Saint Clement's Church

The busy month of May – Rector’s Letter

My dear people,

Thanks to an early Easter, the month of May is crowded with feasts, some of which are usually in June. It will therefore be a busy month in St Clement’s, with the one advantage that we will probably be able to celebrate them all before the great heat begins.

First of the special days is Sunday, May 5, Rogation Sunday. This is the spring equivalent of the autumn…  Read More >>

Letter from the Wardens concerning the search for a Rector

Dear Fellow Parishioners and Friends:

“Be not afraid!” It is the message of the angels at the birth of Our Lord. It is Jesus’s own message to his disciples on the roiling waters of the Sea of Galilee, and following his resurrection. It is one of the important maxims of the Christian life.  These words are a timely reminder to us all: We live in the joy of the Resurrection; be not afraid!

Canon Reid has recently reminded us of his mandatory…  Read More >>

Changes in the Ceremonial of the Mass

I have reordered the High Mass in a few ways:

First, at the beginning, the altar party will come in to the organ prelude, and the Asperges (or, in Eastertide, the Vidi Aquam) will be the first thing the choir sings. The silent preparation prayers will then be said during the Introit and the Kyries.

The Epistle will be sung facing the people by the Subdeacon (or a singer, if the…  Read More >>

Mary, Mother of the Church

It is well established in the tradition of the church, though perhaps more in the East than in the West, that Jesus cannot be named apart from his mother, since she gave him her flesh, his humanity. It was her willingness to bear the Christ in her womb, to bear him in her heart, that allowed God to appear in the world. Christ is to be seen in the Marian church. But Mary…  Read More >>

The Society of Mary at St Clement’s

by Anne R. Bower, Ward Secretary

The Society of Mary is an Anglican devotional society dedicated to the glory of God and to the Holy Incarnation of Christ under the invocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Society has several objectives, namely, to love and honor Mary, to increase and deepen devotion to her within the Anglican Communion, and to take her steadfast faith and love as a model for our personal relationships and family life.

To this end, members participate in…  Read More >>

News & Notes:  Fr. Holland, Corpus Christi Preacher, and More

The feasts of this month are all noted in the Rector’s Letter.

Child Care and Sunday School:
Some new families with children have been coming to church recently, and the lack of a Sunday School or child care for younger children has been felt. So the Rector and Wardens have been exploring ways to cater for this. The first move will be to hire a qualified person to look after children during the 11 a.m. High Mass. Then, depending on the age…  Read More >>

The comfort of the Resurrection – Rector’s Letter

My dear people,

A baby is born in Bethlehem – So what?

A man is crucified in Jerusalem – So what?

But that baby, that man rose from the dead – No one can say “So what? “ to that.

Of course they can deny that it happened. Most people accept on ordinary historical grounds that there was a man Jesus who died on a cross. But they do…  Read More >>

Easter Gratitude

by the Rev. Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate

My dear people,

As I recuperate from the liturgical boot camp that is Holy Week, I am processing the many sensations, insights, and numinous moments I experienced.  My circuits are still rather overloaded, but one thing of which I am certain is that I am thankful.

One of the primary reasons I came to St. Clement’s as curate is to learn how to be a priest--liturgically, pastorally, and spiritually.  I have learned an enormous…  Read More >>

St Clement’s Garden Guild needs you

The spring flowers are up and opening, the peonies are beginning to unfurl their first leaves, and the magnolia trees may be abloom by the time you are reading this.  The St Clement’s Garden looks better each season, thanks to the hard work of volunteers who plan, plant, prune, pluck, weed, and then step back to enjoy the fruits of our labor.  A green thumb is deisrable but not required; just enthusiasm.  The…  Read More >>

Rector’s Letter – March

My dear People,

The whole of March is in Lent this year except for its very last day, which is the greatest Feast of the Christian Year, Easter Day, the day of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.

The Forty Days of Lent are the Church’s way of preparing for this great feast. They remind us that before our Lord had a public life, he had a private life. In the so-called Hidden Years in Nazareth, Jesus was…  Read More >>

A Message from the Rector: Annual Meeting & Vestry Election, March 10

I hope that, for those of our readers who are members of the Corporation of St Clement’s Church, you will make every effort to be present at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, March 10.

We have been through a time of change and development, and I would like to thank those of you who made this possible last year by your voting for new members of the Vestry.  This year’s election is just as important if we are to make our future secure …  Read More >>

Statements of Candidates for Election to the Vestry

Eight candidates nominated for 5 open places on the St. Clement’s Vestry.  Members may vote for up to five (5).  Each candidate was invited to provide a brief statement and a photograph.

