Dear friends,
As we approach the end of our program year of activities, we find ourselves indeed entering a new season not only in our general calendar but in the life of the church. This Sunday is the Feast of Pentecost where we recall the moment when, following Christ’s ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit anoints the disciples. At this point, Jesus’s friends are granted the power to communicate in different languages and the gifts necessary to go forth into the world and share the Good News of the Gospel. Essentially, then, Pentecost is considered the beginning (or sometimes “birthday”) of the church, but it is also a moment when, given the disciples’ ability to engage in communities beyond their own, it is the beginning of the Christian community’s call to be a place of belonging and unity in an often scattered and disrupted world.
There are myriad ways in which we can live into this vocation, and this weekend shows forth several of them. On Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral, our new curate Eva Dalzell will be ordained to the diaconate, the next step towards her priestly ministry, and the beginning of her ordained ministry to our community and beyond. Then, we will celebrate Pentecost with Eucharist and Baptisms at 9 a.m. (note the time change!), and later at 4 p.m. we will celebrate Pentecost again along with our Summerfest Celebration. As we move into the summer, we will then begin our summer programming schedule (details to follow soon) and where members of our vestry, ministries and committees will begin to engage in discernment for new opportunities for the 2025–2026 program year.
Moving into the fall, I will also be working with the Hingham and Hull Religious Leaders Association as well as the South Shore Deanery on various new outreach and ministry opportunities. One of these opportunities, a new diocesan and deanery collaborative venture, is noted in our Outreach and Episcopal City Mission post below. Furthermore, last week, you will have noticed the announcements from Brad Galko and Phil Carter regarding planned giving and our glorious new Stained Glass Window Fund courtesy of Phil Carter’s ongoing ministry and blessing among us. Indeed, these initiatives are but two of the means by which, as the fall draws closer, we can all consider how members of our parish might engage in building up not only the life of our parish but the kingdom of God through all the different areas of interest, passion, and faithful practice we share.
Indeed, as Pentecost reminds us, we are a diverse parish, all with different languages and interests, but united in one church home and, ultimately, in the heart of God. I am excited to see where we go together this summer and beyond.
With every prayer and blessing,
Fr. Ed.
The Rev. Edward Thornley
Rector of The Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist