GOOD NEWS SAINT PAUL’S PARISH 26 WASHINGTON STREET MALDEN MA 02148 T E L E P H O N E 7 8 1 . 3 2 4 . 9 5 4 4 E M A I L s t p a u l s p a r i s h @ v e r i z o n . n e t W E B s t p a u l s m a l d e n . o r g

MID-LENT 2007

“Your Church Made Headlines Today!” don’t read the Bible that way. But our critics want the unity of the worldwide Anglican Community to rest on the way they read the Bible. Consequently, we’ve been given an ultimatum that if we want to remain as a full member of the Anglican Communion we have to halt consenting to the election of bishops in same-sex relationships; and we have to stop blessing same-sex unions. Some people say it’s a bit more nuanced than that. But that, in fact, is what we’ve got to agree to. And there are additional requirements about how we meet the needs of people in the Church who disagree with the direction in which we’re headed. The deadline for The Episcopal Church to meet these demands is September 30. If we don’t comply by then we might be pushed out of the Anglican Communion altogether or else be demoted to second-class status. What that would look like is unclear at this point. Now, I’m not a betting man. But if pressed, this is

(Continued on page 2)

That’s why we ordained the first woman bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion — Barbara Harris. That’s why we ordained the first out, gay, and partnered bishop in the Anglican Communion — Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. And that’s why we elected Bishop Katharine Jefferts Shori as the head (Presiding Bishop or Primate) of The Episcopal Church. She’s the first woman Primate out of the 38 national churches around the world that make up the Anglican Communion. And that commitment ― to “respect the dignity of every human being” ― has led many of us in The Episcopal Church to bless same-sex unions. We just see all these actions as a matter of integrity. It’s our way of responding to Jesus’ command to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. Others in the Anglican Communion, however, don’t see it that way. They say that the Bible condemns homosexual behavior. Episcopalians ― at least most of us ― just

Dear Friends, More than once in the past month, someone in my gym has stopped me to say, “Hey, your Church made headlines today. All this talk about The Episcopal Church getting thrown out of the Anglican Communion. What’s going on?” This is what I say: What’s happening is a struggle of unity vs. integrity — the unity of the Anglican Communion vs. the integrity of The Episcopal Church. By that, I mean you’ve probably seen our signs: “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You.” That’s everybody! As a matter of fact, Episcopalians make vows at Baptism that we will “seek and serve Christ in all persons” and that we will “respect the dignity of every human being.” That commitment ― which is at the core of who we are ― has given us a sixth sense to be alert to people who are pushed to the margins … especially when we’re the ones doing the pushing! That’s why Episcopalians began ordaining women before many of the other mainline denominations.

SERVICE TIMES Regular Sunday Schedule 8 AM Said Eucharist: Rite I 10 AM Sung Eucharist: Rite II Sunday School & Nursery Sundays in Summer (July thru Labor Day): 9 AM Sung Eucharist: Rite II

Other services and holy days as announced. OFFICE HOURS Tuesday thru Thursday 10 AM ― 2 PM

Welcoming and serving all in Christ’s Name.

2

SAINT PAUL’S PARISH

26 Washington Street Malden MA 02148

781.324.9544 stpaulsparish@verizon.net The Rev. John R. Clarke

Priest-in-Charge The Rev. Edward C. Ho

Chinese Ministry Corey Bassett-Tirrell

Director of Music & Organist Glenn Ringdahl

Sexton

OFFICERS & VESTRY Anthony Dickinson

Senior Warden James Belmont Junior Warden Linda Talanian

Treasurer Elaine Fassett

Assistant Treasurer Lauren Page

Clerk

Michelle Brown-Droese Elizabeth Anne Farmer

Todd Garvin Elisabeth Gibson-Mueller

Alice Harris Margaret (Mabs) King

Kyle Noel

what I think will happen: The Episcopal Church will be pushed out of the Anglican Communion. Either we won’t agree to the demands or, if we do, the Primates in other parts of the world will allege that in one way or another we’re not compliant. That means it’s going to be very messy: lots of litigation, lots of headlines. That’s what happens in the Church when you pit unity against integrity. So, some will take a split as a scandal. Others will think this fracturing may be necessary for The Episcopal Church to continue to be a beachhead for inclusion. And if that’s the case, I’m sure we’ll attract others from around the Anglican Communion ― from other churches, like some Lutheran jurisdictions and a few Methodists ― to join in

happens to the Anglican Communion, those relationships will remain solid. Ultimately, I believe we will continue to do God’s work in the world. We will continue to proclaim the Good News of God in Christ. And, as a result, we will get some bad press. But those relationships grounded in mission will, in God’s time ― perhaps not in my time, but in God’s time ― bring the fractured members of the Anglican Communion back together again. And I am just as sure that it will be a more inclusive Anglican Communion, one that strives to “respect the dignity of every human being.”

