The Parish of
St. Mary and St. Jude
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A MESSAGE FROM THE RECTOR, DAVID J. LUCEY RECONCILIATION Recently, my broken leg has cut me off from some of my relationships. Because I cannot get around to the places where my friends, family, and parishioners are, I feel cut-off. The relationships just do not feel right. One recent night, I was in a room by myself reading a book, but really listening to the sounds of laughter from the next room. I felt alone and separate. Suddenly George, my five year old came around the corner. He walked up to me and said, "Dad, I am going to give you a hug and a kiss." And he did. There I was feeling alone and disconnected from the ones I loved and George made the connection. I was reconciled to my family and to George. Reconciliation is a sacramental rite that we often think of as confession. The image I used to have of reconciliation was this: kneeling in a darkened booth, with a wall between my confessor and me, I go through a menu of routine offenses. From the other side of the wall I am given my penance and a prayer of absolution is pronounced. That image comes more from the stylized Hollywood images of confession in the Roman Catholic Church from before the reforms of Vatican II. Of course, this is a highly stylized image, and we who have grown up on the protestant side of the divide in the Church know that we need only confess our sins to Jesus directly and they are forgiven. Which then brings us to the question, does this sacrament have a place in our spiritual lives today? Why do we have a formal service of confession and reconciliation? When would we use it? Perhaps, I can best answer these questions with an example. This past winter at a Diocesan clergy retreat, one of my colleagues, a colleague for whom I have great respect, came to me and asked if I might hear a confession. I was awed. I have not often been asked to hear a confession and grant absolution as a priest. This is not a sacrament that many Episcopalians that I know have turned to in their spiritual lives. But even though this priest already knew the blessing and forgiveness of God, she also knew the power of speaking the names of the sins and the power of receiving the absolution of God in words available to our human ears. I listened to her confession, and in that moment I was acting as the ears for Jesus. When I pronounced the words of absolution, I became the words of comfort, healing, and reconciling love of Jesus. To act in that role is awesome and humbling. And, even though priests acting in this way have this role affirmed as sacramental, anyone who is a member of the church can be the ears to listen and the words to reconcile someone in need. That moment for that priest and me was like the moment with George. The priest felt disconnected and alone. She spoke the words of being disconnected and alone. And I got to speak in the words of absolution that God loved her, that God wanted to hug her, and that she was alone no more. In that moment, the disconnectedness and loneliness were swept away. It was an amazing and powerful moment for us both, to be connected by God's presence in reconciliation. Reconciliation and penance are two sides of the same coin. We speak the things that separate us from God, from our neighbors, and from our families. We speak them out loud to a confessor and to Jesus, just so we know they are not hidden any more. Then Jesus offers the words of God's love through our confessor. We speak those words out loud just so we know God's love is not hidden or secret either. The priest offers the hug and kiss which reconnects us to God. We are reconciled and disconnected no more. Yours in Christ, David+ A Message from the Senior Warden BURSTS OF LAMBENCY Burst #1: There was The Right Reverend Chilton R. Knudsen, Bishop of Maine, looking taller than ever and standing before us and welcoming all of us into the Baptismal Covenant and Presentation of Candidates for Confirmation, Reception, and Renewal. She accepted the challenge of Trinity Sunday and provided the most lucid sermon ever delivered on how we can interpret, relate to, and worship the Trinity: God the Distant Creator; Jesus, our "Buddy," Who, although Divine, knows us (and we Him) through our shared human experience; and the Mystical Animator or Holy Spirit through which we receive healing and inspiration. Her message and her presence were uplifting and precious. Burst #2: Little Spencer Dane Clark, calm and composed, with family and sponsors, being baptized before the congregation and marked by Christ for life. He could not have behaved more appropriately for the event. Burst #3: The smiles of humble and grateful participation as Gideon Ambrose Bradshaw, Nancy Krueger Cherot, Carmen Lee Greene, Stephen P. Grindle, Carolyn Grace Lucey, Clare Elizabeth Monfredo, Susan Tibbetts Seavey, Myra Louise Shibles, Rhonda Lee Soucie, Lynne Alison Stephenson, James Roland Zallette, Bob Zinn, and Shirley Zinn came forward individually to be blessed by the Bishop. There were many memorable photographs taken after the service. Burst #4: The Bishop's Dinner with the vestry earlier in the week in which she shared her goals for her last three years of tenure, expressed some concern about the Bishop's Discretionary Fund which has been depleted this winter by helping clergy with fuel bills and medical problems (not every parish has the potential financial resources that we enjoy), and listening attentively to our questions and comments about the status of our parish. Burst #5: There was our beloved Saint Mary's-by-the-Sea hosting the parishes of Saint Saviour's in Bar Harbor, the Church of Our Father in Hulls Cove, and Saint Andrew and Saint John in Seal Cove and Southwest Harbor. Even the restoration equipment accumulating around the building gave the old girl more charm. I could not help but think how the overwhelming majority of parishioners who voted to save her would have been proud. Burst #6: There were the remarkable ladies of the Altar Guild and ECW (God bless them) preparing the winter chapel and stone church for the Bishop's Visitation - literally swarming over the churches. They lost no time sending me off alone to clear the pile of brush that Bangor Hydro left in front of the winter chapel, to replace the flowers in the rectory window boxes, and then return to help set up the books and kneelers for the service. Burst #7: The magnificent music of Peter Vaux and the choir with the solo cellist, Clare Monfredo, filling the interior of the church with heavenly voices and inspiring arrangements. Burst #8: The thought that soon there would be the hum of tires across Trenton bridge as our seasonal worshipers join us for the colorful explosion of flowers and the return of buzzing activity in the shops and businesses. Ever notice how the street leads you right to the church? Nimiety? Not at all. We can never get enough of this stuff. After all, this is the parish's equivalent of the radiant bursts of color and sound that we call the Fourth of July. With great appreciation for the opportunity to serve, Michael T.B. Dennis, M.D. Senior Warden A message from the Stewardship Committee WHAT'S UP? Activity, excitement, participation, purpose. Work has resumed on the restoration of Saint Mary's-by-the-Sea, needed improvements are scheduled for Saint Jude's, Kerry Kenney, our new Parish Administrator, is dynamite, David Lucey's broken leg is on the mend, organists Peter Vaux and Edie Dunham Crowley are revitalizing our music programs, the wardens and rector have instilled a new sense of mission and purpose among the church's leadership. WHAT'S DOWN? Pledges! To date, only about a third of our regular annual contributors have made their pledges to annual giving. If you've already made yours, we thank you. If you haven't, the sooner you do, the sooner our finance committee members can begin to re-grow their fingernails. If it just isn't in you to pledge, we ask simply that you make a contribution - sooner rather than later if you can. Here's where we stand. Our bare bones annual operating budget is $263,000. We have received just over $130,000 in cash and pledges. Every dollar we fall short of meeting expenses will have to come from our endowments. Long-term, this is not a sustainable situation. While the parish continues to move forward on many fronts, we have not made progress in closing the gap between annual giving and annual expense. So we urge you to reflect on the many wonderful ways the churches of St. Mary and St. Jude have touched your life. Then make the connection, with your pledge, between blessings received and gratitude given. Please be generous in your thanks and swift in your response. Thank you and may God bless you as abundantly as you bless this parish. Charlie Tyson For the Stewardship Committee INVITATIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS ACOLYTES! ACOLYTES! Needed! Young men and young women. Ten years old and up. Interested in helping us with our worship services in June, July, and August. No experience necessary. 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. at the "stone church," Saint Mary's-by-the-Sea. If you are interested, or have a son or daughter who is interested, please call Father Lucey, or Kerry Kenny, the parish administrator, at (207)276-5588 and let us get you on the summer schedule. SINGERS! SINGERS! Join the summer choir. No experience necessary. Men, women, boys, and girls for the 10:30 a.m. service at St. Mary's-by-the-Sea. Thursday night rehearsals at 6:30 p.m. if you can make it, and on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. Add your voice to the sounds of joy. SUMMER BAPTISM For those of you doing your advanced planning for this summer there are two important dates to note on your calendars. Sunday, July 17th is being scheduled for baptism at Saint Mary's-by-the-Sea in Northeast Harbor and Saint Jude's Church in Seal Harbor. The August date will be Sunday August 21st. If you are planning for a baptism, please contact Father Lucey at the parish office in order to make arrangements for preparation and scheduling. EXPANDED CHOIR REHEARSALS The Saint Mary's choir will rehearse each week on Thursdays, from 6:30 to 7:30PM. Everyone interested in singing with the choir - either routinely or on "special" services - is encouraged to join us and to work on a mixture of old favorites and new music. Rehearsals are at the Winter Chapel. When summer arrives, we will merge these rehearsals into the "Renaissance Music Evenings" which we started last year - these are informal get-togethers where we meet to explore and enjoy early music. Some of this music develops into performance pieces for Sundays. In addition to the Thursday rehearsals, we will continue with our normal pre-service rehearsals each Sunday. CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY Camp Bishopswood offers an affordable opportunity for both boys and girls to attend a resident camp and to live in a Christian Community. Children from all Maine congregations and friends are welcome. Sessions begin July 3rd and end August 20th. Brochure and other information is available at www.bishop.org or call Georgia at the Diocesan Office at 207-772-1953. An Open House at Bishopswood is on Sunday, June 5th from 11:00AM to 2:00PM. |
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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