The Evangelist April 14, 2019 We are ready for you at St. John's! Sunday: Low Mass at 8 a.m. & High Mass at 10 a.m. Monday through Friday: Morning Prayer at 8:30 a.m. & Evening Prayer at 5:30 p.m. Feast Days & Special Services as announced. Confessions by appointment. A Letter from Father Humphrey Dear People, Neighbors and Friends of St. John's, This coming week is about one thing and one thing only: the undoing of death. We will begin with a requiem on Saturday for a beloved parishioner, which is appropriate, because in the Orthodox Church the day before Palm Sunday is known as "Lazarus Saturday," in reference to the great miracle that Jesus performed, a miracle that so astounded the authorities that they instinctively reacted by plotting Jesus' own death. Why would the powers and principalities wish to kill someone who had the power over death? Perhaps it is because death is one of the few things that keeps the status quo the status quo. In other words, earthly power relies on death to keep people in line. If you're not afraid to die, you are a dangerous person. And Jesus wasn't just someone who faced death with bravado. He faced it with real power. We are invited to encounter that power anew by walking the way of the cross this Holy Week, that we "may find it to be none other than the way of life and peace," as the Morning Prayer collect for Fridays puts it. We are promised that if we walk with Jesus, we will share in his power over death itself, as death's power is undone once for all by Jesus himself. This week, I invite you to participate in the Lord's undoing of death. Yours in Christ's Service, N.J.A. Humphrey+ XIV Rector Imagine and Invite You have the opportunity of a lifetime, and it's right around the corner. You have the power to change lives and to strengthen our community of faith with just one phone call, an email, or the offer of a ride to church. If you are planning on being with us for all or any part of Holy Week (Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday), take a couple of minutes now to think of people whom you can be in touch with to invite to these transformational liturgies. And write their names down so you don't forget! Ask yourself: Who have I not seen in church recently whom I could touch base with and ask if I will see them at Easter or in Holy Week? Is there anyone who doesn't drive after dark to whom I could offer a ride to one of the evening services on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday? Am I able to give a lift to anyone on Sunday morning, especially to the combined 10 o'clock High Mass on Easter Sunday? Who would love the joyful experience of Easter at St. John's? Who needs to be here but isn't? Who is coping with any burden or grief or depression, and could use the support of a loving community? Who can I introduce to Jesus through St. John's? If you are planning on being with us, and can think of just one name, you could change that person's life forever. Better yet, if you can invite people and not stop inviting until you know that at least one person or couple or family will give St. John's a try this Holy Week and Easter, you will be doing them and us a great service. The number one way to build community and spread the Gospel is by personal invitation. "Come and see." So this is my homework assignment to each and every one of you, even those who live far from St. John's but might be able to invite someone to your local church on Easter: imagine and invite. Imagine what St. John's could become if you did this! There is no end to our potential for making disciples and growing as a community of faith, hope, and love, but it doesn't happen automatically. Imagine what impact you could have on someone's life, on a family or on a couple, by including them in Holy Week hope and Easter joy. Imagine and invite. On a final note, I am very grateful to Canon Haselock for his presence and ministry among us. His great learning and good humor were very much on display in his presentations on the liturgies of Holy Week on Wednesdays in Lent. He has very much inspired me to encourage you to enter deeply into the mysteries of our faith as we journey toward the empty tomb. Imagine and invite those who can be your companions in this journey together. Yours in Christ's Service, N.J.A. Humphrey+ XIV Rector Saturday: Requiem for Ron Turgeon A Solemn Mass of Requiem will be held tomorrow on Saturday, April 13, at 11 a.m. for Ronald Turgeon. All are invited to a collation following at Sardella's Restaurant, 30 Memorial Boulevard West, Newport. Ron was a longtime member of St. John's, an indefatigable cheerleader for anything a n d everything that had to do with St. John's -- but especially if it meant he could wear his cassock and lace cotta whilst leading the cheers! And for Ron, dressing up wasn't limited to liturgy. Back in 2014, Ron convinced Fr. Humphrey to march in the parade marking the 375th anniversary of the founding o f Newport. As Father Humphrey says, "He had me vest in cassock, cotta, stole, our (heavy) green Watts cope, and a Canterbury cap, while he marched in front of me vested and bearing aloft the St. John's banner. It was a lovely June day, but wearing all those layers outdoors in the sun for a couple of hours wasn't exactly my idea of Serious Fun™. But it was Ron's! He had a blast, and would have trooped our colors in a parade or procession every day if he'd had his way. A photograph from that day expresses his delight and pride in St. John's in a way I could never convey. Ron never tired of telling me and others that the first time he laid eyes on St. John's was when the Corpus Christi procession was leaving the church to circle the block. From that moment on he was in love with this place, and that love was evident right down to my last visit with him only a few weeks before he died." The Ronald Turgeon Memorial Fund has been established to receive donations for the restoration of the church, with the aim of dedicating some aspect of our ongoing preservation work in his memory. Please write "Turgeon Memorial" in the memo line of your check. Your contributions towards honoring their memories and securing his legacy of love to the greater glory of God and in the furtherance of our mission have been and will continue to be gratefully received. This Week: Holy Week Palm Sunday: April 14 Low Mass at 8 a.m. Procession & Solemn High Mass at 9:45 a.m. All are invited to join the triumphant procession along Washington Street to the historic 1894 Zabriskie Memorial Church of St. John the Evangelist, with hymns led by a trumpeter. The service will be sung by the Professional Choristers of The Choir School of Newport County and the St. John's adult choir. Free parking is available on the street in the neighborhood, as well as in the garage at the Newport Visitors Center, 23 America's Cup Avenue, Newport, RI 02840, conveniently located near Storer Park and a short walk to St. John's. In case of inclement weather, the service will begin in the church at 10:00 a.m. ___________________________________________________________ The Triduum Sacrum Easter Day is preceded by the three most powerful days of the Christian Year, when we celebrate with special solemnity Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection. These three services are known collectively as the Triduum Sacrum, the "Three Holy Days," and are crowned by the celebration of Easter Day. The Triduum Sacrum is one liturgy celebrated over three holy days, which is why no dismissal is given from the beginning of the Maundy Thursday rites until the end of the first Mass of the Resurrection at the Vigil. Those who commit to observing Holy Week in its totality will find it to be a truly transformative experience. Please plan on being with us for the following services. ___________________________________________________________ Maundy Thursday, April 18: Solemn Mass at 6:30 p.m.; followed by Vigil before the Altar of Repose Solemn Mass at 6:30 p.m. with the Adult Choir and Professional Choristers; The Maundy Thursday/Good Friday Vigil before the Altar of Repose in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament begins Thursday at 8:00 p.m. and continues until 6:30 p.m. on Good Friday. Please sign up on the sheet in the back of the church to take a watch. ___________________________________________________________ Good Friday, April 19: Stations of the Cross at noon Solemn Liturgy at 6:30 p.m. with the Adult Choir. Featuring two excerpts from Bach's St. Matthew Passion. A choral setting incorporating a cello in the style of Bach's unaccompanied suites for the instrument will precede the singing of Bach's Passion Chorale. Bach's own striking harmonization of the final stanza wrenches from the participant the question: Were you there? A violinist and cellist enhance this music.