September 27, 2009

Following the 2005 Palm Sunday entry into New Parish Hall, we began to plan for the dedication which we hoped would involve Archbishop Kolini and our bishops, Edward MacBurney and John Rodgers.

First arranged for early 2007, the dedication had to be postponed due to the Archbishop’s schedule until possibly early that December.  As Rector wrote in the May 2007 Messenger, the delay would give us more time to ponder the truth that our Lord himself was consecrated as the means of proper approach to God.

In the summer of 2009, Father Hiles returned to the theme of the Jewish Feast of the Dedication:

In the setting of the Feast, Jesus points to the fact that he himself is to be understood and celebrated as one designated, set apart, consecrated as the means of proper approach to God.  Indeed, he says flat out, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:39).  For this, the Jews thought him guilty of blasphemy and took up stones against him.  Never the less, he later declares even more boldly, “I am the way, the truth, the life” (John 14:6).

Fr. Hiles asked us to save the date so that the Parish may celebrate all that our Lord intends for us:

It will make clear to us that New Parish Hall is God’s temple amongst us until an even grander one be erected to his glory, which is our intent; it will celebrate that therein dwells God himself and meets us when we come properly prepared to meet Him;

It will vindicate our determination of some 16 years that our place of worship ought at all times be cleansed of every pagan teaching and observance that hinders divine fellowship;

We will confess again that our Lord himself has been consecrated both Shepherd yet Lamb for our salvation.”

The Dedication may well become much more – a dedication of our lives, all we are, and all we have to the Lord, here and now through eternity.

Festival of Faith III Participants:

The Most Reverend Emmanuel Mbona Kolini
Archbishop and Primate
The Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda

The Right Reverend Paul C. Hewett, SSC
Bishop, Diocese of the Holy Cross and Moderator
The Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas (FACA)

The Right Reverend Amos Fagbamiye
Suffragan Bishop, The Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA)
Vicar, Anglican Church of the Resurrection, Indianapolis

The Right Reverend Doctor John Hewitt Rodgers
Missionary Bishop, Anglican Province of South East Asia
Council of Bishops, Anglican Mission of America

The Right Reverend Edward Harding MacBurney
Bishop, the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone
Bishop Member of Council, Forward in Faith North America

The Reverend Doctor Peter Stravinskas
Catholic Priest, theologian , author
Founder of The Catholic Answer and The Catholic Response

The Right Reverand Doctor Brian Richard Marsh
Bishop Ordinary, the Diocese of the Northeast
The Anglican Church in America (TAC)

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