A Note from Arlo Morgan, UVA ‘24

Dear St. Paul's,

As a fourth year graduating from the University of Virginia this Saturday, one of my most difficult goodbyes is the one I must say to this church. St. Paul’s and The University Fellowship (TUF) found me as a second year. Initially lured in by the promise of free dinner, I quickly became a regular at Sunday Evening Prayer. I craved the peace of candlelight, incense, and meditative music, so different from the frantic energy of college life.

But there was something more than just a calming atmosphere, something which drew me in. It drew me into Bible studies and service projects; into Sunday morning Eucharists, Monday night Compline, and Wednesday evening prayer; into Shrine Mont retreats, and even to the Diocesan Convention. This “something” which drew me in was joy – the joy of God, shared so freely by the whole community of St. Paul’s that I could not resist its pull. This joy, made manifest through an infectious vibrancy, belief in growth, and commitment to each other, is one of St. Paul's most important ministries to the University community. In the face of the uncertainty or loneliness which can accompany college life, joy makes a difference. I am so grateful for St. Paul’s ministry of joy, which brought me into the Episcopal Church and assured me of God’s love.

It will be difficult to part with the many ways that I have been blessed by this ministry throughout my time at college. But I know that your joy will only continue to grow as you welcome a new Assistant Rector, see the Building Centennial Campaign bear fruit, and engage with University students in exciting new ways. I thank God for the great blessing that St. Paul’s has been to me over the past few years, and for the many more students who will be blessed by the life-giving joy of this parish for years to come.

– Arlo

Sunday, May 19, at St. Paul's

Pentecost Sunday

8 a.m. – Holy Eucharist in the Chapel

9:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. – Nursery Care (ages three and under)

10 a.m. – Holy Eucharist with Choir (also accessible via Zoom)

11:15 a.m. – Common Hour for Formation, Fellowship, and Service: Pentecost reception for all ages (details below)

Pentecost Celebration and Reception

At our 10 a.m. service on Pentecost, we will celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the earliest community of resurrection believers. A reception on the front lawn will follow the service, with homemade strawberry shortcake for all. Wear red!

Upcoming at St. Paul's

Note: For virtual services and meetings, click on the title for the Zoom link.

Monday, May 20 - Friday, May 24, 8 a.m. – Weekday Virtual Morning Prayer (details below)

Monday, May 20, 4 p.m. – Virtual Lectionary Discussion Group (details below)

Monday, May 20, 8 p.m. – Compline (chancel)

Tuesday, May 21, 12:15 p.m. – Holy Eucharist (chapel)

Thursday, May 23, 7:30 a.m. – Bible Study (library)

Parish Life

UVA Graduation Sunday – St. Paul’s will gather for worship on UVA Graduation this Sunday, May 19, as we do every Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. As always, St. Paul’s has exclusive use of the Chancellor Street lot and the Booker House lot that day. Graduation festivities on the Corner make this an especially good day to allow a little extra time for driving and parking. Congratulations to all graduates!

Parish Potluck Picnic – Join us on Sunday, June 2, for a potluck picnic on the front lawn after the 10 a.m. service where we will celebrate our ministries and volunteers. Fried chicken and drinks will be provided; other main dishes, sides, and desserts are potluck. Please bring a dish to share! Food contributions can be dropped off in the kitchen before the service.

Triangle of Hope Pilgrims to Visit St. Paul’s – Parishioners Margaret Viccellio, Caroline Bolton, and Pia Tavernise, are among fifteen high-school students representing the Diocese of Virginia in the Triangle of Hope Youth Pilgrimage across three summers. The Triangle of Hope is a partnership among the Diocese of Virginia, the Diocese of Liverpool in England, and the Diocese of Kumasi in Ghana, in which teenagers from the three communities explore together our shared history in the transatlantic slave trade and our shared future as one Church practicing and proclaiming repair and reconciliation.

Last summer, the three groups met in England; in 2025, they’ll gather in Ghana. This summer, it’s Virginia’s turn to host. En route from Richmond to Shrine Mont, the pilgrims and chaperones from all three dioceses will be in Charlottesville to visit Monticello on Wednesday, July 31, stopping at St. Paul’s for lunch and a tour of the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers. Details of the visit are still being finalized, but will include an opportunity for parishioners of all ages to offer the pilgrims an enthusiastic welcome to St. Paul’s.

Worship

Weekday Morning Prayer on Zoom – All are welcome at St. Paul’s virtual service of Morning Prayer on Zoom every weekday at 8 a.m. Participants have found in the Daily Office an expansion of their spiritual lives, a quiet grounding for each day, and a warm experience of prayerful community—all in just 15-20 minutes. The Zoom link stays the same, so it’s easy to join every day, once a week, or once in a while. Regulars, visitors, and occasional drop-ins are joyfully included.

Adult Formation

Education for Ministry (EfM) Openings for Fall 2024 – EfM is a unique four-year learning program in theological education (sponsored by the University of the South-Sewanee) based on small-group study and practice. EfM helps participants encounter the breadth and depth of the Christian tradition and bring it into conversation with their experiences of the world as they study, worship and engage in theological reflection together.

Over a four-year cycle, participants read and study the Old Testament, the New Testament, church history, as well as theology, ethics and interfaith encounter. At the heart of the EfM program is the regular group practice of theological reflection, following a method that begins with one of four sources – personal experience, personal position, Christian tradition or culture – and explores the image, matter or issue in question through a set of theological lenses, connecting with the other sources, and seeking to apply the reflection to one’s life and ministry.

