Category: Newsletter

In this week’s newsletter, Mother Liz continues our observance of the Season of Creation, reflecting on a daily devotional about the wood frog (see above): an unlikely creature whose resilience and joyful song evoke awe and wonder. Connecting this to the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin, she reminds us of God’s boundless love in seeking what is lost and rejoicing when it is found. As we consider endangered habitats and fragile ecosystems, we are called to cherish all creation, to restore what is broken, and to live gratefully as part of God’s ecological whole.

This week, the rector invites us into the Season of Creation (Sept. 1–Oct. 5), a time shared with Christians worldwide to honor our place in the larger community of Earth. With the theme “Peace With Creation,” we will bring concerns for climate, land, water, and all creatures into our liturgies and forums. Opportunities include joining SunDay events focused on clean energy, participating in Climate Week, and even helping at an art build here at Ascension. Mother Liz reminds us that care for Creation nourishes our spirits as well as the Earth itself.

This week, Fr. Ed reflects on the Letter to the Hebrews, written to a community under persecution and transformation nearly 2,000 years ago. Its call to mutual love, hospitality, and solidarity with the imprisoned and oppressed still speaks powerfully today. He draws connections between the struggles of early Christians and our own era—marked by injustice, displacement, and communal trauma—while celebrating the ways our parish lives out these universal values through advocacy, service, and welcome, joining in God’s work of transformation.

This week, Fr. Ed reflects on the gospel story of Jesus healing the woman “bent over and unable to stand up straight,” drawing a parallel to the weight of communal trauma many carry today. He reminds us that Jesus’ gift was not only physical but spiritual life — a love that continues to sustain and empower us. Fr. Ed invites us to recognize where we encounter that spirit of love in our own lives and to channel it into hope-filled action, standing up for those in need through prayer, advocacy, and compassion.

This week, Fr. Ed shares a personal and spiritual journey inspired by his late uncle, a monk who moved from Trappist life alongside Thomas Merton to decades of spiritual exploration in Asian ashrams. Reflecting on Letter to the Hebrews’ vision of a shared, unfinished perfection, Fr. Ed weaves together his own studies in Modern Buddhism, the practice of meditation, and the Christian call to universal compassion. He invites us to see how these traditions converge in cultivating inner peace and awakening the spirit to our deep, God-given connection with one another.

This week, Father Ed reflects on the surprising connection between our “peak superhero” cultural moment and the real-life heroism of Episcopalians advocating for justice. In response to recent detentions of immigrant parishioners in our diocese, he urges us not to be consumed by outrage, but to ground our actions in the love of Christ, allowing the gospel to transform our hearts. Celebrating the successful reunification of Yeonsoo Go with her mother, the Rev. Kyrie Kim, he reminds us that—together—we can act with courage, compassion, and even a bit of superhero spirit.

This week, the rector reflects on the beauty and mystery of prayer, inspired by Maren Tirabassi’s poetic reinterpretation of the Lord’s Prayer which begins: “Our Feather….” Rooted in a child’s imaginative mishearing, the poem invites us to explore new and tender ways of naming God, and to approach prayer with creativity, openness, and wonder. As Jesus reminded his disciples, sometimes the deepest truths are revealed to “the little ones.” How might you reimagine the language of prayer in your own life? Read on for inspiration, insight, and a blessing.

This week, Mother Liz invites us to reflect on prayer and courage as we prepare for Sunday’s forum discussion of Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s How We Learn to Be Brave. She shares a powerful excerpt from Bishop Budde’s writing on prayer — not just as a plea for help, but as a declaration of presence and purpose. In a time of challenge and uncertainty, we are reminded that we are called to show up, stay grounded in God’s love, and offer what we have for the good of others. Join us for this timely and hopeful conversation.

This week, the rector shares a deeply personal reflection inspired by the late poet Andrea Gibson, whose life and words celebrated presence, vulnerability, and love in all its fullness. In a month marked by personal loss and public tragedy, she invites us into a space of tender reflection — honoring the fragility and wonder of life, and choosing to keep loving the world even amid sorrow. In gratitude, grief, and hope, she reminds us to keep stretching our hearts.

This week, Mother Liz reflects on an evening walk in Washington Square Park, where the surprise appearance of fireflies stirred memories of childhood wonder and offered a flicker of hope amid difficult times. As she invites us to notice and cherish these fleeting gifts of the natural world, she names them as “beauty medicine” — small signs of resilience and joy that can nourish our hearts. In a world marked by sorrow and injustice, she asks: how are you finding wonder, beauty, and healing this summer?