CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION AND SAINT AGNES
  • Welcome
    • Newcomers >
      • Letter to Inquirers
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • How to Find Us
    • Childcare
  • Who We Are
    • Our Beliefs >
      • Statements of Mission, Vision, Beliefs & Value
      • What is an Anglo-Catholic?
      • Apolitical or Supra Political?
    • Our History
    • Our Leadership >
      • Parish Staff
      • Vestry
  • Worship
    • About our Worship >
      • Attending Mass
      • Music
  • Formation
    • About Formation
    • Adult Formation >
      • Adult Theology Upcoming
      • Adult Theology Archive >
        • Knowing Christ
    • Sermons
  • Connect
    • Contact us
    • Rector's Weekly Letter
    • Pastoral Care >
      • Pastoral Offices >
        • Reconciliation (Confession)
      • Prayer Requests
    • Stewardship >
      • Stewardship Letter
      • Givelify Instructions
      • Planned Giving
      • Endowment Fund
  • Calendar
  • Baptism
  • Outreach
  • Feasibility Study

Weekly letter

from The Rev. Dominique Peridans

Promises Made and Promises Fulfilled

2/23/2021

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

LENT 2021

2/18/2021

0 Comments

 
Dear Members and Friends of Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes,

Lent is a time of particular intimacy with our Lord. It is a special journey to the Cross and Resurrection, two facets of the same mystery of the pouring forth of divine love. It is a blessed season in which we let ourselves be drawn by the One who loves us and, in that encounter, our hearts are renewed. It is a privilege for us to embark on this journey together, in whatever ways we can.

Many of you have received our Lenten trifold by mail. If you have not, CLICK on the image to the right to download a copy. We are proposing different opportunities for encounter with our Lord and thus for renewal of the heart. I hope that you will prayerfully consider what the Lord may be inviting you to experience and to give. With renewed hearts, may we be inspired generously to lay down our lives for one another and to serve those in distress.

In prayer with you as we journey in hope,
The Rev. Dominique Peridans
Rector
Picture
0 Comments

We Do Not Proclaim Ourselves

2/9/2021

0 Comments

 
​I can recall from my high school chaplaincy days in Laredo, Texas the
classrooms full of posters with inspirational quotes about courage and being
oneself. Christopher Reeve, the actor best known for playing Superman in the
1970s, who was paralyzed from the neck down in an equestrian accident,
deceased in 2004 at age 52, once said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who
finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming
obstacles.” First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (d. 1962) once said, “Remember
always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an
obligation to be one.”
Inspiring words. But for us Christians, there is more. We are not simply called,
as we sometimes hear, to “speak our truth”. We are called to speak the truth,
Jesus Christ. St. Paul, in this Sunday’s second reading (2 Corinthians 4:3-6),
tells us that “We do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as
Lord.”
We are, of course, unique individuals who want to be ourselves, unhindered in a
society where it increasingly seems like we are being judged. We want to be
given room to grow and make mistakes and discover our gifts, and we must, of
course, try to be strong. But we are most ourselves and strongest in Jesus
Christ, in God. A Christian belongs to Christ, in Whom we find the fullness of
happiness and freedom, in Whom we find a safe space, in Whom we no longer
need to pretend to have the courage and strength to conquer the world, through
Whom we find our Creator, the Source of endless love that enables us to lay
down our lives for another. Indeed, the same Saint Paul tells us in Galatians
2:20, “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I
now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave himself for me.”
Belonging with you,
Dominique+
0 Comments

CLOSER THAN YOU THINK.

2/3/2021

0 Comments

 
Tomorrow, February 2, is the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple—as we call it in the Episcopal Church, an event that the Church, early in her pilgrimage (the early 400s, to be exact) realized it was important to celebrate. We are transferring this feast to Sunday, February 7, so to celebrate it together as community.

What is the importance of this event? It is another epiphany and thus God sharing again and more. Indeed, as Simeon, the “righteous and devout man” who comes to the temple, says as takes the child Jesus in his arms and praises God, “Master…my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:30-32)

This revelation, of course, extends to us. We Christians never simply recall past events. We celebrate God present, Jesus, Light of the world, in our midst, the Risen Lord alive, sharing Himself. We celebrate Jesus, as our second reading (Hebrews 2:14-18) says, who “because he himself was tested by what he suffered, is able to help those who are being tested.”

Jesus is more present than you realize, especially in your struggles. Jesus is with you in any and all suffering: in your aching body, in your frightened heart, in your lonely space, in the family tension, in the job search, in your struggles to pray. We indeed have every reason to hope.

Yours in the light of Christ,
The Rev. Dominique Peridans

fellow pligrim
0 Comments

    THE REV. DOMINIQUE PERIDANS

    Rector

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

✜ Contact ✜
Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes
1215 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Parish Office:
1219 Massachusetts Avenue, NW,
​Washington, DC 20005
(202) 347-8161
Email
​​✜ Social Media ✜
​Facebook
Twitter
YouTube

Newsletter
​

✜ Resources ✜
About Us
Directions
Giving

  • Welcome
    • Newcomers >
      • Letter to Inquirers
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • How to Find Us
    • Childcare
  • Who We Are
    • Our Beliefs >
      • Statements of Mission, Vision, Beliefs & Value
      • What is an Anglo-Catholic?
      • Apolitical or Supra Political?
    • Our History
    • Our Leadership >
      • Parish Staff
      • Vestry
  • Worship
    • About our Worship >
      • Attending Mass
      • Music
  • Formation
    • About Formation
    • Adult Formation >
      • Adult Theology Upcoming
      • Adult Theology Archive >
        • Knowing Christ
    • Sermons
  • Connect
    • Contact us
    • Rector's Weekly Letter
    • Pastoral Care >
      • Pastoral Offices >
        • Reconciliation (Confession)
      • Prayer Requests
    • Stewardship >
      • Stewardship Letter
      • Givelify Instructions
      • Planned Giving
      • Endowment Fund
  • Calendar
  • Baptism
  • Outreach
  • Feasibility Study