[Oe List ...] Creation Liturgical Cycle
frank bremner
fjbremner at hotmail.com
Mon Jun 4 01:54:05 EDT 2007
Two liturgical experiences of relevance:
1) At Blackfriars Priory School in Term 3 (northern hemisphere summer, our
spring) 1996 I wrote a liturgy for the house that my home group was in -
each home group took it in turns - and my mob of boys at "Testosterone
Territory" (a boys-only Dominican school) passed the buck to me as all our
schedules were very tight.
[Mike Tippett would remember Blackfriars from his stint there in the 1980s.]
I took the OT reading for the day, the NT reading for the day (and the
readings were linked in theme), added a piece of contemporary writing ("the
canon is still being written" being my position - and I used a paraphrase of
the Niebuhr paper) - and wrote it antiphonally with Community Left and
Community Right.
The feedback through channels was that it was the chapel service the guys
had every experienced - it was experienced rather than being observed.
2) When Fr Tom Gleeson, currently national YCW chaplain, was at Seaford
Eumenical Centre, he once did a "Stations of the Cross" featuring the church
buildings, the local shopping centre, and Ochre Point and the Onkaparinga
River estuary (of significance to the indigenous people of the area). But
then Tom was always doing things like that - echoes of Donovan's book of his
experiences with the Masai "Christianity Rediscovered".
Cheers
Frank Bremner
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From: "Ray & Elaine Richmond" <richmonder at iinet.net.au>
>Reply-To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe at wedgeblade.net>
>To: "'Order Ecumenical Community'" <oe at wedgeblade.net>
>Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Creation Liturgical Cycle
>Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2007 11:19:29 +1000
>
>We have been using the Season of Creation here in Australia for a number of
>years.
>The cycle is in September- October.
>There is a three year cycle and different emphases for each Sunday over the
>3 years. We use the Australian version which even includes one Sunday
>called "Outback Sunday!
>
>I have found a number of web sites helpful in putting together ideas and
>liturgies. These sites also direct you to others which give examples of
>liturgies and resources.
>http://www.seasonofcreation.com
>
>http://www.webofcreation.org/SeasonofCreation
>
>
>
>Elaine Richmond
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _____
>
>From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On
>Behalf
>Of Herman Greene
>Sent: Sunday, 3 June 2007 12:24 AM
>To: 'Order Ecumenical Community'
>Subject: [Oe List ...] Creation Liturgical Cycle
>
>
>
>A few years ago I heard of Creation Season. It begins with the Feast Day of
>St. Francis (October 4) and goes through advent. Here's a brief
>explanation.
>I completed a D.Min. degree in 2003 and wrote my dissertation on the
>subject. I have about a 12 page paper on it I could send to anyone who
>wants
>it.
>
>Herman
>
>CREATION LITURGICAL CYCLE IN THE LOCAL CONGREGATION
>
>Rev. Franklin E. Vilas, D.Min.
>Rector, St. Paul's Church, Chatham, NJ
>Chair, Environmental Commission, Diocese of Newark
>
>
>For the past six years, an increasing number of congregations in the United
>States have been celebrating an eight-week liturgical Creation Cycle in the
>Season of Pentecost. Beginning on the Feast of St. Francis in the first
>week
>of October and extending to the Feast of Christ the King on the last Sunday
>before Advent, the Cycle was first endorsed by the convention of the
>Diocese
>of Newark in January of 1994, and highlighted through a workshop at the
>national "Caring For Creation" Conference in Kansas City, Missouri in April
>of that year.
>
>Originating in the Church of the Redeemer of Morristown, New Jersey, under
>the leadership of its Rector, the Rev. Philip Wilson, the idea of an eight
>week observation of. environmental spirituality caught fire in dozens of
>other congregations, including the Cathedrals in the dioceses of Newark and
>Maryland.
>
>At St. Paul's in Chatham, New Jersey, the Cycle has, begun for six years
>with the Blessing of the Animals on St. Francis Day. But it does not stop
>there! In cooperation with the Rector, the liturgy committee has developed
>for the parish lectionary readings, music and prayers that reflect the
>importance of environmental issues, as well as the creativity of human
>beings in their role as part of the Earth process.
