Through a generous grant from our Outreach & Justice Council, St. Michael’s is sponsoring Advocacy Day on April 7. This will be a day of building community, sharing our stories and advocating for values-based legislation in Salem through group meetings with our legislators.
Upcoming music for Holy Week includes a wide variety of choral repertoire from the English Renaissance to the 21st century. You’ll hear selections by English composers William Byrd (c. 1540-1623) and Henry Purcell (1659-1695) as well as anthems by Canadian composer Stephanie Martin (b. 1962) and American legend Alice Parker (1925-2023), and lots more in between!
The cherry blossoms have peaked right on time! This coming Sunday is traditionally known as “Laetare Sunday” in the season of Lent. That Latin word means something like “rejoice.” Rose or pink are the colors associated with Laetare Sunday. This fourth Sunday is meant to be something of a respite from the austerity and deprivation of the Lenten season; because even in the darkest of times, we need to fan the embers of joy and hope. It’s a way to keep going: reminding one another that light and life are possible. I look forward to sharing Laetare Sunday with you!
We’ve programmed a truly classic anthem this Sunday: Herbert Howells’ “Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks.” Written in 1941 and sung in Anglican churches and cathedrals throughout the world during Lent (the text is based on Psalm 43:1-3), it describes the psalmist’s spiritual thirst for God, comparing it to a deer searching for water.
As we begin this third week in the season of Lent, I want to share a few thoughts about a vital Christian practice that goes back to our earliest stories: the giving of alms. “Almsgiving” is a word we don’t often use or hear today. More often, we talk about charity, outreach, or service. However, those terms do not quite capture the heart of the traditional concept of giving alms, which has been passed down from the teachings of Jesus.
Sunday’s offertory anthem is by Imogen Holst (pictured), the only child of British composer Gustav Holst. In A Hymne to Christ, she sets the first two verses of one of John Donne’s Divine poems, including the text “In what torne ship soever I embarke,/ That ship shall be my embleme of thy Arke.”
Holden Evening Prayer will be held just one more Wednesday, on April 9. Join us in the Parish Hall for a simple soup supper at 5:30 pm, followed by this beloved prayer service in the chancel at 6:15 pm, lasting less than 30 minutes in length.
Sunday Services
7:30 – Rite I Traditional language with no music.
9:00 – Rite II Holy Eucharist with choir
11:00 – Inclusive language with choir
1:00 pm – Misa en Español
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