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Episcopal Church Women
Mission Statement
We are Episcopal Church Women committed to one another and
called to be witnesses of Christ.
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Blessed Is She Who Believes
On, Mary, our theme for 2008:
Blessed Is She Who Believes
by Bishop
Parsley
See pages our of
Calendar Handbook for beautiful images of Mary and The
Annunciation and cartoons by Bill McLemore
The overall theme of the
2008 Calendar Handbook is
FAITH, and to me, who more exemplifies a person of such
deep and unconditional faith as that of the Virgin Mary.
The verse “Blessed is she who believed” comes from Luke
1:45 when Elizabeth expresses to Mary, “…blessed among
women are you,…and blessed is she who believed.”
Many believe the early
writings that told of Mary being raised in the temple,
others believe she could have tended a flock, worked in
the home cooking and making her own clothes, studied the
uses of medicinal herbs, and learned the history, customs
and laws of her ancestors. Whatever her childhood was, it
prepared her for becoming what some have called the first
disciple of Christ. Just imagine a young woman of around
13 being approached by an angel with an amazing request.
She must have realized that her life would change, but did
she imagine the hardships, the announcement of a virgin
with child, the birth in a stable, the rejection of those
around her, the crucifixion, and the joy of resurrection?
Whatever her thoughts and fears, her faith allowed her to
say to the Angel Gabriel, “...let it be with me according
to your word.”
What is it about faith that
allows each of us to accept an opportunity to change our
lives and follow where God leads us? It is my hope that as
you read through this calendar, the words and prayers will
challenge you to think about your own faith. For this
theme on faith, “blessed” has been changed to the present
tense because we all have the opportunity to listen, to
respond to God when he calls for the great or small things
in life with a firm “yes,” and to be called “blessed is
she who believes.”
Dee Buzby
Calendar Editor
Thank you to Susan B. Barnes for her assistance with this
calendar/handbook.
Resources for further study on our 2008 theme:
• In Search of Mary, Sally Cunneen, Ballantine Books,
1996.
• Mary, A Flesh-and-Blood Biography of the Virgin
Mother, Lesley Hazleton, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2004.
• “Strength of Women Found in the Strength of Mary,”
Elizabeth Welch,
www.allsaintssanfran.org, 2005.
• “Surprised by Mary, Taking a Fresh Look at the Holy
Virgin,” © Jon M. Sweeney,
www.explorefaith.org, 2006. The complete article is
available at
www.explorefaith.org.
COVER: The
Annunciation, Fra Angelico, Italian, C. 1387-1455 |
Study Resources
From past Fall Conference Speakers
Book Reviews and Mentions
Other Topics of Interest:
Feb. 2008:
Diocesan ECW Devotional Chair Anne Kimzey shares
ideas for
Lenten devotionals
March 2007: The
Rev. Bob Blackwell is doing a series on what he learned of
Jesus in Damascus.
http://www.gracecullman.org/frbob.html
The Rev. Huey Gardner
suggested
www.explorefaith.com as a good site to visit.
January
2007 from Adele Colvin:
This
calendar lists
thirty-one different biblical virtues to use in praying for our
church. Using a concordance, try to find a verse to fit each day. As
you pray, keep in mind particularly the Diocese of Southwest
Florida, our ECW Board, and any special needs.
Dec. 5,
2006 from Adele Colvin:
A letter from God to His children in this holiday season
Dear Children,
It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that some
people are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've
forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year
and that it was some of you're predecessors who decided to
celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan
festival; although, I do appreciate being remembered anytime.
How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most
easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with
children of your own. If you want to celebrate My birth just, LOVE
ONE ANOTHER.
If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a
scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santa
Claus figures and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on
your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't
be any need for such a scene on the town square because there
would be many of them all around town.
Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a
holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree; It was I who made all
trees. You can and may remember Me anytime you see any tree.
Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in
a teaching that explains who I am in relation to you and what each
of our tasks are. If you have forgotten that one, look at John
15:1-8.
If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth, here
is my wish list. Choose something from it.
1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My
birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to
soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this
time of year. I know because they tell Me all the time.
2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know
them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about
them.
3. Instead of writing your president complaining about the cost
and/or wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, write
and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family.
4. Instead of giving your children
a lot of gifts that either you can't afford or they don't need,
spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth and why I
came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind
them that I love them.
5. Pick someone who has hurt you in the past and forgive him or
her.
6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take
their own life this season because they feel so alone and
hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving
everyone you meet a warm smile it could make the difference. Also,
you might consider supporting the local Hot-Line: they talk with
people like that every day.
7. Instead of nit picking about what retailers in your town call
the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them
a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish
you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them
one.
