‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2022 September 13

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Tuesday, 13 September, in the year of our Lord 2022. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Tuesday (today): 5:30 PM, Mass, Feria.
  6:30 PM, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, Sung Evensong.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Sung Mass, Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Ember Wednesday.
• Thursday: 8:00 AM, monthly men's Morning Prayer and breakfast.
  6:30 PM, Mass, Seven Sorrows of the BVM, Soup & Study.
• Friday: S. Cyprian, Bishop & Martyr, Ember Friday, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Hildegard, Virgin; Stigmata of S. Francis; Ember Saturday.
• Sunday: 10:00 AM, one Mass, Trinity XIV, Edward Bouvarie Pusey, Confessor ~ Archbishop Gordon's official visit.

Commencing this past Sunday, and continuing into the future, we will pray for our Parish at every Mass and Service. Not only is this most appropriate, it is hoped that this will inspire each of us to pray for Saint Matthew's, daily, in our private devotions. Inasmuch as we are dependent, at-least in-part, upon attendance at our services for our works, and our survival, I encourage everyone to make this the intention of their personal prayers. Let us begin by praying, every day, for an average Sunday attendance of thirty souls. I know of Parishes wherein these prayers have yielded wonderful results. Let us demonstrate our faith in our Parish by doing the same.

This Sunday will be the official visit of Archbishop Gordon to Saint Matthew's. There will be only ONE MASS on that day, commencing at 10:00 AM. EVERYONE should be with us, no exceptions. Please feel free to bring friends, family, and those in-search of a church home with you. For those who serve at the Altar (Choir, Servers, and Clergy), there will be a practice on Wednesday, 14 September, at 4:00 PM.

Our renovations are proceeding at a slightly slower pace than anticipated, but this is rarely a surprise in these matters. The interior work has been finished, per the tasks we asked the contractor to complete. Our own tasks are also proceeding apace. We are de-cluttering our church, and ordering what remains. If you see something that needs doing, please feel free to jump-in and do it!

Our recently-held Clericus for the Clergy of the Church was a success. Much fellowship was had; liturgical and clerical standards were discussed; and a new Deacon was received from one of the other Anglican jurisdictions. Parishes and Clergy from across the Anglican Diaspora in the United States are looking at us as a refuge from the power-politics and distractions found in so many churches, these days. As we pray for the growth and success of our own Parish, let us not forget to pray the same for our greater Church, that our shield and strength may endure.

Perhaps you will remember when the Disciples went to our Lord, after having found and failed to expel a demon inhabiting a person. He, of-course, accomplished the task. They asked Him why they had been unable to do so; He replied that this sort of demon may only be expelled by prayer and fasting. Thus, we are taught that all things, including the most difficult, may be over-come by prayer and fasting.

On several occasions, our Presidents have called for national days of fasting, usually in moments of crisis, when all other solutions seemed fruitless. And yet, how often do we fail to resort to these most powerful tools, when we face a peril, or even a simple need? We must learn, or re-learn, how to be prayer-warriors ~ to pray as simply as a child, with the devotion of a hermit, and the power of a saint. In this way, we shall well-serve our Lord, Jesus, the Christ, in these things wherein He has called us to serve, if not to battle. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Fr. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish