8 August 2023
Dear friends,
How quickly three months pass by, and yet the beginning of my sabbatical seems so long ago! It was good to be back at St. Mark’s this past Sunday, and once more I want to thank everyone who made everything function so well in my absence. Everyone did their part, and everyone pulled through. Due to our small staff, covering a priest’s sabbatical is not an easy task, but things went smoothly.
I will be doing two Sunday forums on the sabbatical in the coming weeks - August 27 and September 24 - and both forums will be at 12:00 noon in the Parish Hall. I am told that the Bible Study on St. Matthew this past July was extremely well-attended, and we will build on that strength for time and place. The August 27 forum will focus on my time in Türkiye and Greece, and the September 24 forum will focus on my travels in England. I have so much to share with you, and so it will be a challenge to limit the forums within the time allotted.
As fall will be here soon, a new study on Wednesday nights will also be launched. Our topic will be “What is the Parish?” Beginning on Wednesday, September 13, at 6:30 pm, this study will run for five sessions, meeting every other Wednesday. What is the history of the parish, and why do Christians worship in community? What is the threefold ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons in the parish, and why is lay ministry and leadership absolutely essential for vibrant parishes? What are the challenges, and what are the joys of the parish structure? How are parishes to serve their communities and their neighborhoods? In our modern context, is there even a future for the parish, and what might it look like? This study will wrestle with these and other questions, using scripture as a guide. I find that Episcopalians often do not understand our structure as a church, so hopefully this Wednesday night class will be a resource.
Please also note that mass is now celebrated every weekday at St. Mark’s at 12:00 noon when we have clergy, and at 11:45 am Noonday Prayer is read in the church. On Saturdays the Rosary precedes the mass, and the Sacrament of Confession continues to be available after the Saturday mass. This September, Vespers and Benediction returns on Sundays at 4:00 pm. I think that we might be the only Episcopal Church in the state that offers daily mass, and within our national context, celebrations of weekday masses are becoming increasingly rare. I am glad that we continue to open our doors every day for worship for the people of Kapahulu and beyond.
There are many more plans unfolding at St. Mark’s, but these will need to suffice for now. This Sunday we celebrate the great feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On Sunday afternoon I travel to Kauai for the diocesan clergy conference, returning on Wednesday. Our topic is the Fracturing of Society and how the Church may heal that fracture. Considering the immense pain we are experiencing due to the wildfires in our state, the topic is incredibly relevant.
Father Paul Lillie +
