Marriage Equality The Law of the Land, Soon a Liturgy In The Church

Episcopal Church Supports Marriage Equality

SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) By an overwhelming majority in both of its legislative houses, the Episcopal Church made history Wednesday (July 1) by making marriage for same-sex couples available throughout the church.

The actions on marriage equality came after decades of progress toward fully including LGBT Episcopalians in the work and witness of the church.

Meeting in Salt Lake City for its 78th General Convention, the House of Deputies concurred with the House of Bishops to approve a canonical change that eliminates a written definition of marriage as between a man and a woman and authorizes two new marriage rites for same-sex or opposite-sex couples.

Taken together, these actions make marriage — which the Supreme Court ruled last week is a “fundamental right” for all Americans — equally available for all Episcopalians.

Read More at Religion News Service and ThinkProgress.

Morning Prayer 12.6.14, Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c. 342 | The Daily Office

Happy Feast of St Nicholas! We will celebrate tomorrow at the Sunday morning service at 10am, with the Rt. Rev. Jeffrey D Lee, Bishop of Chicago, presiding. Come and be welccome, and “be St. Nick” with us!

St Nicholas of Myra, by Fr. Tobias Haller BSG

The Daily Office | Diocese of Indianapolis: St Nicholas of Myra

The Daily Office site is an incredibly rich resource for prayer, spirituality, and the inner life for people of faith. Each day they post the prayers and readings of the day, and the offer webcasts and sometimes live webchats. I’ve managed to attend one (they’re held during my work day, so it was a day I was off for some reason) and it was very interesting and uplifting to share that with people from all over the country and the world. The daily posts also include beautiful images and photographs to illustrate the holy persons who are commemorated that day, gathered from many sources (many from Episcopal churches who have commissioned art or submitted photos for use by the site).

The icon at the top of this post is a particular favorite of mine, as it’s by a blogger whose work I’ve read for years, Fr. Tobias Haller BSG. He writes poetry and posts icon sketches at his site “In A Godward Direction.”

Another icon of St Nicholas that is new to me is this one from an Episcopal Church in Ohio:

St Nicholas of Myra, by Kelly Latimore, icon at Grace Church, Pomeroy OH

St Nicholas of Myra, by Kelly Latimore, icon at Grace Church, Pomeroy OH

Thie one depicts Biblical images of sailing ships – Jesus walking on the water, and also in the boat with His friends. St Nicholas holds a modern riverboat tug, because Pomeroy’s position on the Ohio River means that the sailors under the saint’s protection are on our inland waterways and not just at sea.

Although there will be no Saturday evening service today, the Feast of St Nicholas is “transfered” to tomorow, so that the whole community of St Nick can gather and celebrate with Bishop Jeffrey. You are most welcome to join us, tomorrow and always!

Oktoberfest Saturday, October 11 in Mount Prospect

CelebrationBalloons

OKTOBERFEST!!!

Mark your calendars for Saturday October 11th- it’s time for some St. Nicholas Family Fun!

Mt. Prospect’s Fall Festival/Oktoberfest is a wonderful annual event with activities for children from 1pm to 4pm and a BIG Oktoberfest party from 4pm to 11pm.

Let’s get together for brats, schnitzel, German beer, strudel, polkas, sing-along, chicken dancing and some good old “Gemutlichkeit” : )

We’ll have balloons and/or banners to help you find our “Stammtisch” (special table) and we’ll invite our friends from St. John’s to join us there.

We can meet up at the fest around 6:00pm and we’ll have Sign-Up Sheet for a carpool that will leave St Nick’s after the 4:00 mass if anyone is interested.

PROST!!