Promises made at a priestly ordination - 1928 Book of Common Prayer

With the parish celebrating Fr. Kelly's 25th Ordination Anniversary here is what is promised when an ordination happens, using the traditional Anglican Formulary.

Bishop. Are you persuaded that the Holy Scriptures contain all Doctrine required as necessary for eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ? And are you determined, out of the said Scriptures to instruct the people committed to your charge; and to teach nothing, as necessary to eternal salvation, but that which you shall be persuaded may be concluded and proved by the Scripture?

Answer. I am so persuaded, and have so determined, by God’s grace.

Bishop. Will you then give your faithful diligence always so to minister the Doctrine and Sacraments, and the Discipline of Christ, as the Lord hath commanded, and as this Church hath received the same, according to the Commandments of God; so that you may teach the people committed to your Cure and Charge with all diligence to keep and observe the same?

Answer. I will so do, by the help of the Lord.

Bishop. Will you be ready, with all faithful diligence, to banish and drive away from the Church all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to God's Word; and to use both public and private monitions and exhortations, as well to the sick as to the whole, within your Cures, as need shall require, and occasion shall be given?

Answer. I will, the Lord being my helper.

Bishop. Will you be diligent in Prayers, and in reading the Holy Scriptures, and in such studies as help to the knowledge of the same, laying aside the study of the world and the flesh?

Answer. I will endeavour so to do, the Lord being my helper.

Bishop. Will you be diligent to frame and fashion your own selves, and your families, according to the Doctrine of Christ; and to make both yourselves and them, as much as in you lieth, wholesome examples and patterns to the flock of Christ?

Answer. I will apply myself thereto, the Lord being my helper.

Bishop. Will you maintain and set forwards, as much as lieth in you, quietness, peace, and love, among all Christian people, and especially among them that are or shall be committed to your charge?

Answer. I will so do, the Lord being my helper.

Bishop. Will you reverently obey your Bishop, and other chief Ministers, who, according to the Canons of the Church, may have the charge and government over you; following with a glad mind and will their godly admonitions, and submitting yourselves to their godly judgments?

Answer. I will so do, the Lord being my helper.

25th Anniversary - Rector's Rambling for November 24, 2019

What a wonderful occasion today is – thank you all for being here to celebrate the 25th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood.  I am quite humbled that people wanted to put on a special luncheon for the occasion, and that Bishop Ackerman could be here to preach.

In some ways it seems like just yesterday that I was lying on the cold tile floor of the Church of the Good Shepherd, in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, as the congregation sang the litany for ordinations.  Later in the liturgy, a group of priests surrounded me and put their hands in as the Bishop laid hands on me and invoked the Holy Spirit to make me a priest.  As I look back at that video now, I realize that of the 15 priests present that day, seven are deceased, and four are retired.  Time is moving on.

Of the 25 years of priestly ministry God has graced me with, almost 19 of them have been here at St. John’s.  My first two years I learned day-to-day priestly ministry as a curate (assistant) at Good Shepherd under Fr. David Moyer, before moving on for the next 4.5 years at St. Mary’s Church in Charleroi, in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.  There I learned how to be a rector among a wonderful group of people who had learned the faith from such dedicated priests as the late Canon Joseph Wittkofski, and Bishop (then Father) Keith L. Ackerman!

I never thought I would return to Metro Detroit where I had grown up.  But when it was time for St. John’s to start interviewing, then God worked out the timing just right!  And I am so very grateful.

On the day of my ordination, Fr. John Scott gave me a remarkable gift – the chalice that he received in 1953 at his ordination.  He told me he knew that when I used it I would remember him at the altar, which I do at all our weekday Masses, and Sundays at 8:00 AM.  And today I am wearing the cassock and alb I wore on that day in 1994 (I am pretty nostalgic that way).  May God grant me the opportunity to continue to minister in His Name for many more years to come.

160 years and counting - Rector's Rambling for November 17, 2019

Today is the 160th Anniversary of the dedication of the Chapel of St. John’s in what was then the rural outskirts, outside of the City of Detroit.

