Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and in foreign lands. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
If you find yourself in Norfolk, CT one summer Sunday, consider taking the road less traveled and visit The Church of the Transfiguration, an Episcopal chapel hidden away in the woods. Known as the “Chapel of Ease,” it is the only church of its kind under the auspices of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. Services are held every Sunday during the summer months from May through September, and offers Evening Prayer once a month in June, July and August.
Also known as “The Bishop’s Chapel,” because they have no presiding clergy, the church is host to a variety of priests and bishops prominent in the Episcopal Church.
On June 24, 1894 the cornerstone was laid and in 1894, on the Feast of the Transfiguration, the church building was consecrated. Early members of the church included Broadway luminaries, Gilbert Boeker, a physicist on the Manhattan project, and Hartford’s own Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. A stained glass window near the front of the sanctuary is dedicated to the memory of Clemen’s wife, Olivia. There are several Tiffany windows as well, including the gorgeous Transfiguration window above the altar.
Since 1963 the church has been operated by a dedicated committee of lay people who tend to the maintenance and operations of the church and grounds. They arrange for visiting priests each week and manage the endowment. Committee members compose a wide range of expertise from education, history, and finance to landscape design, marketing, and historic preservation.
One of those dedicated committee members, Rowland Denny, was kind enough to open the church for my husband and I to take a brief tour and compare the oversight of a “summer church” with no church school nor choir to the hierarchy and infrastructure of St. Michael’s. I was amazed to learn that their Outreach program far exceeds ours since they regularly support 13 different worthwhile organizations.
Visit their website for more details, or to plan your own visit to this lovely little church just thirty minutes from Litchfield. www.churchofthetransfiguration.net
Let the light of Spirit shine through you.
St. Michael’s members Patrick and Christian Neary will be confirmed on May 19th at St. John’s-New Milford by Bishop Curry. If you are interested to participate in the service, please read this reminder from Father Greg Welin:
“Please email the church office at stjohnsepiscopal.office@gmail.com with the names of candidates as you would like them to appear in the bulletin.
We have readers for the service but we could still use acolytes and singers. We have a musician to play the organ but we are in the search for a permanent music director. Anyone who would like to sing with the choir is most welcome. Please bring along some refreshments to share at the reception.
So far, we have twenty-seven candidates from nine churches participating so I am looking forward to a wonderful celebration!
Feel free to email the church or myself gwwelin@gmail.com if you have any questions.”
Father Gregory (“Greg”) Welin
St. John’s-New Milford
Hike to Cat Swamp and Apple Hill
with Dale Jones FM 97.3 WZBG and Gerri Griswold
Saturday May 12, 2012
Meet in front of the A. B. Ceder Room.
10:00 A.M.
Free….Donations will be accepted to help defray the cost of the Conservation Center’s programming expenses.
They’re at it again! Springtime can only mean one thing…Gerri somehow manages to rope Dale into leading another hike! Explore the stunning vistas from the Apple Hill viewing platform and stalk the lively beaver activity around lesser known Cat Swamp. A treat awaits you at the end of the hike just for putting up with our nonsense!
Elizabeth Wolff, a Bantam artist who has participated in St. Michael’s previous Craft Faires, presents a lively collection of her whimsical creatures in the new Community Room at the Litchfield Community Center.
Join Elizabeth at the show’s opening reception on Saturday, June 16th from 4pm-6pm. Bring the whole family – there will be cookies & cheese for little Paws! The art show runs through Sunday, June 17 and also features several creative work shops open to all ages.
Visit www.thecommunitycenter.org for details.
St. Michael’s members Patrick and Christian Neary will be confirmed on May 19th at St. John’s-New Milford by Bishop Curry. Readers and assistants who would like to participate in the service, and those who would like to attend or bring food for the reception, are encouraged to call the parish office.
If you wondered where the younger members of St. Michael’s were at last Sunday’s Fellowship Hour . . .
Peggy Terhune: “They did this during the service… it was fairly sheltered back there, so warm enough! Kris prepared the bed ahead of time, so the kids were able to get right to planting and watering. A good time was had by all! (‘Best Church ever – we got to get dirty!’)”
In case you missed Spencer Smith's presentation on St. Michael's fabulous wood-carvings, you can read more details on his website: www.frankwalter-woodsculptor-carver.com.
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