This Sunday, March 24 after the 10am Liturgy, we will continue the conversation we began last month. We will continue the dialogue on where we are and where we desire and wish to move toward as a community of faith. All are welcome to come and join in the conversation. We will meet in the Noah’s Ark space (if crowd is large, we’ll meet in Holy Innocents Hall) . . . bring your coffee along.
We have entered the holy season of Lent. We wish all a blessed journey these next six weeks. May each day fill us with peace and grace. Before too long, we will gather to celebrate the great Paschal feast of Easter. In order for our worship space to truly be at its most beautiful, we wish to festoon our church with seasonal flowers. If you would like to donate to the Flower Fund, now is the time to do so. Honor a dearly departed loved one, celebrate and give thanks for good tidings that have come to you. If you so choose to contribute, please make sure to indicate on your check "flower fund," and don’t forget to provide names of dearly departed loved ones and/or events or occasions you wish to commemorate. In advance…a most heart-felt thank you to one and all.
What the heck is Shrove Tuesday? The word shrove is the past tense of the English verb shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of Confession and doing penance. Thus Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the custom for Christians to be “shriven” before the start of Lent.* OK, so why pancakes? Pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent because they were a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. The liturgical fasting emphasized eating plainer food and refraining from food that would give pleasure: In many cultures, this means no meat, dairy, or eggs.
We are beginning this very Anglican tradition at St. Nicholas this year in honor of the fact that it was near and dear to our members from the former St. Bede’s. We are very excited to make this part of our life together.
Please join us at St. Nicholas on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 6:30 pm in Holy Innocents Hall. All are invited to come and share in a simple, though filling supper of home-made pancakes.
Please sign up in church on Sunday so we’ll know how many pancakes to prepare.
*Thurston, Herbert. “Shrovetide.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 6 Jan. 2013