8. If you really want to make a difference, support a
missionary, especially one who takes My love and Good News to
those who have never heard My name. You may already know someone
like that.
9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in
your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither
will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know
them (and I suspect you don't) buy some food and a few gifts and
give them to the Marines, the Salvation Army or some other charity
that believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.
10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in
and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things
in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by
your actions that you are one of mine.
P.S. Don't forget; I am God, and I can take care of
Myself. Just love Me and do what I have asked you to do. I'll take
care of all the rest.
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And
All Shall Be Well
On Julian of Norwich, our theme for 2007:
A DISTANT SAINT &
UNCONQUERABLE HOPE
by Bishop
Parsley
Comments by Dee Buzby, 2007 Calendar Editor and
President Elect:
The theme of the 2007
calendar handbook, "And All Shall Be Well," comes from
the words of Dame Julian of Norwich who lived in 14th
century England. In her early thirties and during a
near-fatal illness, Dame Julian experienced 16 "Showings,"
and spent the remainder of her years studying, praying,
and writing about these visions from God. As an Anchoress,
Dame Julian lived secluded in a cell attached to the
church in Norwich, and through a window she counseled
those who came for her advice. These writings in her book,
Revelations of Devine Love, not only speak of her
revelations of Christ’s death, human sin and the Trinity,
but also of her belief in God’s complete unconditional
love for all humanity and that Divine love can bring
something good from any circumstance. This love is seen
through the eyes of Brother Robert Lentz, who wrote the
icon displayed on the calendar handbook cover.
Thomas Merton wrote that Julian of Norwich was one of the most
wonderful of all Christian voices and a great English
theologian. Julian of Norwich was commemorated as a Saint
in the Church of England on May 8, 1980.
In our busy lives and the uncertainties in the world around us, it
is my prayer that you will find comfort, strength and
courage in Dame Julian’s words, "and all shall be well,"
to persevere and to stand firm in your belief that God
loves each one of us. As Dame Julian wrote, "in all things
God is the creator, the protector, and the lover and that
he delights in each and every one of us."
Dee Buzby, Calendar Editor
Resources for further study of Julian:
• "A Conversation with Julian of Norwich on Religious
Experience", Dr. Roberta Bondi, Johns Hopkins
University Press, 2002.
• Order of Julian of Norwich, lwlyhse@mhtc.net
• Julian of Norwich, Gloria Durka, St. Mary’s
Press, 1989.
• Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love,
translated by Elizabeth Spearing, Penguin Press, 1998.
• An Internet search yields many websites on Julian of
Norwich.
Below are more sources and information
sent to us by various people.
March 28, 2007 from The Rev. Huey
Gardner:
January 22, 2007 from Mary Olson:
Click here for several short bits of background material about the
life and times of Julian of Norwich
8/2/06:
Andi Silberman, Diocesan
DOK
president, sends this for our consideration:
Presiding Bishop Elect
Katharine Jefferts Schori made a reference in her first homily
(post election) to "mother Jesus". It is new and powerful to have
a woman in this position. As you know, these feminine images are
quotes from Julian of Norwich. This reference to "mother Jesus"
was first made in the 14th Century by Julian of Norwich. Please
go here for more information about this reference:
www.gloriana.nu/mother.htm. If you have not read PB
elect Jefferts Schori's homily in its entirety, please go here:
www.ecusa.anglican.org/75383_76300_ENG_HTM.htm
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From past Fall
Conference Speakers:
Our 2005 ECW theme (Mary Magdalene) took on
a life of its own!
Jan. 24, 2007 from
Mary
Earle, 2005 Fall Conference Speaker:
I thought you lovely women from Alabama might like to know
about this development: because of doing the Mary
Magdalene program for your fall gathering in 2005, I ended
up presenting a workshop using that material. My colleague
Jane Patterson used some of her material as well. That
workshop was professionally taped and packaged, and is now
available from Viva Books in San Antonio.
Here's the link
http://vivabooks.booksense.com/NASApp/store/Product?s=showproduct&isbn=9781890498245
In a very true sense, this would not have happened if
Olivia had not first invited me to offer that particular
program.
Many thanks, Mary
Jan. 2007 from
Mary
Earle, 2005 Fall Conference Speaker:
You are invited to a celebration and the signing of
The Desert Mothers: Spiritual Practices from Women
in the Wilderness
by Mary C. Earle
Author in Residence, The Work+Shop
at Viva Books, 8407 Broadway, San Antonio
Sunday, February 18, 4-6pm
Co-sponsored by Viva Books and The Work+Shop
For more information, click on:
http://vivabooks.booksense.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp?s=storeevents&eventId=338051
Oct. 2006: We enjoyed the talks by Rev. Barbara
Crafton at Fall Conference. Here is link to her
Almost Daily Devotions and to her website:
http://www.geraniumfarm.org.
