St. Michael and All Angels Sermon preached by the Rev. Peter M. Carey at St. Mary's Cathedral Road

St. Michael and All Angels Sermon preached the the Rev. Peter M. Carey at 

St. Mary's Cathedral Road

St. Michael and All Angels

Revelation 12:7-12

War broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming,

“Now have come the salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God

and the authority of his Messiah,

for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down,

who accuses them day and night before our God.

But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.

Rejoice then, you heavens

and those who dwell in them!

But woe to the earth and the sea,

for the devil has come down to you

with great wrath,

because he knows that his time is short!”

Shepherd me, O God

Shepherd me, O God

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.

God is my shepherd, so nothing I shall want,
I rest in the meadows of faithfulness and love,
I walk by the quiet waters of peace.

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.

Gently you raise me and heal my weary soul,
you lead me by pathways of righteousness and truth,
my spirit shall sing the music of your Name.

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.

Though I should wander the valley of death,
I fear no evil, for you are at my side,
your rod and your staff, my comfort and my hope.

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.

You have set me a banquet of love in the face of hatred,
crowning me with love beyond my pow'r to hold.

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.

Surely your kindness and mercy follow me all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of my God forevermore.

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.

Words and Music: Marty Haugen

What is needed

Isaiah 56:7 "My house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples"

Image from the Instagram of Washington National Cathedral 

The Rev. Peter M. Carey ~ Sermon ~ 23 September 2018 preached at St. Mary's - Cathedral Road

The Rev. Peter M. Carey ~ Sermon ~ 23 September 2018 preached at St. Mary's - Cathedral Road

Love

Mary E. Mancer, Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory

MANCER
MARY E. (nee Schaible)

82 yrs. old, on Sept. 16, 2018. 

Mary was a retired computer/ data analyst from Conrail with many years of service. She graduated from Germantown High School in 1943 and attended Pierce Junior Business College. Beloved husband of the late Richard Boies Mancer, devoted mother of Kirk (Jennifer) Mancer, cherished Nana of Evan Mancer and Hannah Mancer (Cole) Pearson, sister-in-law of Agnes Schaible. Survived by nieces and nephews. She will be missed by her many dear friends and fellow members of St. Mary's -Cathedral.

The family will receive relatives and friends in Church Saturday 10:30 A.M. followed by her Funeral Service 11:00 A.M. at St. Mary's Episcopal Church Cathedral, 630 Cathedral Rd., Phila. 19128. In lieu of flowers, Memorial donations can be made to the charity of your choice.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/philly/obituary.aspx?n=mary-e-mancer-schaible&pid=190262182&fhid=29572

Acolytes at St. Mary's

An acolyte is one who assists the clergy in a liturgical service.  Young people (and, at times, "young" people of ALL ages!) are warmly welcomed into the ministry of serving as acolytes at St. Mary's Church. An effort is made to create an atmosphere so the acolytes will be confident in their roles and upright in their involvement in the solemnity of the service. At the same time, they are relaxed in the knowledge of the moral support, gratitude and appreciation they receive from both priest and congregation. 

Crucifer:  The Crucifer carries the Cross in and out, sits in the sanctuary, and assists with Communion.

Torchbearer: Torchbearers carry the torches, representing the light of Christ, into the church. They walk in procession and recession together following the cross and sit in near the crucifer

Gospel Carrier: On some occasions an acolyte will carry the Gospel Book, the word of Christ, into the church.

​For more information about becoming an acolyte please contact the Rev. Peter M. Carey at revpetermcarey@gmail.com or Virginia Trimble through the church office.

Sunday Joy!

O Gracious Light

Phos hilaron (O Gracious Light)

O gracious light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

Let my prayer be set forth in your sight

Let my prayer 

be set forth in your sight 

as incense, 

the lifting up of my hands 

as the evening sacrifice. 

