Announcements for Week Ending November 6th

Friday, November 11 ~ Pizza at 6 PM and movie at 6:45 PM. In honor of Veteran’s Day – the movie will be “The Best Years of Our Lives”, starring Frederick March and Myrna Loy. Filmed in 1946, this is a story about three WWII Vets returning to their small town home. Cost: $5.00, soft drinks will be provided, feel welcome to bring an adult beverage. Movie and Pizza at PARISH HALL! Sign-up sheets in back of church.

It is time for the TIHAN Travelling Christmas Tree to come our way. People have been unbelievably generous in the past and for this we Thank You! This year we also have need of a volunteer to help in collecting the gifts during the month of November. It is easy, satisfying and greatly needed. Can you help? Please call Tish Newell.

We are in the process of updating our church member photo directory, which will be linked to our Web site, accessible online, and password protected. Members will be able to log in, view, and even print the directory. In order to complete this project, your help is needed. Photo shoots will begin on Sunday, November 6. Stay tuned for more information.

“Business of God Luncheon” ~ Monday, November 7th at Grace St. Paul’s Church. Doors open at 11:30 ~ Lunch: Noon. The price is $15 each. Speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Susanna Singer presenting “NEW FORMS OF LEADERSHIP FOR A CHANGING CHURCH”. Please RSVP to St. Michael’s Office no later than Monday, October 31. If anyone would like a ride, Fr. Smith will be leaving church at 11 AM.

Pilgrimage to San Xavier this Saturday, October 29th

Dear Samaritans and St. Michael's folk,

Just a reminder that both Samaritans-Tucson and St. Michael's/Mision San Miguel are add-on co-sponsors for the Derechos Humanos eleventh annual pilgrimage from St. John's Church (12th Ave and Ajo) to San Xavier Mission, remembering especially those who have died crossing the desert near Tucson. We need 182 people, to carry one cross each for remains found in FY2011.

Here are some reminders:

BOTH GROUPS -- Sign up as identified following general info. This can be a medidative experience if that's your call, and it is always nourishing.

Assemble at St. John's Church beginning at 8:30 p.m. Start will be a bit later.

Rest stops and followup vehicle (can pick up those who don't want to walk all the way). Major rest point at Pima College's Sierra Vista campus, waterand orange slices provided, if you want to meet us there.

Very brief ceremony outside San Xavier usually begins between 1 and 1:30 p.m. If you don't walk, meet us there and help us car pool back to our vehicles at St. John's -- or join us for the last quarter mile o the walk, as ew approach the mission from the west.

SAMARITANS -- Sign up with Michael Hyatt or just arrive. Wear your SAMs tee shirt or cap, if possible.

ST MICHAEL'S / SAN MIGUEL -- E-mail me if you can. If there are enough people, we will carry the banner. Otherwise, the processional cross. If you are on the east side and want to car pool, please let me know, and we will try to connect you. If you are on the east side and can bring the proecssional cross, that would save me an extra trip to pick it up.

Ila (in NC until 10-28)

Special Announcements

· An “ALTAR OF REMEMBRANCE” is set up in the back of church under the crucifix. Feel free to bring items for remembrance of loved ones who have died. Cards are located there on which to write the names of the loved ones to be remembered at the Mass on “Feast of All Saints Sunday”, which is November 6th. Place the card in the basket provided.

· It’s that time again….for the production of our delicious “St. Michael’s Angel Food”. We need your help. Whether it is an hour, a day, or some time, every day of the week. Working together, we can make this happen. We have our first order of 125 boxes of “St. Michael’s Angel Food”. Extra order blanks are available in the back of church or from the parish office. Hand them out to friends, family, your doctor’s office, your dentist’s office……anyone who may be interested in that special unique “Red Box of St. Michael’s Angel Food” for a hostess gift, Thanksgiving gift, Christmas gift or simply to enjoy the flavor of toffee dipped in chocolate then rolled in luscious macadamia nuts and toasted coconut. WHO WOULDN’T!

· Tim Musty recently received a lifetime achievement award for his social work. The award was presented in Phoenix. Way to go, Tim! - News courtesy of Bob Bennett.


Peace and stay happy! ~ Nancy

Announcements for Week Ending October 23rd

* Social Action Committee meets in the Womble Library following the 10:15 a.m. Mass this Sunday, October 16th. We will begin 5 minutes after the postlude ends.

