In this week’s newsletter, Mother Liz addresses the federal shutdown’s immediate harm: the halt of SNAP benefits, leaving 1.7 million New Yorkers — 39% of them children — without food assistance. She outlines Ascension’s response alongside diocesan partners: scaling up pantry support, offering emergency food bags (for those with and without kitchen access), and providing grocery gift cards as funds allow. Parishioners are invited to donate to the Rector’s Discretionary Fund and bring nonperishables; advocacy for reinstating benefits is underway. As we observe All Saints Day, we’re called to meet Christ in the hungry and respond with mercy and justice.

This week, the rector reflects on the power and purpose of The Prayers of the People, a vital expression of our shared faith and compassion. Through these prayers, we lift up the needs of our world — those who are ill, grieving, or oppressed — and give thanks for the blessings that sustain us. She shares two urgent petitions from the wider church: for Ali Faqirzada, an asylum seeker detained by ICE, and Layan Nasir, a Palestinian Christian held without charge. Mother Liz invites us to persist in prayer for justice and to practice gratitude that strengthens and unites our community.

In this week’s newsletter, Mother Liz looks at the courage of prophetic voices, inspired by Jeremiah’s scroll being destroyed by King Jehoiakim and rewritten in defiance. She draws a parallel to our own time, lifting up the quiet but powerful witness of librarians standing against book bans and censorship that target stories about LGBTQ+ lives, race, and justice. Like Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch, they persist in speaking truth and protecting the right to read — often at personal risk. Mother Liz invites us to honor their courage and consider how we too might stand for integrity and our most vulnerable neighbors.

This week, the rector reflects on the story of the ten lepers, only one of whom returns to thank Jesus after being healed. She explores the connection between faith, gratitude, and true healing — not just physical restoration but the deep awareness of belonging and abundance. Quoting Robin Wall Kimmerer, she reminds us that gratitude binds us in relationship with God, one another, and all creation. In a world marked by fear and division, practicing gratitude becomes both healing and holy work. How will you say “thank you” today?

This week, Mother Liz invites us to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis with the Blessing of the Animals following the 11 am service on Sunday. All creatures are welcome — whether in person, through photos, or even in beloved stuffed form — as we give thanks for their companionship, joy, and mystery. In blessing them, we recognize their place in God’s creation, their role in awakening our compassion and wonder, and our kinship with them as fellow creatures. May we cherish and protect them, and remember that we too are animals, blessed to be a blessing.