In this post, I will pass on an invaluable lesson that my Episcopal Priest shared in a Bible Study this week. In jest, he called the following his Cliff Notes Version of the Book of Common Prayer, and it is exactly that–and more An Online Version of The Book of Common Prayer: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/book-of-common-prayer-2006.pdf Where to Find…
Category: #Festivals & Holidays
Celebrating the Very Old Epicopalian Tradition of Rogation Sunday
ut Yesterday, my Episcopal Congregation traveled to a member’s farm to celebrate Rogation Sunday. Since the ceremony involved a blessing of the fields, I assumed that the definition of Rogation would involve a few words about agriculture. But the word “Rogation” is defined as a request. For over 1,000 years, the term “Rogation” has been…
How to Throw A Mexican Fiesta – Cinco de Mayo & Day of the Dead – Recipes, Crafts, Music, & Movies
Recipes for a Mexican Fiesta Recipe for Black Bean and Corn Salsa Recipe & Image Credit: Mom on Timeout Ingredients ½ cup diced red bell pepper ½ cup diced green bell pepper 1 jalapeno diced 3 green onions thinly sliced (tops and whites) 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed 1 cup corn fresh, frozen, or canned about 2 ears of fresh corn 3 tablespoons cilantro chopped 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lime…
The Tradition of Flowering the Cross at Easter
Image Credit:Wikipedia “Flowering the cross is a Western Christian tradition practiced at the arrival of Easter, in which worshippers place flowers on the bare wooden cross that was used in the Good Friday liturgy, in order to symbolize “the new life that emerges from Jesus’s death on Good Friday”.[1][2][3] The result is a flowered cross that is set near the chancel for Eastertide.[4][5] History “The Christian custom…
The Episcopal Calendar – The Feast Days & Seasons of the Episopal Year
AdventThe Episcopal Church Calendar Begins with Advent. “The first season of the church year, beginning with the fourth Sunday before Christmas and continuing through the day before Christmas. The name is derived from a Latin word for ‘coming.’The season is a time of preparation and expectation for the coming celebration of our Lord’s nativity, and…
A Virtual Tour of New Orleans & Pinpointing Where the Truck Plowed Down Bourbon Street on January 1, 2025
New Orleans is at the bottom-most part of the Mississippi River. I grew up north of New Orleans–in cotton country near that same river. Founded in 1718, New Orleans is an important cultural and historic destination that has become perhaps the greatest party spot in the USA. Sadly, a misguided truck driver tried to end…
Ancient Roman Festival Saturnalia and Its Influence on Modern Christmas
Christmas Was Originally a Pagan Holiday. “The Scriptures are wholly silent as to the date of Christ’s birth. The 25th of December, the winter solstice, was not fixed as Christmas until a long time after the New Testament period. But despite serious objections, historical and otherwise, that date triumphed.’ The Julian Calendar was used during…
November 1 Is My New Year: Time to Set New Resolutions – New Goals
For the past several days, I have been talking about how some of the ancient civilizations celebrated the New Year on November 1: I have decided to start my new year today, too. As of today, November 1, I have officially left the skeletons of my old self behind me, and I have resolved to…
November 1 – The Beginning of a New Year – Blessing of the Water
Yesterday was October 31, which–over time–has become the date of Halloween. Today is November 1, which–over time–has become [for Catholics and Christians] the date of All Saints Day. I have said this before, but again, I want to add that the Catholic Church and the Early Christians evoloved out of a Pagan Culture, and I…
To Everything, There Is A Season – A Fable – The Moral: Look for the Beauty of Every Time of Year
Nothing sings the song of autumn more eloquently than a sunflower withering on its stem. Mid-July I was at a nursery, purchasing a perennial that had been marked as a clearance item. Like the sunflower in the above photo, that Black-Eyed Susan [Rudbeckia] had passed its season, and it had withered almost to nothingness. When…