* ECW (Episcopal Church Women) will meet Wednesday, October 19th at 10:30 am in the Parish Center. We will have a guest speaker from OASIS. All ladies are considered members of ECW and are urged to attend.

* Barnabas Friendship Luncheons will resume on Monday, October 24 at 11:30 AM in the parish center. Delicious food, catered by Enjoy Cooking, good friends and fellowship will be enjoyed by all. Bring a friend and join us. Only $10 per person. Reservation sheets are in back of the church.

*Friday, November 11 ~ Pizza at 6 PM and movie at 6:45 PM. In honor of Veteran’s Day – the movie will be The Best Years of Our Lives, starring Frederick March and Myrna Loy. Filmed in 1946, this is a story about three WWII Vets returning to their small town home. Cost: $5.00, soft drinks will be provided, feel welcome to bring an adult beverage. Movie and Pizza at PARISH HALL!

*Sunday, October 16th. is the Tucson AIDSWALK. We thank the team that is walking for St. Michael’s and the contributors who helped us meet our goal of $250. We have parishioners who volunteer for the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation as a way of living out their baptism.

St. Michael’s Chamber Players

Are pleased to perform a program

“Inspired by Brahms”

Trio in C minor for piano, violin and

cello, Op. 101

String quartet no. 3 in b flat major, Op. 67

Short pieces by Tchaikovsky and

Rachmaninov for piano solo

Saturday, October 22 at 3PM

Free will offering. Suggested $15

Reception will follow ~ Parish Center

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Miriam Stasiak once again is participating in the “Making Strides” Cancer Walk on October 30th. She would like our help in raising money for cancer research. Last year the donations were $450. Checks can be made out to the American Cancer Society and in the memo write “Making Strides” Miriam Stasiak ~ simply drop your check in the collection basket or give to Mim. We thank you for your generosity both now and in the past.

CASA MARIA VOLUNTEERS WILL MEET FRIDAY, October 21at at 6:00 PM, in the Parish Center to prepare sack lunches. Your help is needed - the volunteers can always use a few extra hands and two dozen SHELLED hard-boiled eggs. Join us for fellowship and to help with this good work.

It is time for the TIHAN Travelling Christmas Tree to come our way. People have been unbelievably generous in the past and for this we Thank You! This year we also have need of a volunteer to help in collecting the gifts during the month of November. It is easy, satisfying and greatly needed. Can you help? Please call Tish Newell at 514-818.

Don’t Miss It! ECW – Casserole and Bake Sale! SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23 (after all morning Masses). We will be selling delicious homemade items in the Parish Center. ECW members, please bring your contributions to the office or the kitchen. Some of the Best Cooks are at St. Michael’s!

It's time for Grandparent’s Day
at St. Michael’s Parish Day School!
Friday, October 28th.
Begins at 8 AM, and is usually over at 11AM.
We are looking for parishioners who
would like to act as a “surrogate
grandparent” for students whose
grandparents cannot attend the event.
Sign-up sheets are in back of Church.
For more info ~ call the Parish Office.

* Our second class on the Writing and Theology of Madeleine L'Engle is this Sunday, October 19th at 9 AM in the Womble Library. This week we will be discussing L'Engle's fiction. Come and join us!

Angel Food and The Messenger

The October issue of The Messenger is finally available! Click here for your PDF copy - in color!

It’s almost time for the annual production of St. Michael’s “Angel Food.” Production begins Thursday, November 3 and continues until Saturday, November 12th. Sign-up sheets will appear in the back of church on Wednesday, October 12th as well as Angel Food Order Forms ~ You are invited to help with the production of our famous candy. As always, we appreciate your kindness and generosity in helping with this project.

Printed order forms are available. You might know someone who will be looking for a “Special” Christmas gift; what could be better than a bright red box filled with “Angel Food?”

P.S. ~ Remember ~ October is “Breast Cancer” awareness month.

Announcements for Week Ending October 16th

You’re invited to a “Octoberfest Dinner” of Beer, Brats and German Potato Salad THIS Sunday evening, October 9 at 6:00 PM. in the Parish Center. Featuring

BEER * BRATS * GERMAN POTATO SALAD * GERMAN NOODLE CASSEROLE * AND YOU!

$10 PER PERSON ~ RESERVATIONS BY EMAIL OR IN BACK OF CHURCH!
All are welcome and reservations must be made. Join us for a fun evening!



