‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 November 13

Beloved of the Lord:

To-day is Monday, 13 November, in the year of lour Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Monday (today): 10:00 AM, Mass, S. Britius, Bishop & Confessor.
• Tuesday: 5:30 PM, Deacon's Liturgy, Bestowal of the American Episcopate.
  6:30 PM, Holy Rosary & Evensong.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Sext.
• Thursday: NO SERVICES.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Matins.
• Saturday: NO SERVICES.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Deacon's Liturgy, Trinity XXIV.

PLEASE NOTE THE SCHEDULE CHANGES! I'll be travelling to see family; thus, the changes noted above in the schedule. Should you have a pastoral emergency, please call me, on my cellular 'phone, and I'll arrange Clergy coverage for you. 'One of the few benefits of this electronic Age....

As recently-noted, Advent will soon be upon us. One of the most frequently-asked questions concerning the Kalendar of Holy Mother, the Church, is Why is Advent a Penitential (Violet) Season? The simple answer is our sorrow for our sin.

Delving-into greater depth, specifically we mourn that our sin, our fallen ~ and yet somehow haughty ~ nature necessitated the descent of our Lord from the infinite peace and grace of the heavenly places, into this blood-stained horror of a world that we've been forging from the perfection of His original design since the very Fall itself, our expulsion from the Garden; which, despite our finest efforts, still bears elements of the grace with which He imbued it.

We dragged Him here ~ down, down, down to our level. 'Not a fate that He'd have chosen, to be sure, but neither one that He would ever refuse, being innately desirous of pleasing His Father, and completing the Father's over-arching plan of ultimate redemption ~ salvation. He became in this way, as He is in all things, perfect; the ultimate martyr, who was not captured and killed by the world, but marched straight to the gallows. He never had to be found, or tracked ~ at the appointed hour, He presented Himself for torture and death.

At this level of deeper examination, we also notice that throughout the time of physical and spiritual darkness, we are to busy ourselves in preparing for the Light. Jesus, the Christ, is coming! As such, we focus upon our sins, aiming ultimately at repenting therefrom, so that we may be rightly and duly prepared for His arrival, His Advent to this world. The Light of all Lights, the Light of the World, is near ... let us make ready for Him. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 November 7

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Tuesday, 7 November, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Tuesday (today): 5:30 PM, Mass, S. Willibrord, Bishop & Confessor.
  6:30 PM, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament & sung Evensong.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Mass, All Anglican Martyrs & Saints (Octave Day of All Saints).
• Thursday: 8:00 AM, men's Morning Prayer & Breakfast.
  6:30 PM, Mass, S. Theodore, Martyr, followed by soup & study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, S. Hugh, Bishop & Confessor, using the Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Martin of Tours, Bishop & Confessor.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity XXIII.

Be sure to VOTE! Today, Tuesday, is Election Day. Don't fail to exercise your right as a citizen of our Great Land, and cast your vote in determining our future.

As you can see, our schedule for this week is as-per usual. Next week, there will be some variations, due to my travel. Please review that schedule closely, when it is issued. This is my usual family trip. There shouldn't be any Church travel until February of next year.

Roughly a month from now, Advent will commence, and with it, a new Christian year. Begin reflecting-upon the year just-passed, and thinking of the year to come. As-for the past, what lessons have you learned? What joys did you experience? What gifts ~ especially those of God ~ did you receive? What wounds did you suffer? What betrayals did you endure? What lessons did you learn?

In the year to come, what will you do? Who will you be? Perhaps more to the point, who will you become? Will you rise-above the hurts and injuries visited-upon you by those whom you trusted? Will you rely-upon His strength to carry you through, or participate ~ or continue to participate ~ in the delusion that you can make it through on your own? How will you better serve our Lord in the year to come, than you did in the year just concluded?

Prepareth now for the future, as it cometh, and that right soon. First your heart, then your mind, then the rest of what and who you are must be prepared, or reformed, the better to serve Him. Build in this moment, for the future that will never end. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 October 28

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Saturday, 28 October, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled Services are as-follows:

• Saturday (today): 5:00 PM, Mass, SS. Simon & Jude, Apostles & Martyrs.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, the Feast of Christ the King.
  Monthly Parish Brunch, following the 10:00 Mass, at County Grill.
• Monday: 10:00 AM, Mass, Feria.
• Tuesday: NO MASS; Trunk-or-Treat, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, in the Parish drive.
• Wednesday: 12:10 & 6:30 PM, Mass, All Saint's Day.
• Thursday: 12:10 & 6:30 PM, Mass, All Soul's Day; Soup & Study following 6:30 Mass.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, S. Winifred, Virgin & Martyr, with Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Charles Borromeo, Bishop & Confessor.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity XXII, Comm. S. Elizabeth, Mother of S. John Baptist.

Before plunging-into the usual rota, here is a note from Dave Radcliffe's family:

Dear Family and Friends,

We hope you are all well. Unfortunately, you are receiving this message because David Radcliffe, wonderful husband, father, brother, and friend passed from this life on Saturday, October 21st. There will be a funeral and grave side service forthcoming. As soon as these dates have been fixed, we will inform you. Please share this news with anyone that also knew David, and pass on any information that will help us reach as many people as possible.

Best wishes,

The Radcliffe Family

As you may've noticed, we've a busy week ahead. There will be no Services on Tuesday, 31 October, the Vigil of All Saint's, also known as All Saint's Eve, All Hallow's Eve, or Hallow E'en, crushed by the decay of grammar into Halloween. For our Second Annual Trunk and Treat, we will assemble at about 5:30 PM, to arrange our cars, start the fire, and generally set-up for the arrival of the tots. The more cars the merrier! We will be done and packed before 8:00.

On Wednesday, we will say the Mass for All Saint's twice, for those who may not be able to make the Midday Service. The same schedule will be kept for All Soul's Day, on Thursday, 2 November. PLEASE BRING THE LIST OF NAMES YOU WANT REMEMBERED AT THE MASS TO CHURCH TOMORROW! All Soul's Day is that day when we pray for all of those whom we have known and lost. If you've names not on our permanent list, please write them ~ legibly ~ down, and give them to me. We will pray for the holy progress of their soul at both Services.

