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Wednesday: 6:30 pm

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330-725-4131


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May 13, 2008: Jaroslav Pelikan

At St. Paul’s Parish today, Tuesday, May 13, 2008:

  • Morning Prayer at 9:30 a.m. (in the Church);
  • Ladies’ Book Discussion Group at 10:00 a.m. (in the Common Room);
  • Al-Anon at 7:45 p.m. (in the Parish Hall).

The May issue of St. Paul’s Sword of the Spirit, our monthly newsletter, is available on line, as is the calendar of parish events for May 2008

Today’s news in the Episcopal Church - Episcopal Life Online.

On the calendar tomorrow, May 14, 2008:

  • Holy Communion at 6:30 p.m. (in the Church);
  • Youth Group at 7:00 p.m. (in the Dining Room);
  • Midweek Study Group at 7:00 p.m. reading The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George Hunter (in the Parish Hall);
  • Overeaters Anonymous at 7:30 p.m. (in the Common Room).

Today is a feria on the Episcopal Church calendar.

May 13 is the anniversary of the death of one of America’s great church historians, Jaroslav Pelikan. Dr. Jaroslav PelikanPelikan was born in Akron, Ohio, to a Slovak father and a Serbian mother. His father was a Lutheran pastor and his paternal grandfather a bishop of the Slovak Lutheran Church in America. He earned both a seminary degree from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in 1946 when he was 22 and wrote more than 30 books, including his magnum opus, the five volume The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine (1971-1989). Some of his later works attained crossover appeal, reaching beyond the scholarly sphere into the general reading public (notably, Mary Through the Centuries, Jesus Through the Centuries and Whose Bible Is It?).

In 1983, Pelikan gave the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Jefferson Lectures. The four lectures were then compiled and published as The Vindication of Tradition. In them, Pelikan gives a clear exposition of the role tradition plays in Western culture - even when it has been explicitly denied. What is perhaps his most famous quotation is found in this book. Defining “traditionalism” as any acceptance of tradition for tradition’s sake, Pelikan bluntly asserted: “Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.” For Episcopalians who, like all Anglicans, base our theological method on Holy Scripture, tradition and reason, this is an important warning.

For most of his life Pelikan belonged to the Lutheran Church, and he was ordained a pastor therein, but in 1998 he and his wife Sylvia were received into the Orthodox Church in America in St Vladimir’s Seminary Chapel. Members of Pelikan’s family remember him saying that he had not as much converted to Orthodoxy as “returned to it, peeling back the layers of my own belief to reveal the Orthodoxy that was always there.”

On May 13, 2006, Pelikan died in Hamden, Connecticut, at the age of 82 after a battle with lung cancer. It was reported that, before he died, he delivered the last in a lifelong series of memorable aphorisms: “If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen - nothing else matters.”

The following collect for the commemoration of the dead is found in The Book of Common Prayer - 1979 and is appropriate to remember Dr. Pelikan:

O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death, and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that your servant, Jaroslav Pelikan, being raised with him, may know the strength of his presence, and rejoice in his eternal glory; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

May 12, 2008: First Book of Common Prayer

At St. Paul’s Parish today, Monday, May 12, 2008:

  • Junior Girl Scouts at 6:30 p.m. (in the Dining Room);
  • Vestry Meeting at 7:00 p.m. (in the Parish House).

The May issue of St. Paul’s Sword of the Spirit, our monthly newsletter, is available on line, as is the calendar of parish events for May 2008

Today’s news in the Episcopal Church - Episcopal Life Online.

On the calendar tomorrow, May 13, 2008:

  • Morning Prayer at 9:30 a.m. (in the Church);
  • Ladies’ Book Discussion Group at 10:00 a.m. (in the Common Room);
  • Al-Anon at 7:45 p.m. (in the Parish Hall).

Today on the Episcopal Church calendar we commemorate the First Book of Common Prayer. The Society of Archbishop Justus provides the following information on their prayer book website:

Cover Page of the 1549 Book of Common Prayer

Although a formal break with the Papacy came about during the time of Henry VIII, the Church of England continued to use liturgies in Latin throughout his reign, just as it always had. However, once Henry died and the young Edward VI attained the throne in1547, the stage was set for some very significant changes in the religious life of the country. And so a consultation of bishops met and produced the first Book of Common Prayer. It is generally assumed that this book is largely the work of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (pictured below), but, as no records of the development of the prayer book exist, this cannot be definitively determined.

This Book of Common Prayer was not created in a vacuum, but derives from several sources. First and foremost was the Sarum Rite, or the Latin liturgy developed in Salisbury in the thirteenth century, and widely used in England. Two other influences were a reformed Roman Breviary of the Spanish Cardinal Quiñones, and a book on doctrine and liturgy by Hermann von Wied, Archbishop of Cologne.

This prayer book was in use only for three years, until the extensive revision of 1552. However, much of its tradition and language remains in the prayer books of today, as may be seen by even a cursory examination of the text. (Visit the Society’s page, read more about the first BCP, and see its contents here.)