Faithfully,

John +

common cause for the inclusion of all people in the life of the wider Church. So, you’ll likely see two realigned organizations emerge out of this: The Episcopal Communion … and a reduced, considerably more conservative Anglican Communion. You might even see an ultra-conservative African Communion. Many warn that fracturing like this will irreparably harm God’s mission, that it will be difficult, for example, to achieve the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals if the Anglican Communion, as it’s now constituted, is split. I believe, however, that most mission is already carried out locally ― for example, by relationships our diocese has with dioceses in Kenya and Tanzania. We’ve been assured that whatever

“Your Church Made Headlines Today!” (continued from page 1)

Lord Jesus Christ, Who hast made me and redeemed 

me, and brought me where I am upon my way. Thou knowest what Thou wouldst do with me. Do with me according to Thy will, for Thy tender name’s sake.  

A Prayer of Henry VI 

XtáàxÜ YÄÉãxÜá Your gift of flowers in memory of a loved one will help us beautify the church for Eastertide. If you wish to make a flower memorial, please forward to us the envelope included in your pledge packet for that purpose.

If you don’t have a pledge packet, phone the parish office (781.324.9544) with your memorial gift information.

Include the name of the person(s) you wish remembered as well as your contact information and the amount of your gift.

Deadline for receiving memorials is Sunday, April 1.

3

ONE Episcopalian is a grassroots partnership between The Episcopal Church and the ONE Campaign to rally Episcopalians — ONE by ONE — to the cause of ending extreme poverty in our world and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The ONE Campaign derives its name from the belief that allocating an additional one percent of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation in the world’s poorest countries. Here are several of the specific needs the ONE Episcopalian Campaign addresses:

AIDS More than 38 million people around the world are infected by HIV/AIDS, 25 million in Africa alone. Left untreated, AIDS leads to an early death for people in their most productive years who are needed to raise crops and families, teach school and care for the sick.

EXTREME POVERTY Extreme poverty means living on less than $1 a day, unimaginable to us as Americans. ONE in five people around the world survives on this amount, with few opportunities to earn more.

AID International assistance saves lives, directly helping and empowering individuals to help themselves. Increasing international assistance by an amount equal to just ONE percent of the U.S. budget will: Prevent 10 million children from becoming AIDS orphans Help get 104 million children into grade school Provide water to almost 900 million people around the globe. Save almost 6.5 million children under 5 from preventable deaths Build a better, safer world for all.

EDUCATION Parents in Malawi know just as well as parents in Missouri that education is crucial to their children’s future. But around the world, 104 million children do not go to grade school, because their parents cannot afford fees, books or uniforms for all their children.

WATER ONE person in seven has no access to clean water for drinking, cooking or washing. In addition to spreading disease, this has multiple negative effects ― girls growing up in villages without water are far less likely to attend school because they’re too busy spending hours walking to and from the nearest water source.

FOOD Around the world, ONE person in seven goes to bed hungry each night. We need to address hunger not just by giving food, but helping farmers in poor countries grow better crops and helping countries build farm-to-market

roads so farmers can supply distant cities. For more information about hunger click here.

DEBT CANCELLATION Every year Sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest region of the world, spends $14.5 billion dollars repaying debts to the world’s richest countries and international institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Though we’ve made efforts to relieve them of these unpayable debts, many poor countries still spend more each year on debt than on health care or education.

HOUSING The world is experiencing a global housing crisis. Nearly 1 billion people live in substandard housing without clean water or adequate sanitation, including more than 14 million refugees and internally displaced people living in tents or other temporary shelters. An increasing number of these people are urban slum dwellers, and every week more than a million people are born in, or move to cities in the developing world. If no serious action is taken, the U.N. reports that the number of slum dwellers worldwide will rise over the next 30 years to nearly 2 billion. ______________________________

The goal of ending poverty may seem lofty, but it is within our reach if we take action together as one. You can start now by joining the ONE Campaign and pledging your voice to the fight against extreme poverty and global AIDS.