All Saint's day has an early lineage in the Church, the first known mention of such a Feast occurring in S. Ephrem Syrus (d. 373). The first record of a specific date occurs in S. Chrysostom (d. 407), where it was assigned to the first Sunday after Pentecost, which date still obtains in the East. It became firmly planted in the West in the early Seventh century; the assignment of the 1 November date was under Pope Gregory III (d. 741). Its universal observance was ordered by Pope Gregory IV (d. 844); the Octave was added much later, by Pope Sixtus IV (d. 1484).

Although not known by many in the United States, where a new Prayer Book was approved in 1928, there was also an English Proposed Book of 1928. Therein, the Octave Day (8 Nov.) was assigned to the 'Saints, Martyrs, and Doctors of the Church of England'. If you read closely, you will see this reflected in our Saint Matthew's Ordo Kalendar. Perhaps this is something to which we should give greater prominence, in coming years.

All Soul's Day follows All Saint's Day, on 2 November, and was made universal by Odilo of Cluny, who, in 998, commanded its annual celebration in the Benedictine houses of his Congregation. This is one of only two days in the Kalendar when a Priest may thrice say the Mass, the other being Christ Mass. Inasmuch as the liturgical colour of the day is Black, should it fall on a Sunday, the Observance must be moved to 3 November. It has always been forbidden by Holy Church to say a Requiem Mass on a Sunday, which day is a commemoration of the Resurrection of our Lord.

Surprisingly, this Day does not occur in the 1928 BCP. To me, this has always been the more powerful, the more immediate Observance. It not only affords us an opportunity to remember, and pray for, those who we've lost, but it serves as an immediate reminder of our own mortality, this being the one aspect of humanity that, more than any other, makes us as we are. Again, bring your list of names tomorrow ~ we will pray for them, and, in so doing, pray also for ourselves. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 October 24

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Tuesday, 24 October, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Tuesday (today): 6:30 PM, Mass, monthly Parish Requiem.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Mass, Saints Crispin & Crispinian, Martyrs.
• Thursday: 6:30 PM, Mass, Blessed Alfred the Great, King & Confessor, followed by Soup & Study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, Vigil of Saints Simon & Jude, with the Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, Saints Simon & Jude, Apostles & Martyrs.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity XXI & Christ the King.
  Monthly Parish Brunch at County Grill following 10:00 service.

Do not forget the Parish Brunch, scheduled for this Sunday after the 10:00 service. There will be no coffee hour, and we will all depart immediately after the Mass has ended. Also, one week from today, on Tuesday, 31 October, we will have our Second Annual Trunk and Treat. We can never have too many trunks or treats, so please remember to volunteer! Sherri Fosdick will leading this event; please contact her for details, and to sign-up to serve.

It is astounding how quickly this year has passed. We will reach the Feast of Christ the King this week; in another five weeks, Advent will commence, and with it, the beginning of a new Church Year. Time flies, and carries us along with it.

As time passes, hopefully bringing many new and good things with it, we also know that time takes many, many things from us, in its inexorable flow. As you all know, Pepper passed in the beginning of July, this year. I was texting with one of my dearest Cousins, this-past week, and happened to catch her as she was at the 'vet with her dog, Dash. 'Long story short, in an unexpected developement, she had to have Dash put-down as we were texting. A few days later, another friend from out West lost her little friend, Benny. 'Just in the past few days, Linda Scharff's daughter, Malia, lost her wee Lilly Bean, of whom Giada was especially fond.

I some times suspect that our animal friends are, on the whole, closer to our Creator than are we. The random unkindnesses and cruelties that we perpetrate, the innate selfishness that we carry within us, and the host of other offenses that we regularly commit, are not practiced by them. Their love is unconditional, and, beyond this, self-sacrificing, as a rule.

The beauty and the glory that we see in the world around us, in nature, are the shards, the reflective remnants of God's intentions for how this world was to have been. So too we see His Son, not only in creation, but in these small, animal-borne responses to us. It is the Spirit that enables us to see, and to know, the essence, the primary relationships between all things, as God the Father intended them to be. As His will continues, let us pray that it be the river that eventually sweeps us along, and up, ever closer to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and the promises they made in Creation, still present to be seen, and heard, if we but look and listen for them, some times in the innocency of those closest to us. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 October 14

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Saturday, 14 October, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Saturday (today): 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Callistus, Bishop & Martyr. Sunday, 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity XIX, Comm. Our Lady of Walsingham. Pastor Appreciation Luncheon to follow.
  5:00 PM, After Party.
• Monday, 10:00 AM, Mass, S. Hedwig, Widow.
• Tuesday: 5:30 PM, Deacon's Liturgy, S. Etheldreda, Queen, Virgin, Widow, Abbess.
  6:30 PM, sung Evensong.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Deacon's Liturgy, S. Luke, Evangelist & Martyr.
• Thursday: NO SERVICES.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, S. John Cantius, Confessor, with Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Hilarion, Abbot.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 PM, Mass, Trinity XX.

The day has finally arrived for the Pastor Appreciation Luncheon. Mike Hardin has put much effort into this, and has been helped by several of our members. There will be only ONE MASS TOMORROW, AT 10:00. Immediately following, we will enjoy the luncheon, which is a pot-luck ~ bring your favourite dish. Drinks and dessert will be provided.

Tomorrow evening, we will have an hors d'oeuvres - wine - dessert - cheese gathering to wind-up the celebration. This will commence at 5:00 PM. Some libations will be provided, but please bring whatever drinks or food you prefer to share.

Our recent Clericus for the Clergy of the OAC was a success, with approximately twenty-five Bishops and other Clergy in-attendance. Our Retreat Topic was the Seven Sacraments. There was a different presenter for each of them.

We will be holding our Second Annual Trunk or Treat for All Hallow's Eve, in a few short weeks. This will be dependent-upon the weather, of-course. We'd quite a few visitors, last year. We will be distributing S. Matthew's bookmarks along with the sweets, this year.

Advent will soon be upon us, with Epiphany, and all of the other rites and Seasons that attend the beginning of another Christian year. We all of us must consider the changes to our prayer-life that these will engender, and the new/different foci that will arise in our spiritual lives. He is coming. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Fr. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 October 12

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Thursday, 12 October, in the year our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Thursday (today): 8:00 AM, men's Morning prayer and breakfast.
  6:30 PM, Mass, S. Wilfrid, Bishop & Confessor, followed by Soup & Study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, S. Edward, King & Confessor.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Callistus, Bishop & Martyr.
• Sunday: ONE MASS AT 10:00 AM, followed by the Pastor Appreciation Luncheon.

PLEASE NOTE the schedule change, listed-above. There will be a pot-luck (covered-dish in the South, I think) luncheon after the one Mass, this-coming Sunday. Bring your favourite dish, and a hearty appetite! Dessert and drinks will be provided.

A friend of the Parish, Mike Hardin, suggested the idea of a Pastor Appreciation Sunday. He has prepared decorations, and organised the affair. Take a moment to thank him, when you see him.

For those who can't be at Mass, but are free in the evening, or for those who want to keep-on partying, there will be an 'After Party' at the Parish between 5:00 and 7:00 Sunday evening. Please bring desserts, hors d'oeuvres, and any adult beverages that you like to the After Party. Some adult beverages will be provided, and awaiting your arrival!

Fun and fellowship await! Your presence is humbly requested, and desired. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 September 30

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Saturday, 30 September, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Saturday (today): 10:00 AM, Blessing of the Animals.
  5:00 PM, Mass, S. Jerome, Confessor & Doctor.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity XVII.
• Monday: 10:00 AM, Mass, Holy Guardian Angels.
• Tuesday: 5:30 PM, Mass, S. Therese of Lisieux, Virgin.
  6:30 PM, Evensong & Holy Rosary.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Mass, S. Francis of Assisi, Confessor.
• Thursday: NO SERVICES.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Sung Matins.
• Saturday: NO SERVICES.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 Am, Mass, Trinity XVIII.

PLEASE NOTE the changes from our usual rota of services. I'll be attending the Fall Clericus for the OAC, towards the end of next week. The specifics of the schedule during my absence are listed, above.

We usually have the Blessing of the Animals on the first Saturday after the Feast of S. Francis. This year, the date of the Clericus prevented this, and so our furry friends were blessed today. Many ~ though not all, shame on some of you! ~ of the Parish hounds received their blessings today. We were in the Parish Hall, as there was a slight drizzle, at the time. Afterwards, treats were had, specific to whether one had two- or four legs.

The Pastor Appreciation Feast is scheduled for Sunday, 15 October. This will not only be Trinity XIX, but will coincide with the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham, the English Apparition of The Blessed Virgin Mary. The Mass will only be said at 10:00 on that day, to be followed by a wonderful time of gathering and feasting. Later that evening, there will be an After-Party, with wine, cheese, further desserts, and other victuals. PLEASE BE CERTAIN to set-aside this date, and these times! A great time will be had by all.

The Feast of S. Francis of Assisi, as-mentioned above, falls during the week to come. One story that some of you likely know concerns S. Francis and a Novice in the Monastery. The young man was fairly bouncing off of the walls, eager to share the good news of salvation in our Lord, Jesus, the Christ, and wanting to evangelise with the saintly Francis. Finally, the day came, when S. Francis said yes, that they would go to evangelise in the local village. The pair of them walked to the settlement, then walked up one street, and down another. They then walked across one street, and back on another. Having exhausted the few streets in the village, S. Francis began to walk the return path to the Monastery. Confused and dismayed, the young man asked the Saint when they were going to preach the Lord to the populace, whereupon S. Francis simply replied, we just did.

Among other things, he has become the Patron Saint of Animals; hence, the Blessings that occur annually, on- or near the date of his Feast. He loved them, calling them our brothers and sisters. Thus, he loved these, the least of all created beings, as a human, the crowning glory of God's Creation.

In-keeping with several sermons that we've recently had, and perhaps even more poignantly, when our Lord asks 'Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?', we must ask ourselves who it is that we love. Friends, family, all those who are known to us readily spring to-mind. Do we, however, love ~ or make any effort to love ~ those whom we do not know? Do we, like S. Francis, go beyond these boundaries to love animals, or even further, as did he, to love and serve lepers and other outcasts, the traditionally unlovable sorts? Do we show, even by our actions alone, without words, the power of the Christ in our hearts?

Ask yourselves these questions, and respond accordingly to the answers you receive. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 September 19

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Tuesday, 19 September, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Tuesday (today): 5:30 PM, Mass, S. Theodore of Tarsus, Bishop & Confessor.
  6:30 PM, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, Evensong.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Mass, Ember Wednesday.
• Thursday: 8:00 AM, men's Morning Prayer and breakfast.
  6:30 PM, Mass, followed by Soup & Study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, Ember Friday, with the Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: Immediately following the Church Cleaning Party (Commencing at Noon), Mass, S. Linus, Bishop & Martyr.
  5:00 PM, if-needed.
• Sunday: 10:00 AM, Archbishop Gordon's official visit, Morning Office, Mass, S. Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist, followed by a pot-luck in the Parish Hall.

Please note the changes in the above-schedule. This-coming Saturday will be the Church cleaning party. We will scrub, dust, and vacuum from top-to-bottom, in anticipation of Archbishop Gordon's visit to Saint Matthew's on the following day.

THERE WILL BE ONLY ONE SERVICE ON SUNDAY, at 10:00 AM. We will begin with the abbreviated Morning Office, per the Prayer Book rubrics, followed by the Mass for Saint Matthew, our Patron of Name. Afterwards, we will continue to celebrate the day with a covered-dish luncheon, in the Parish Hall.

I had a conversation, yesterday, with Dave Radcliffe's son, Dana. Dave has been, for some while, living in a memory-care center in Fredericksburg. His mental condition has continued to slip, and he has also begun falling, of-late. Last week, he suffered a more serious fall, which lead to cranial bleeding. He was air-lifted from Fredericksburg to Richmond for surgery, which was successful.

The long-term diagnosis is, of-course, problematic, with the several aspects involved. Although there seems to be no immediate threat, Dana has begun to make arrangements, which is always prudent. This brings-up important matters that we all must consider. Have you written your will(s)? I have. Have you made provisions for the Parish in your final testament? I have. Have you made your final arrangements? I have not.

Amongst these latter, have you discussed the Service you would prefer with your Parish Priest? The only appropriate service for a Christian is the Requiem Mass. This may be done from either The Book of Common Prayer or the Anglican Missal. I've a form that can be used to list these choices.

