Halloween should not be a day when our churches go dark and Christians retreat into the shadows, but when we fill the darkness with Christ’s light and go out into the culture, inviting everyone to the prepare for the festival of the saints with all the joy we can muster.
Dear brother and sisters in Christ:
As we near All Hallows Eve, a.k.a. Halloween, I usually get asked some questions and Halloween, a.k.a. All Hallows’ Eve, and its Christian roots and celebration.
This year, the St. Francis Day Pet Blessing took place on Saturday, October 5th. We had a wonderful time meeting the extended family of St. Bart’s: dogs and turtles! Thank you to all who helped make this a special day for our dear pets who love us unconditionally.
Photos courtesy of Katie Guthrie.
Participants in the event included the très chic Winifred R. (far left) along with two noble German Shepherds and their human mother, Elizabeth Feiberg. To the right side is the extended canine family of Harrison and Rachel Hess.
Pets received a St. Francis medal with their blessing.
A delicious assortment of treats for the pets and their humans.
Cooper, the copper lover of souls.
One of the Talbott turtles came for a blessing.
The vigilant Zoe Guthrie stands guard over the event.
Keep up to date on all the parish news. Contact Father Rick to be added to the weekly parish newsletter e-mail list.
We had a fantastic time and enjoyed our delicious meal from Larry’s Smokehouse immensely. Desserts were provided by Larry Talbott and the Hess Clan. Thanks to all who participated. For those of you who were not able to join us, we missed you!
The morning began with Morning Prayer and The Holy CommunionOur dear brother, Alex Dale helped prepare the banquet tablesGreat fellowship with our parish familyA game of questions covering the Bible and Church History was played. Some of the best answers were shared from the youngest among us. Out of the mouth of babes. Great prizes were won!
Keep up to date on all the parish news. Contact Fr. Rick to be added to the weekly parish newsletter e-mail list.
Bible Study & Faith Formation
Fall Seminary classes will begin soon. There are many requests from parishioners for Bible Study and other faith formation resources. Our Seminary courses are for clergy and laity alike so please do check the email sent to you about the courses being offered. Course descriptions and registration information is available in the latest issue of The Shepherd’s Staff.
September Vestry Meeting
The next business meeting of the Vestry will be 15 September 2024 after the Liturgy.
September ACW Meeting
The next meeting of the Anglican Church Women (ACW) will take place on 22 September after the Liturgy. There will be an opportunity for prayer and fellowship. We’ll write Sunshine Cards and discuss our outreach projects for the remainder of 2024. All women of the parish are invited.
We will gather this Sunday, August 25, to celebrate our Patron Saint and our parish, but why is a church family so important?
Because church is like a family reunion. The Bible says that we are brothers and sisters in Christ and part of the family of God (Ephesians 2:19; 3:14-15). As such, we gather to celebrate the Sacraments especially the Holy Communion, pray for one another, encourage one another, and help each other. We need each other’s support to live out the Christian Life and fulfill God’s Will in each of our lives.
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
St. Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews 10: 24-25
Faithfully, Fr. Rick
Parish Patronal Schedule
Sunday, August 25 10:00am Morning Prayer and The Holy Communion 10:00 am Children’s Sunday School Join us for a delicious BBQ feast following the Liturgy. All are welcome.
Saint Joseph of Arimathea Theological College, Berkeley, CA
As time goes by the Seminary wants very much to offer classes in which the laity will be able to participate more fully. Indeed, the primary goal remains to prepare men for Holy Orders, but a well-educated laity (including our youth and confirmands) is equally important for a successful Province of Christ the King. We have been asked about a Mission Statement; and here it is, that we educate and re-educate and re-educate our clergy and laity in the fundamentals of the Faith once delivered to the saints. Michaelmas Term begins the week of September 17th. See course descriptions and registration form for additional details.
Seminary Courses for Clergy and Laity
Survey of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer Tuesdays, 5:00 pm*
Development of Early Christian Theology Wednesdays, 11:00 am*
Confirmation Class Thursdays, 5:00 pm*
Biblical Greek 2 Fridays, 10:00 am*
Ecclesiastical Latin 1 Fridays, 3:00 pm*
Ecclesiastical Latin 3 Fridays, 1:00 pm*
* Note: Courses will be conducted on the Zoom platform. Course hours given for Pacific Time (PST). Please adjust times for your location.
The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord (Aug. 6) is a Prayer Book Holy Day.
The Propers for the Day
The Collect O GOD, who on the mount didst reveal to chosen witnesses thine only-begotten Son wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistering; Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may be permitted to behold the King in his beauty, who with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.
The Epistle The Second Epistle of St. Peter 1:13 – 18
The Gospel The Gospel According to St. Luke 9:28-34
All three Synoptic Gospels tell the story of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-9; Luke 9:28-36). With remarkable agreement, all three place the event shortly after Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus is the Messiah and Jesus’ first prediction of his passion and death.
Peter’s eagerness to erect tents or booths on the spot suggests it occurred during the week-long Jewish Feast of Booths in the fall. According to Scripture scholars, in spite of the texts’ agreement it is difficult to reconstruct the disciples’ experience, because the Gospels draw heavily on Old Testament descriptions of the Sinai encounter with God, and prophetic visions of the Son of Man. Certainly Peter, James, and John had a glimpse of Jesus’ divinity strong enough to strike fear into their hearts. Such an experience defies description, so they drew on familiar religious language to describe it. And certainly Jesus warned them that his glory and his suffering were to be inextricably connected—a theme John highlights throughout his Gospel.
Tradition names Mount Tabor as the site of the revelation. A church first raised there in the fourth century was dedicated on August 6. A feast in honor of the Transfiguration was celebrated in the Eastern Church from about that time. Western observance began in some localities about the eighth century. Read more →
Two saints this week offer to us examples of how we can impact our world and the Church for the better. St. Ignatius Loyola founded the Jesuit Order in the Roman Church, but Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises continue to affect Seminarians and the Faithful throughout the Christian world, regardless of denomination. St. Nicodemus worked behind the scenes at the Crucifixion, helping rescue the body of Our Lord and ensure He had a proper burial. (See their stories below.)
Faithfully yours, Fr. Rick
St. Ignatius of Loyola (July 31)St. Nicodemus (August 2)
About St. Ignatius of Loyola, Confessor
The founder of the Jesuits was on his way to military fame and fortune when a cannon ball shattered his leg. Because there were no books of romance on hand during his convalescence, Ignatius whiled away the time reading a life of Christ and lives of the saints. His conscience was deeply touched, and a long, painful turning to Christ began. Having seen the Mother of God in a vision, he made a pilgrimage to her shrine at Montserrat near Barcelona.
He remained for almost a year at nearby Manresa, sometimes with the Dominicans, sometimes in a pauper’s hospice, often in a cave in the hills praying. After a period of great peace of mind, he went through a harrowing trial of scruples. There was no comfort in anything—prayer, fasting, sacraments, penance. At length, his peace of mind returned. It was during this year of conversion that Ignatius began to write down material that later became his greatest work, the Spiritual Exercises. Read more →
About St. Nicodemus
St. Nicodemus was a secret disciple of Jesus. As a member of the Sanhedrin, he would meet Jesus by night so that the others would not see him with Jesus. Eventually, it was Nicodemus who reminded the Sanhedrin that Jesus had the right to a trial. Together with St. Joseph of Arimathea, he prepared Jesus’ body and placed him in the tomb.
Tradition holds that St. Nicodemus was martyred, though no record remains.
Bishop Ashman joined us for the July 13-14 weekend:
On Saturday, Bishop Ashman celebrated the Solemnization of Matrimony and the Nuptial Mass for James Lawrence Talbott and Rose Feagin Brallier.
On Sunday morning, with Bishop Ashman presiding, Fr. Rick Gregory was instituted as our new rector. The Bishop also received Robyn Weber into the Anglican Province of Christ the King.