It is hard for us to fathom that when the chapel, and then the church, were constructed, this was out in the country.  Our founder, Henry Porter Baldwin, purchased this land to build a church – it was an apple orchard at the time!  Future Governor/Senator Baldwin had built his country estate house where I-75 is located across Woodward Avenue.  He surmised that Detroit would grow in this direction and he wanted the Episcopal Church to be planted here for those already living out in the country, and those to come soon thereafter.

The book Fifty Years of St. John’s Church (1909) records for us:

The cornerstone was laid by Bishop McCroskey on Tuesday afternoon, April 19, 1859, with nine other clergy present. … And now the Chapel was nearing completion.  Two meetings were held in the Sunday School room of St. Paul’s and one in the unfinished Chapel, “to practice in congregational singing,” on which very rightly great stress was laid; and on Thursday morning, November 17, 1859, the congregation assembled for the first time for their common worship, on the occasion of the Consecration of St. John’s Chapel.  With the Bishop and the Rector were twelve other clergy. … At Evening Prayer the same day, the Rector ministered the first Baptism in the parish, to Louis Alden Grelling (see photo above of the original parish register).

By the time the chapel opened it was already too small.  Two weeks later the Vestry voted: Resolved that in view of the fact that every seat in the Chapel is already rented, and that there is a large demand for additional seats, it is desirable that efforts should be made for the immediate erection of a Church seating about one thousand persons.

With it’s passage, Gov. Baldwin donated $17,000 to start the project, the other $10,000 to be donated by  parishioners!

3 things the saints have in common - Rector's Rambling for November 10, 2019

Last week I wrote about Fr. Solanus Casey, our local  Detroit saint who is in the process of being canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.  And in my sermon I mentioned several other saints: Paschal Baylon, Charles Borromeo, Maximilian Kolbe, and Samuel Isaac Joseph Scherewschewsky.  All of them came from different backgrounds and starting points in the spiritual life, and all of them are considered saints in the church even though they all had different temperaments and gifts at the end of their earthly life.

Being a saint does not mean we become some sort of mind-numbed robot.  We become saints in many unique ways just as we start out our lives with unique attributes.  Some of these God uses for our greater sanctification, others God strips away so that other gifts from Him can come to the forefront and be used by him.

Despite the many differences, however, there are things that the saints, holy people in general, do share in common.

Fr. Fredrick Faber, a friend and compatriot of St. John Henry Newman, and author of the great hymn Faith of our fathers! living still, writes in his book All for Jesus:

“I do not mean to say we can easily be equal to saints.  No!  But what I say is that the ways in which they loved God and served the interests of Jesus … are easily in our power, if we choose to adopt them.  In a word, while the saints differ in almost everything else, here are three things in which they all agree: eagerness for the glory of God; touchiness about the interests of Jesus; and anxiety for the salvation of souls.”

Are we striving for their attributes in our lives?  Putting aside our own self-interests in order to glorify God, promoting the interests of Jesus, and working to bring others to Him?  Rather than focusing on self we need to instead, as Jesus says, deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (see Matthew 16:24).

A unique "brand", a complete "package" - St. John's Teaching Note for November 3, 2019

St. John’s is a unique place.  In Metro Detroit there is no other church, Episcopal or otherwise, that is like St. John’s.  There are certainly parishes in other major cities much like St. John’s, with similar attributes.  But in our area there is no other place with this complete “package” of attributes!

Individuals are generally drawn to one or more aspect of this package, but all play a part in defining and "strengthening the brand" as they would say in marketing circles.  To diminish or change a portion of what we do here is the endanger damaging the brand, and its attraction to the whole.  For example, when Coca-Cola changed the recipe for its successful product, they damaged its brand for several years.  This is not to say that we can’t be looking to make improvements.  All must be done with an eye to the greater whole of who we are and what we do.

What are some of the portions of our "brand" that make up the package here at St. John’s?

