Last Tuesday we had yet another outstanding Lenten Series speaker. The Rev. Doris Westfall from St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Warson Woods came with a number of icons, and introduced us to Iconology. Did you know that icons are not painted but written? That there are specific items to be included in a particular Saint or Holy Person's icon? The Rev. Westfall brought mostly Orthodox icons, but some Russian icons  as well, to illustrate her talk. She was the recipient of a Sant Scholarship and and it appears to be money well spent.

More speakers to come! Our final Lenten Speaker scheduled for March 26 is the Rev. Canon Martin Draper, Holy Week Preacher, now retired and living in London. He has served in numerous positions in England and France. You can read more about him elsewhere in the e-letter.

CSL meets for lunch following Fr. Mike Wheeler's Bible Study at 11 AM. We encourage all women of the church to attend. In fact, men are welcome, too. Be brave. Join us! For more information, call Jane Cox at 636.394.3441.

The Rev. Canon Martin Draper
Father Martin Draper is a retired priest living in London. His early ministry was in the Diocese of London, where he served at St. Mary-the-Virgin, Primrose Hill, and St. Matthew's, Westminster. Later, he served in the Diocese of Europe, where he was the Chaplain of St. George's, Paris, for eighteen years and, until his retirement, Archdeacon of France. Father Draper now helps in a number of central London parishes, most especially St. James's, Paddington, and St. Marylebone Parish Church.

I shan't be taking a particular theme for Holy Week 2013. I have sometimes done so in the past, basing addresses on things like the 'Seven Words from the Cross' or taking a single Passion narrative and examining it in great detail. But this poses a problem of continuity for those members of the congregation who are unable to attend every single service at which the addresses are given.

In recognition of this, I have decided to present a general introduction to our celebration of the week on Palm Sunday and then to examine some of the biblical record of events in a little more detail on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings.

On Monday, I shall look at the Passion Narratives in general and on Tuesday, that of St. Luke (because it is the one we hear this year on Palm Sunday) in particular. On Wednesday, I shall try to answer the question 'What happened at the beginning of Holy Week?' in the light of the dramatic change in the turn of events between Our Lord's triumphal entrance into Jerusalem on the Sunday and his shameful exit from it just a few days later on Good Friday.

The liturgies at the end of the week are so densely packed with material that my addresses will simply pick one idea or theme appropriate to each of the days or liturgies we are celebrating.

Every one of the addresses will stand alone. You won't need to have heard any of the others to understand what I shall be talking about.