Kristina DeFrancesco
Prayer for a New Day
Prayer for a New Day
Worship, News
Kristina DeFrancesco
Blessing of the Animals October 3

Join us October 3 at 5pm for an outdoor Blessing of the Animals. Animals on leashes or in carriers are warmly welcome, as are stuffed animals and photos.

Blessing of the Animals October 3
Sermon
Kristina DeFrancesco
Pentecost 2 (6/6/21) – Garrett Yates

“It feels like this is something of our last Sunday of the school year, before we shift into summer mode next week with one 9am service. It’s also like we are at this societal moment of pivoting out of COVID-19 restrictions and more or less going back to normal – if there ever was such a thing. What’s been a bit disorienting for me was the radical abruptness of reopening. It was like the CDC and our civic leaders just got tired of the gray zone of semi-regulated communal life, and rather than slowly undimming the lights, they just decided to flick the switch on, and many of us, accustomed to the dark and coziness of quarantine, are squinting a little bit, trying to acclimate to the bright lights of normal.”

Pentecost 2 (6/6/21) – Garrett Yates
Sermon
Kristina DeFrancesco
Trinity Sunday (5/30/21) – Garrett Yates

“Imagine a Portrait Gallery approached you and wanted to capture your image for posterity. How would you like to be portrayed? What picture of yourself would you like others to see? And do you think that picture ties up at all with the pictures others have of you? How would you be in this portrait? Where would you be? What emotion, position, look would just capture you?”

Trinity Sunday (5/30/21) – Garrett Yates
Sermon
Kristina DeFrancesco
Day of Pentecost (5/23/21) – Garrett Yates

“Human beings take around 650,000,000 breaths in their lifetime;

About 25,000 a day. How many of those are we aware?

My Apple watch rings once an hour with a reminder to Breathe.

It’s kind of annoying:

What does it think I’ve been doing for the last hour?

It doesn’t give me a reminder to tell my heart to pump blood

Or to my intestines to digest food.

Why does it suppose I’ve neglected my breath?”

Day of Pentecost (5/23/21) – Garrett Yates

Zen for Christians: Starts June 22

Zen for Christians: A Summer Reading & Meditation Series

What is Zen Buddhism? How can Zen strengthen our connection to God/the Divine? How can Zen be practiced by Christians responsibly and respectfully, in a manner that neither appropriates Zen nor violates one's Christian commitments?

In this bi-weekly summer series, we will engage these kinds of questions as we learn about and practice Zen meditation. To do so, we will use Living Zen, Loving God by the Zen-trained Jesuit priest, Ruben Habito, a renowned expert in Christian Zen practice and inter-religious dialogue. Each meeting will be divided into two parts, with the first 35-45 minutes focused on discussing chapters from Fr. Habito's book, and the last 20-30 minutes dedicated to practicing Zen meditation together. Meetings will be hybrid (in-person at St. Anne's and on Zoom) and will meet from 6:30-7:45 pm on the following five Thursdays: June 22, July 6 and 20, August 3 and 17. If you are interested in participating, or have any questions, please email Joe. 

All Invited to the Social Justice Commission Movie Night on June 2

The St. Anne’s Social Justice Commission is excited to invite you to its next Climate Justice movie night on Friday, June 2 at 7:00 in Flint Hall.  The 37-minute documentary, Current Revolution, describes the challenges of converting our electricity grid from fossils fuels to renewables. Boston University Professor Nathan Phillips, a well-known climate activist, will respond to the film and discuss his work on this issue with ISO New England. A community supper will precede the film. To RSVP, please email Alex Chatfield or Dave Gronewold.

Evensong: Sunday, April 30 at 5 pm

Come and experience evensong, an Anglican liturgy of rare and mystical beauty in which the Word is illuminated by music.  Our next evensong (the first since the pandemic) will be offered on Sunday evening April 30 at 5:00 pm, when we will honor St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The choir will chant the psalms and prayers, sing the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis as set by Herbert Sumsion, and offer the lovely “Evening Song” by Josef Rheinberger.  Join us!

RESCHEDULED!

Our second installment of our Speaker Series “Encountering the Divine” has been rescheduled to Thursday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m. Please join us then in Flint Hall for a discussion on the historical and theological connections between Judaism and Christianity.

St. Anne's Speaker Series

Encountering the Divine through Multiple Faiths

While we often associate Jesus with Christian traditions, how might we encounter Jesus, and/or the Divine more broadly, through faiths beyond Christianity? Specifically, how might traditions and practices associated with Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism aid us in encountering the Divine? In this multi-week series, three religious scholars from Boston College will lead us in an exploration of how these various faith traditions might help us engage spiritual resources, in a responsible way, beyond the traditional boundaries of Christianity. We hope you'll join us for one or more of these fascinating lectures on the Thursdays of April 13, April 27, and May 4 from 6:30 to 8 pm.

St. Anne's Hosts Area Blood Drive: Please Give on Wednesday, March 22

The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive in St. Anne’s Flint Hall on Wednesday, March 22, from 10 am to 3 pm. The need is great, and all donors will receive a $10 Visa gift card, as well as be entered in a $3000 Visa gift card drawing! To register, please visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter the code STANNEITF. Further details can be found by downloading this flyer. Thank you!