Have you prepaid your funeral expenses ~ purchased the casket or coffin, the burial plot, paid the cemetery fees, etc.? Amongst the benefits of completing all of these tasks yourself is the fact that nothing is left to chance ~ your wishes will be followed. Additionally, you will save those who you love from the added burdens of having to scramble to make these plans at the last-minute; of having to spend money that they may or may not have to insure that things are done decently, and in-order; of having to determine what your wishes were, if you did not arrange them yourself, or, having made them, did not communicate them to those who will be left to tend to the details in your absence.

Please pray for Dave; for his health, and recovery. We, too, follow that path which leads to- and through the grave. Pray accordingly. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 September 9

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Saturday, 9 September, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services, activities, and work-parties are listed below:

• Saturday (today): 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Peter Claver, Confessor. Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity XIV. Sanctuary/Choir emptying after 10:00 service.
• Monday: NO SERVICES ~ 8:00 AM, Navy volunteers moving furniture for carpet installation.
• Tuesday: NO SERVICES ~ 9:00 AM, carpet installation.
• Wednesday: NO SERVICES ~ 8:00 AM, Navy volunteers moving furniture back-into position.
• Thursday: 6:00 PM, return loose items to Sanctuary & Choir.
  6:30 PM, Mass, Exaltation of the Holy Cross, followed by Soup & Study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, Seven Sorrows of the BVM, with Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Cyprian, Bishop & Martyr.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity XV.

As-noted last week, we've a number of events and projects looming before us. Tomorrow, Sunday, after the 10:00 service, we must empty all of the loose items from the Sanctuary and the Choir spaces. This will enable our Navy volunteers to easily remove the furniture from these areas, in-anticipation of the carpet-installation happening on Tuesday. If all of the attendees at the Thursday-evening Mass will arrive one-half hour early, we should easily be able to return these items to their usual places.

Two weeks from tomorrow, Sunday, 24 September, will be our Patronal Feast. Also on that day, Archbishop Gordon will be making his Annual Visitation to Saint Matthew's. As-such, we will be having a Parish clean-up day on Saturday, 23 September. Dusting, vacuuming, mopping floors, and other exciting adventures await all comers on that day. We will commence at Noon; hopefully, we should be done within a few hours.

On the Saturday-following Archbishop Gordon's visit, 30 September, at 10:00 AM, we will anticipate the Feast of Saint Francis, with our annual Blessing of the Animals. This will be done outside if-possible, and in the Parish Hall, in the event of inclement weather. Pet- and people treats will be available. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno domini 2023 September 5

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Tuesday, 5 September, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Tuesday (today): 5:30 PM, Mass, S. Lawrence Justinian, Bishop & Confessor.
  6:30 PM, Holy Rosary & Sung Evensong.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Mass, Feria of Trinity XIII,
• Thursday: 6:30 PM, Mass, S. Evurtius, Bishop & Confessor, followed by Soup & Study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, Nativity of the BVM, with the Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Peter Claver, Confessor.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity XIV.

We're entering a very busy period, in the life of the Parish. Please write-down these dates. Firstly will be the replacement of the carpet in the nave and Sanctuary. Next week, on Monday, 11 September, the furniture ~ everything from the Altar itself on down ~ will be removed for the Choir and the Sanctuary, to clear the way for the carpet-layers. Tuesday, the carpet will be installed. Wednesday, the furniture will be returned the usual positions. Since schedules of this sort are frequently subject to shifting, THERE WILL BE NO SERVICES on Monday - Wednesday of next week. The work should be done in-time to hold the usual mid-week service, but it may not, so we will play it safe.

Next, we will celebrate our Patronal Feast on Sunday, 24 September. There will be one service on that day, at 10:00 AM. A potluck luncheon will follow. As-per usual, that will also be the day when Archbishop Gordon makes his annual Parish Visitation. He and Jan will join us for Mass, and the meal following. There was some talk of also having a Clergy Appreciation Day on that date, but that seemed a bit much for a single day, so that celebration has been transferred.

The Clergy Appreciation Day will be held on Sunday, 15 October ~ The Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham. There will one service on this day, at 10:00 AM. After the Mass, a potluck luncheon will be held in the Parish Hall.

Gazing into the more distant future, General Convention will take-place next year in late July. This means that we are only nine months-away from this biennial gathering of the Body of the Church. We do not yet have a location, but bear the timing in-mind.

Thus, the year progresses, and we keep the pace. Virtually all of the Clergy and Staff will be out of the area sporadically for vacations and meetings in the coming months, especially in October. Keep a weather-eye on these pages, as dates, and any changes thereto, will be announced here. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 August 28

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Monday, 28 August, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Monday: 10:00 AM, Mass, S. Augustine of Hippo, Bishop, Confessor, Doctor.
• Tuesday: 5:30 PM, Mass, Martyrdom of the Forerunner.
  6:30 PM, Sung Evensong.
• Wednesday: 12:10 AM, Mass, S. Rose of Lima, Virgin.
• Thursday: 6:30 PM, Mass, S. Aidan, Bishop & Confessor, followed by Supper & Study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, S. Giles, Abbot, with the Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Stephen of Hungary, King & Confessor.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity XIII.

You may've noticed, in yesterday's bulletins, that the larger prayer-intention is for the reunion of Anglicanism in the United States. This is something that we must keep firmly at the forefront of our daily prayers. There are many reasons to place this prayer there, perhaps none greater than that it seems an impossible eventuality.

We here at S. Matthew's were a member Parish of one of the greater Anglican bodies for, roughly, forty years. As time passed, it became clear that to maintain Christian Orthodoxy, as it applies to morality and integrity, we had to leave, and so we did. Yet, if we believe and follow our Lord's command, we will, sooner or later, have to engineer rapprochement with those very people, whose failings are all too well known to us.

God truly blessed us when we found-, and were accepted into, the Orthodox Anglican Church. There are neither crises nor scandals here. Politics and human agendas do not exist. Certainly at the Clerical level, where all of my contact happens, I've only known faithful, christian souls. This has truly been a place of rest and refreshment for all of us.

As God has blessed us, so He blesses our Greater Church. Virtually every week, we field inquiries form Clergy, Parishes, and Jurisdictions, all of which want to learn more about us, and in many cases, what the process is for becoming a part of our Church. We have been, and continue to increasingly be, occupied in this work.