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Book Reviews and Mentions:
5/25/07 from Alleen Cater:
Catalyst: "Love's Immensity: Mystics on the
Endless Life" from Paraclete Press, by Scott Cairns, 143
pages, hardcover, c. 2007, $21.95
[Source: Paraclete Press] From Saint Paul to Julian of Norwich,
the original texts of these mystical fathers and mothers of the
Church have been pored over, pressed for further revelation, and
set in verse to provide readers with fresh encounters of their
wisdom and provocations.
At the heart of this undertaking is Scott Cairns' conviction
that the words of the mystics sacramentally partake of the Word
Himself, and as such are inexhaustible, generative powers. These
particular selections cohere in their common claim that Love is
the most compelling name of God, and also the most apt attribute
of the Holy One in Whom we live and move and have our being. In
that spirit, these luminous texts are understood to partake of
Love, and concurrently to witness to His presence and His
promise that, as "our Courteous Lord" averred to Julian, "All
will be well, all will be well, all manner of things will be
well."
To order: Episcopal Books and Resources, online at
http://www.episcopalbookstore.org or call 800-903-5544.
6/5/2006: I just saw this book noted on ENS and I would
like to recommend it on the website study page. This might can
probably be ordered through our own
Episcopal Book Store in
Birmingham at
www.episcobooks.com/, email
ebsinfo@episcobooks.com, or 205-323-2959. Thanks,
Alleen
Catalyst:
"God of Our Mothers: Face to Face with Powerful Women of the
Old Testament,"
new from Morehouse Publishing (an imprint of Church Publishing
Inc.), by M. R. Ritley, paperback, 176 pages, $14.95
[Source: Morehouse
Publishing] -- "Here's a new kind of Bible study: a lively, deep,
personal look at some of the Old Testament's most powerful-and
intriguing-women. From Sarah, who was unafraid to nudge God into
action; to Hagar, whose courage and passion founded a whole nation;
to Judith, woman and warrior whose faith saved God's people, readers
will examine the stories of biblical women up close. As they to read
between the lines, readers will learn to use Bible stories to throw
light on the stories of their own lives. Alleen
Each chapter includes
questions for discussion and reflection, making this an ideal parish
study book, or the perfect volume for Lenten meditation.
Morehouse Publishing:
www.morehousepublishing.org/booksmusicItemView.asp?bookID=13416
To order: Episcopal
Books and Resources, online at
www.episcopalbookstore.org, or call 800.903.5544.
Wed 5/31/2006: I
just read a good book, Women of Mercy, by Kathy
Coffey, with art by Michael O’Neill McGrath. It has short
biographical sketches of several women of the Bible and a number of
Catholic saints of all eras. I found the experiences of the women
most intriguing and certainly inspiring. It’s a short read and
might be a good resource for someone looking for a program. It
would be my pleasure to pass it along to someone else; email me at
alleenc@bellsouth.net if you’re interested.
Blessings, Alleen
Echoes of the
Spirit:
Women's Prayers and Meditations
Summer 2006: Alleen Cater found the
item below on the Episcopal News Service and thought it might be a
useful resource listed on our website. Barbara Crafton will be here
this fall; Phyllis Tickle is a speaker we were not able to book
because she will be on Sabbatical; and Phoebe Griswold (we passed the
hat at our last board meeting for one of her projects) is the
Presiding Bishop's wife.
Forward Movement:
www.forwardmovement.org/showbook.cfm?prodid=1584
[Source: Forward Movement]
-- The need to be connected to fellow human beings is strong in every
person. In prayer the sense of common purpose, of a common situation
of helplessness and powerlessness in relationship to God, underscores
our connection to each other, as we seek to know and to be known by
God.
This booklet brings
together prayers, litanies, meditations, and poems written by women
and dedicated to the longings, concerns, and spiritual practices all
women share. Contributors include authors Barbara Crafton and Phyllis
Tickle; Martha Horne, Dean and President of Virginia Theological
Seminary; and Phoebe Griswold, wife of the Presiding Bishop.
ISBN 0-88028-220-7
Adele Colvin, Devotional Life & Study Chair for the ECW
Board, referenced the following book and also an article when she
did the devotional at our Spring 2006 board meeting:
Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World
by Joanna
Weaver.
The article I read is included in
The Reader's Digest 50th
Anniversary Treasury called "The Basque
Sheepherder and the Shepherd's Psalm"
by James K. Wallace. For those of you who might like to have the
book, I looked on Barnes and Noble's site under "out of print" and
found several ranging in price from about $3-$7.
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