Anne R. Bower, Ph.D.   – Nominated by parishioners
                              for a second three-year term

Anne has been a parishioner at St.…  Read More >>

On Lenten Discipline

by the Rev'd Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate

The three traditional Lenten disciplines are prayer, charity, and abstinence.  In past years, I have tried to observe a holy Lent by going to extra services, such as Stations of the Cross; practicing greater generosity by giving money to charities; and giving up luxuries, like chocolate, alcohol, or meat.  But this year, as I thought about these kinds of penitential gestures, I felt spiritually anemic. …  Read More >>

A Lenten Message from Our Patron, St Clement

from his letter to the Corinthians

My brothers, do let us have a little humility; let us forget our self-assertion and bragging and stupid quarreling, and do what the Bible tells us instead. The Holy Spirit says, The wise man is not to brag of his wisdom, nor the strong man of his strength, nor the rich man of his wealth; if a man must boast, he should boast of the Lord,…  Read More >>

Thank You to Ed Belancio

The Vestry and members of the parish heartily thank Ed Belancio for his many years of serving as Usher Coordinator.  He has diligently recruited and trained usher volunteers, while serving as usher himself on many Sundays.  Now that he is taking a much-deserved break, we hope members of the congregation will take time to thank him for his years of service.

Please let the Wardens know if you would like to serve in the rotation for ushers on Sunday mornings at the High…  Read More >>

Rector’s Letter – Farewell to Fr. Ethan

My dear people,

To misquote the song:  “I just got him from the windy city”, and now the windy city is claiming him back. To be honest it is not just the charms of Chicago versus Philadelphia that are calling Fr Ethan Jewett, my Curate for the last year, but the charms of his life-partner, Mike.

I had hoped Ethan would be with us for longer than the fourteen months he…  Read More >>

February News & Notes

Candlemass

The Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, February 2, this year falls on a Saturday. As is our custom when this happens, we shall have a High Mass at 11 a.m. followed by a Reception in the Parish Hall

Ash Wednesday

Because Easter is very early this year, Lent (not surprisingly) also begins on an early date: Ash Wednesday is on February 13. As well as the 12.10 Low Mass, there will be a High Mass…  Read More >>

A Letter from the Curate

by The Rev. Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate

My dear people,

By now, you will have heard that I will be leaving St. Clement’s at the end of April.  There are several factors that have led to this difficult decision, but principal among them is the strain of a long-term separation from my partner, Mike.  The rector and I initially committed to my staying a year, at which point we would evaluate…  Read More >>

St Clement’s Devotional Societies

There was a time when Anglo-Catholic Devotional Societies were the mainstay of parish life. But this is no longer so. In St Clement’s church, there was a society called the Guild of the Iron Cross, which had hundreds of working men and boys as members, but that has faded into the mists of history with the memory of the Cowley Father, Fr. Field, who founded it.

Since early times, Christians have formed…  Read More >>

Rector’s Letter – January

My dear people,

As I begin my tenth year as your Rector and my seventh decade on earth, I am filled with deep gratitude for all that I have been given and learned here at St Clement’s.

First, I thank God for my growth in understanding what the life and mission of St Clement’s should be. We have a great treasure of a building, a wonderful musical tradition, and the very…  Read More >>

A New Year’s Resolution for all of us who call ourselves Anglo-Catholics

“To Attend Mass Every Sunday”

by Fr John Alexander, Rector of St Stephen’s, Providence, Rhode Island

{An essential practice for parish growth} is consistent attendance at Sunday Mass. I want to suggest that we need to recover the old-fashioned concept of obligation in relation to our Sunday Mass attendance.

I owe much of my understanding of the Sunday obligation to a priest by the name of Homer Rogers who lived…  Read More >>

I Will Go Unto the Altar of God

by the Rev. Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate

St. Clement’s is known worldwide for its fine Anglo-Catholic liturgy, and we would like to invite others to share in this central feature of our parish’s life that has brought us so much distinction and satisfaction.  Over the last several months, Fr. Reid and I have been working to build up the corps of altar servers, encouraging new people to join and providing training for…  Read More >>

January News & Notes

Christmas:
Thank you to all who  gave a Christmas gift of flowers to deck the church so beautifully this year, and thanks too to all who gave their time to building the Crib, assembling the Christmas tree and the greens and arranging the flowers.

Epiphany:
The Feast of the Epiphany, the Coming of the three Kings, is this year on a Sunday, January 6. The Rector’s Open House will   therefore be  postponed to another Feast whose Mass will be held in…  Read More >>

Downton Abbey Watch – Feb. 10

The people and friends of St Clement’s are, not surprisingly, Anglophiles and fans of Downton Abbey, the widely popular British-American period drama television series.  Set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey, the PBS series depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era — with the great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.

