph Joseph Castagano of Methuen, Massachusetts and Katherine Knapp Fletcher of Methuen, Massachusetts. If any of you know just cause why they may not be joined in Holy Matrimony, you are bidden to declare it. This is the first time of asking. Subsequent requests will be made in the weekly Service Bulletins. The wedding is to be held at Saint Mary's-by-the-Sea in Northeast Harbor, Maine on Saturday, July 5, 2003. I publish the Banns of Marriage between George Frederick Eichleay, Jr. of St. Michaels' Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Stanford, California, and Victoria Clark Hays of St. Bede's Episcopal Church, Menlo Park, California, and Stanford, California. If any of you know just cause why they may not be joined together in Holy Matrimony, you are bidden to declare it. This is the first time of asking. Subsequent requests will be made in the weekly Service Bulletins. The wedding is to be held at Saint Mary's-by-the-Sea in Northeast Harbor, Maine on Saturday, July 12, 2003. The Rev. David J. Lucey Rector, The Parish of Saint Mary and Saint Jude May 20, 2003 PARISH DIRECTORY UPDATE Many parishioners have not yet responded to the Senior Warden's request for help in updating our Parish Directory with current addresses, emails, etc. To move this project forward, this web site now contains a downloadable form which you may fill in and return to the parish office. We look forward to receiving yours soon. OK, I'LL BE QUIET NOW AND LISTEN by Dooney Iselin The Parish sent three representatives to the New England Conference on Stewardship in March. In last month's Harbor Chart we challenged readers to tackle some thorny questions the three of us were asked to ponder. We promised you a "Stew, Part Two" with some possible answers to the questions and here it is. Repeated below are the questions and how I might answer them. We would very much like to hear from you. (Q) What are the core values that hold our congregation together? Are we as a church still central to the community? Are we just another cozy club? (A) The most important core value is the Great Commandment: love one another. We are no longer at the center of things, or widely revered. The club is cozier than we'd like. Membership certainly is down to a select number. (Q) What are we called upon to do? Can we put our mission into a sentence, so we can get it done? If we did not exist, would it affect anything? (A) The most important is the Great Commission: to make disciples. That is our sentence. We can get this done, if we show that we are relevant. If we did not exist, we would hope that we would be missed. However, if the greater community does not know of us, it is not likely they will miss us. (Q) What can we afford NOT to do? How can we take new initiatives? Where do the unchurched generations come in? (A) We can afford NOT to assume we serve the community and God, NOT to waive the commitment to the parish and to Christ, NOT to neglect the grounding of our children and their Faith. We can take new initiatives by showing our dedication to the Church, and the unchurched generations will take notice, especially when we invite them in. Could this be the thing that future generations thank us for? I am ready to be quiet now and listen. Please help us on the vestry understand your thoughts and feelings by emailing to info@maryjude.org. May the conversation begin! HARBOR HAPPENINGS by Martha Bucklin, Junior Warden Greetings to all. The rain is falling as our townspeople make Memorial Day preparations. Cemeteries are showing signs of honor and loving care, flags are flying, flowers are trying to bloom. Many summer parishioners are here for the long weekend. We're all hoping the weather cooperates. One-in-a-million: The Memorial Day Parade this year takes on a particular meaning as the American Legion pays special tribute to one-in-a-million and one of our own, Dave Stanley. For more years than anyone remembers, Dave presided over this festive annual event the kick-off to the summer season. This year, Miles Grindle assumes the role of event spokesperson and Casper Weinberger is the keynote speaker. Father David and the Altar Guild are completing the arduous task of moving to St. Mary's-by-the-Sea where services will begin on Sunday, May 25 and continue through the summer months. We have much to celebrate and be thankful for in our parish family, and we have many concerns and needs for our prayers. Kathy Suminsby is in our prayers as she recovers from her extensive back surgery. She is back at home, and in true "Kathy" style, is rumored to have already fried donuts for friends and loved ones! Jennifer Westphal has returned from Boston and is recuperating from her recent surgery. Another incredibly strong Maine woman, Jennifer has already attended her son Brendan's track meet, cheering him on to continued tremendous success. Grandson of Ruth Westphal, Brendan will run for The University of Maine Orono in the fall. Our prayers are with Jennifer and her family. Longtime parishioner and untiring ECW member, Joan Coulombe, is recovering nicely from eye surgery. Our family knows first hand what a strong Northeast Harbor woman Joan is as she was the caregiver for the Bucklin boys when they were wild and crazy little boys! Our prayers continue for Robert Fernald as he prepares for surgery next month. This will take our Sunday School Administrator Jean Fernald's husband to Boston. Bob is also the dad of our Vestry's Finance chairperson, Lauri Fernald. Enormous congratulations to former parish warden, Jim Wilmerding, for his successful completion of countless hours of work to become the Town of Mount Desert's second EMT-Paramedic! A paramedic is the highest level pre-hospital healthcare provider. Jim commuted over 9,000 miles to complete this training, begun as a "Basic" over 18 years ago. We are blessed to have Jim join Kathy Suminsby in providing this extraordinary service to our town. It was nice to welcome Henri (of St. Mary's church breakfasts fame) and Jackie Agnese back in town recently from a 14-day riverboat cruise. The cruise, which started in Amsterdam, included more beautiful stops and excursions than I can mention and ended in Vienna, Austria. Despite unforeseen complications, it was an absolutely wonderful trip for them. Jackie's Altar Guild work was sorely missed while she was away and we are glad to have her back. Long time parishioners and Seal Harbor residents, Janette and Miles Grindle, will soon begin a new chapter of their lives in Eddington, Maine. The Grindles have faithfully served our church for many years and they will be missed. Parishioners who would like to wish them well are invited to a going-away party to be held in their honor on Sunday, June 29, from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the Seal Harbor Community Hall (second floor of the fire station). For those wishing to give Janette and Miles a helping hand for the journey, there will be a "money tree" at the door a basket for cards and envelopes. R.S.V.P. by June 13 to Alice Walton at 288-2274, or Anne Smallidge at 276-9829 or (smallidge@hypernet.com). Your Wardens and Vestry are pleased to have fellow vestryman Charlie Tyson back on MDI. Our parish family, too, is pleased to welcome Lynda Tyson back in our fold after successfully completing her first year at Berkeley Divinity School, the Episcopal Seminary at Yale Divinity School in New Haven. I look forward to hearing news and information from you to share with our parish family. And I look forward to seeing you at St. Mary's-by-the-Sea in the coming weeks and months. My loving thoughts to each of you. Martha Bucklin |
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The Parish of St. Mary and St. Jude
P.O. Box 105, Northeast Harbor, Maine 04662 Tel: 207/276-5588 Fax: 207/276-3220