December 4, 2020
St. Patrick’s is a caring, listening community, open to all, where God changes lives.
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME THIS SUNDAY
Sunday, March 14, 2021 IN-PERSON WORSHIP
8:00am - Holy Eucharist - Rite II (without music) 10:00am - Holy Eucharist - Rite II (with music)
If you wish to attend either of these services, please sign-up with Sign-Up Genius emailed to you from the office. Please note, strict social distancing at St. Patrick's is still in place, which means wearing masks, keeping six feet apart from individuals who are not part of your worship group, no singing, and no socializing afterwards.
The 10:00am service will also be streamed, and available a short while later on the St. Patrick's YouTube Channel. Worship materials for the entire service will be projected onto your screens so there is no need to download and print the service bulletin.
YouTube Channel
This Sunday Celebrate our Patron Saint, Saint Patrick March 14, 2021
No parade this year, again, but we will not let our Irish ancestors be forgotten!
On Sunday, March 14, we will celebrate the life and legacy of St. Patrick. Jim Dorian will greet people at the front door starting at 9:45am with traditional Irish bagpipe music. Robert Neel will sing the stunning Irish Blessing song, “Deep Peace,” and Sarah Riehm will perform traditional Irish harp music.
And after the 10:00am service Irish coffee to go and cocoa will be served, compliments of ECW!
***** “World’s Shortest Parade”
By Jackie Cox and Lynne McCrudden
St. Patrick is the patron saint of our church, and in the pre-COVID years of the past, our parish certainly celebrated his day. The town used to do a St. Patrick's parade, and our church always led the parade with parishioners dressed in their crazy attire, but when the town decided to cancel the parade, St. Patrick's decided it must go on.....and so the shortest parade was born. Most recently, we have had our bagpipers lead off the “World’s Shortest Parade,” followed by the occasional fire truck, ambulance, or garbage truck, to the glorious last float, St. Patrick himself sitting on a throne, blessing the crowd. The parade traverses the length of our parking lot.
Each year new things were added, but it was always a gift to the community. The vendor space was free, and they kept whatever sales they earned. The food was free, and we sold the Irish coffee only to minimize consumption. There was a book sale and that money was divided between the Food Pantry and the Quilt Ministry. The fellowship was wonderful and has attracted new people to St. Patrick’s.
Good bye to Muriel Cronkhite Submitted by Mary Stokes
Muriel has been active in St. Patrick’s parish for 30+ years. Soon to be 94 years old next month, Muriel has served the community in many ways. She received national recognition for her work with Girl Scouts. She was instrumental in developing Loaves and Fishes and single handedly mixed bushels of stuffing each year for the annual Thanksgiving feast that served hundreds. She served our congregation here, on Lewis Street and beyond. She worked on the Altar Guild, Shamrock Festival, and ministered to shut-ins. She joined in the women’s annual trip to Santa Fe and organized our church outing to the Santa Fe Opera.
Her personal journey was accomplished as well. She worked in New York City and the Arizona Indian Reservation. In recent years, she ran over herself in the car wash and was struck by lightning at her living room window. She always told her tales of survival with a smile.
Muriel has sold her Pagosa home on Walnut Street and is moving next week to the Stapleton neighborhood to be near her family. Her son Larry says we will be able to find her residence easily because it’s near “the dive bar”.
Her impact on our parish and community spans far wider than the contributions listed here. A farewell tea was held Wednesday afternoon and guests took time to wish Muriel well and sign her remembrance book. For a brief moment in this pandemic madness we were able to visit without muffled voices and hug as we sent Muriel off on her next adventure, wrapped in God’s loving arms and filled with His blessing Read an article on Muriel from the Pagosa Sun here.
Pastoral Care Training Saturday, March 13 8:30-10:00am CONFIDENTIALITY
This Training Is Open To All!
"A basic rule for all Pastoral Care Visitors is that all transactions between the Pastoral Care Visitor and the care receiver, all observations or impressions of the care receiver made by the Pastoral Care Visitor, and all records made concerning the care receiver are and must remain confidential."
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82185957882? pwd=TEN4bmtQY1kyU3poVS9TQUNTMTNBdz09
Meeting ID: 821 8595 7882 Passcode: 690019
EARLY BIRD TUESDAY LENTEN SERIES "Come, Pray"
7:20am on Tuesdays
Presented by
Brothers from the Society of Saint John the Evangelist Week Four: Praying the Sacrament
With Br. Jim Woodrum and Br. Todd Blackham
Tuesday, March 16 at 7:20am
For many, the pandemic has meant a rupture in our ability to participate fully in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. We long to gather in community in our church buildings, to pass the peace, and to receive the bread and wine. The year-long lack of this ritual – which is at the heart of our faith – has been palpable, painful. And yet, we believe that God is at work, even in this experience of longing and absence. As we discover how we can gather and worship as the Church in the shifting circumstances of these challenging times, we are also invited to discover new ways to receive Christ in the Eucharist and to carry his message of love into the world.