1) Traditional Anglican Faith – No deviations theologically to the faith as the Anglican Communion has received it from the witness of Scripture, and the traditions and ministry received from the Apostles.

2) Traditional Worship/Liturgy – Based on that traditional faith as codified in the Book of Common Prayer from 1549 to 1928.  The form for ceremonial was restored in the Anglican Communion by those involved in the Oxford Movement of the mid-19th century, of which St. John’s was an early proponent.

3) World Class Music – St. Augustine said that “He who sings prays twice”.  Music has been a vital aspect of the worship in the Anglican Communion, and especially so here at St. John’s.  Our English choral tradition lifts the heart, promotes right belief, complements our Prayer Book worship, and edifies the faithful in ways that are deeper than words can express.

4) Biblically sound and inspiring preaching and teaching – The clergy strive to make the Word of God relevant and challenging so that the faithful can be both comforted in His Holy Word, and challenged to grow in greater holiness.

5) Remarkable Building – For over 160 years these grand buildings have stood on this corner of Woodward Ave as a witness to the strength of the Gospel, and its architecture inspires one to worship God Almighty in the beauty of holiness.  In addition to aiding in worship, our facilities are used for education, social gatherings, and they host a variety of parish ministries and community groups.

6) Our downtown urban location – Although some think is a disadvantage, we embrace being centrally located among the sport stadiums and theatres, near major highways, and easily accessible for those who travel from as far away as Ann Arbor, Clarkston, and South Lyon on a regular basis.  The neighborhood also continues to see new and renovated housing and loft apartments which attract people to move into the neighborhood surrounding St. John’s

7) Warm, welcoming, and encouraging fellowship – Many people have said that as much as they like a combination of the first 6 items listed, it is this seventh one that brings it all together and keeps them coming back to St. John’s.  At Coffee Hour or Potluck luncheon after worship on Sunday, at various Social Fellowship Outings, or in one another’s homes, we come to know one another and care for each other.  This strengthens our bonds to each other, and to the parish, through the common denominator of our faith in Jesus Christ.

What are the things you like best about St. John’s?  Two, three or four of the items may jump out at you as your favorites.  Another one or two you may find you don’t take advantage of, or perhaps you are not too interested in.  And there may even be an item or two that doesn’t strike your fancy at all.  If you put together even a small group of parishioners I am sure you will find all parts of the package covered in a “favorites” column.

For all the saints - Rector's Rambling for November 3, 2019

Back in August we had a Social Outing to the Solanus Casey Center here in Detroit.  It is located over on Mt. Elliot, in the Capuchin Franciscan Monastery of St. Bonaventure.

This is a special place to me for many reasons.  One is that I am an Anglican Third Order Franciscan so I am drawn to Franciscan things and places.  It is a place of quiet holiness, and I do enjoy popping in there at random times to pray and meditate in their chapel (which has recently been renovated back to a more traditional look).

But there are several things about Fr. Solanus Casey, who is in the process of being recognized as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, that are very appealing to me.

First of all, he is local.  A saint in our own backyard.  He must have walked or been driven by our own St. John’s Church many times in his years here in Detroit.  Secondly, he is relatively recently deceased.  He died in 1957 and we have a parishioner whose aunt had a miraculous healing at Fr. Solanus’ intercession.

But I think what is most appealing to me about Fr. Solanus is that he was in many ways a “regular” guy.  He wasn’t an academic, and before joining the Franciscans he was a streetcar driver and prison guard.  His inability to grasp higher philosophical theological studies meant that he was assigned menial tasks in the monastery (doorkeeper), but did them with such faithfulness that God used him for a wonderful holiness – his love for Jesus and for Jesus’ people was infectious!

Each of the saints have remarkable attributes, and reading their hagiography (holy biography) is a chance to see how God can use people of all sorts of backgrounds and abilities to make them into the saints He wants them to be.  We just need to cooperate with him.

No matter what your starting point, God can make you into a saint.  Ask Him to transform you into the saint He desires you to be, and then let Him do it!