‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2022 September 19

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Monday, 19 September, in the year of our Lord 2022. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Tuesday: 5:30 PM, Mass, Bl. John Colreridge Patteson, Bishop & Martyr.
  6:30 PM, Sung Evensong.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Mass, Feria of Trinity XIV.
• Thursday: 6:30 PM, Mass, SS. Maurice & Companions, Martyrs, followed by Soup & Study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, S. Linus, Bishop & Martyr, with the Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, Our Lady of Ransom.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity XV, Commemorate Bl. Launcelot Andrewes, Bishop & Confessor.

Yesterday, we Celebrated the Feast (Transferred) of Saint Matthew, our Patron, and hosted Archbishop Gordon and his wife, Jan, for his official visit to our Parish. Giada Philomena McReynolds was Confirmed as a Communicant Member of God's one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church by the Archbishop. Additionally, he blessed a statue of S. Matthew, donated by the Jordans. Lastly, he blessed our new steeple. A truly wonderful potluck was held in the Parish Hall, with many favourite dishes on-hand. It was a beautiful day, inside and out, with good liturgy and lovely singing, accompanied by our organ in full-form. As we've been praying, there were over thirty souls in-attendance!

There will be little rest in the aftermath, as we are continuing our preparations for the General Convention of the Church, which we will host here, at S. Matthew's, over the 10th - 12th of November. This will be a Thursday afternoon through Saturday Noon affair. The official schedule will soon be released. Be prepared to assist as-needed for the various duties we will fulfill as the host parish.

In the meantime, our annual Blessing of the Animals will take-place on Saturday, 1 October, at 10:00 AM at the Parish. There will be treats for our canine and feline guests, and light refreshments for the humans. We've begun circulating flyers in the Hilton neighbourhood. Please take some from the table in the narthex, and post them where you live and work.

On 6 December of this year, the OAC will Consecrate two Bishops to the service of our growing Church. The Rev'd Canons Charles H. Nalls and Joshua Gilliam will be raised to the Episcopacy at the Pro-Cathedral, Good Shepherd Parish, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Canon Nalls will be Consecrated as a Suffragan Bishop, while Canon Gilliam will be Consecrated as a Missionary Bishop to Spanish-speaking ministries. Never having participated in the proliferation of Bishops, as-have many Anglican bodies, these will be the first Consecrations in ten years for our Church. If the current growth maintains, The Archbishop has indicated that there may be another Consecration before the end of AD 2023.

All of these good things, in both our Parish, and in our greater Church, are the by-products of faith. What if the first, best, mayhap the only method by which the faithful communicate with God? Prayer.

If we expect good things to happen within our Parish, we mut pray for them. I asked that we pray for at-least thirty souls to attend our services every Sunday. The very next Sunday, we had over thirty. This is not to say that all things for which we ask in prayer will arrive that suddenly, or will maintain without variance. The point is that they can, if our prayers are sincere, heartfelt, and for the betterment of His Kingdom.

Let us continue, unceasing, in prayer. We must all become, if we are not already, prayer warriors. For most of us, the World is darker now than it has ever been in our lifetimes. Our primary defence against the Dark is prayer. Our only sure method of overcoming it is prayer. Pray ... pray as-though your lives depend-upon it. They very well may. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Fr. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish