St. Anselm of Canterbury Episcopal ChurchA Message from Your Rector
Epiphany, 2007 Dear Parish Family: Greeting to you in this season of Epiphany. Mo. Ginna had a great idea when she suggested that in lieu of a sermon, we sing Epiphany hymns this past Sunday followed by readings from the Holy Scriptures. It lead us into a spirit of adoration that I think was in keeping with the visit of the Magi to the birth place of our Lord, the first group of foreigners to visit our Lord thereby demonstrating that he was born into the world not just for one chosen nation, but the entire world. This past Saturday on the actual day of the Epiphany abut a dozen of us from St. Anselm’s went over to St. John’s in L.A. to attend the ordination service where Bill Ledbetter was being ordained, and that turned out to be a wonderful event. St. John’s has the feel of an old gothic cathedral and with all the fanfare and miters in the house, it made for a very solemn and joyful celebration. I am attaching here a picture I shot of Bill before Bishops Bruno and Anderson. With this letter I am enclosing a pledge card, some of you still have not returned your pledge cards so I hope and trust you will as we prepare for the annual parish meeting on the first Sunday in February. On another note, St. Anselm’s is emerging as the lead church in the opposition of the construction of a Super Wal-Mart in the City of Garden Grove. Working poverty is a tragic reality in our country (28% of the population) and we certainly don’t need more of it especially here in our community. It is my hope and prayer that our local city council is not seduced by the false promise of increased tax revenue. This store will only drain tax revenue from other current sources (mom and pop shops and smaller businesses) which in turn leads to a decline in economic growth. We continue to say no to Wal-Mart! On a more pastoral note, I would like to request your prayers for Marilyn Aten. She spent Christmas in the hospital where I went to see her. To make a long story short, two thirds of her colon has been removed and she has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer (the highest stage). At this time she is relatively comfortable but what is most important is that her crisis has led her to a place of Epiphany revelation. She shared with me that after she received the news about her cancer, she prayed: “Thy Will be Done.” She was alone in her hospital room, and then a peace she has never known overcame her and has remained with her ever since. She emphasized to me that she has never known a peace like this before in her life. She says she is a new Marilyn. I said to Marilyn, it is the “peace of God which passeth all understanding” and she agreed. Paradoxically, regardless of the difficult news, she is joyful and at peace and ready to accept the medical help she can get, trusting in God’s will, and not afraid, no matter the outcome. Jerry is doing better and is a great support to Marilyn, although he is physically limited. Those two are a team! Please keep them in your prayers. We have lots of work in the year to come and these are challenging times for us as a parish. We’ve been blessed to have Mo. Ginna with us for the last year and a half but she is now moving on to a parish where she will be the Interim Priest (with pay!). She is very thankful for all the generosity she received from parishioners after her apartment burnt down. Mo. Minh Hanh and I continue to fight the good battle forging ahead in these challenging times in which we seek to grow, but grow with substance. In this season of Epiphany I invite your prayers that God reveal the Way for us, that we may be a parish of the Way, living the full gospel of our Lord and all its radical non conformist and dreadfully beautiful implications. Wishing you Peace in this time of Epiphany, I remain… In Grace, Wilfredo Benitez+ The Rev. Wilfredo Benitez-Rivera See previous Logs |
