14 NovembeR 2024
Dear Friends of St. Mark's,
This Sunday, November 17, we celebrate the Feast of Dedication. It was 70 years ago on November 30, 1954, that the current building was dedicated for worship. Our current church is the second building. St. Mark's dates back to 1908, when the church was founded in memory of Queen Emma, who died on St. Mark's Day, April 25, 1885.
This Sunday we will hear the scripture readings and liturgical texts for the Anniversary of a Dedication of a Church. When we celebrate the Feast of Dedication, we are celebrating the consecration of the church for worship. This is different from the celebration of a church's patron saint, for which our church has two - Saint Mark and Queen Emma. There are other sets of readings and texts for the celebrations of saints which draw connections with their particular stories.
It is important to note that the Feast of Dedication is not about one's personal piety as one may experience in evangelical circles. Sometimes people assume that when they come to church on the Feast of Dedication, that they will have the opportunity to undergo a public and personal conversion experience, dedicating their lives to God before the congregation. Rather the Feast of Dedication is a corporate act, in which the people as the Body of Christ offer thanks for the setting apart of the church as the House of God. We celebrate how the church has been intentionally consecrated for our encounter with the living God through Scripture and Sacrament. Such worship does "dedicate" our souls for Jesus Christ, especially as we receive the medicine of the Eucharist.
The parish festivities continue on Sunday, November 24, when we have a trio of holy days. That Sunday will be the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Octave Day of our Feast of Dedication, and our Diocesan observance of the Holy Sovereigns, Emma and Kamehameha IV. (Their actual date for celebration is November 28, the date of their confirmation, which is Thanksgiving Day this year.) We end the liturgical year with two celebratory Sundays that form an Octave. On December 1, a new year begins with the First Sunday of Advent. As for honoring our patron saints, St. Mark and Queen Emma, we always celebrate their lives near St. Mark's Day, April 25.
Because our society is increasingly ahistoric, churches rarely celebrate their feast of dedication. Considering the rich history of our parish and diocese, it is fitting that we honor the dedication of our church, as well as our patron saints. God's handiwork has been ever-present at St. Mark's for generations, and our patron saints faithfully intercede for us daily. God has entrusted us with a vibrant faith and dynamic tradition. Now is our chance to glorify God, as God grants the greater growth for the Church and the Kingdom.
Father Paul Lillie +