Many times in my own life, I've faced situations that appeared to be completely without solution ~ I could discern absolutely no way through, leaving prayer as literally the only thing to be done, insofar as I could see. Then, suddenly, an answer not only appeared but was effected, and the entire matter was resolved. This is the work of the Holy Ghost, of whom I like to think as God in the trenches, with us.

Speaking personally, this is where I, and many of my Brother Clergy, from many Anglican Jurisdictions, have been stuck for years. Every time that a way through appears, just as suddenly there is an avalanche to block the way. Even in those moments when one party is truly willing to follow our Lord, and to forgive all, the other (most-often as a result of some aspect of ego) either refuses to bend, or simply leaves the table. ,And round and round it goes....

The future is not known to me. Thus, I ask everyone to pray, fervently and frequently, for this small goal of Anglican reunion. I say small goal for, as we all of us should know, our Lord's command is for the reunion of all Christendome. Let us begin by setting our own house aright, that, as a whole, we may begin to work our way back to God's one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, as it ever ought to have been. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 August 23

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Wednesday, 23 August, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Wednesday (today): 12:10 PM, Mass, Vigil of S, Bartholomew.
• Thursday: 6:30 PM, Mass, Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle & Martyr, followed by Soup & Study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, S. Louis IX, King & Confessor.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, Feria.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity XII; Parish Brunch following the 10:00 Mass.

As-noted above, this-coming Sunday will be the occasion of our monthly Parish Brunch. After the 10:00 Mass, we will go to Kismet, just two blocks away from the Parish, on Main Street across Warwick Blvd. I've never been, so it will be an adventure, perhaps for several of us.

ARCHBISHOP GORDON will be visiting us next month, on Sunday, 24 September. The custom of the Regiment will be maintained, in that we will transfer our Patronal Feast, that of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Martyr, to the nearest Sunday (in this case, the 'Twenty-fourth). Thusly will we celebrate our Parish home, and the Archbishop's visit to us.

There will be one Mass on that day, at 10:00 AM. As-per-usual, there will be a potluck afterwards. Let us eat heartily, and celebrate merrily!

The cult of relics is ancient in the Christian church, and is known in some religious traditions, especially popular Buddhism. Traces of it may be found in the OT miracles worked through the mantle of Elijah, and the bones of Elisha. In the NT, we see it in the healing power of handkerchiefs that had been touched to the body of S. Paul. In post-NT times, the martyr's bodies were venerated from an early date, the first certain evidence occurring in the 'Martyrium Polycarpi" (c. AD 156-7) where the relics of S. Polycarp are described as 'more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold', to be carefully collected and honoured by a memorial service for the saint at the place where they were laid.

Relics are found in three classes. A First-class relic is a piece (often a tiny chip of bone, or bit of hair) of the actual body of the saint. A Second-class relic is (either a small bit of-, or in its entirety) an object, frequently clothing, which belonged to the saint ~ one of their possessions in life. Third-class relics are items (often bits of cloth, or specially-minted coins or medals) that have been touched to the body of the saint.

Material objects can be relics as-well, perhaps the most famous being the True Cross. The Shroud of Turin or S. Veronica's Veil would be included in this grouping. In these instances, inanimate objects being unable to have possessions, only First- and Third-class relics would be available. As-such, one could hold a piece of the True Cross, or something that had been touched to a piece of the True Cross.

We are profoundly blessed in the Orthodox Anglican Church to count among our Parishes S. Martin's Anglican Church, in Ocala, Florida. Archbishop Gordon anointed them as The National Shrine of the True Cross of Jesus Christ, for they hold there a piece of the True Cross, and have issued bronze coins emblazoned with a Jerusalem Cross, which have been touched to that ancient relic. Their relic was obtained directly from the Vatican.

In my capacity as the last Prior General of Saint Dominic's Priory (Monastery) on the Oregon Coast, I gathered-together the collection of relics that had been assembled by those holy Fathers. After having lain in dark storage for many years, they are now (generally on applicable days to the lives of those saints) being displayed for veneration in our Parish. For those of you with sharp eyes, you have lately seen a reliquary (a decorative case) appear on the Altar. Among others, it contains a First-class relic of S. Francis, Patron Saint of Animals. I placed it there on the day that Pepper died. Since then, you may've seen a small silver case at the foot of the Altar Cross. This contains a First-class relic of S. John Vianny, Patron Saint of Priests, and was put on-display on his Feast-day.

Through these powerful items, we see the paths of God on this Earth. He has left behind Him traces of His power, grace, love, and truth. Where His blessings anciently fell, they remain still, I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 August 5

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Saturday, 5 August, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Saturday (today): 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Oswald, King & Martyr.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, The Transfiguration of our Lord, Jesus, the Christ.
• Monday: 10:00 AM, Mass, The Holy Name of Jesus.
• Tuesday: 5:30 PM, Mass, Blessed John Mason Neale, Confessor.
  6:30 PM, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, Sung Evensong.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Mass, S. John Vianney, Confessor, Patron Saint of Priests.
• Thursday: 8:00 AM, monthly men's Morning Prayer & breakfast.
  6:30 PM, Mass, S. Lawrence, Deacon & Martyr, followed by Soup & Study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, Feria, using the Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, Clare, Virgin.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Deacon's Liturgy, Trinity X.

The Feast of The Transfiguration, which we will celebrate tomorrow, is the appearing of the Lord in Glory during His earthly life, as it is related in the first three Gospels (Mt. 17. 1 - 13, Mk, 9, 2 - 13, Lk. 9. 28 - 36), and alluded-to in 2 Pet. 1. 16 - 18. This vision of our Lord, transfigured, with Moses and Elijah, was witnessed by SS. Peter, James, and John, and is described by the Evangelists as an historic event, with striking agreement as to the main outline, and understandable differences in the details which they record.

Tradition locates it on Mount Tabor, but many scholars prefer Mount Hermon, and some have even suggested the Mount of Olives. The event was significant as showing the testimony of the Jewish Law and Prophets to the Messiah-ship of Christ; as furnishing a further Divine proclamation of our Lord's Sonship, and as foreshadowing His future Glory. In the Kalendar, the Feast of the Transfiguration is observed on 6 August.

It originated in the Eastern Church, where it appears to have been at first a local and unofficial feast, but it had become widely adopted before A.D. 1000. In the West, where the feast was not introduced 'til a much later date, its general observance goes back to 1457, when Pope Callistus III ordered its universal celebration in commemoration of the victory gained over the Turks at Belgrade on 6 August, 1456.* I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

*The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, ed. F. L. Cross.

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 July 29

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Saturday, 29 July, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Saturday (today): 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Martha, Virgin.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity VIII.
• Monday: 10:00 AM, Mass, S. Iñigo of Loyola, Confessor.
• Tuesday: 5:30 PM, Mass, S. Peter's Chains.
  6:30 PM, Holy Rosary, Sung Evensong.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Mass, S. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop, Confessor, Doctor.
• Thursday: 6:30 PM, Mass, S. Nicodemus, Confessor, followed by Soup & Study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, S. Dominic, Confessor.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Oswald, King & Martyr.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Transfiguration of Christ (Comm. Trinity IX).

'Another standard week in Trinitytide, with nothing exceptional to report. There have been some issues with toilets, in both restrooms. These have now been fixed. We will also, probably in August, be replacing the red carpet in the Nave, and in the Sanctuary. Once we've gotten firm dates for this work, they will be announced, as to save money on installation, we will be moving the furniture ourselves.

For those of you who are observant of details, you've likely noticed a small, gold cross before the Tabernacle, at the Altar. Technically, it hadn't ought to be directly in-front-of the Holy Sacrament, but given the lay-out of our Altar, this was pretty-much the only spot in which it is clearly visible. It is, in point of fact, a Reliquary, or device used to hold Relics of The Saints.

The oldest Reliquaries took many forms ~ caskets, capsules, ampullas, and also crosses, which were especially used to hold relics of the True Cross. Rings and purses have been used, as-well-as caskets and boxes of all sizes. For the reception pf the whole remains of a Saint, the gabled shrine was a favourite in the Middle Ages. At this same period, smaller Relics were housed in containers shaped like arms, legs, and especially heads and busts. By the later Middle Ages, the Monstrance form, which, with it's glass window, facilitated exposition, became frequent.

Some of the earliest Altars were the flat tops of the sarcophagi of Christian martyrs and Saints in the Catacombs. Thus, even through today, all proper Altars have an Altar Stone embedded in the midst of the mensa (literally table, or the top). Cemented-into this stone is the Relic of a Saint, over which the Consecration of the Elements is to take-place. We have such a stone at S. Matthew's; the Relic is purportedly that of an Eastern Saint, though the name has been lost to us.

Relics come to us in three Classes. A First Class Relic is a portion of the Saint's body, ranging from a chip of bone or bit of skin to limbs or entire remains. A Second Class Relic can be something that the Saint actually owned and used, such as a Crucifix, prayer book, Rosary, etc. It can also be a part of something that the Saint wore, such as a glove, or shirt. A Third Class Relic is an object that has been physically touched to a First- or Second Class Relic.

The Reliquary at our Altar was placed there when Pepper died, and contains a First Class Relic of S. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals, a rather rare relic in and of itself. This Reliquary also contains two other Relics; one that appears to be of S. Francis de Sales, and a third that I've yet to identify. These are a portion of my personal set of Relics.

Saints may be spoken-to, and also asked for their intercessions ~ prayers ~ on our behalf, precisely as you'd ask a friend or loved-one for the same. We may venerate ~ honour ~ them for the lives they lived, or for the deaths they died, showing us the way to greater sanctity. We may NEVER pray to them ~ this is reserved for the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity. We may NEVER worship them ~ this is reserved for the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity. The Saints are that great cloud of witnesses, by which we are surrounded, and through which, we may receive God's love. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 July 22

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Saturday, 22 July, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Saturday (today): 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Mary Magdalene, Penitent.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity VII, Parish Brunch at Schooners following the 10:00 service.
• Monday: 10:00 AM, Mass, Vigil of S. James.
• Tuesday: 5:30 PM, Mass, S. James the Great, Apostle & Martyr.
  6:30 PM, Sung Evensong.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Mass, S. Anne, Mother of the BVM.
• Thursday: 6:30 PM, Mass, Feria, followed by Soup & Study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, SS. Nazarius & Company, with the Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Martha, Virgin.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Deacon's Liturgy of the Holy Sacrament.

Please note that our monthly Parish Brunch will take-place tomorrow, after the 10:00 Mass. We will be dining at Schooners, which is a few miles up Warwick Avenue, past CNU. We've eaten there previously, with good results.

At-least through the Summer months, we will be alternating Sundays between the Mass, and the Deacon's Liturgy. This Service is called a liturgy to distinguish it from a Mass. Deacons are unable to Bless, much-less Consecrate, anything. The Sacrament that is distributed by a Deacon has been previously Consecrated by a Priest or Bishop.

A number of liturgical details are altered, in-order that the difference between this and a Mass will be made clear. The Apostle's Creed is been substituted for the 'Nicene (as is allowed by the Prayer Book rubrics), and the Bidding Prayer takes the place of the Prayer for the Whole State of Christ's Church. There is no form of Absolution following the General Confession, inasmuch as Absolution, which is a form of Blessing, is also an act that Deacons are not able to bestow.

Deacons may perform marriages and funerals, teach Confirmation classes, and the like. The most famous Deacon was likely the first, S. Stephen ~ first Deacon, and first Martyr. Inasmuch as the word 'Priest' does not explicitly appear in the New Testament accounts of the nascent Church, many once thought that the Order of Deacon was more ancient than that of Priest.

In the modern system of the Church, Deacons fundamentally disappeared from public view. For both the Anglican- and Roman Churches, the Diaconate became something that happened after the successful completion of the Middler Year of seminary, that being the second of three years. Anglican Deacons were rarely seen outside of Seminaries; Roman Deacons were never seen, leading many Roman laity to be surprised, should they discover that Deacons did indeed exist in the Church.

The shortage of Priests, especially in the Roman Church, in recent decades, has changed much of this. Rome went so far as creating an Order of married Deacons, who are primarily used as were the ancient Deacons, taking the Holy Sacrament from the Table of the Lord, to those who might not otherwise receive it. Rome has also degraded Holy Orders, by allowing those for whom 'Orders are not appropriate to distribute the Sacrament, but that is a separate topic.

Although it should never be allowed, due to the Clergy shortage Deacons are occasionally given charge over Parishes. My first Cure was as a Deacon, in a Parish for which no Priest was available. Again, as I learned from first-hand experience, this is a terrible idea, at many levels, and should never be permitted.

Thus, a thumbnail of the role of a Deacon in the modern Church. Now that they have been largely restored to their historic function and honour, perhaps we should investigate the return of the Sub-Diaconate, which was once itself a part of major Orders.... I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 July 19

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Wednesday, 19 July, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Wednesday (today): 12:10 PM, Mass, S. Vincent de Paul, Confessor.
• Thursday: 6:30 PM, Mass, S. Margaret of Antioch, Virgin & Martyr, followed by Soup & Study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM , Mass, Feria.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Mary Magdalene, Penitent.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity VII. Monthly Parish brunch following 10:00 Mass, at Schooners, on Warwick Blvd.

Pepper Pignataro-Crowder

On Thursday, the Sixth of July, at 4:28 AM, in the year of our Lord 2023, Pepper Pignataro-Crowder entered life eternal. He was born (approximately) on 15 June, AD 2007, in a West Virginia puppy mill. Following that wretched circumstance, he was sent to a shelter, where he experienced abuse. He was, in another ill-turn, then adopted by a dog-hoarder. When finally rescued from that situation, another abusive shelter awaited him.

All of this occurred during his first three-or-four years of-life. When removed from the last shelter, he was given training as a Companion Dog, and was assigned to Dr. Rose Pignataro, He lived-with and was loved-by her for roughly one and-a-half years.

During this time, he had several ministries. He accompanied Father Frank, the local Roman Catholic Priest in Morgantown, West Virginia, on Communion and convalescent calls. Fr. Frank quickly came to realise that the residents were more interested in seeing Pepper than they were in receiving the Sacrament, much to his consternation.

Similarly, when Dr. Pignataro would conduct wellness or exercise classes, Pepper would always get top billing on the schedule, as-in “Come to the stretching class today, with Pepper and Dr. Pignataro.” Much like Fr. Frank, she wondered where Pepper got the credentials to outrank her, and her twelve years of degree work!

In June of AD 2012, he came to stay with Canon Crowder. Originally, this was to be a short-term arrangement, before going to a new home in New York State, with four little girls. Due to his extensive abuse, he had negative reactions to most men, and to children. As it became clear that four little girls would be more than Pepper could comfortably manage, Canon Crowder made the decision to keep him.

One month later, he began accompanying Canon Crowder to S. Matthew’s Parish, in Newport News, Virginia, where the latter began serving on an interim basis. Pepper had been attending S. Columba Parish, in Warrenton, Virginia, where Canon Crowder had been Rector for over four years. When the Saint Matthew’s assignment was made permanent, in AD 2013, Canon Crowder and Pepper moved from Warrenton, to Newport News.

From the beginning, they were constant companions. Sleeping, eating, driving, working at the Parish, saying the Mass, making sick calls and more were all done together. Other-than out-of-town trips requiring air-travel for Canon Crowder, they were, virtually, always in each-other’s company.

When out-of-town travel was required, especially during the Summer, and over the Thanksgiving holiday, he began to travel with Charlotte Haden to her Mother’s home, in New Jersey. There, he would enjoy the company ~ and adoration ~ of her Mother, Karen, and her Sisters, Sue and Trish. He had a personal floatie, so that he could swim in the pool, and his Care Dog vest, for those times when he needed to visit Karen in hospital.

December of AD 2021 brought a diagnosis of congestive heart-failure for Pepper. He was immediately placed on medications. These were increased as-needed, ‘til he reached the maximum dosage, some time before he passed.

Pepper is survived by Canon Crowder, Dr. Pignataro, Charles and Charlotte Haden (who made their home his when Canon Crowder was travelling), their dog, Toby, and his extended family at Saint Matthew’s, with whom he loved to worship, eat, and visit. The end for Pep came quickly and painlessly. He is free from all burdens and discomforts. He now frolics in the heavenly fields above, with our Lord. Good-bye, Pep, ‘til we meet again ~ we love you.

Requiescat in Pace

Pepper ‘Pep’ Pignataro-Crowder

Was Born on 15 June, AD 2007

Fell Asleep on 6 July, AD 2016

Aged 16 years, 21 days

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 June 27

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Tuesday, 27 June, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Tuesday (today): 6:30 PM, Mass, monthly Parish Requiem.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Mass, S. Irenaeus, Bishop & Martyr.
• Thursday: 6:30 PM, Sung Mass with Incense, Mass, SS. Peter & Paul, Martyrs; Soup & Study to follow.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, S. Paul, Apostle & Martyr, with Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, Precious Blood of our Lord.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Visitation of the BVM (Commem. Trinity IV).

A week from Tuesday will be the Fourth of July. The custom of the Regiment has been to walk in the parade, which begins at 10:00 AM. This usually ends by 10:30 or so, after which we return to the Parish, and say the Mass for the day, at 11:00. Insofar as I'm aware, Hilton Village is still on-track with their plans, which means that we will hold true to ours.

Thursday, the Feast of SS. Peter and Paul, marks the Twenty-first Anniversary of my ordination to the Priesthood. July Fifteenth will be the Eleventh Anniversary of my first Service at S. Matthew's; the 'Eighteenth will be the Twenty-fourth Anniversary of my Ordination to the Diaconate. Pepper joined my life in June of AD 2012, and the next month he and I began working at S. Matthew's. Time flows ever-more quickly....

If we were to try to choose the single-greatest mystery of the Christian Faith, that would almost certainly have to be the Most Holy Trinity. The 'Trinity is the source, the font, the focal-point, the first point, of all things, all creation, outside of the three Persons themselves, who are, as they have ever been defined by Holy Church, truly timeless. Even in that single aspect of time, there are multiple mysteries.

One sense in which this is commonly understood is that they ~ the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost ~ have neither beginning nor end. The Father has always been, and the Son was always with the Father, from the beginning, as was the Holy Ghost. A limited understanding of this can be gotten from looking at our own natures, as made by the Father, and the Son, without whom nothing that was made was made.

I have been with ~ inside, a part-of ~ every one of my ancestors that ever was, inasmuch as I am a product of the genetic material that was within them all, which was finally distilled into my being, my creation, as it were. Thus, as our Lord was always with (within) the Father, so also was I within my earthly father, and his before him, etc. Again, this is not a perfect metaphor, but it casts the question of the existence of the Son with the Father in a perhaps more comprehensible light.

