On Sunday, January 5, the 9 and 11:15 a.m. services will include instrumental First Sunday Music, featuring the Arizona Brass Quintet, consisting of Jason Carder and Betsy Bright, trumpet, Greg Helseth, horn, Moisés Paiewonsky, trombone, and David Morgan, tuba.

In keeping with our custom of highlighting a specific field of work on the first Sunday of January, we will honor those doing God's work in the world while working in the legal profession. The liturgy will celebrate a tradition with a long history associated with the Anglo-American legal system and the Anglican church, called the "Red Mass." The preacher at 9 a.m. will be prosecuting attorney John Evans, and the preacher at 11:15 a.m. will be the Hon. Jean Cooper, a retired federal judge. The lay readers at 9 a.m. will be the Hon. Ted B. Borek, a trial judge, Arizona Superior Court in Pima County, and Page Chancellor Marks, Management Attorney, Goldberg & Osborne. The Deacon will be the Rev. Ralph Taylor, former Sheriff's Deputy and Sergeant, then former Police Officer and Detective who worked in burglary, auto theft, adult sex crimes, and homicide. The Sub-Deacon will be the Hon. Viginia Wolfe, former Circuit Court Judge for the State of Wisconsin who still serves as a Reserve Circuit Court Judge. At 11:15 a.m. the lay readers will be Richard Duffield, lawyer and St. Philip's Chancellor, and attorney Amy Fairchild Haer. The Deacon will be the Rev. Leah Sandwell-Weiss, former active-duty judge advocate (attorney) in the United States Air Force, and a law librarian at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.

All those who serve in the legal field in any aspect will be invited to stand for special prayers. Please invite your friends and associates.

On Sunday, January 5, there will be an Epiphany Party for children and families in the Music Center, beginning at 11:15. It will include a potluck lunch, games & activities for children, a piñata, and, of course, a king's cake.

On Monday, January 6, we will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany with a Eucharist at 7 p.m. in the Church. This service is a celebratory close to the Christmas season as we remember the visit of the Magi. The Rev. Canon John E. Kitagawa will preach.



On Wednesday, January 8, there will be a special interfaith service at 7 p.m. in the Music Center. The service will include prayers and readings from a variety of faiths and cultures, augmented with musical meditations. This will not only mark the third anniversary of the Tucson shooting, but also help all of us impacted by traumatic gun violence to move to hope and action. Patricia Maisch will be the preacher. On January 8, 2011, she was attending Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' Congress on Your Corner event at the Safeway, where she grabbed a fresh clip away from the shooter as he attempted to reload. As a result of the shooting, she has become an advocate for keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people. The service is being sponsored by St. Philip's Committee for the Prevention of Gun Violence. The mission of the committee is to bring people of differing ideas together to explore our thoughts in the hopes that we can bridge our differences. All in the Tucson community are invited to attend.

Friends of Music will present Gian Carlo Menotti's beloved opera Amahl and the Night Visitors on Saturday, January 11, at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Amahl is a one-act opera which runs approximately 45 minutes. This production will involve staging, full costumes, a singing and dancing cast of about 25 persons, as well as an orchestra of about 20 local professionals.

The opera is offered in part as an outreach ministry to provide cultural enrichment to low-income children and their families. Students at Holaway and Rio Vista Elementary Schools and Imago Dei Middle School, their families, and their teachers will be invited to attend the final dress rehearsal free of charge. To encourage wider Tucson community accessibility, admission on Saturday will be by freewill donations. A donation of $20 at the door is suggested for those able to help defray performance costs.

As for almost any premier production, door admissions will cover only a fraction of the total production expense. Your financial support for the largest-scale event that Friends of Music has ever offered will be greatly appreciated at any level of contribution. Sponsors will be recognized in the concert program. Assistance is truly needed at all levels of affordability.

For more information, please visit the Friends of Music web site.

Transformation is the key word for us in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium these days. Just as the seasons in the natural world are changing, so are the seasons in the church. The green on our prayer tables and in the chasubles worn by the priests at Eucharist change to a beautiful blue as we turn our attention in Advent to pondering the birth of a very special baby boy, born in Bethlehem so long ago and yet ever present in our lives today. Read more.
Faith Chapter of the Order of the Daughters of the King hosted a Quiet Day on Saturday, November 2. It was a wonderful day of inspiration and renewal. Read more.


Check out other stories of mission and ministry at our electronic publication, "Good News from St. Philip's"