An Easter Message from your
Rector
May/June, 2000
Dear Parish Family and Friends of St. Anselm's:
Greetings to you in the name of the Risen Christ, Alleluia!!!
We are now well into the season of Easter, and it has been a joyful season
with many new blessings. Holy Week was very powerful experience, as in
the past, we walked the way of the Cross -- getting in touch with the
sacrifice, the humanity of Jesus, his despair and suffering. Quite frankly,
at times it was overwhelming, from Maundy Thursday on, there were many
tears, until we celebrated the Great Vigil of Easter, and then there were
tears of joy, for death would not defeat our Savior.
This Easter season has brought us a particular kind of
joy that is different from the joys of the past. I can't put my finger
on it, but there is a different quality to our worship and our life as
a community. I believe that in the end, we are reflecting more and more,
what it is to be a "Community of the Resurrection." God's Spirit is moving
within our midst in ways that leave us baffled, it is a reminder, that
God does things on God's own terms, not ours. Things happen, there are
no clear logical explanations, but you can see the mysterious hand of
our elusive God at work. The signs abound!!!
Last week we celebrated our deanery Confirmations, and
seven adults were confirmed from our parish. All of the adults were my
age or younger, which is a wonderful sign for us; it means that young
adults are coming to St. Anselm's, we are becoming more age balanced.
We are also becoming more balanced in our sexual orientations. For the
first time in our life as a community, we are celebrating the diversity
of our sexual orientations. What is even more wonderful, our older members
have been quite welcoming to our younger members. There have been no territorial
battles; our new members are welcomed and integrated, not blocked from
participation, as unfortunately happens in many of our churches. This
was especially clear during the re-painting of the Labyrinth, where people
showed up in record numbers, old and new members alike; that's a sign
of community. I am proud of our community, and it is our loving and accepting
spirit of Jesus, that has made the difference for the new members. We
continue to evolve and transform.
Last week we also celebrated Cándida's Installation
Service as Chaplain at the University of California, Irvine -- UCI. Again,
our folks were present, in what turned out to be a truly wonderful celebration.
There were people from over 13 parishes in attendance with the UCI community
from Deaneries Nine, and Ten. It was a major event. I preached, substituting
for Bishop Jon Bruno who could not be present, and Cándida celebrated
the Eucharist. The music was all in the key of JAZZ; it was great, a true
blessing. A big "thank you" to all the folks who were present in support
of Cándida's new ministry.
Our pace has been slow but steady. Year after year we
have seen signs of resurrection in our midst; and now they are becoming
more and more apparent. In the past, we've been involved in the work of
laying down our roots, and now we see that they are firmly in the ground.
We're headed in a new and wonderful direction that is interweaved with
where we've been in the past. It is exciting to watch this unfold; it
is a sign of new life, Easter joy.
Our Labyrinth garden looks beautiful, and indeed it has
been featured in a PBS educational series, titled "Becoming a Master Student."
Plans are under way to make the Labyrinth garden even more beautiful,
honoring this sacred space as a tool for evangelism.
We're also in the process of constructing a web site
for the parish that already looks incredible. What's great about this
web site, is that our members won't have to keep our parish a secret any
more, no need to be shy. Now our folks will be able to tell their friends
to visit out our web site -- simplified evangelism -- to learn about St.
Anselm of Canterbury Episcopal Church.
When construction of the web site is complete, it will
have a prayer room where visitors will be able to light virtual candles.
The web site will also have a virtual Labyrinth that visitors will be
able to walk with their mouse -- for those of you who are not familiar
with computers, a "mouse" is a tool used to get around your computer screen,
not an actual living mammal. It will also feature many beautiful photographs
of the interior of the church, the garden, and parish life. Those who
visit the web site will think, "what an awesome church community!" To
get a preview of the web site just log on to: Saintanselmgg.org.
Remember that it is still under construction, so what you will see is
not the final version, it is a work in progress. The web site will also
feature beautiful Celtic music, being arranged specifically for our web
site.
Easter is here with a vengeance, and we continue to ring
bells and chimes at every liturgy, while repeating the Easter acclamation:
Alleluia Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen Indeed, Alleluia. We
celebrate new life in our midst and the joy of Christ's rising from the
dead, destroying the power of death. May our celebration continue, in
anticipation of all the signs of life that are yet to come, Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia…
In His Service,
The Rev. Wilfredo Benítez
Rector |
|
St. Anselm of Canterbury Episcopal Church
13091 Galway Street
Garden Grove, CA. 92844
The Rev. Wilfredo Benítez, Rector
The Rev. Cándida E. Feliú-González, Associate Priest
Phone 714 537-0604
Fax: 714 537-7606
info@SaintAnselmGG.org |
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