Dear Friends of Ascension,

One of the most profound guides to the Christian faith in the twentieth century, Thomas Merton, made these observations about the feast of the resurrection. “In the old days, on Easter eve, the Russian peasants used to carry the blest fire home from church. The light would scatter and travel in all directions through the darkness, and the desolation of the night would be pierced and dispelled as lamps came on in the windows of the farm houses, one by one. Even so today, the glory of God sleeps everywhere, ready to blaze out unexpectedly in created things. Even so God’s peace and order lie hidden in the world, even the world of today, ready to re-establish themselves in God’s way, in God’s own good time: but never without the instrumentality of free options made by free people.”

I invite you to join us as we celebrate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord. Even though we have been temporarily displaced from our sanctuary this year, we will celebrate the liturgies of this solemn time with our accustomed beauty and dignity. We will conduct the services for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in the Parish Hall in a somewhat less formal and slightly shortened manner. On Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday we will enjoy the hospitality of the General Theological Seminary as we join the seminary community for the Great Vigil of Easter on Holy Saturday night and conduct our own festival Eucharist with organ and choir in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd in Chelsea Square on Easter Day.

Please take part in these liturgies as much as you can during Holy Week, as once again we retrace the Way of the Cross, which leads to the glorious Alleluias on Easter morn.

As your pastor and friend, I wish you a deeply meaningful Holy Week and pray that you will come to know the joy of the Resurrection.

In Christ Jesus,



Fr. Andrew Foster, Rector