The St. Michael's School of Theology continues starting THIS SUNDAY, October 9th, with an introduction to the writing and theology of Madeleine L'Engle. This award-winning writer has inspired generations of children and adults with her fiction (including the classic A Wrinkle in Time), poetry and other explorations of what it means to be a Christian. Come join us, 9 AM to 10 AM Sundays in the Womble Library, and you may be inspired as well! No books are required to attend this class.

Barnabas Friendship Luncheons will resume on Monday, October 24 at 11:30 AM in the parish center. Delicious food, catered by Enjoy Cooking, good friends and fellowship will be enjoyed by all. Bring a friend and join us. Only $10 per person. Reservation sheets in back of church.

You are cordially invited to attend a Chamber Music Concert ~ “Inspired BY Brahms” ~ Saturday, October 22, 3PM ~ st. Michael and All Angels Church. Free will offering. Suggested donation $15. Reception will follow in the Parish Center. All are Welcome! (More information in the back of church.)

Play Golf, Win prizes and help neighbors in need. Interfaith Community Services “WE CARE” GOLF CLASSIC. The golf tournament will be held at the beautiful Omni Tucson National Resort on Veterans Day, Friday, November 11. St. Michael’s is sponsoring “Fearsome Foursome” ready to play in the tournament. We would appreciate any monetary help with the sponsorship St. Michael’s is a member of Interfaith Community Services. The Fabulous Fearsome Four are: The Rev. Ed Harnsberger, Mr. Al DeAugustine, Mr. Reed Karim and Mr. Jake Vogler! Stay tuned for more info!

Friday, November 11 ~ Pizza at 6 PM and movie at 6:45 PM. In honor of Veteran’s Day – the movie will be “The Best Years of Our Lives”, starring Frederick March and Myrna Loy. Filmed in 1946, this is a story about three WWII Vets returning to their small town home. Cost: $5.00, soft drinks will be provided, feel welcome to bring an adult beverage. Movie and Pizza at PARISH HALL!

Busy Week!

Lots happening at St. Michael’s this week! In case you missed the service bulletin here is a re-cap:

TUESDAY

• Blessing of the Animals # 2 on Feast of St. Francis of Assisi ~ Tuesday from 3:30 – 4:15 pm in the Foundations Courtyard. Mother Clare has the honors! (Blessing of the “Stuffed Animal Friends” at the Lower School Mass at 8:10 AM)
•  Taize Prayer Service in Church -  Tuesday at 6:45 PM

WEDNESDAY

• Healing Mass ~ Wednesday ~12:10 PM
• Coffee, Tea and More…information about the upcoming Women’s Bible Study beginning in January ~ Wednesday 6:30 pm in the Parish Center ~.
• Sunday Lectionary Bible Study ~Twice on Wednesday,  at 10 am and 6:30 pm in the Womble library

FRIDAY

• Parish Life Bowling at Camino Seco Lanes ~ Friday at 6:30 pm

SATURDAY

• Meditation at the House of Meditation just north of the church ~ Saturday, 9:15 am
• Knitters and Quilters meeting in the Parish Center ~ Saturday at 11:15 am
• Ultrea Gathering ~ Parish Center ~ Saturday at 4:30 pm

SUNDAY

• EPISCOPAL SCHOOL SUNDAY ~ Pancake Breakfast after all morning Masses presented by the Boy Scouts under the supervision and direction of Byron Brandon and John Madsen – only $3 per person! All are welcome.
• Ocktober Fest Dinner – Beer, Brats and German Potato Salad ~ Sunday at 6pm following at 5pm Mass - $10 per person! All are welcome!

For more info, call the Parish Office.

New Bible Study Group

Interested in attending a Bible Study just for women? Join us on Wednesday, October 5th at 6:30 PM in the Parish Center for “Coffee, Tea and More!” and information about a Women’s Bible Study Group that will begin in January. All ladies are invited and urged to attend this informative meeting!

For more information, or if you would need transportation Please call the Parish Office ~ 886-7292

A Pastoral Teaching from the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church

Episcopal Church House of Bishops issues A Pastoral Teaching
September 20, 2011

The Episcopal Church House of Bishops, meeting in Province IX, in Quito, Ecuador, issued the following Pastoral Teaching:

A Pastoral Teaching from the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church

Quito, Ecuador
September 2011

We, your bishops, believe these words of Jeremiah describe these times and call us to repentance as we face the unfolding environmental crisis of the earth:
How long will the land mourn, and the grass of every field wither? For the wickedness of those who live in it the animals and the birds are swept away, and because people said, "He is blind to our ways." (Jeremiah 12:4)

The mounting urgency of our environmental crisis challenges us at this time to confess "our self-indulgent appetites and ways," "our waste and pollution of God's creation," and "our lack of concern for those who come after us" (Ash Wednesday Liturgy, Book of Common Prayer, p. 268). It also challenges us to amend our lives and to work for environmental justice and for more environmentally sustainable practices.