Another sense of the timelessness of the Holy Trinity is that they are outside of time, in-terms-of the linear experience of it that we perceive. Our Father is at Creation, at the Fall of Angels, at the Fall of Man, at the End of Days, simultaneously. Our Saviour is at Creation, His earthly Birth, His earthly Death, His sitting in Judgement over all Creation, simultaneously. So it is for the Holy Ghost.

We now see that even in something as direct as we think time to be, the Most Holy Trinity is not only a mystery, but one that shall never be solved. In this life, we cannot. In the 'next, we will have better things to do. Welcome to Trinitytide! I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 June 17

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Saturday, 17 June, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Sunday (tomorrow): 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity II.
• Monday: 10:00 AM, Mass, S. Juliana Falconieri, Virgin.
• Tuesday: 5:30 PM, Mass. Translation of King Edward, King & Martyr.
  6:30 PM, Evensong & Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Mass, S. Aloysius, Confessor.
• Thursday: 6:30 PM, Mass, S. Alban, Martyr, followed by Soup & Study.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, Vigil of the Nativity of S. John Baptist, with Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately after, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, Nativity of S. John Baptist.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity III, Comm. Octave of the Nativity, Parish Brunch to follow the 10:00 Mass.

Yes, we are nearing the end of another month, believe it or not. Thus, the monthly Parish Brunch approacheth. During my tenure here, which will soon mark eleven years, I believe that this custom was begun by John and Shirley Murphy, may he rest in peace. We've been sporadic about it, at times, but it has endured.

Most Christians know that one of the appellations for S. John Baptist is The Forerunner, going forth before the face of the Lord, to prepare His ways ... making a highway for our God. In some theological views, S. John forms the third person of the Most Holy Trinity. Thus, the Heavenly Trinity, in this configuration, would most clearly mirror its opposite, the Unholy Trinity, of the Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet, who also goes before his Lord, performing miracles in his name, preparing the way before him, that way which leads to Hell.

As is The Christ, so too is S. John Baptist our exemplar, the model after whose pattern we are to shape our lives, to direct our ways. His was total commitment to Jesus, The Christ. He forsook ALL things, left-behind ALL men, ALL relationships, ALL usual human ties, to serve Messiah.

In the bare minimum, we must follow him in proclaiming Jesus boldly, loudly, clearly, and without ceasing. ALL of these can be done without a fraction of the sacrifices made by S. John. Yet, if we only but choose, each of us can make those as-well, perhaps never rivalling him, but approaching his purity, his drive, his right fear of God, his clarion call to everyone to come unto the Lord.

When we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of S. John Baptist, remember these things. Keep them in your hearts, and ponder them deeply. If adopted, and followed, they will lead you unto the Lord, I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 June 10

Beloved of the Lord:

 

Today is Saturday, 10 June, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Sunday (tomorrow): 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi.
• Monday: 10:00 AM, Mass, Of the Octave of Corpus Christi,
• Tuesday: 5:30 PM, Mass, Of the Octave.
  6:30 PM, Evensong & Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Wednesday: Sext (monastic office of Noonday prayers).
• Thursday: 6:30 PM, Mass, Octave Day of Corpus Christi, followed by Soup & Supper.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, S. Barnabas, Apostle & Martyr, with the Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Botolph, Abbot.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Trinity II.

Those of you who are interested in Liturgical oddities will no-doubt have noted that the first two Sundays in Trinitytide are always White, never Green. Trinity Sunday, of-course, makes sense to be in White, as would other Feasts of our Lord, and of our Lady, unless a Marian Blue set is available for the latter. What would otherwise be Trinity I is a bit more complicated.

The Feast of Corpus Christi, instituted c. AD 1230, always falls on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday. The logical place for this Feast, which marks the institution and gift of the Holy Sacrament, would be Maundy Thursday. However, the memory of the passion being expressed on that day made the finding of another day suitable; the appropriateness of the Thursday following the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity made it the reasonable choice.

In the system by which Feasts are ranked for Holy Church, Corpus Christi is a Double of the 1st Class; moreover, it has a Privileged Octave, which confers a rank similar to that of the Feast to the days of the associated Octave as-well. If you look in the People's Anglican Missals in your pews, you will find that there are no propers for Trinity I listed. That Day is permanently displaced by the Octave of Corpus Christi. Thus, it is always described as The Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi.

This year, yet a further complication occurs. The date assigned for the Feast of S. Barnabas would place it tomorrow, on the Sunday. Unbeknownst to many, most of the Feasts of the Apostles are only ranked as Doubles of the 2nd Class, lesser than Corpus Christi. As-such, not only is S. Barnabas bumped from his usual date, but his Feast cannot occur 'til after the Octave Day, when the Octave concludes. Hence, we see his Feast on this-coming Friday.

With this brief glimpse, you may see how complex the creation of the Ordo Kalendar can be. Why do we care? Holy Church, from before time, has ever been an hierarchy ~ top-down, in all ways at all times. This order, instituted by God the Father, is reflected in the Feasts that His Church celebrates ~ the honour, and lessons to be taught that He wishes to see observed. As it has been written, so shall it be. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish

‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 June 5

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Monday, 5 June, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Monday (today): 10:00 AM, Mass, S. Boniface, Bishop & Martyr.
• Tuesday: 6:30 PM, Holy Rosary & Evensong (S. Norbert, Bishop & Confessor).
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Sext (Noonday Prayers). Feria.
• Thursday: 8:00 AM, men's Morning Prayer & Breakfast.
  6:30 PM, sung Mass, Corpus Christi, Soup & Study to follow.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, Of the Octave of Corpus Christi, with Gregorian Canon, Comm. S. Columba, Abbot.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, Of the Octave, Comm. S. Margaret, Widow.
• Sunday: 8:30 AM, Mass, Trinity I.
  10:00 AM, Mass, Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi.

Despite the colour upon the Altar not indicating such, we've now entered the long, green Season ~ Trinitytide. The first-half of our Christian year, which commences upon Advent I, the first day of the Christian year, is concerned with the life of our Lord, Jesus, the Christ. We now will undertake that portion of the Kalendar devoted to the life of Holy Church ~ its ways, and means, and meanings. Let us pay attention, now, instead of having to pay rather more, later. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Canon. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish