The beginning of November and All Hallows-tide will be here very soon. We joyfully anticipate the All Saints High Mass when we will celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, and the Requiem Mass for All Souls is always a solemn tradition for the parish. Please join us for the potluck after the All Saints Day High Mass. Regarding All Souls, there is a necrology listing in the church for the names of the faithful departed who have died in the past year.
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This Sunday we begin our Bible Study on the Gospel of Luke. We are currently in Year C of the Eucharistic lectionary, when the majority of the Gospel readings at the Sunday masses are taken from Luke. This will continue for October and November, and then when Advent begins at the end of the year, we will begin Year A, the year of Matthew’s Gospel.
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On Wednesday, September 10, we have our first online colloquy, and our topic is the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed was constructed by the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, and thus, 2025 is the 1700th anniversary of this text that we profess on Sundays at the mass. The zoom link for the gathering is now on the website, and I am pleased that so many people have bought the book for this first colloquy (The Nicene Creed: A Scriptural, Historical, and Theological Commentary, by Jared Ortiz and Daniel A. Keating).
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For the past few days the clergy of the diocese gathered in Hilo for the annual clergy conference. It was a wonderful time to reconnect with colleagues, while enjoying presentations, worship, and informal conversations. This year the main topic of conversation was the upcoming bishop’s election next May. It is always a blessing to step away for a few days of intentional study and rest. That being said, we were all greatly shocked and saddened to hear the news from Minneapolis, and we continue to lament the tragedies in Ukraine and Gaza. It is easy to feel hopeless in the midst of so much heartache.
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Last Sunday at the aloha hour many of you spoke about how moving the high mass was. Many said high mass replenishes their soul each week. One person mentioned how when they are traveling, they truly miss high mass. Others said that in our turbulent society, they depend on Sundays at 11:00 am to ground them in God.
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This fall St. Mark's will host two studies that will be conducted online. The first study, named Colloquy Online, spans the year, meeting once every two months on Wednesdays. Each session will focus on a single book, with the year spanning many theological topics from a diversity of authors. The first online gathering is on Wednesday, September 10, at 7:00 pm, and the focus is the Nicene Creed, as we are celebrating the 1700th anniversary of this creed during 2025.
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Because Easter was late this year, Corpus Christi comes late this year, and as a result we have a number of high holy days that are celebrated in close proximity. The celebrations of Corpus Christi begin tomorrow, the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist arrives on Tuesday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart arrives June 27, and then two days later the great holy day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is celebrated on June 29. This is four solemnities in two weeks. The challenge is giving all four of these feasts their proper place, as each teaches the faith in a unique way.
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This Sunday we celebrate the fiftieth day after Easter, the Feast of Pentecost. The vestments change from white to red, the color of the Holy Spirit, and many St. Markers will wear red this weekend. Pentecost is a feast of incredibly high prominence, second only to Easter Day.
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I am writing this on the Eve of the Ascension having just prayed First Vespers privately, and my thoughts are consumed with the blessings brought about by the daily mass at St. Mark’s. We are fortunate that for this great feast forty days after the resurrection, our church will celebrate a Low Mass at 12:00 noon, Vespers at 6:30 pm, and a High Mass with Procession at 7:00 pm. As is the case every weekday, Matins and Lauds will be prayed online at 9:00 am.
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