Christians cannot be indifferent to global warming, pollution, natural resource depletion, species extinctions, and habitat destruction, all of which threaten life on our planet. Because so many of these threats are driven by greed, we must also actively seek to create more compassionate and sustainable economies that support the well-being of all God's creation.

We are especially called to pay heed to the suffering of the earth. The Anglican Communion Environmental Network calls to mind the dire consequences our environment faces: "We know that . . . we are now demanding more than [the earth] is able to provide. Science confirms what we already know: our human footprint is changing the face of the earth and because we come from the earth, it is changing us too. We are engaged in the process of destroying our very being. If we cannot live in harmony with the earth, we will not live in harmony with one another." (i)

This is the appointed time for all God's children to work for the common goal of renewing the earth as a hospitable abode for the flourishing of all life. We are called to speak and act on behalf of God's good creation.

Looking back to the creation accounts in Genesis, we see God's creation was "very good," providing all that humans would need for abundant, peaceful life. In creating the world God's loving concern extended to the whole of it, not just to humans. And the scope of God's redemptive love in Christ is equally broad: the Word became incarnate in Christ not just for our sake, but for the salvation of the whole world. In the Book of Revelation we read that God will restore the goodness and completeness of creation in the "new Jerusalem." Within this new city, God renews and redeems the natural world rather than obliterating it. We now live in that time between God's creation of this good world and its final redemption: "The whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for . . . the redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:22-3).

Affirming the biblical witness to God's abiding and all-encompassing love for creation, we recognize that we cannot separate ourselves as humans from the rest of the created order. The creation story itself presents the interdependence of all God's creatures in their wonderful diversity and fragility, and in their need of protection from dangers of many kinds. This is why the Church prays regularly for the peace of the whole world, for seasonable weather and an abundance of the fruits of the earth, for a just sharing of resources, and for the safety of all who suffer. This includes our partner creatures: animals, birds, and fish who are being killed or made sick by the long-term effects of deforestation, oil spills, and a host of other ways in which we intentionally and unintentionally destroy or poison their habitat.

One of the most dangerous and daunting challenges we face is global climate change. This is, at least in part, a direct result of our burning of fossil fuels. Such human activities could raise worldwide average temperatures by three to eleven degrees Fahrenheit in this century. Rising average temperatures are already wreaking environmental havoc, and, if unchecked, portend devastating consequences for every aspect of life on earth.

The Church has always had as one of its priorities a concern for the poor and the suffering. Therefore, we need not agree on the fundamental causes of human devastation of the environment, or on what standard of living will allow sustainable development, or on the roots of poverty in any particular culture, in order to work to minimize the impact of climate change. It is the poor and the disadvantaged who suffer most from callous environmental irresponsibility. Poverty is both a local and a global reality. A healthy economy depends absolutely on a healthy environment.

The wealthier nations whose industries have exploited the environment, and who are now calling for developing nations to reduce their impact on the environment, seem to have forgotten that those who consume most of the world's resources also have contributed the most pollution to the world's rivers and oceans, have stripped the world's forests of healing trees, have destroyed both numerous species and their habitats, and have added the most poison to the earth's atmosphere. We cannot avoid the conclusion that our irresponsible industrial production and consumption-driven economy lie at the heart of the current environmental crisis.

Privileged Christians in our present global context need to move from a culture of consumerism to a culture of conservation and sharing. The challenge is to examine one's own participation in ecologically destructive habits. Our churches must become places where we have honest debates about, and are encouraged to live into, more sustainable ways of living. God calls us to die to old ways of thinking and living and be raised to new life with renewed hearts and minds.

Although many issues divide us as people of faith, unprecedented ecumenical and interfaith cooperation is engaging the concern to protect our planet. And yet, efforts to stop environmental degradation must not be simply imposed from above. Those most affected must have a hand in shaping decisions. For example, we welcome efforts in the United States to involve Native American tribal leaders and to empower local community organizations to address environmental issues. Similar strategies need to be employed in myriad communities in various locales.