If you are interested in joining the ONE campaign as an individual, log on to www.one.org

And if you would be interested in organizing St. Paul’s as a parish in the ONE Campaign, speak with Fr. Clarke.

The ONE Episcopalian Campaign: Make Poverty History

Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Lamentations 1:12

4

At its February meeting, the St. Paul’s Vestry reviewed next steps in exploring ways in which we might best use the property upon which the Parish House now stands. Our architect, Ethan Anthony, who is also overseeing the ongoing church restoration project, has been contracted to determine the feasibility of replacing the current Parish House with a 12-story multi-use building consisting of parish facilities: parish hall, kitchen, offices, choir room, sacristies, meeting rooms, and Sunday School rooms market-rate condominiums some below market-rate condominiums underground parking facility for parish staff and condo owners

“We want to emphasize that we haven’t yet made a decision to raze the Parish House,” Fr. Clarke cautioned. “This is a study to determine whether or not we ought to replace the Parish House with a new structure that uses the land to better advantage than the current building.” “We are not talking about demolishing the church building. What is under consideration is replacing the Parish House only.” “As a matter of fact,” he continued, “if our plans to build a state-of-the-art Parish House work out, we believe that the sale of the

condos we’re proposing will generate sufficient revenue to permit us to restore and upgrade the church building. For example, we hope once and for all to make it possible for handicapped persons to access the proposed new Parish House directly from the church.” Funding for the feasibility study has been made possible by a generous $20,000 grant from the Diocese and $5,000 from the Rectory Fund. The Rectory Fund consists of proceeds from the sale of the Clifton Street rectory in 2005. The Rectory Fund is restricted to providing housing or a housing allowance to our priest. Since the new building will contain a condominium to be used as a rectory, we may use a small portion of the Rectory Fund to

finance the feasibility study. According to Sr. Warden Anthony Dickinson, “What this means is that we aren’t asking parishioners to pay out-of-pocket for the study. The Diocese has given us this recoverable grant to help us maximize our property for mission. The project is an expression of our stewardship.” Ethan Anthony will initially investigate the codes and zoning regulations governing the Parish House property. This will determine whether or not we can build sufficient condominiums on the property’s footprint to attract a developer and generate profits to create a substantial parish endowment. “It is important for parishioners to understand,” Fr. Clarke told the Vestry, “that they will not be asked to

Parish House Development Feasibility Study Set to Begin generate the millions of dollars needed to construct the proposed new building. The backing for the project will come from a developer. Pulling together a project that will attract a developer is one of the principal reasons we’re doing this feasibility study.” If it appears we can meet the codes and zoning regulations, Ethan will produce a schematic design of the proposed building and develop a project budget that will include a square-foot cost estimate. As part of this process, we will consult with leaders of parish programs to determine the amount and types of space various organizations will need in the proposed new parish space. Ethan Anthony will then create a computer-generated design of the proposed building. The design will reflect the aesthetics of the church. “We are committed to ensuring that the new Parish House building will be in keeping with the beauty and character of the existing church,” Fr. Clarke said. “We want this to be an award-winning building. In the process we will pursue a creative solution to how we can ‘complete’ the original design of the church. Consequently, we hope to complete the projects we have targeted for restoring the church to its original grandeur.”

St. Paul’s Vestry has commissioned a study to explore the feasibility of replacing this structure with a 12-story building consisting of parish facilities, condominiums, and underground parking.

5

VESPERS O F CHRIST ’S PASSION

THE CHOIR OF SAINT PAUL’S PARISH

Sunday March 25 4:00 PM Admiss ion Free

MARCH 5 Peggi Durand

Jessica Flaherty

6 Barbi Ringdahl

16 Bruno daForno Evelyn S. Smith

28 Barbara Novaes

30 Jennifer Paris

APRIL

2 Morgan Durand

3 Frank Arcidiacono Colby Durand Edward Flaherty

4 Simon Abelard Paris

5 Matthew Christian Jones

19 Bill Theisen John King

27 Karon Gibson-Mueller

BIRTHDAYS

Internet Resources for Daily Prayer Several of you who have been attending our Lenten Series, “The Vision Glorious: Reflections on Being an Episcopalian,” have asked Bill Theisen to publish a list of online resources to aid in the discipline of daily prayer (also known as the Daily Office).