Why…  Read More >>

Rector’s Letter – December

My dear people,

The past month has been very encouraging in the number of people who have taken advantage of the Requiem Masses we have had every week. Some have come just once, but over a dozen have become regular weekday communicants. Then this month we have had visitors from as far away as Australia and the UK as well as seminarians from the Lutheran Seminary here in Philadelphia, music and art…  Read More >>

Praise and Lament: An Advent Exploration of the Psalms

by the Rev. Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate

During the four Sundays of Advent, St. Clement’s will offer a series of workshops on the rich literary and spiritual heritage of the Book of Psalms.  This series is ideal for anyone who is looking for a spiritual practice during Advent to prepare for the joy and the mystery of the Incarnation at Christmas.   Fr. Ethan will begin by reviewing the historical and liturgical context in which the psalms were first written and used, outline the…  Read More >>

Pledge Campaign for 2013:  Maintain the works, worship at St Clement’s

Whether you worship with us every Sunday or at the daily Mass during the week, occasionally visit us when you are in Philadelphia, or have never been to Saint Clement’s yet worship with us via the internet, you are a critically important part of our parish life.  And we hope you will support our church in 2013.

Maintaining our renowned and beloved choir and music program and all the needed elements of a vibrant church in the Center of Philadelphia is a…  Read More >>

It’s the Season for Helping Others

The Helping Other’s Group of St Clement’s has been allocated the first day of every month as their evening to cook and serve dinner to the twenty or so men who are looked after at Trinity Memorial Church Wintershelter. We have enough people to cover these dates, but  there is always room for more. Many hands make light work. So if you are able to volunteer for the First of any month, please…  Read More >>

St. Clement’s History: from the Archives

by Brother Stephen Haws, Community of the Resurrection, Mirfield, Yorkshire,
Archivist of St Clement’s from 1984-1989

In previous issues of this Newsletter, I gave an account of the literary contributions of some of our past Rectors, from the Revd J. Treadwell Walden to Father B.W. Maturin, S.S.J.E. This concluding article not only covers the rectorships following the ministry of the Cowley Fathers, but also two of their curates, who were prolific…  Read More >>

The Nativity of Christ

by Robert Southwell

Behold the father is his daughter’s son.
The bird that built the nest is hatched therein,
The old of years an hour hath not outrun,
Eternal life to live doth now begin,
The Word is dumb, the mirth of heaven doth weep,
Might feeble is, and force doth faintly creep.

O dying souls, behold your living spring;
O dazzled eyes, behold your sun of grace;
Dull ears, attend what word this Word…  Read More >>

Rector’s November Letter

My dear people,

November is the month when, traditionally, we remember and pray for the departed. I hope you will all take advantage of the rich provisions made for this here at St Clement’s. There are many occasions.

First, of course, is the Solemnity of All Souls Day, on Friday, November 2, when the Church bids us pray for all the Faithful Departed. There will be the usual Low Mass at 7 a.m. and a High Mass of Requiem at 7 p.m.…  Read More >>

Pledge Campaign for 2013: Maintain the works and worship at St Clement’s

Whether you worship with us every Sunday or at the daily Mass during the week, occasionally visit us when you are in Philadelphia, or have never been to Saint Clement’s yet worship with us via the internet, you are a critically important part of our parish life.

As Christians, all of us are grateful for God’s constant generosity – food and shelter, the love of our friends and families, the beauty of the world around us, the glorious music and liturgy that we…  Read More >>

Your Ministry Matters

by the Rev. Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate

The last few months have been very busy at St. Clement’s, not only for me, but also for the many other people who have devoted their time, energy, and talents to the parish.  This is a good sign, since I am always suspicious of parishes where everything seems to be done by the clergy.  There is a limit to what one or two ordained…  Read More >>

Help us re-establish the St Clement’s Altar Guild

by Sebastian Morris, Sacristan

I‘m certain anyone who had an opportunity to visit the Liturgy and Lace Exhibition noticed that many of our vestments are in need of minor repairs. Time takes its toll on all things, but especially textiles. Several of the beautiful items displayed were actually made by St. Clement’s Altar Guild in the early days of the last century. In order to better care for these precious treasures,…  Read More >>

It’s the Season for Helping Others

Again this year, St. Clement’s is participating in Episcopal Community Services (ECS) Elderly Homebound Christmas Gift campaign.  You can sign up in the Narthex, or by e-mailing us at info@s-clements.org, to commit to purchase a requested gift for a homebound senior in Philadelphia.  All unwrapped gifts need to be delivered to St. Clement’s by Nov. 30.

We’d welcome you to join us in preparing meals and serving to the group…  Read More >>

St. John’s Chapel Organ

Work is almost complete on the restored Moeller pipe organ in the St. John’s Chapel.  The console is fully functioning, and organist Peter Conte has also programmed the digital “player” so the instrument can be played remotely.  It can be heard in both the chapel and the rear of the church.  Meanwhile, computer programming is being completed that will allow the organ to be played by the organist at the console at…  Read More >>

St. Clement’s History:  from the Archives

The sermons preached at St Clement’s by two priests of the English House of the Cowley Fathers during Lent of 1874 caused a sensation in Philadelphia and led to a request the following year that the Fathers, the Society of St. John the Evangelist, should take charge of the Parish. 

During the ensuing years there was a protracted battle between St Clement’s, which largely embraced the high church Anglo-Catholicism of the priests and laymen from the Society of St John the Evangelist, and…  Read More >>

Rector’s Letter – October 2012

My dear People,

I hope you have had a good summer, with some time for refreshment and recreation.

