St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church and School

croped logo

We are a Christian community seeking to know and unconditionally share God's unfailing love.

Weekly Newsletter

February 29th to March 7th, 2024

This Sunday, March 3, 2024

The Third Sunday in Lent

In-person services at 8:30am and 10:30am

Our 10:30am service will be livestreamed on our Facebook page.

Click here to download the March 3rd worship bulletin.
Click here to visit our Facebook page and watch our livestreams.
Click here to watch the sermons and lessons on our website. Services will be posted by 3:00pm each Sunday.

Saturday, March 2

  • OC Voting in the Youth Center for the Presidential Primary Election

Sunday, March 3

  • OC Voting in the Youth Center for the Presidential Primary Election
  • EFLAGS Potluck Luncheon in the Hall at 12:15pm
  • Youth Group Meeting at 4:30pm in the Youth Center

Monday, March 4

  • OC Voting in the Youth Center for the Presidential Primary Election

Tuesday, March 5

  • OC Voting in the Youth Center for the Presidential Primary Election
  • Grief Group Meeting at 9:30am in the Office
  • Rector's Bible Study at 11:00am in Sacquety Hall
  • Men's Group Meeting at 7:30pm in the Office

Wednesday, March 6

  • OC Voting in the Youth Center for the Presidential Primary Election
  • Weekly Holy Eucharist Service at 7:15am in the Chapel
  • Lenten Book Study at 6:00pm in Sacquety Hall (see below)

Tuesday, March 12

  • Rector's Bible Study at 11:00am in Sacquety Hall

Wednesday, March 13

  • Weekly Holy Eucharist Service at 7:15am in the Chapel
  • Lenten Book Study at 6:00pm in Sacquety Hall (see below)

Sunday, March 17

  • Small Change Sunday to support our Laundry Love Ministry
  • Healing Ministry Meeting at 9:45am in the Church Office
  • Youth Group Meeting at 4:30pm in the Youth Center

Tuesday, March 19

  • Grief Group Meeting at 9:30am in the Office
  • Rector's Bible Study at 11:00am in Sacquety Hall
  • Engagement Committee Meeting at 6:15pm in the Office
  • Men's Group Meeting at 7:30pm in the Office

Wednesday, March 20

  • Weekly Holy Eucharist Service at 7:15am in the Chapel
  • Laundry Love at 5:30pm at Huntington Coin Laundry
  • Lenten Book Study concludes at 6:00pm in Sacquety Hall (see below)

Saturday, March 23

  • Wisdom Luncheon at 11:30am in Sacquety Hall (see below)
  • Concert by the Orange County Women's Chorus at 7:00pm (see below)

Sunday, March 24

  • Palm Sunday Services at 8:30am and 10:30am
  • Concert by the Orange County Women's Chorus at 3:00pm (see below)

Monday, March 25

  • Holy Monday Evening Prayer Service at 7:00pm in the Chapel

Tuesday, March 26

  • Holy Tuesday Evening Prayer Service at 7:00pm in the Chapel

Wednesday, March 27

  • Holy Wednesday Stations of the Cross Service at 7:00pm in the Chapel

Thursday, March 28

  • Maundy Thursday Service with appetizers and gathering at 6:30pm with Holy Eucharist and Foot Washing at 7:15pm; this service begins in Sacquety Hall and concludes in the Sanctuary (see below)

Friday, March 29

  • Good Friday Choral Eucharist and Veneration of the Cross at 12:00pm
  • Good Friday Holy Eucharist and Veneration of the Cross at 7:00pm

Saturday, March 30

  • Great Easter Vigil with Choral Eucharist at 7:00pm

Sunday, March 31

  • Easter Sunday Services at 8:30am and 10:30am in the Sanctuary
  • Children's Easter Egg Hunt between services in the Preschool and Park (see below)
  • Easter Day Brunch between services in Sacquety Hall and Patio
Click here to be directed to our News and Events page on our website

Rector's Corner

We are currently experiencing a substantial leak stemming from the pipes underneath the Memorial Garden, which has resulted in a significant amount of standing water. All attempts were made to fix the leak without disturbing any remains, but unfortunately, to get to the source of the leak, we must temporarily relocate some of the dirt and ashes. Everything that has been temporarily relocated has been done so with the utmost care and respect. At this time, only a limited area of the Memorial Garden has been impacted.


We understand that this may be upsetting, especially if you have loved ones in our Memorial Garden. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to the office or me by email at nathan@stwilfridschurch.org or by phone at (714) 962-7512 x202. We are here for you.

 

Many blessings, 

 

Fr. Nathan Biornstad+ 

Children are welcome at St. Wilfrid's!