The collect for this commemoration is found in the current Book of Common Prayer - 1979:

Almighty and everliving God, whose servant Thomas Cranmer, with others, restored the language of the people in the prayers of your Church: Make us always thankful for this heritage; and help us so to pray in the Spirit and with the understanding, that we may worthily magnify your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

May 11, 2008: Feast of Pentecost

At St. Paul’s Parish today, the Feast of Pentecost, May 11, 2008:

  • Holy Communion at 8:00 a.m.;
  • Nursery Opens at 9:00 a.m.;
  • Sunday School for All Ages at 9:15 a.m.;
  • Choir Warm-up at 9:15 a.m.;
  • Choral Eucharist at 10:00 a.m.;
  • Youth Group FREE Car Wash at 11:00 a.m.;
  • Celtic Eucharist at 5:30 p.m.

The May issue of St. Paul’s Sword of the Spirit, our monthly newsletter, is available on line, as is the calendar of parish events for May 2008

Today’s news in the Episcopal Church - Episcopal Life Online.

On the calendar tomorrow, May 12, 2008:

  • Junior Girl Scouts at 6:30 p.m. (in the Dining Room);
  • Vestry Meeting at 7:00 p.m. (in the Parish Hall).

Today is the Feast of Pentecost. St. Luke, author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, tells us ….Maronite Catholic Icon of Pentecost

[T]he disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Today’s collect is found in The Book of Common Prayer - 1979:

O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

May 10, 2008: Abba Pachomius (May 9)

At St. Paul’s Parish today, Saturday, May 10, 2008:

  • Gardening Group Garden & Grounds Clean-Up Project at 9:00 a.m.

The May issue of St. Paul’s Sword of the Spirit, our monthly newsletter, is available on line, as is the calendar of parish events for May 2008

Today’s news in the Episcopal Church - Episcopal Life Online.

On the calendar tomorrow, May 11, 2008:

  • Holy Communion at 8:00 a.m.;
  • Nursery Opens at 9:00 a.m.;
  • Sunday School for All Ages at 9:15 a.m.
  • Choir Warm-up at 9:15 a.m.;
  • Choral Eucharist at 10:00 a.m.;
  • Youth Group Mothers’ Day Car Wash at 11:00 a.m.;
  • Celtic Eucharist at 5:30 p.m.

Today is a feria on the Episcopal Church calendar. Worth considering is a saint of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, one of the Desert Coptic Orthodox Icon of Pachomius the Great MartyrFathers, Abba Pachomius of Egypt, known as “Pachomius the Great Martyr” to the Greek Orthodox Church, whose feast day was yesterday. (In this case, the Greek word martyr means “witness” rather than being a reference to death under persecution.) Pachomius set out to lead the life of a hermit near St. Anthony of Egypt, whose practices he imitated. An earlier ascetic named Marcarius had earlier created a number of proto-monasteries called larves, or cells, where holy men would live in a community setting who were physically or mentally unable to achieve the rigors of Anthony’s solitary life. Pachomius set about organizing these cells into a formal organization, thus creating the first monastery.

Before this, Christian asceticism had been solitary or eremitic. Male or female monastics lived as hermits in individual huts or caves, meeting only occasionally for worship services. Pachomius created the community or cenobitic organization, in which male or female monastics lived together and held their possessions in common under the leadership of an abbot or abbess. Pachomius himself was hailed as Abba (father), which is where we get the word Abbot from. This first cenobitic monastery was in Tabennisi, Egypt.

The Tabennisi monastery soon grew very large and divided, a second being established in Pabau. A third was then established at Chenoboskion. By the time Pachomius died, there were nine monasteries of his order for men, and two for women.

The following collect for commemoration of a monastic, found in The Book of Common Prayer - 1979 would be appropriate for his remembrance:

O God, by whose grace your servant Pachomius, kindled with the flame of your love, became a burning and a shining light in your Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

On the Calendar: May 10-18, 2008

The full monthly calendar for May, 2008, is available as a .PDF file readable with Adobe Acrobat Reader.

On the Calendar at St. Paul’s Parish this week:

Saturday, May 10, 2008:

  • Gardening Group Garden & Grounds Clean-Up Project today: bring your gardening implements and come help beautify the grounds.

Pentecost Sunday, May 11, 2008:

  • HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!at all services today;
  • Holy Communion at 8:00 a.m.;
  • Nursery Opens at 9:00 a.m.;
  • Sunday School for All Ages at 9:15 a.m.;
  • Choir Warm-up at 9:15 a.m.;
  • Choral Eucharist at 10:00 a.m.;
  • Youth Group Car Wash (Free!) at 11:00 a.m.;
  • Celtic Eucharist at 5:30 p.m.

Monday, May 12, 2008:

  • Junior Girl Scouts meeting at 6:30 p.m. (in the Dining Room);
  • Vestry Meeting at 7:00 p.m. (in the Parish Hall);

Tuesday, May 13, 2008:

  • Morning Prayer at 9:30 a.m. (in the Church);
  • Ladies’ Book Discussion Group at 10:00 a.m. (in the Common Room);
  • Al-Anon at 7:45 p.m. (in the Parish Hall).