Here are the resources Bill recommends — along with his comments: http://www.missionstclare.com/

The Daily Office of the BCP 1979 Rite 1 and 2 http://www.commonprayer.org/

Elizabethan language offices from the BCP http://www.rejesus.co.uk/spirituality/daily_prayer/

index.html# A British site offering contemporary prayer http://www.sacredspace.ie/

A reflective site offered by Irish Jesuits http://www.universalis.com/-500/today.htm

The contemporary Roman Catholic office http://www.oremus.org/

Daily office according to the liturgy of the Anglican Church of Canada 1985 http://www.breviary.net/

The pre-Vatican II Roman Catholic Office http://cofe.anglican.org/worship/dailyprayer/

The Church of England offices, either BCP 1662 or Common Worship 2000 http://www.forwardmovement.org/

todaysreading.cfm Forward Day by Day (these monthly booklets may be found at the rear of the church or in the literature rack in the Parish House)

Pray for ... Please pray for those on our Parish Prayer List.

Pray for the sick: Sally Bayliss, John Durand, Colby Durand, Catherine Crouther, Nathan Cerce, Gary Josephson, Gordon Josephson, Andy Sawyer, Lois MacCuch, Mary Stinson, Patricia Stinson, Richard Bergstrom,Warren Mahady, John Spencer, Tyler Stinson, Amanda Hornbaker, Rick Mueller, Allan Waters, Ann Lally, Tom Lally, Richie Kern, Peter Thomas, Dorothy Driscoll, Donna Reitano, Dominic Ricci, Kate Filanowski, Joanne Iovino, and Michael Maresco.

Pray for our shut-ins: Ellen Mahaney Gloria Cummings Charlotte Stitt Marjory Taylor Alice Layne.

Pray for the repose of the soul of Virginia Fowle.

6

Bishop Gayle Harris and the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (138 Tremont Street, Boston) invite you to come on down to the Cathedral for Boston’s first Hip Hop Mass on Saturday, April 21, 4:00-6:30 PM. This upbeat Eucharist will feature local rappers and leaders from the Bronx. Bishop Harris will be the Celebrant. More information on the Hip Hop Mass, including a Hip Hop Prayer Book, is available at wwwHipHopEMass.org. CONTACT: The Rev. Stephanie Spellers, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston (617.482.4826 ext 318) or sspellers@diomass.org.

9

PALM SUNDAY April 1 Liturgy of the Palms: Rite I 8:00 AM Liturgy of the Palms: Rite II 10:00 AM

MONDAY April 2 Holy Eucharist (said) 7:00 PM

TUESDAY April 3 Holy Eucharist (said) 7:00 PM

WEDNESDAY April 4 Holy Eucharist (said) 7:00 PM

MAUNDY THURSDAY April 5 Holy Eucharist (said) Noon Maundy Thursday Liturgy 7:30 PM

GOOD FRIDAY April 6 Interfaith Service Noon-3:00 PM Good Friday Liturgy 7:30 PM

HOLY SATURDAY April 7 The Great Vigil of Easter 7:30 PM

EASTER DAY April 8 Said Mass with Hymns 8:00 AM Festival Mass of Easter 10:00 AM Children’s Easter Egg Hunt

VxÄxuÜtàx Holy WeekHoly WeekHoly Week

EasterEasterEaster tà SA INT PAUL ’ S

M A L D E N

SAINT PAUL’S PARISH P I S C O PA L

26 WASHINGTON STREET· MALDEN 7 8 1 . 3 2 4 . 9 5 4 4

HIP HOP MASS AT CATHEDRAL

A Good Hair Day! Marina Novaes has really done something with her hair. Something good! For the past three years she grew her hair to make a contribution to “Locks of Love,” a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to children who suffer from long-term hair loss as a result of medical treatment. The kindest cut of all came in January. Way to go, Marina!

St. Paul’s to Host Deanery Workshop St. Paul’s will host a workshop on Vital and Viable Congregations on Saturday, March 24, 9 AM-3 PM. The workshop, sponsored by the Mystic Valley Deanery, will provide participants with hands-on strategies for implementing the principles of congregational vitality and viability at the parish level. Presenters include the Rev. Greg Jacobs and the Rev. Cynthia Hubbard of the Diocesan Office for Congregational Development. The workshop is open to all. Cost is $10 per person. Coffee, snacks, and lunch will be provided. To register, contact Marie Lee (marie.lee216@gmail.com).