>
>Altar hangings and vestments have been created for the Cycle, utilizing a
>background color of the Fall, and having embroidered on them images of the
>Earth from space, animals and plant life-an organic response to the usual
>conceptual nature of liturgical design. Tastefully designed and executed in
>cooperation with the altar guild by Colleen Hintz, a member of the diocesan
>environmental commission, they have won admiration from the congregation
>and
>are welcomed now as an integral part of the liturgical season.
>
>At St. Paul's, a major art exhibit expressing themes of the created order
>covers the walls of the sanctuary during the eight weeks of the Cycle. The
>theme for readings and sermons is that of the annual United Nation
>Environmental Sabbath, developed by the U.N. Environmental Programme. In
>the
>years since 1993, the themes have included the faith of indigenous peoples,
>the family as an expression of God's Creation, the World Religions and
>their
>Creation Myths, and the theme of "Justice, Peace and the Integrity of
>creation" as an expression of the integrated nature of human issues.
>
>Response to the Creation Cycle, has been most positive. It incorporates the
>natural themes of stewardship, harvest and thanksgiving that are the themes
>of Fall. All Saint's Day, which falls in the middle of the Cycle, is
>celebrated as a feast of the whole created order. The extended period of
>eight weeks takes the observance from the realm of "one-shot" events and
>offers a chance for the deep experience of worship desired by the
>congregation.
>
>In 1997, the decision of the United Nations Environment Programme to move
>its observance of an "Environmental Sabbath" to October offers a global
>dimension to our regular observance.
>
>Persons from St. Paul's have commented that the Cycle offers an opportunity
>to celebrate the First Person of the Trinity-the Creator-who has been
>largely forgotten in a liturgical year built solely around the Incarnation
>of Jesus. Indeed, the recognition of Jesus as Lord of Creation gives added
>meaning to the celebration of the Advent Season.
>
>As Rector of St. Paul's, I have been most impressed with the new sense of
>spiritual life that rises in the congregation during the eight-week period
>of the creation Cycle. It is almost as if that time literally "grounds" our
>theology, bringing it back to Earth and touching roots of the human soul
>that are so often ignored in our cerebral worship.
>
>An environmental outreach ministry to the interfaith community of the
>region
>has developed from the parish. This is due, in large part, to the growing
>awareness engendered by the Creation Cycle that the Christian faith calls
>us
>to engagement with the crisis facing our planet. Our response to
>environmental concerns issues from our deep sense of oneness with the
>Creator and with the created order.
>
>It is our hope that the celebration of the Creation Cycle will find its way
>from the grass-roots expression it is increasingly enjoying to the
>liturgical life at the core of the Episcopal Church. A new experience of
>the
>Holy spirit and of Jesus Christ as the Lord of Creation may result.
>
>* * * * *
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [ <mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net>
>mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of nancygrow
>Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 8:33 AM
>To: Order Ecumenical Community
>Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Chart of the Church Year
>
>
>Dear Charles,
> I have a stylized chart of the church year chart Joe did that I
>used in seminary later. I'll be glad to send you a copy. The breakdown is
>three parts:
> I. THE YEAR OF THE LORD
> A. Awakenment to Life
> Advent 4 Sundays purple
> Christmas 12 days white
> Epiphany - varies gold or green
> B. Awakenment to Death
> Lent 40 days purple or blue
> Holy Week 7 days black
> Easter 50 days white
> II Pentecost 8 days red
> III The Year of the Church The Long March of Care varies
>green
>The actual chart has categories of beginning, historic precedent, theme,
>rubrics, existential mood, and related celebrations. But I don't want to
>drown you if this is all you want.
> Hope this helps. Best to you all, and , may I say, G & P? Nan
>
>
>At 07:08 PM 5/31/07 -0700, you wrote:
> >Greetings all!
> >I am in great need of a copy of the chart of the
> >church year that Joe did. It had two halves: one was something like
> >The Christ half year (or year) and the other something like The Church
> >half year (or year). I think I could reconstruct it, but there are
> >probably subtleties I would miss. If anyone has it, I would
> >greatly appreciate your help. Soon if possible.
> >Thanks.
> >Charles Hahn
> >
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