Wednesday, May 14, 2008:

  • Holy Communion at 6:30 p.m. (in the Church);
  • Youth Group at 7:00 p.m. (in the Dining Room);
  • Midweek Study Group at 7:00 p.m. reading The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George Hunter (in the Parish Hall);
  • Overeaters Anonymous at 7:30 p.m. (in the Common Room).

Thursday, May 15, 2008:

  • Men’s Fellowship Breakfast at 8:00 a.m. (at Yours Truly Restaurant);
  • Bishop’s Vestry Dinner at Our Saviour, Akron at 6:30 p.m.;
  • Choir Practice at 7:00 p.m. (in the Church).

Friday, May 16, 2008:

  • Women’s AA at 7:30 p.m. (in the Dining Room).

Saturday, May 17, 2008:

  • Gardening Group Garden & Grounds Clean-Up Project at 9:00 a.m. (if postponed due to weather).

Trinity Sunday, May 18, 2008:

  • Holy Communion at 8:00 a.m.;
  • Nursery Opens at 9:00 a.m.;
  • Sunday School for All Ages at 9:15 a.m.
  • Choir Warm-up at 9:15 a.m.;
  • Choral Eucharist at 10:00 a.m.;
  • Celtic Eucharist at 5:30 p.m.

For information on any parish events, call the church office at 330-725-4131 or email us.

May 9, 2008: St. Gregory Nazianzan

At St. Paul’s Parish today, Friday, May 9, 2008:

  • Women’s AA at 7:30 p.m. (in the Dining Room).

The May issue of St. Paul’s Sword of the Spirit, our monthly newsletter, is now available on line, as is the calendar of parish events for May 2008

Today’s news in the Episcopal Church - Episcopal Life Online.

On the calendar tomorrow, May 10, 2008:

  • Gardening Group Garden & Grounds Clean-Up Project at 9:00 a.m.

Today on the Episcopal Church calendar we find St. Gregory of Nazianzus, one of the Cappadocian Fathers. Icon of St. Gregory NazianzanSaint Gregory of Nazianzus is known especially for his contributions to the theological definition of the Trinity and the nature of Christ. He, St. Basil, and St. Gregory of Nyssa are called “the Cappadocian Fathers”. Brought up in the Cappadocian town of Nazianzus (present-day Bekar, Turkey), where his father was bishop, Gregory as a young man was reluctant to take a position of responsibility in the church, retiring instead to a monastic community started by Basil in Pontus. He explained this action in his Defense of the Flight to Pontus, which became the basis for works on the priesthood by Saint John Chrysostom and Pope Gregory I. Gregory was consecrated a bishop in 371, but did not become actively involved in ecclesiastical affairs until he assumed leadership (379) of the orthodox community in Constantinople, at a time when the city was divided by controversy between rival Christian groups. He played a leading role at the first Council of Constantinople (381), which continued the definition of Christian teaching begun at the councils of Nicaea, but opposition at the council to Gregory’s claim to the bishopric of Constantinople made him decide to return to Nazianzus. In 384 he again retired to monastic life, and died a few years later.

In the Orthodox Church, Gregory is known as the Theologian because of his influential orations (The Five Theological Orations) dealing with the Trinity and Christology. In the first and second of the five theological orations he develops these two principles at some length, urging in language of wonderful beauty and force the necessity for all who would know God aright to lead a supernatural life, and to approach so sublime a study with a mind pure and free from sin. The third oration (on the Son) is devoted to a defence of the doctrine of the Trinity, and a demonstration of its consonance with the primitive doctrine of the Unity of God. The eternal existence of the Son and Spirit are insisted on, together with their dependence on the Father as origin or principle; and the Divinity of the Son is argued from Scripture against the Arians, whose misunderstanding of various Scripture texts is exposed and confuted. In the fourth oration, on the same subject, the union of the Godhead and Manhood in Christ Incarnate is set forth and luminously proved from Scripture and reason. The fifth and final oration (on the Holy Spirit) is directed partly against the Macedonians, who denied altogether the Divinity of the Holy Ghost, and also against those who reduced the Third Person of the Trinity to a mere impersonal energy of the Father. Gregory, in reply to the contention that the Divinity of the Spirit is not expressed in Scripture, quotes and comments on several passages which teach the doctrine by implication, adding that the full manifestation of this great truth was intended to be gradual, following on the revelation of the Divinity of the Son. (This material is excerpted from St. Gregory’s biography at Island of Freedom.

We find this collect for his commemoration in Lesser Feasts and Fasts:

Almighty God, you have revealed to your Church your eternal Being of glorious majesty and perfect love as one God in Trinity of Persons: Give us grace that, like your bishop Gregory of Nazianzus, we may continue steadfast in the confession of this faith, and constant in our worship of you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; for you live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.