How to participate:
Watch the video before joining the discussion at 7:20am with folks from St. Patrick's.
See video here.
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82645945685? pwd=SGY0NVRrbnoybE1hNTFhbnhSSy9jUT09
Meeting ID: 826 4594 5685 Passcode: 440019
St. Patrick’s Food Pantry and the Archuleta County Food Coalition
The blessings God gives us are intended to be shared with all.
St. Patrick’s Food Pantry and the Archuleta County Food Coalition received, loaded, stocked and distributed over 6,000 pounds of food this week. We are blessed to have as partners the Food Coalition, No Kid Hungry, Feed America, Colorado Hunger Blueprint, Southwest Foundation of CO, and many other partners. We are working together to network and reach all in our region who are food insecure.
In April, the Food Coalition will implement a Mobile Food Pantry to reach outlying areas in our county, including stops on Highway 83, Aspen Springs, and further west on Highway 160.
Recipients express profound and grateful thanks with each transaction. What a wonderful feeling! To paraphrase Abraham, “I am blessed to be a blessing”.
Many thanks to all who are a part of the food security effort.
St. Patrick's Adult Education presents a Lenten Series on Stations of the Cross
Monday 15 and 22 at 10:00am
Reflection and discussion on each of the stations will take place each week. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82002257666?pwd=dkMrOVN4dlZEYm85dkE1TWFVZGU4QT09
Meeting ID: 820 0225 7666 Passcode: 767388
Field Trip to Stations of the Cross in San Luis Monday, March 29 Leaving St. Pat's Parking Lot at 8:30am
We will carpool, have lunch, and walk the Stations. We should be home by about 5:30pm. A sign-up sheet is available in the Narthex or email Lynne McCrudden at [email protected].
Please note: This trip is dependent on road and weather conditions. If Monday is unsuitable for travel, we will reschedule the trip for Tuesday, March 30; and if Tuesday doesn't work, for Wednesday. Unfortunately, after Wednesday, we're out of luck, as other Holy Week events are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
*****
More about the Stations of the Cross in San Luis
The Stations of the Cross in San Luis, Colorado's Colorado oldest town, is located about 40 miles southeast of Alamosa.
The Stations are a series of bronze statues that depict the last hours of Christ’s life—his judgment, sufferings, and death. Each station shows a different scene and is accompanied by a plaque with several Bible Scriptures. There are 15 stations in all with the last station being Christ’s resurrection.
The dirt walking trail is less than a mile long and very easy. It slowly winds you up the mesa, passing the different sculptures as you go. Visiting this site is free but donations are welcome either at the church at the top or in the visitor’s center.
Episcopalians Care for Creation Submitted by Sally High
“See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. . . I have given every green plant for food.” The book of Genesis tells us that God delivered these words to early humans. Writing and agriculture were both invented by the descendants of Abraham about 3500 BC. I’m sure glad that this creation story, passed down through countless generations, was written down so that we can ponder it today.
I am called to care for God’s creation and to walk lightly on our earth. I believe our God-given “dominion” over our earth does not mean domination. I share the interpretation of our baptismal covenant with the Episcopal Church and recognize that Christians are called to uphold the dignity of every other human. To do this, we love, protect and care for God’s creation. We work to preserve and to restore natural habitats needed for allflora and fauna to thrive.We must love our home planet, given to humanity by our Creator.
Here in Pagosa Springs I am blessed to serve our community by growing vegetables, teaching others to grow healthy food, and encouraging environmental awareness. I am humbled and grateful that a growing Gardening Ministry is blooming at St. Patrick’s. This week, our volunteer gardeners delivered a bounty of fresh produce from St. Patrick’s garden beds to our Food Pantry.
St. Patrick’s Gardening Ministry may become just a part of “greening our church.” This page on our Diocese of Colorado website contains links to various opportunitiesto better understand this focus on Creation Care in our Episcopal community. See here.
Last week, I encouraged everyone to watch David Attenborough’s “Life on Our Planet” on Netflix. As more of us are vaccinated and Covid-19 restrictions lift, we could watch this film together. This thought- provoking film by our 94-year old fellow Anglican is not just another nature video. Let me or Rev. Lyn know if you’re interested in gathering at St. Pat’s to view and discuss Attenborough’s ideas. The trailer if here.
This week’s Netflix recommendation? “Kiss the Ground.” This highly acclaimed 2020 film is recognized as the 2021 Best of Fest at our Colorado Environmental Film Festival. “Kiss the Ground” is also on Netflix. It’s hopeful and inspiring! The trailer if here.
St. Patrick's Celtic Heritage
The Communion of Saints
One of Richard Rohr's reflections this week on the theme of "Community of Saints" highlights the Irish poet and philosopher, John O’Donohue (1956– 2008), who wrote about the “circle of eternity." Given that we are celebrating the life of Saint Patrick on Sunday, it seems apt to include this writing in the newsletter today.
The Celtic Irish tradition recognizes that the eternal and the transient worlds are woven in and through each other. Very often at death, the inhabitants of the eternal world come out toward the visible world. . . . Your friends who now live in the eternal world come to meet you, to bring you home. Usually, for people who are dying to see their own friends gives them great strength, support, and encouragement. . . .
Here we are caught in linear time. . . . Time must be totally different for the dead because they live now within a circle of eternity. . . . The Celtic mind never liked the line but always loved the shape of the circle. . . . I imagine that in the eternal world time has become the circle of eternity. Maybe when a person goes into that world, he or she can look back at what we call past time here. That person may also see all of future time. For the dead, present time is total presence. This suggests that our friends among the dead know us better than they can ever have known us in life. . . .
I believe that our friends among the dead really mind us and look out for us. Often there might be a big boulder of misery over your path about to fall on you, but your friends among the dead hold it back until you have passed by. One of the exciting developments that may happen in evolution and in human consciousness in the next several hundred years is a whole new relationship with the invisible, eternal world. We might begin to link up in a very creative way with our friends in the invisible world. . . . They are now in a place where there is no more shadow, darkness, loneliness, isolation, or pain. They are home. They are with God from whom they came. They have returned to the nest of their identity within the great circle of God. God is the greatest circle of all, the largest embrace in the universe, which holds visible and invisible, temporal and eternal, as one. . . .
In the eternal world, all is one. In spiritual space there is no distance. In eternal time there is no segmentation into today, yesterday, or tomorrow. In eternal time all is now; time is presence. I believe that this is what eternal life means: it is a life where all that we seek—goodness, unity, beauty, truth, and love—are no longer distant from us but are now completely present with us.
John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom (HarperCollins: 1997), 211, 227–228, 229.
The Food Pantry could use donations of 1-lb. bags of white or brown rice, jelly and spaghetti o’s.
Thank you to those volunteering at the Food Pantry this coming week: Thursday, March 18 – Sally High & Michelle Chapman Friday, March 19 – Art & Jonnae Benzel
This Week at St. Patrick's
We pray your healing for one another from times of sickness, sorrow, isolation, the devastation of coronavirus pandemic, and all those suffering from extreme cold at this time.
Steadfast love is yours and we uplift to your grace and compassion:
Don, Colin,Dinah, Sharry, Meredith, Ken E., Carol Ann, Linda, Susan, Ruth, Shannon & Mike, Rafael, Duane, Kathy, Larry, Barbara, Christine, Peggy, Katharine, Emily, A.J., Bob, Sandy
****
Birthday Blessings for:
Frank Meiners
Anniversary Blessings for:
Karl and Joanne Irons
March 10, 2021 Message from the Bishop
Vows of Baptism
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons and respect the dignity of every human being?
Greetings, beloved in Christ. As many of you know, as part of my Lenten discipline, I have been revisiting and reflecting over our baptismal covenant. As I reflected over this particular vow, to respect the dignity of every human being, I reached out to a friend and colleague, a Jewish theologian, about the Gospel of John. I've been reading a lot about how John's Gospel is overtly antisemitic, and I wanted her feedback, and she said, "Clearly, the evangelist is not anti-Semitic. Clearly, he is not advocating the eradication of his people."
Listen to the Full Message from the Bishop here. WEEKLY ZOOM MEETINGS
Mondays: 10-11:00am - Spiritual Formation (Stations of the Cross) Thursdays: 12:30-1:00pm - Prayer Group Thursdays: 1:00-2:00pm - "Universal Christ" by Richard Rohr - Book Discussion
Details and recurring Zoom links are below.
Prayer Gathering
Thursday, March 18, 2021 12:30-1:00pm
(The following Zoom link should be used for all of our gatherings.)
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88696109593? pwd=QkNVSU55ZmJiZzBJWlFhdHFwNGhtQT09
Meeting ID: 886 9610 9593 Passcode: 900270
Book Study "Universal Christ" by Richard Rohr
Thursday, March 18: 1:00-2:00pm
"HOW A FORGOTTEN REALITY CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING WE SEE, HOPE FOR AND BELIEVE"
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88696109593? pwd=QkNVSU55ZmJiZzBJWlFhdHFwNGhtQT09
Meeting ID: 886 9610 9593 Passcode: 900270
Welcome to the Prayer Site at Forward Movement
Read and comment on today's Forward Day By Day meditation. Pray the Daily Office; we offer Morning, Noonday, and Evening Prayer, plus Compline, every day. Set your own personalized Daily Prayer Preferences. Access three different versions of The Liturgical Calendar. And visit www.forwardmovement.org to find more resources to strengthen your faith and heart.