To learn more, contact Karen Mawyer at ksmawyer@gmail.com or 434-906-9841.

Summer Small Groups: Call For Proposals – The Adult Formation Committee invites parishioners to consider co-leading a small group this summer. If you'd like an opportunity to meet some kindred spirits for fun, fellowship, discussion, or reflection a few times between June and August, find a partner to help you facilitate, choose a topic and some meeting dates, and contact Adult Formation Chair Vickie Gottlob (vgottlob@gmail.com) with your proposal. Groups could center on books, movies, games, cuisine, Bible study, parenting, poetry, music, sports... you name it. We'd like to begin publicizing our summer small groups by the end of the month, so if you're interested in organizing one, please let us know by this Sunday, May 19.

Weekly Lectionary Discussion Group – All are welcome to a lectionary-based Bible study group meeting every Monday from 4 - 5 p.m. on Zoom. Parishioners and newcomers are welcome to participate once, once in a while, or every Monday. The focus each week is on the Scripture that will be read in church the following Sunday. The group uses a variety of resources, including notes, alternate translations, and critical commentaries, but no prior knowledge or preparation is necessary.

Holding each other's joys, sorrows, and concerns before God in prayer is a spiritual practice that characterizes our life together at St. Paul's. In our worship services we pray each other's prayers together. Outside of our time together many parishioners make it part of their daily lives to pray the prayers of the parish community. You are invited to participate in your own way.

Thanks be to God

for all the blessings of our lives, and for the faith, fellowship, and ministries of this parish community.

for the skills and labor of parishioners and staff who participated at last Saturday's Habitat workday at the Southwood redevelopment project: Jane Boatner, Peter Dennison, Douglass List, Will Peyton, Elliott Pryor, Sarah Shalf, William Taylor, Heather Warren, and Ed Wright.

for the spiritual growth and learning of this year's EfM graduates Rebecca Girvin-Argon and Kay Slaughter.

for the birth on May 4 in North Carolina of Christopher James Lazo Lee, great-grandson of Frances Lee-Vandell.

for the faith and legacy of Dudley and Lois Rochester and the bequest from Dudley's estate for the benefit of the Building Centennial Campaign.

for the faithful generosity of all who have made commitments to the future ministry of St. Paul's through the Building Centennial Campaign.

Your prayers are requested

for St. Paul's this Pentecost, that by the promised gift of the Holy Spirit we may be empowered to proclaim the Gospel with grace and power in word and deed.

by members and friends of St. Paul’s for David, Pierce, Jim, Bob, Helen, John, John Ritchie, Marianne, Donna Hanna, Kathy & Brett Blizzard, C.W. & Bill, Emily Merkel, David Lee, Keith, N., Chuck, Mary Marrs, Sharon, Mo Lowdon, Margaret, Logan Strzepek, Jean, Lucy Everett, Elly Sparks Brown, Sandy Gilliam, Al & Helen Reynolds, Townson, Akouvi, Karl, Shelby, Joe Piorkowski, Jim Campbell, E., Hermann & Katharina, Jean, Brant Hopper, Marjorie Warren, the Klotz family, Mark, Sue, the Hogan and Maybank families, Whit Worman, Karen, Jimmy White, the Drake family, Audi, Marlene Kelly, Sherlene Henry, Mary Beth Norman, Matt Argon, Paul Henry Sr., Ida Hughes, Lucille Fillingame, Mary Moore, Catherine Tharin, Kay Slaughter, Cate, Khalil, Chloe, Ahvey, Tali, Mary.

for the Rev. Deacon Caroline Carter, as she prepares for her ordination to the priesthood on June 22 at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta, before she begins her ministry with us as our Assistant Rector on July 22.

for those preparing to graduate this weekend, including members of The University Fellowship: Makana Brooks, Yuni Choi, Megan Franz, Nick Gentry, Kennedy Moore, Arlo Morgan, Jake Morton, Will Newburg, Cate Rooney, Emily Scott, and Megan Sugg.

for Charlottesville and the University of Virginia, and for all our neighbors, including students, staff, faculty, and administrators.

for the work of Habitat for Humanity, for our renewed partnership, and for the residents of Southwood Redevelopment Project.

for the nominees standing for election as 28th Presiding Bishop: the Rt. Rev. J. Scott Barker (Diocese of Nebraska), the Rt. Rev. DeDe Duncan-Probe (Diocese of Central New York), the Rt. Rev. Daniel G. P. Gutiérrez (Diocese of Pennsylvania), the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe (Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania & Diocese of Western New York), and the Rt. Rev. Robert Wright (Diocese of Atlanta).

for the people of Haiti in this time of crisis, and especially for our partners at the Episcopal parish and school of Légliz Kris Roi in Léger.

for peace in the Middle East, and for those threatened, injured, and bereaved by violence in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.

for St. James's Church, Richmond; St. John's, Centreville; St. Peter's, Arlington; and St. Stephen's, Richmond, according to the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer.

for the Anglican Church of Canada, according to the Anglican Cycle of Prayer.

for the nation and the world, for an end to violence, hunger, injustice, and oppression.

We commend to God’s never-failing care

the faithful departed throughout the world, and all those known to God alone.

the victims of terrorism and war in Israel and Gaza.

all those we love but see no more, including Karen Murphy.

Jim Scott, Anne & Lockhart McGuire, and Amanda & Keith Kane, in whose loving memory this Sunday's flowers are given.

office@spmcuva.org | 434-295-2156 | www.spmcuva.org