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The Parish Messenger
July 1999
Concordat
(The following was placed on our website by the rector)
Since the ELCA-ECUSA Concordat was first proposed, we at St. Barnabas' have been praying
St. Charles the Martyr to intercede for its defeat. While we are in no way against
ecumenical efforts and the re-unification of Christ's Holy Catholic Church, we believe the
Concordat in its present form to be contrary to the principles of ecumenism set forth in
the Lambeth Quadrilateral. We believe that the present version of the Concordat waters
down the Apostolic Succession order to the point of extinction and threatens the Catholic
order which is the chief hallmark of this Communion.
With the initial defeat of the Concordat by the Lutheran governing body we were hopeful
that the Holy Spirit had spoken and that the Succession in this country had been preserved
and protected. However, it seems that the minority which believes itself to be the
majority, only sees the working of the Holy Spirit when it is in accord with its own views
and continues to promulgate the Concordat. Within a month's time, the Lutherans will once
again vote on the Concordat. It has been further watered down by ECUSA to make it more
appealing to the ELCA, but all reports have it that the Lutherans continue wisely not to
buy it. It seems that the Lutherans understand Apostolic order better than many of our own
Anglican leaders.
While these rumors are hopeful, we believe that we cannot rest simply assuming the
Concordat's defeat in the Lutheran houses. We must continue to pray that it is passed only
when the Apostolic Succession and three-fold expression of ordained ministry are
adequately understood, accepted and safeguarded.
To this end, we invite you to join with us in making the following prayer on a daily basis
during this next crucial month and until the matter is laid to rest at General Convention.
O Blessed Charles, who didst follow the way of thy Lord and King along Calvary's road and
didst give thy life that the Apostolic Succession be safeguarded and maintained; intercede
for us that the Succession granted to this part of Christ's Holy Catholic Church be kept
in safety. Teach us to treasure this gift which has been entrusted to us by so gracious a
Lord and King, even Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose holy Name we make this prayer. Amen. +
Nebraska Trivia
1. The mother of what actor gave Henry Fonda acting lessons in Omaha?
2. What singer on the Lawrence Welk show came from Grand Island?
3. Who was in the announcer's booth in 1949 when WOW-TV became the first television
station to sign on in Omaha?
(answers over)
Guild of All Souls
One of the long-standing devotional societies of this parish is the Guild of All Souls.
The following information about this society is taken from the Guild's publication. Those
interested in taking on this discipline and becoming members of the Guild are invited to
contact the rector.
OBJECTS OF THE GUILD
The GUILD OF ALL SOULS, founded in England in 1873, is a Prayer Guild within the worldwide
Anglican Communion which seeks to promote the Church's teaching in regard to the Faithful
Departed:
(1) Intercessory prayer for the Dying and for the Repose of the Souls of
the Departed.
(2) To encourage Christian customs at burial, especially the offering of
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
(3) To promote the two great doctrines of the Christian Creed: "The
Communion of Saints" and "The Resurrection of the Dead."
THE FOLLOWING are particularly commended to the prayers of members:
(a) The restoration of the use of the Rite of Anointing the sick,
commonly called Holy Unction.
(b) The restoration of the primitive custom of reserving the Holy
Eucharist for the sick and dying.
The Guild publishes and distributes literature pertaining to the objects, life and work of
the Guild. The Guild aids struggling congregations in providing vestments for Requiem
Mass.
PRIVILEGES OF GUILD MEMBERS
(a) Members are prayed for annually on the anniversary of their death by
the members of the Guild, and have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered for the benefit
of their souls.
(b) Members may obtain the prayers of the Guild for departed relatives
and friends arid/or enroll them as Posthumous Members of the Guild.
DUTIES OF GUILD MEMBERS
(1) To say, once a week, the PRAYERS for the Dying and Deceased Members
of the Guild by name.
(2) To assist at a Requiem on All Souls Day, for deceased Members and
All Souls.
(3) To say, monthly if possible, a Litany of the Faithful Departed.
(4) To support all Devotions for the Faithful Departed in the Parish
Church.
(5) Priest Members are expected to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, if
possible, at least once a year, on behalf of the Guild; and are, urged to offer Masses of
Requiem, regularly and at the burial of the Dead.
(6) To arrange that upon their death immediate notice shall be sent to
the Secretary.
The Pre-Eucharistic Fast
Last month I wrote a bit about the practice of fasting before reception of the Holy
Eucharist. I came across the following excerpt by the great Carolinian Anglican divine,
Jeremy Taylor. This excerpt is taken from "The Rule and Exercise of Holy
Living."
These Holy Mysteries are offered to our senses but not to be placed under our feet. They
are sensible, but not common. and therefore as the weakness of the elements adds wonder to
the excellency of the Sacrament, so let our reverence and venerable usages of them add
honor to the elements, and acknowledge the glory of the Mystery and the Divinity of the
mercy. Let us receive the Consecrated Elements with all devotion and humility of body and
spirit; and do this honor to it, that it be the first food we eat, and the first beverage
we drink that day, unless it be in case of sickness, or other great necessity; and that
your body and soul both be prepared to its reception with abstinence from secular
pleasures, that you may better have attended fastings and preparatory prayers. For if ever
it be seasonable to observe the counsel of St. Paul, that married persons by concert
should abstain for a time that they may attend to solemn religion, it is now. It was not
by St. Paul nor the after-ages of the Church called a duty so to do; but it is most
reasonable that the more solemn actions of religion should be attended to without the
mixture of anything which may discompose the mind, and make it more secular or less
religious.
From the St. B's Archives
"The sedilia, or the three heavy oak pews for the ministers of the High Mass are from
St. Matthias' Church and were installed in St. Barnabas Church in 1938. The votive light
stand was designed by Fr. Crawford and executed by W.E. Cady, donated by Nola Mae Fife,
March 12, 1930. The Sanctuary Lamp ... was given anonymously in memory of Forrest Smith,
1937. Make provision now to have your Church remembered in your will." Fr. Clark
Nebraska Trivia Answers
1. Marlon Brando
2. Joe Feeney
3. Johnny Carson
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