King and Martyr

Beloved of God,

Many of you will remember the actor Lloyd Bridges. I first became aware of him years ago by watching the television program, "Sea Hunt", though he went on to appear in scores of movies and television programs. His sons, Jeff and Beau, also became well regarded actors.

Shortly after Mr. Bridges died, his Family donated a beautiful, hand carved, mahogany altar rail to Christ Memorial Episcopal Church in Kilauea, Hawaii where I served last year, and they were present for its dedication.

I rarely enter St. Edmund's without drawing my fingers across the name of the dear man who married my Mother, who was so loving to me, and whose donation helped purchase the building. (The word "stepfather" sounds a lot more harsh than mine ever was).

St. Thomas, the Mother Church of African American congregations in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, has several segments of their building that bear the names of those who are lastingly honored because of gifts and donations made in their honor. Whether we place the names of long time Members on our narthex or sacristy, I do hope that all Members of St. Edmund's will make a gift to the church's Endowment Fund. It need not be a large amount of money, but the giving of any funds makes it possible for the church to mean to others what it has meant to you.

What if you made a gift to the Endowment each year during the month that you were born, or the month that you celebrate the Anniversary of your Membership? The Society of Abraham and Sarah could be the name given to those who instructed their heirs to give a gift to the church, or who remembered the church in their wills. (You do have a will, a health care proxy, and a Power of Attorney, don't you?)

Gifts to the Endowment Fund today strengthen the church for tomorrow, and isn't that something that we all want ?

With respect and affection in Christ,

Alonzo +

Father Pruitt can be reached at

or at frpruitt@stedmundschicago.org

Please feel welcome and invited to contact me for reflection, prayer, or pastoral care.

“I have noticed that Father Pruitt does not appear to receive the Communion wine. If this is so, why not?”

“Thank you for the question. I am a recovering alcoholic, and while my Spirit would recognize the consecrated wine as the Blood of Christ, my body would react as though it was beverage alcohol, and I am one of those people for whom ‘one drink is too much, and a thousand are not enough.’ I appreciate the question, because apart from the condemnation that many receive for having this illness, it is important to advance the idea and the truth that addiction is a disease, and no more a cause for shame or rebuke than being left handed or having brown eyes. God being kind, a day a time, I have been blessed to refrain from alcohol for a little more than 27 years, but this is not a illness from which one is ever “cured”, and the hope of those of us in recovery is that we will die with the disease, but not from the disease.

For many years, only the priest received the consecrated elements of Holy Communion, and as the Church evolved to all receiving, it was understood that receiving the bread alone was “fully sufficient for the salvation of souls”, much as some people now only receive gluten free hosts as that is in the best interests of their health.

I once wrote the White House, suggesting that this illness should not be a reason for me to not become an Army Chaplain. President (George H. W.) Bush, a noted Episcopalian, responded by awarding me an appointment, because he well understood the wisdom of not discriminating against those with this particular affliction, and every Bishop and congregation I have served are aware of this aspect of my truth. I’m glad that St. Edmund’s does now, too.” (This was shared with the Churchwardens and Vestry prior to their electing me Interim Rector).

From Father Pruitt: "The Eucharistic Prayers with which we have worshipped in recent weeks are taken from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, and have been employed many, many times since then. Sometimes, in making use of one form for so long, the words lose the full impact of their meaning. Mindful of this, we are beginning today to worship with a Supplemental Eucharistic Prayer, fully authorized by The Episcopal Church for Holy Communion that contains the elements necessary for the consecration of the bread and wine, and invites us to consider anew the glory of God's love in the Sacrament.

ST. EDMUND'S CHURCH now offers one weekday Mass, at 12 noon, every Friday. It is hoped that all who can attend will. This will continue until the week before Holy Week, and then resume the week after the Second Sunday of Easter (April 29).

St. Edmund’s offers a Zoom Christian Education and Formation opportunity on the first three Tuesdays of the month from 7:30 pm to 8:15 pm (the Vestry meets the fourth Tuesday). While this ministry began in Lent, we will continue them through the week before Holy Week, and then resume after the Second Sunday of Easter.