Our current environmental challenges call us to ongoing forms of repentance: we must turn ourselves around, and come to think, feel, and act in new ways. Ancient wisdom and spiritual disciplines from our faith offer deep resources to help address this environmental crisis. Time-honored practices of fasting, Sabbath-keeping, and Christ-centered mindfulness bear particular promise for our time.

Fasting disciplines and heals our wayward desires and appetites, calling us to balance our individual needs with God's will for the whole world. In fasting we recognize that human hungers require more than filling the belly. In God alone are our desires finally fulfilled. Commended in the Book of Common Prayer, fasting is grounded in the practices of Israel, taught by Jesus, and sustained in Christian tradition. The ecological crisis extends and deepens the significance of such fasting as a form of self-denial: those who consume more than their fair share must learn to exercise self-restraint so that the whole community of creation might be sustained.

Sabbath-keeping is rooted in the Book of Genesis, where the seventh day is the day in which God, humans, and the rest of creation are in right relationship. In our broken world, keeping the Sabbath is a way of remembering and anticipating that world for which God created us. Sabbath requires rest, that we might remember our rightful place as God's creatures in relationship with every other creature of God. Such rest implicitly requires humans to live lightly on the face of the earth, neither to expend energy nor to consume it, not to work for gain alone, but to savor the grace and givenness of creation.

The practice of Christ-centered mindfulness, that is, the habitual recollection of Christ, calls believers to a deepened awareness of the presence of God in their own lives, in other people, and in every aspect of the world around us. Such spiritual perception should make faithful people alert to the harmful effects of our lifestyles, attentive to our carbon footprint (ii) and to the dangers of overconsumption. It should make us profoundly aware of the gift of life and less prone to be ecologically irresponsible in our consumption and acquisition. In assuming with new vigor our teaching office, we, your bishops, commit ourselves to a renewal of these spiritual practices in our own lives, and invite you to join us in this commitment for the good of our souls and the life of the world. Moreover, in order to honor the goodness and sacredness of God's creation, we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, commit ourselves and urge every Episcopalian:

• To acknowledge the urgency of the planetary crisis in which we find ourselves, and to repent of any and all acts of greed, overconsumption, and waste that have contributed to it;
• To lift up prayers in personal and public worship for environmental justice, for sustainable development, and for help in restoring right relations both among humankind and between humankind and the rest of creation;
• To take steps in our individual lives, and in community, public policy, business, and other forms of corporate decision-making, to practice environmental stewardship and justice, including (1) a commitment to energy conservation and the use of clean, renewable sources of energy; and (2) efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle, and whenever possible to buy products made from recycled materials;
• To seek to understand and uproot the political, social, and economic causes of environmental destruction and abuse; (iii)
• To advocate for a "fair, ambitious, and binding" climate treaty, and to work toward climate justice through reducing our own carbon footprint and advocating for those most negatively affected by climate change.

May God give us the grace to heed the warnings of Jeremiah and to accept the gracious invitation of the incarnate Word to live, in, with, and through him, a life of grace for the whole world, that thereby all the earth may be restored and humanity filled with hope. Rejoicing in your works, O Lord, send us forth with your Spirit to renew the face of the earth, that the world may once again be filled with your good things: the trees watered abundantly, springs rushing between the hills in verdant valleys, all the earth made fruitful, your manifold creatures, birds, beasts, and humans, all quenching their thirst and receiving their nourishment from you once again in due season (Psalm 104).
_________________________
(i) From "The Hope We Share: A Vision for Copenhagen," a statement from the Anglican Communion Environmental Network in preparation for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), December 2009.
(ii) Carbon footprint is a measurement of all greenhouse gases we individually produce in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating, transportation, etc.
(iii) We are indebted to the Episcopal Bishops of New England for their earlier 2003 Pastoral Letter, "To Serve Christ in All Creation." Several of these "commitments" and other phrases herein are quotations or adaptations of their work.

On the Net: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/newsline_129891_ENG_HTM.htm

Bless the Beasts with St. Francis This Sunday

Feast of St. Francis



The Blessing of the Animals will take place this Sunday, October 2nd, during all Masses, and is open to furry, feathery, and scaly pets in all shapes and sizes. Animals are to be on leashes or in carriers. The Blessing of the Animals is celebrated each year in conjunction with the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. All are invited to bring either their pet, or a stuffed animal representing their pet, for a special blessing.