Psalm 141:2

From Bishop Gutierrez

(Note: This email was first sent in May.  We wanted to reshare in case you missed it.)  "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9 ESV Throughout my career in public life, business and ministry, I have learned the importance of service. It is foundational that service is centered on prayer, process, responsiveness, evaluation and efficiency. Each of these guideposts are critical to success and our call to empower and grow congregations. As the Offices of the Diocese, we exist to serve you. It is important that you all know what you can expect from the Offices of the Diocese and the Bishop in this regard: Responsiveness: We are committed to responding to your emails and phone calls within 24 hours. This also goes for requests made via social media. Tracking progress: We have adopted new software that tracks our work on behalf of this Office and our work with parishes. This also allows us to assign work to one another and better collaborate. Follow-up: After we meet with churches, you should receive an email that outlines the action items of the visit. Each canon is copied on these so we are all "in the loop" on what is needed. Office hours: Traditionally this Office closed at 4:30. We have moved that to 5 p.m. The majority of staff work beyond a 40-hour week but I think it is important that you know someone will be in the office 9-5 if you need us. The only exception to this is Friday. I have asked staff not to schedule meetings after 12 on Friday so they can catch up on the week's work. If you call after 12 on a Friday, your call will be routed to voicemail. (If there is an emergency, please contact staff on their cell phones (visible in their email signature.) Canon responsibilities: The canons are here to serve you. Here is how they can help. Rev. Arlette Benoit-Joseph, canon for transition: can help you find clergy for your congregation; apply for grants for continuing ed. and sabbaticals; and help individuals who are discerning a call to ordained ministry. Rev. Kirk Berlenbach, canon for growth and support: can help you connect with the community; develop new and innovative ministries; and maximize use of church buildings and grounds  Doug Horner, canon for finance and business: can help you with Sacred Gifts for Mission & Administration; parochial reports and audits; commercial insurance, benefits and pensions through Church Pension Group; endowments and investments; parish financial management and operations; property issues and tenant leases and licenses to use; and employment and human resource policy. Rev. Betsy Ivey, canon for growth and support: can help you strategically think about how you want to change your parish ministry; and find supporting resources for ministry (websites, accounting, grant-writing, sharing resources). Jennifer Tucker, canon for communications: can help you with content creation; grassroots marketing; web site development; social media strategy; event planning; messaging; and crisis communications. Rev. Shawn Wamsley, canon to the ordinary: can help answer questions about the operations of the Diocese; direct congregations to support and resources within the Bishop's office and questions about policy and procedure within the Diocese; and provide direct support for Evangelism ministries, initiatives and programs. Rev. Toneh Smyth, canon for mission: can help connect you with trainings that focus on mental health and addiction concerns; wide missions/events that address national and global issues (e.g. poverty, racism, discrimination, health disparity, legislative changes, acts of violence); and with parishes doing similar mission work.  Since we are "co-creators" in this journey, and this is your diocese, I need to hear from you and know if we are responding to your needs. We are continually seeking to improve. We are continually reviewing all processes, procedures, and budgets. As a wise elder once said: "You cannot improve what you cannot measure." I am blessed to serve as your Bishop. Let us walk with one another, let us pray for one another and thank God for the opportunity to share in this journey as a community of hope, transformation and love. In Jesus Christ, all things are being made new. Know Jesus. Change the world. The Rt. Rev. Daniel G. P. Gutiérrez XVI Bishop of The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania

We had a wonderful time with Canon Kirk Berlenbach today

We were blessed to have Canon Kirk Berlenbach with us at St. Mary's today.

Thank you for your time, your presence, your wisdom, and your wonderful words with us today!

~Peter+

We welcome Canon Kirk Berlenbach tomorrow

We welcome Canon Kirk Berlenbach tomorrow (Sunday, September 16th) 
as our Preacher and our guest at Coffee Hour! 
See you there! ~Blessings!! 
~ Peter+

Wise words from Seth Godin

“But he paid extra”, by Seth Godin

We come up lots of reasons to work with jerks.

We take an investment from a jerk investor instead of a kind one.

We accept a job from a bully instead of someone who will nurture and challenge us with worthwhile work.

And we take on a customer who denigrates our team and our work instead of embracing the good ones…

The most common reason is that they pay us more. A better valuation, a better hourly rate.

That’s not a good enough reason. We pay for it many more times than we get paid for it.

Beautiful and haunting photo of the flag at half-mast at Washington National Cathedral today on 9-11

9-11 ... Life is short

Life is short,And we do not have much timeTo gladden the hearts of thoseWho travel the way with us.So be swift to be kind,And as we go,May the blessing, the love,the joy, and the peaceOf the Holy OneWho is in the midst of usBe among you and remain with youAlways.Amen

(adapted from the French Poet Henri Amiel)

Today's Sermon "faith, without works, is dead"

Listen to today's sermon on SoundCloud, HERE, or click the image below.

Diocesan Council met yesterday at Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge

Diocesan Council met yesterday at Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge

Our Rector, the Rev. Peter Michael Carey, and our vestryperson, Helen Zartarian represent the Wissahickon Deanery on Diocesan Council.