Lenten Family Formation

We entered Lent this year with new friends, renewed in-person worship, and Atrium time and special offerings. Although we think of Lent as a spiritual journey for each individual, our St. Anne’s children know Lent as the count-the-purple-Sundays in the snow season, listening to parables of Jesus about how God’s Kingdom grows with love for our neighbors and ourselves. To make tough concepts concrete memories this year, our children meet once a month in multi-age Children’s Chapel for the love lessons in The Good Samaritan, Psalm 23, and The Sower. They will have art reflections and practice being creators. They will visit The Butterfly Place to introduce one transformation example of Creation. They will have an opportunity to bake bread for Holy Eucharist, as well as make small pillar candles to receive the New Light after Easter.

In our smaller groups in the Atria, they meet in People of God (gr 5-7) to talk about family surprises and reconciliation in Abraham and Sarah’s tent, Rebekah and Isaac’s blessings of their sons, Jacob and Leah and Rachel’s ancient blended family and sibling rivalries. In Mustard Seed (gr 2-4) children wonder about the Good Shepherd and the Found Sheep, then the Found Coin and the parables of the Insistent Friend and the Ten Bridesmaids. In Good Shepherd (gr preK-1) they will hear about the Hidden Treasure, the Precious Pearl, and the Found Sheep.

Our Teen Formation students were invited to walk with families, our warden and priest, and 3,000 others a few days before Ash Wednesday in the WinterWalk Boston, to support the homeless. Teens also meet with Garrett to play games together and countinue the year’s theme of sacred spaces and reflect on how we show up in them. Some of our teens serve the parish community as the Livesteam Techs and Nursery Staff, as well, and we’re so grateful for their involvement and dedication.

And not to be missed, we will have an all-parish Game Night for everyone to play together on a Friday evening in March, hosted by the Family Engagement Commission!

Lent is here, and in community with our own families and wider parish, we learn that by taking part in our faith family at St. Anne’s, we are given new opportunities to grow and build foundational experiences as children of God and followers of Jesus.

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Winter Walk 2023 Boston, February 12, 8:30am in Copley Square.

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Teen Formation will walk for FamilyAid

It's a half-day mission trip and a reminder of what the homeless of our city endure - we are walking two miles in support of one of many wonderful organizations: FamilyAid. Spend a morning outside church with Garrett, our warden Anne Jones and Sarah Jennings. Click here to register for our team! or contact Garrett or Sarah via email by February 2.

Memorial Tree & Blue Christmas Services

The holidays can be difficult for those who miss loved ones, whether they have died, moved away, or become estranged. Our Memorial Tree service at 4:30 this Sunday, December 4, remembers the three young St. Anne’s parishioners who tragically died in a car accident many years ago, and allows the opportunity for us to mourn and honor them and all others whom we have lost. Attendees are led in reflective prayer and are invited to hang ornaments for their loved ones. As darkness surrounds us, the Tree’s lights are turned on, and we close the service in peace and hope.

Following this service, we move to the Sanctuary for Blue Christmas, a short service of candles, quiet, and prayer in which we reflect on love, grief, and joy.

We welcome everyone from all walks of life and faith to attend both services.

After turkey, Advent Wreaths!

Please join us in Flint Hall on Sunday, November 27 for our Annual Advent Wreath-Making event immediately following the 10 am service. We have a limited number of kits available - both 12” and 10” wreath sizes with candles, candle holders, and tray - so if you cannot join us, email Jennie to reserve a kit. If you are able to join us in Flint Hall, please bring a few bundles of greenery and a pair of snippers. What a fun and joyful way to kick off Advent!

A Trip to the Bell Tower

Rick and Jennie climbed up into the bell tower for a thorough inspection, while Tom pulled the bell ropes from below. Boy is the bell loud! The structure - from yoke to frame to tolling hammers - looks sturdy, though the original wooden wheel definitely needs to be retired. It was great fun to see the names of those who have climbed before us from the 1950s and 1980s, and we will soon learn from a Vermont company, Church Specialties, how we can replace the wheel with stronger, more modern materials.

The Rev. Martha Hubbard Preaches this Sunday, October 30

This week we are honored to welcome The Rev. Martha Hubbard as our guest preacher. Rev. Hubbard currently serves as the Regional Canon for the Northern and Western parts of our diocese. In this role, she focuses on developing lay leadership support in congregations; transition ministry with congregations and clergy involved in search processes for new ordained leadership; and, clergy wellness and family support. She is on the bishop’s senior leadership team. Rev. Hubbard was very involved with the Rector Search Team that eventuated in Garrett’s arrival. Please join us and extend a warm welcome to Rev. Hubbard.

2023 Stewardship Season Kicks Off

This Sunday, October 23, marks the start of St. Anne’s 2023 stewardship season. With the theme, “there is no such beauty as where you belong,” the 2023 campaign asks for participation by all who consider St. Anne’s their spiritual home. Pledge packets will be available on Sunday for pick-up or will be mailed to you next week. Thank you to all who support St. Anne’s in past years and into 2023!