It has been a remarkably busy summer at St Clement’s for several reasons.

The first was the Ordination to the Priesthood of Fr Ethan Jewett, our Curate. Those of you who were there and those who have seen some of it on the web site will agree with me, I am…  Read More >>

Neighborhood Food Collection: an Important Step in Building Community

by the Rev. Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate

In mid-September, St. Clement’s undertook a collection of non-perishable food from the neighborhood immediately around the church.  This was a mission activity that I learned at my first parish in Chicago, and it proved extremely effective in meeting the increased demand for food in a very difficult economy.  So, I want to thank everyone who helped in this latest effort at St. Clement’s.  We…  Read More >>

Was ever another command so obeyed?

by Dom Gregory Dix, in The Shape of the Liturgy

At the heart of Christian worship is the Eucharistic action, a thing of absolute simplicity – the taking, blessing, breaking, and giving of bread, and the taking, blessing, and giving of a cup of wine and water, as these were first done with their new meaning by a young Jew at supper with His friends on the night before He died…  Read More >>

Buildings & Property Report

The Vestry has been working diligently to address several long-deferred repair and maintenance issues that have plagued our historic church complex for many years, as well as responding to some sudden and unexpected needs.

Work will begin the first week in October on the exterior of the apse, where water infiltration has caused increasing damage to the stone walls, especially on the south wall of the chancel.  The failed bird control material – the spiky “nixolite” – will be removed, several years’ of…  Read More >>

Liturgy & Lace: Antique Ecclesiastical Needlework Exhibition

October 7 - 14, 2012

St. Clement's Episcopal Church is an Anglo-Catholic Parish in Center City Philadelphia, with a 150-year history of lavish liturgical settings and appointments. For the first time we will exhibit our expansive collection of vestments, and other ecclesiastical textiles and associated treasures, many featuring intricate needlework or handmade lace. Also included: a tour of the…  Read More >>

Change a Life:  Food collection for the needy

Neighborhood food collection for the St. Mary’s Food Pantry.  Join us on Sunday, Sept. 16th and Sunday, Sept. 23.   This is a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the hungry and needy through a very modest contribution of time and effort. 

On Sunday, Sept. 16th, we will drop off grocery bags on our neighbors’ doorsteps with a flyer asking them to fill the bags with non-perishable food, and the following Sunday, the 23rd, we will pick up the…  Read More >>

Rector’s Letter –  August/September

My dear People,

I delayed this edition of the Newsletter so that an account of the Ordination to the Priesthood of Fr Ethan Jewett, our Curate, could be included, as well as some pictures from that Mass. It was a glorious occasion and it was a joy to have Bishop Rodney Michel as the Bishop who passed on the gift of the Apostolic Succession to Fr Ethan, on behalf of the Bishop of…  Read More >>

On my Ordination to the Priesthood

by The Rev'd Etrhan Alexander Jewett, Curate

I first contemplated becoming a priest in 2004, the year I was baptized and confirmed in a small, informal mission congregation in suburban Chicago.  It was at St. Nicholas that I realized that I was my best self within the Church and felt joy in belonging.  It was an incredible community in which to be formed, and I would never have imagined that my…  Read More >>

Rector’s Letter – July

My dear People,

We now have a date for the happy event of our Curate’s Ordination to the Priesthood. It is Saturday, August 4, when Bishop Rodney Michel, our Assisting Bishop, will administer the Sacrament at the request of the Bishop of Chicago. The High Mass will begin at 11 a.m. and we are expecting a good many visitors from out of town, out of state and even out of country.

In the Catholic tradition, the Priesthood is an indelible Order, wherein…  Read More >>

Annual Giving

Will you consider paying ahead on your pledge to put your total where it would be by September 30?  As usual, attendance at Mass in the summer goes down as we seek cool ocean or mountain breezes.  Unfortunately, the church’s expenses continue through the summer, and we are behind in pledge giving for the year by 20%.

While we know that everyone will be current on their pledges by the end of the year, the church would be helped if those who…  Read More >>

A Tour through St. Clement’s Yarnall Library

by The Rev’d Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate

I was delighted recently to join Fr. Reid at a meeting for the Yarnall Library, as one of its two new clergy trustees, along with Fr. Rick Robyn, Rector of Trinity, Oxford Circle.  The Yarnall Library is the centerpiece of a 1911 bequest to St. Clement’s by benefactors Ellis and Emily Yarnall, who offered it to “supply the deficiencies now existing in the collections…  Read More >>

Our Lady of Walsingham

Long stored out of sight, the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham has been placed prominently just inside the entry doors of St. Clement’s.  The display of Our Lady at the entrance  reminds us that our prayers at St. Clement’s form part of a larger, worldwide praying community devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  We now welcome visitors into this shared devotional life beginning at the front door.  St. Clement’s has long…  Read More >>

Garden News

While the Property Committee, chaired by Juliet Geldi-Riggall, is still working at getting our historic steel and cast iron fence repaired of its hurricane damage on the Cherry Street side of the church, we’ve concluded that the large Bradford Pear tree just inside the Appletree Street gate has reached a critical point of potential failure as well.   The tree has not been pruned in many years, and like all pears, it’s branching…  Read More >>

Rector’s Letter –  June

My dear People,

What a wonderful month May has been for St Clement’s.

One of the highlights was the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord. Our preacher was Bishop Rodney Michel, Assisting Bishop of the diocese, who preached movingly on our destiny in another dimension of being where Our Lord is already living in glory in the Trinity. And Bishop Rodney made his words memorable by singing –…  Read More >>

Summer Quartets Sponsors are Sought

Sponsors are sought for the weekly Summer Quartets, beginning at the High Mass on Sunday June 10 and extending to Sunday October 7.   Donors’ intentions in honor or in memory will be listed in the leaflet.  Please see the Rector about becoming a sponsor, at $380 per week.  Partial sponsorships are also welcomed.

Getting a Reputation in Ministry

by The Rev. Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate

I began my life in the Church in a small, suburban mission congregation where there were few resources, but great needs.  Fortunately, I learned that a parish doesn’t have to have huge endowments or hundreds of members to make a difference in the world.   In fact, St. Nicholas had only about fifty to sixty people in church on an average Sunday and did more mission than congregations twice or three times its size.  I…  Read More >>

Property Committee Report

by Juliet Geldi-Riggall, Chair

As a new member of St. Clement’s Vestry and as an architect by trade, I am happy to be chairing the church’s Property Committee.  Over the next several months, the Property Committee will be undertaking an assessment of all church buildings (the Sanctuary, Rectory, and Parish Hall) to determine areas most in need of repair and potential areas for future improvements.  We will be using…  Read More >>

A continuation of historical notes

by Brother Steven Hawes, C.R.

From Chorister to Photographer: Ernest Belinfante

To the average Clementine, the name Ernest Belinfante has no significance. No one in living memory knows who he was or what his connection to St. Clement’s had been. However, if we were to look closely at some early photographs of St. Clement’s, one would see his name. The photographs appear on vintage post-cards and in…  Read More >>

Dr. Joseph Chapman

We are sad to announce the death of a faithful member of our church, Dr Joseph Chapman. Joe was a member of St Clement's Vestry for many years, and also served as the Accounting Warden.

According to his own instructions, left with the Rector, there will be a said Requiem Mass for the repose of his soul. This will be on Saturday, June 2 at 10 a.m at St Clement's

Rector’s Letter –  May

My dear People,

First I must say thank you to everyone who made Holy Week and Easter such a moving time. Following Our Lord through his Passion, Crucifixionand Resurrection in the ceremonies of the Church is an experience that millions have found transforming for their spiritual lives. These ceremonies don’t just happen; their preparation and execution takes a lot of work from a lot of people. So thank you to those who rehearsed the Masses and ceremonies, arranged the beautiful flowers at the…  Read More >>

Remembering Birthdays, Anniversaries, & the Departed

Our lists of dates to be remembered in the Prayer List and in the Sunday leafletare woefully out-of-date.  Please provide birthdays, anniversaries and those who are departed to the Rector, or by mail or e-mail, or on the Guest register in the Narthex so that all can be remembered.

To Encourage Abundant Giving

St Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, is grateful to the people for their gifts in support for his continued ministry.  We the people of St Clement’s, whose reach is worldwide through our website and other outreach ministries, are grateful stewards of our worship through our own pledges and generous giving by the congregation and our many friends.  Yet, the needs of the people around us in Philadelphia are great, and our historic commitment not only to our own church but to the…  Read More >>

Help St. Clement’s Get the Word Out

by The Rev. Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate

The other day while I was walking my dog, Becket, outside St. Clement’s, I noticed a woman snapping pictures of the church’s exterior.  I approached her and said, “the inside is even more magnificent,would you like to see it?”  She seemed a little startled, but happily followed me inside the building, and wandered around for a while gazing at the stunning interior:   the golden chancel, the statues, the vibrant stained glass. 

This was not…  Read More >>

News & Notes – May

Summer Quartets seeking sponsors

As usual, from the Sunday after Corpus Christi – this year Sunday, June 10 – the High Mass will be at 10 a.m. and will be sung by a Quartet drawn from our Choir.  Each Mass can be sponsored by a parishioner or a friend of St Clement’s, the cost being $380.00. The donor’s name and intention (in memory of someone, or in thanksgiving, or for a special intention) will be published in the pew leaflet on the appropriate…  Read More >>

Mary Believed

How far away is Mary? She lived a long time ago, and in dignity she is so far above us that people lose sight of her as a warm, living woman.

But that is a mistake, because all she was and is should draw  us closer to her. If ever we needed her, we need her now, when the cold wind of doubt blows all around us, because she is the strong-hearted woman, the believer.  She needed a faith even greater…  Read More >>

A continuation of the historical notes

by Brother Steven Hawes, C.R.

Following the parish mission of 1874 conducted by two priests of the English house of the Cowley Fathers, Charles Grafton SSJE and Luke Rivington SSJE, the Society of St. John the Evangelist was invited in 1876 by the Vestry to take charge of the parish of St Clement's. The output of spiritual writings by the Cowley Fathers resident on the old Clergy House at 2026 Cherry St was phenomenal.  

Father Oliver S. Prescott SSJE was Rector…  Read More >>

Rector’s Report at the Annual Meeting of the Corporation, March 4, 2012

I was looking back at my first Rector’s report in 2005, after a year as Rector, and it said this:

“St Clement’s is a special place and it must be treasured. It claims to offer the best in Anglo-Catholic worship, and I have to say it does so more than many others.

There are two halves to Anglo-Catholic.
1. Anglo means English, not Greek or Russian or Roman. Our liturgy is from the English Missal and the…  Read More >>

A Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding

by The Rev'd Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate

In last month’s newsletter, I promised to do a lot of listening, to pay attention to the hopes, needs, and concerns voiced by members of the parish as we work to make St. Clement’s an increasingly vibrant congregation within the Anglo-Catholic tradition.  People have been eager to talk about St. Clement’s future, and one of the areas that keeps coming up in conversation is the desire for more educational workshops and classes, both for…  Read More >>

News & Notes:  Confirmations, the Garden Guild, Guild of All Souls & more

Confirmation
Bishop Rodney Michel, the Assisting Bishop for our Diocese, is coming to St Clement’s on Ascension Day, Thursday, May 17. The Bishop will preside and preach at the High Mass that evening at 7 p.m. and will administer the Sacrament of Confirmation to anyone wishing to be confirmed. He will also receive into the Episcopal Church anyone who is coming to us from the Roman Catholic or Orthodox Churches. Two people have already spoken with the Rector about this, and any others…  Read More >>

Welcome to our new Vestry Members

Congratulations to the five new members of the Congregation who were elected to the Vestry. They are Todd Grundy, Laurie Fromm, Donna Johnson, Juliet Geldi-Rigall and Jeff Ezell. As you can see from their biographies in the March Newsletter, they will bring a wealth of experience to the work of the Vestry.

Rector’s Letter - March 2012

My dear People,

There has been some controversy recently in our parish about having an assistant priest. After a year and a half of looking for a suitable curate, encouraged by my churchwardens and vestry, I found The Rev’d Ethan Jewett, who has now arrived and who will be, I am sure, a great asset to the ministry of St. Clement’s.

However, a majority of the members of the Vestry disagreed with my choice of curate. Though they had always encouraged me…  Read More >>

Candidates for the election to the Vestry

Voting for five members of the Vestry takes place during the Annual Meeting, which immediately follows the 11:00 am Mass.  The polls will also be open briefly following the 8:00 am Mass to accommodate those who attend the early Service, and before the 11:00 am Mass for those who cannot stay.  Please plan to attend and cast your vote for the Vestry.

10 candidates nominated for 5 open places on the St. Clement’s Vestry. Members may vote for up to five (5).
…  Read More >>

Penitence and Prophecy:  A Lenten Study of Old Testament Prophets

The Rev. Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate

Distinguished Biblical scholar, Abraham J. Heschel, has observed that “the prophet is human, yet he employs notes one octave too high for our ears.  He experiences moments that defy our understanding.  He is neither ‘a singing saint’ nor ‘a moralizing poet,’ but an assaulter of the mind.  Often his words begin to burn where conscience ends.”  During the Lenten season, we will examine Heschel’s claim in greater detail.  In the first week, we will begin with an…  Read More >>

Pastoral Ministry and the Deep Moments of Human Experience

by The Rev. Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate

Several years ago when I was first exploring my call to the priesthood,  I accompanied my parish priest to the hospital to visit a parishioner, who was suffering from a terminal illness.  This was my first pastoral care visit, which my priest had intended to instruct me in one of the major dimensions of a priest’s life.  The experience conveyed not only technical knowledge about hygiene, communicating effectively with hospital staff, and how to administer the…  Read More >>

March 2012 Kalendar

Download Kalendar (PDF)

From the Rector

My dear People,

This month begins with that lovely Feast Day, the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, or the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or Candlemass. It commemorates the day when Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Jerusalem Temple forty days after his birth (hence February 2) to make the ritual sacrifice for the firstborn. This was prescribed as…  Read More >>

February 2012 Kalendar

Download Kalendar (PDF)

News & Notes

Vestry Report
The Vestry met on Sunday, January 22.  The 2012 budget was adopted, following the hard work of the Finance Committee over several months.  It is another difficult budget year, but there are many items of good news.

Many thanks to the members of St. Clement’s, former and new, who have pledged more than $82,000 towards our budget in 2012.  This is a significant increase over last year or 2010, both in the numbers of pledgers and the amount pledged.  Nearly…  Read More >>

Annual Vestry Election & Meeting of the Members of St. Clement’s

Sun., March 4, 2012.  Voting for one third of the Vestry takes place during the Annual Meeting, which immefiately follows the 11:00 am Mass.  The polls will also be open briefly following the 8:00 am Mass to accommodate those who attend the early Service.  Please plan to attend and cast your vote for the Vestry.

King Charles the Martyr

The shrine of King Charles the Martyr (or St Charles of England, as he is sometimes named) has now been restored and erected in the St John’s Chapel, thanks to Curt Mangel, our Property Committee Chairman and parishioner Sebastian Morris. The image is a very fine one carved in wood by Anton Wagner, the famous sculptor of Norfolk, England.  The St John’s Chapel is a better size for it than was the church itself, and it will be able to be enjoyed by those…  Read More >>

St Leo the Great, on Lent

Dearly beloved, the earth is filled with the mercy of the Lord. For every one of us Christians, nature is full of instruction that we should worship God. The heavens and the earth, the seas and all within them, proclaim the goodness and the almighty power of their maker. The wonderful beauty of these inferior elements of nature demands that we, intelligent beings, should give thanks…  Read More >>

What You Didn’t Know About Some of Our Former Rectors

by Brother Steven Hawes of the Community of the
Resurrection - the Mirfield Fathers

(The first installment of a series.  Brother Steven continues as a member of St Clement’s, though living in England: he visits the parish every November.)

St. Clement’s is blessed with a rich and glorious tradition. Its past is what makes the present history. It is the events…  Read More >>

Changes to Weekly Schedule

Vespers and Benediction will no longer be sung on Sundays at 3 p.m.

The Wednesday Mass will change from 7 a.m. to 12.10 p.m. All other Masses will stay at the same times.

Evensong will continue to be said Monday to Saturday at 5.30 p.m. This is followed by Intercessions at the Shrine of Our Lady of Clemency. Please send the names of the sick or the departed to the Rector, or any other petition which you would like to be included…  Read More >>

Annual Vestry Election & Meeting of the Members of St. Clement’s

Sun., March 4, 2012

Voting for one third of the Vestry takes place during the Annual Meeting, which immefiately follows the 11:00 am Mass.  The polls will also be open briefly following the 8:00 am Mass to accommodate those who attend the early Service.  Please plan to attend and cast your vote for the Vestry.

St. Clement’s worldwide

While St. Clement’s is growing week by week with new visitors and many former members returning to worship, our reach across the world is growing, too.

The church website, www.s-clements.org, has an average of 2,600 unique visitors monthly.  First time visitors account for as much as 44% of the total.  Readers log-on from the US, Mexico and Canada, plus the UK, Australia, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Estonia, Egypt, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and 54 more countries across the globe.

…  Read More >>

A Profile of Anglo-Catholic Vitality:  The Church of the Atonement, Chicago

by  Ethan Alexander Jewett, Incoming Curate

When the Bishop of Chicago asked me why I had chosen the Church of the Atonement for my seminary internship, I told him that I was fascinated by this parish on Chicago’s north side that was growing in defiance of the great wisdom of church growth experts.  I wanted to figure out what lay behind this surprising success story.

It was not liturgical style per se, I explained to the Bishop, that was attracting people to…  Read More >>

20 + G + M + B + 12

At Mass on the Epiphany, you’ll be given a piece of blessed chalk.  The  headline of this article should be written on the lintel above the front door of your home (on the street door, if a house, or on the door of your apartment otherwise) with the chalk you take home.  It contains the first letters of  each of the Magi’s names. 

Following the…  Read More >>

Proclamation of the Date of Easter

The  Proclamation of the date of Easter on Epiphany dates from a time when calendars were not readily available.  It was necessary to make known the date of Easter in advance, since many celebrations of the liturgical year depend on its date.  The number of Sundays that follow Epiphany, the date of Ash Wednesday, and the number of Sundays that follow Pentecost are all computed in…  Read More >>

From the Rector

My dear People,

First, may I wish you all a very happy New Year.  It is traditionally a time to  make Resolutions, and my resolution is that I will do all in my power to help St Clement’s grow and flourish in 2012.

Of course, I cannot do this alone: it requires every member of our congregation to work for the life and mission of our church. Nevertheless, the Rector is charged by the Bishop with the leadership of the parish, and…  Read More >>

From the Rector

My dear People,

As Christmas approaches, we should turn our thoughts to the great Mystery of the Incarnation: God becoming man so that man might become God, as St. Athanasius wrote in the 4th century.

Mary, in total freedom, gave her willing assent to God’s desire to make her the Mother of his Son, the one he had chosen to give him his human nature.  “Be it unto me according to thy word” is one of the most beautiful sayings in the…  Read More >>

Stewardship – 2012 Pledges are due

God has blessed St. Clement’s in the past in its work of preaching the Gospel, celebrating the Sacraments, and ministering to those in need.  He will bless us again if we are faithful.  Your generous pledge will make it possible for St. Clement’s to continue to do the work of our Lord in 2012.

