On Sunday, September 10, we will begin a new “program year.” For those new to the Episcopal Church, “program year” might be an unfamiliar term. But the reality is that most Episcopal parishes function with a more robust schedule during the standard American academic year (roughly September through May). Accordingly, on September 10, our children’s formation program (i.e., Sunday School/children’s education) will begin on a weekly basis. We will resume other regular adult formation/education classes. More special events will be happening. Our choir will return to sing at Sunday Mass on a weekly basis.
“Program year” can sound a bit corporate or businesslike, but I would argue that a look at our 2023-2024 program year calendar will highlight the pillars of the community God is forming at Good Shepherd, Rosemont. These pillars reveal how we understand our relationship with God in fellowship with one another. Here are the pillars:
1 ) Worship: Worship is the most important pillar of our life together in Christ. In worship, we simply adore God with no ulterior motive, with no agenda, with no need to be productive. In worship, we respond to God’s first love for us, and worship forms us as the people God is calling us to be. Notice how much worship is on our calendar, not just Sunday worship, but Major Holy Day Masses, Choral Evensong and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, the Daily Office, and weekday Masses.
2) Formation: We use this word deliberately because it’s not mere education. Our minds are educated to some extent. We learn, but in doing so, mind is melded with heart, and an integration occurs, reminding us that, because of the Incarnation, what we do with our bodies is integrally related to what goes on in our minds. We are not simply people in our heads. We are people of body, heart, and soul.
3) Music and the arts: Our Main Line Early Music Concert series and music ministry are not supernumerary.They reflect our understanding of beauty in the world. Art echoes, to some extent, worship. Art is about the act of creating as our own fallible attempt to mirror God’s perfect creating. Art is not utilitarian. We are not a utilitarian parish or people. Art is worth making because it’s like our worship: we are not trying to get something out of it. It’s about reveling in the creative power of God.
4) Outreach: Our retreat house ministry is our primary means of outreach to the local community. We have just finished hosting a family through the Hosts for Hospitals program. Dozens of people from all over the country have stayed in our retreat house over the past year. The house is a place with open doors and a big heart. Outreach is the Dismissal of the Mass in action. Through our retreat house, Good Shepherd is extending its arms out into the world, moving from a closed to an open posture.
5) Fellowship: People new to the Episcopal Church often comment that our coffee hours remind them that we don’t just come to Mass to be fed and “get” something. Sunday worship is not a mere obligation. It’s about being in community with one another as we worship almighty God. Christianity is not for individualists. All of our fellowship opportunities flow from our worship of God. One can’t be a Christian in a bubble.
From looking at our program year calendar, you will see these pillars of our common life together. Worship is the most important, and indeed it connects all of them. And to some extent, participating in our calendar of events is akin to adopting a rule of life. If you choose a bit of something from each of the pillars, you will find your entire body being formed and shaped by God. That’s the intent. I strongly encourage you to take note of our calendar so that now you can begin to structure your own busy schedule around the pillars of our common life together. Being Christian is a full body experience. I pray that this coming “program year” will be a rich opportunity for you to submit yourself to the ongoing creative and dynamic life of the Trinity, of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who is always inviting us into the divine life of love.
Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle