The Rt. Rev. Kirk Stevan Smith, Bishop of Arizona, issued a pastoral letter yesterday. It begins:

Dear People of God,
At our recent House of Bishops meeting at Camp Allen in Texas, I joined with my colleagues in issuing a letter addressing the climate of violent political rhetoric we are facing in our country today, especially in the current Presidential campaign. (Click here to read the letter in its entirety.)

Our own Dr. Jeffrey Campbell, Associate Music Director and Organist, will be performing a Lenten Noon-hour Organ Recital at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Phoenix on Friday, March 18, at 12:15 p.m. Music of César Franck and Charles-Marie Widor will be featured. Free-will offering. If you are in the area, you are most welcome to join us for this musical offering at the Cathedral!

In a joyous celebration of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, St. Philip's parishioners will gather at the central fountain at St. Philip's Plaza (across the street) at 8:30 a.m. on Palm Sunday, March 20. After the Liturgy of the Palms, we will recreate the excitement of that first Palm Sunday procession as we cross River Road to the Church. Other services will take place at their regular times. All will include the Liturgy of the Palms.



At the Liturgy of the Palms:
Luke 19: 28-40
Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29

At the Liturgy of the Word
Isaiah 50: 4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2: 5-11
Luke 23: 1-49

Please join us beginning at 4 p.m. with a brief organ recital given by David Gay of Tucson. At 4:30, the Solemn Choral Evensong will feature the Schola Cantorum and St. Nicholas Choir. This candlelit service provides the ideal centering experience of peace and calm to lead you into the Sunday evening before a busy week. Incense will be used. A reception follows the service.

9:00 a.m.: The Christian Scriptures--La Paz
The New Testament: A series of video lectures by Bart Ehrman, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, followed by discussion of the lecture. Topic for March 20: "John-Jesus the Man from Heaven." (we will not meet on Sunday, March 27.) 

10:15 a.m.: The Parables--La Paz
Canon Ted Holt presents a two-part series on parables Jesus used to reveal the nature and presence of the Kingdom of Heaven. The March 20 presentation will include Jesus' parables of The Royal Wedding and The Faithful and Wise Servant.

10:15 a.m.: Dante From the Enlightenment to the Romantics--East Gallery
Falling from Light into Darkness--The appeal of the Romantic to Visual Artists in Dante's Inferno. Examining artists such as the tormented Spaniard, Goya, the English Romantic, William Blake to the French 19th-century Academicians, Delacroix to Doré, this lecture looks at the influence of Dante on visual artists four centuries after the initial presentation of the Inferno. What did these celebrated artists find in this ancient Italian poem that appealed to their burgeoning romantic aesthetic sensibilities?  What did they find in its words that made it such a powerful reflection of the tumultuous 19th Century? Dr. Kevin Lane Justus, presenting.

The All-Night Reading of Dante's Inferno is beginning its production week. Thank you to all who are participating in our All-Night Reading of Dante's Inferno on Maundy Thursday evening (March 24) into Good Friday. We are offering an opportunity for readers, musicians, and hosts to gather for an hour of practice, run through and Q&As about this event this Sunday, March 20, from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Church. This time will be especially helpful to you if you have not participated in our All-Night Reading in past years. Because we have had difficulty finding hosts this year, there has been some slight modifications to the instructions for readers. We encourage you to come for a quick review and a small reception afterwards in the West Gallery. If you are providing music this year and would like to see the space and get a feeling for the event, we encourage you to stop by. Thank you all for participating in this unique and inspiring event.