You may join the Church's Zoom Services here

All members and friends of St. Edmund's are most welcome and invited to attend our Holy Week Services. We will share in the Blessing of the Palms and the Passion of Christ on Sunday, April 10, 2022, at both 8:00 am and 10:30 am. The 10:30 am Mass will be live streamed over Zoom.

We will also live stream over Zoom our 6:00 pm Maundy Thursday Service on April 14, 2022, and our Good Friday Service at 6:00 pm on Friday, April 15, 2022. We will celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord with Masses at both 8:00 am and 10:30 am on Easter, with the 10:30 Mass being live streamed over Zoom. The 8:00 am Mass on Easter will not be live streamed.

MEMBERS OF ST. EDMUND’S who would like to receive Holy Communion at home, or within the facility that you live, are respectfully requested to have received their COVID vaccination and booster shots. The latest variant of the virus can be transmitted before one experiences symptoms, and so an unvaccinated person can unknowingly transmit the disease before feeling ill. If our priest were to visit the unvaccinated, and contract the virus, he could unknowingly transmit it to others. Father Alonzo has been vaccinated and received the booster shot and will wear a facemask when he brings the Sacrament, as he anticipates that those receiving Communion will. There will soon be a meeting of our Lay Eucharistic Ministers to determine if any in that group will also be able to participate in Home Communions. If you would like a Holy Communion Visit, please contact Father Alonzo or our Sister in Christ and Parish Administrative Assistant, Charmian Moore, so that your name can be added to the developing list. Thank you.

All members and friends of St. Edmund's are welcome and invited to call or email the Church Office with the names of those you would like remembered in the prayers of our parish. We also appreciate you sharing with us any news you may have regarding the illness or hospitalization of one of our Members. Thank you for the opportunity to remember those who are important to you to the God who loves us all.

Please pray for Aiden Barnes, Essie Blaylock, Christine Browne, Nicholas Carl, Patricia Castro, Bishop Elect Paula Clark, Margaret Davis, Norman Futrell, Glenda Gwynn, Elizabeth Haig, Douglas Hargray, Lawrence Head, Gloria & Malcolm Hemphill, Mamie Kimbrough, Dorothy Knox, Berrenda Lewis, Loretta Mann, Clarita Holmes-Martin, Jean Martin, Lynda Middleton, Sandra Miranda, Johnnie Newton, Dorothy Nisbeth, Garth Ogilvie, Roslyn Pitts, Marlene & Stuart Rankin, Melvin Ryan, Juanita Scott, Clara Thorne, Elmer Tolmaire, Kevin Williams, and Yvonne Young.

Do you have a heart for St. Edmund's and a head for problem solving? Our parish is seraching for a live-streaming broadcast engineer who can help St. Edmund's grow with today's audio-video technology.

Northeastern Illinois University seeks a motivated individual to join the admissions and recruitment team. THIS IS A REMOTE POSITION BASED IN OR NEAR THE GREATER CHICAGO AREA. Extensive travel, including management of a geographic territory within the Illinois region of the United States is required. For more details click here.

Summer in the City, a Youth Summer Camp sponsored by Saint James Cathedral is hiring for their Summer program

After the age of six, she was raised by her Mother and Grandmother. She graduated summa cum laude from Howard University in 1945, having been elected to Phi Beta Kappa. While at Howard, she was Vice Chair of the university chapter of the NAACP, and became a Sorority of Delta Sigma Theta. She graduated first in a class of 94 students from George Washington University’s Law School in 1960, having previously attended the University of Chicago and earning a Masters degree from American University. She served as a program director for the YWCA in Chicago, and later as a lawyer in the US Department of Justice. She was also the first national Executive Director of Delta sigma Theta. Her appointment as the Ambassador to Luxembourg made her the first African American woman to be an envoy for this country, and she went on to be the first Black woman to serve as a Cabinet Secretary when President Jimmy Carter appointed her the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and she presided over the transition to the agency becoming known as the Department of Health and Human Services. She later accepted appointment as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. She was also the first Black woman to serve as a member of the board of directors of IBM, and also served on the boards of Scott Paper and Chase Manhattan Bank. She died of breast cancer at age 60 on March 23, 1985, and was posthumously inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2003. While in Chicago, she was a Member of St. Edmund’s Church.