Thank you for your generous and prayerful support of St.Clement’s.

Pledge materials have been posted in the mail.  If you have not received yours, please contact the Wardens…  Read More >>

Curate Fund News

Generous gifts from members of St. Clement’s and Friends from around the world continue to be received for the fund to help hire our new Curate, Ethan Jewett.  We are nearing our goal, but we need your support, generous contribution, and prayers as we, after a long search, are able to have a Curate to assist in the outreach, ministry and worship at St. Clement’s.  Won’t you make a special restricted gift to the Curate Fund in thanksgiving for St. Clement’s or as a…  Read More >>

Helping Others

Thanks go out to those who donated Christmas gifts for elderly homebound clients of Episcopal Community Services (ECS) in Philadelphia again this year.  As we have for some years, St. Clement’s members and friends responded to 25 gift requests, including gift cards, housewares, linens and other home products. For many of these homebound  seniors, this is the only gift they receive.  Thanks for your Christmas generosity.

Though the recent weather has suggested otherwise, the season has begun for the St. Clement’s Helping Others…  Read More >>

King Charles the Martyr

The Shrine of King Charles the Martyr, which used to stand at the back of the south aisle of the Church, has now been completely restored, and will be re-erected in St Clement’s on Saturday, Jan. 28, close to St Charles’s feast day on January 30. The Shrine will be in the St John’s Chapel, a space more suited to the size of the statue, which…  Read More >>

Clementine Montessori School

If you are at St Clement’s during the week, you will perhaps have seen the garden full of little children. They are the pupils of the new school which has transformed the third floor of the Parish House. It is a school run on the Montessori method, and opened here last year with just one small class. This year it has added another class, and so…  Read More >>

Angels

“Entertaining angels unawares” is, necessarily, a somewhat hazardous responsibility.  For the good host is always at pains to discover what the guest likes to eat and drink and, above all, tries to make the unheralded visitor feel at home.

Yet the Scriptures see it the other way around.  We are the ones who are ill at ease, caught off our guard and fearful of that…  Read More >>

The lost tree to be replaced

Our wet summer in Philadelphia, culminating in Hurricane Irene in late August, brought down one of the large Bradford Pear trees flanking St. Clement’s Cherry Street entrance.  We were blessed that the falling tree missed our stained glass windows by inches, but a large section of the historic cast iron fence was crushed.

Insurance will cover the costs of repair and restoration of…  Read More >>

Rector’s November Letter

November is known in the Church as the Month of the Departed. At the beginning of the month we have the great Feast of All Saints, when we rejoice with all those whom the Church has chosen as examples of faith, hope and charity. Then the next day, we remember all the departed, and especially our loved ones. In St Clement’s, we also keep Remembrance Sunday with a Sung Mass of Requiem, on the Sunday nearest to November 11th when the First World War…  Read More >>

Stewardship

I know that you want St. Clement’s to continue and develop our special ministry of worship, devotion, music and outreach.   Your past generosity has helped to make this all possible.  But this year I ask you to give especially generously to St. Clement’s. 

I hope you will think about the pledge you made this past year and consider increasing it for 2012.   And if you haven’t pledged before, remember that God is asking us to trust him with all of ourselves, and…  Read More >>

Helping Elderly Homebound at Christmas & Homeless Men at the Wintershelter

Again this year, St. Clement's parishioners and friends are invited to donate an unwrapped Christmas gift for elderly homebound clients of Episcopal Community Services (ECS) in Philadelphia.  As we have for some years, we have a list of gift requests – some housewares, linens and other home products – posted at the church for generous donors to select and purchase.  Many of the folks have asked, this year, for a gift card, making it easy for us to donate:  no shopping!  The gifts will…  Read More >>

Classes on the Four Gospels during Advent

The Rector will be conducting a series of classes on the Four Gospels this Advent. They will follow the 10 o’clock Mass on Saturday and will, in turn, be followed by a simple lunch in the Rectory. Since I am sure none of you will appear on December 24, we will meet for just the first three Saturdays of Advent, which are  December 3, 10 & 17.

Naturally, it…  Read More >>

Thanksgiving and our Patrons

This year we will have our main celebration for the feast of our Patron St Clement on Sunday, November 20. This is because St Clement’s Day, November 23, is the day before Thanksgiving, and it is unlikely that many people would come to a Sung Mass that evening.

The day after Thanksgiving is the feast of our secondary-patron, St Catharine of Alexandria. So we will have a nice little Triduum of Masses in the middle of the week:

•  St Clement on…  Read More >>

Letter from Our Incoming Curate

My dear brothers and sisters,

I am happy to be writing to you as I near the end of my seminary studies and prepare to join you as your new curate following my ordination as deacon early next year.  Fr.  Reid has asked me to provide you with a status report on my progress toward that goal and to offer a few thoughts about my upcoming ministry…  Read More >>