Our programs are divided by age with all children rejoining their families for the Eucharist. Visiting children are always welcome.

Little Lambs


  • For toddlers to children 4yrs of age
  • Hosted by one of our preschool teachers
  • Bible stories, art, and outdoor play (weather permitting)
  • Available during both services on Sunday and as needed for other services in Room 1 or 8
  • Begins 15 minutes before the service starts


Godly Play


  • For children ages 4yrs to 5th grade
  • Montessori based and hosted by a dedicated team of trained volunteers
  • Bible stories, manipulative play, art, and prayers
  • Available during the 8:30am service in Room 9
  • Begins at 8:30am

Our Lenten Soup and Book Study began this week on Wednesday at 6:00pm and will be continuing until March 20th. All are welcome to attend, even if you miss a week. You can purchase a copy of the book, The Kingdom Within - The Inner Meaning of Jesus’ Sayings, for $15 today at the SCRIP table. And a hearty thank you to all who prepared and will prepare such delicious soup! 

Robyne's Nest Spring Break Food Collection

February 25th through March 3rd, 2024

Please help local students in need (due to homelessness, parent neglect, poverty, etc.) by filling some of their food needs. In this act of care and compassion, we are collecting non-perishable food starting this Sunday, February 25th, and ending on Sunday, March 3rd. Please check the list of suggested items below, and thank you for your support.


You may also purchase gift cards to donate at the SCRIP table.


  • Peanut butter
  • Boxed spaghetti
  • Cans of refried beans
  • Jell-o
  • Granola bars
  • Canned veggies, fruit, and chicken
  • Cereal and oatmeal
  • Boxed mashed potatoes
  • Stove Top dinners
  • Canned chili and soup


Two congregations will screen 'The Philadelphia Eleven' documentary on March 16

All Saints Church in Pasadena and St. George's Church in Laguna Hills will host screenings of the award-winning documentary “The Philadelphia Eleven” – a celebration of the 11 women who shattered a stained-glass ceiling in 1974 when they became the first women priests in the Episcopal Church – on Saturday, March 16. Both screenings are scheduled at 2 p.m.


At All Saints in Pasadena, an opportunity for reflection and conversation will follow the film, with a festive reception afterwards. All are welcome; registration is requested. For information and to register, contact Debbie Daniels at ddaniels@allsaints-pas.org.


At St. George's in Laguna Hills, the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, first woman to serve as presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, and the Rev. Canon Victoria Hatch, first woman to be ordained a priest in the Diocese of Los Angeles, will lead a discussion after the screening. The Rev. Canon Nancy Wittig, one of the Philadelphia Eleven, will join the conversation via Zoom.


All are invited to the screening and panel discussion at St. George's, located at 23802 Avenida de la Carlota, Laguna Hills 92653.


The cost for the event in Laguna Hills is $10.00. Please sign up at the SCRIP table. Mary Hiber will arrange carpools. She can be reached at Beachldy53@aol.com.

Celebration of Wisdom Luncheon

Saturday, March 23, 2024

11:30am in Sacquety Hall

Potluck with soup and desserts provided

Hello Wisdom-ites, hope all is well with you and your loved ones. We had a really great time with the Good Time Singers. There was dancing and solos and to top it off we had great food from Chef Dave.

 

This month, keeping with the spirit of Lent, our luncheon will be a little new. We are inviting everyone to bring a sack lunch and we will provide soup and dessert. The soup will be prepared by special Chef Jim and there will be no charge. We will also show the movie "Risen". It's the story of a Centurion’s experience after Christ's Crucifixion. It's very interesting. 


We will meet on March 23rd @ 11:30 and will also discuss what field trip we would like to take in April. Choices are: Museum of Tolerance in L.A., trip to San Juan Capistrano for lunch by train (if working) or car, or a visit to Bower's Museum in Santa Ana. So be thinking and we'll all get together on the 23rd to decide.


Blessed by God, Darleen

The Orange County Women’s Chorus will perform the second concert of our 26th season, Arms,

on March 23 and 24 at St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church in Huntington Beach.


Our spring concert is a memorial to the more than 40,000 Americans killed by guns every year, and a contemplation on how we find peace amid the violence. You’ll hear songs that ask hard questions, songs that preserve the names and the voices of those we’ve lost, and songs that imagine a world in which the arms that kill are conquered by the arms that embrace. Join us for

this unique musical meditation on pain, healing, and love. This is a program you will not forget.

The themes and texts of this program will be difficult for children.


“This ensemble has never hesitated to use our music to give voice to the issues that concern us

and concern our society, and gun violence surely has to be near the top of that list in the United States in 2024,” says OCWC’s Artistic Director, Eliza Rubenstein. “Sometimes we sing purely for entertainment; sometimes we sing about what’s weighing heavy on our minds.”


The performances will take place in the Sanctuary on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 7:00pm and Sunday, March 24, 2024 at 3:00pm. 

Purchase tickets online by clicking here and use code "STW" to get $5 off

This was submitted by one of our parishioners. Please send us your service experience to share.


We often parner with local charities and organizations that are out in the world doing good. Until March 3rd, we are collecting food for the organization Robyne's Nest. If you would like to further support Robyne's Nest, please click the link below.


Robyne’s Nest provides at-risk and homeless students, who have little to no parental support, with the resources to complete high school and pursue a path to self-sufficiency. Our students are referred to us by the Huntington Beach and Newport Mesa school districts and students must be alcohol and drug-free.

Click here to visit the webpage for Robyne's Nest to learn about volunteer opportunities

Please share with us at St. Wilfrid’s your experience in living God’s good news to all.

Around the Diocese

Read the entire LA Diocese Episcopal News weekly newsletter by clicking here.
Read the entire Resource Roundup sent by Bishop Taylor's office by clicking here.

Lay down your anger; take up your cross


By Samuel H. Pillsbury


He called the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. — Mark 8:34-35


Jesus says that to follow him you must give up a part of your life. You must lay down something valued to pick up your cross. 


I think of these words when speaking with a man in jail or prison whose anger, bursting into violence, has ravaged his life and the lives of others. I pray that he might lay down his rage to take up the cross of peace.


I also think of the place in which I stand, and the anger at offenders enshrined in the walls, locks and chains and in the long sentences served. I think of an incarceration system that often exceeds the needs of safety to satisfy public anger.


What would it take for America to give up its consuming rage at selected wrongdoers? What would it take for us to lay down our need for their incarceration? 


Moving forward: Does your anger ever stand between you and the way of Jesus?


The Rev. Samuel H. Pillbury, deacon, is a chaplain in the Twin Towers jail in downtown Los Angeles. This article appears on The Episcopal News website here.

Pilgrims from LA visit West African diocese for 'mission, outreach, and solidarity'


Nine travelers from the Diocese of Los Angeles and the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe’s American Cathedral in Paris recently returned from "Forced Migration in History,” an 11-day pilgrimage of study, travel, prayer and encounter in the West African Anglican Diocese of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.


The travelers, representing St. John’s Cathedral, Los Angeles; St. George’s, Hawthorne; St. Stephen’s, Hollywood; St. George’s, Riverside; All Saints by-the-Sea, Santa Barbara; St. Mark’s, Van Nuys; IRIS (Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Service) and the diocese’s Program Group on Global Partnership, were led by Troy Elder, IRIS’s executive director. 


The purpose of the tour was to “pray, learn, interact with our African Anglican siblings, and discern future, sustained collaborations around themes of restoration, repentance for structural sin, and growth,” according to the tour announcement. 


The group “came together for this important work at the confluence of mission, outreach, and solidarity in Senegal and in Guinea, one of the poorest countries worldwide,” Elder wrote on Facebook. “A propitious, reflective beginning to Lent, and a new chapter in our revived, seven-years-and-counting relationship with our Anglican partners in West Africa.”


As part of their extensive pre-pilgrimage preparation, the group studied Camara Laye's The Dark Child, a classic West African memoir of migration, education, love, and loss.


Stops on the pilgrimage included All Saints School, Conakry, a kindergarten-through-high-school facility of special interest to several educators in the group; a house church in in Dakar, Senegal; and All Saints Cathedral, Conakry Guinée, where they were welcomed by the Rt. Rev. Jacques Boston, archbishop of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.


— Reporting by Troy Elder

St. Wilfrid’s Virtual Directory is now live! If you are an active member who needs help setting up your account, or if you would like to limit what information is available to others, please contact Laurie, the Parish Administrator, by calling the office at (714) 962-7512 x201 or by emailing admin@stwilfridschurch.org.

Click here to login to Breeze (our Virtual Directory)

Contact Us


The Rev. Nathan Biornstad

Rector

Nathan@stwilfridschurch.org

(714) 962-7512 x202


The Rev. William E. Wells

Associate & Minister of Music

William@stwilfridschurch.org

(714) 962-7512 x204


Laurie Hamilton

Parish Administrator

Admin@stwilfridschurch.org

(714) 962-7512 x201


Martha Cruz

Bookkeeper

Finance@stwilfridschurch.org

(714) 962-7512 x203


Peggy Young

Preschool Director

Peggy@stwilfridschurch.org

(714) 968-3100


For Prayer Requests, please contact a clergy member, administrator, or click here:

Prayer Requests

Facebook  Instagram  YouTube