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I am delighted to promote the studios of Details in Design of Williamsburg, Virginia. After so many years of depending upon Mary Moore linens through the Almy company, I believe the quality of the linens of Details in Design is superior, and the service is spectacular. Not only can linen be ordered by the yard in Belgian or fine Irish linen, but the studio offers restoration and repair for old fair linens, workshops, needlework classes, and many other wonderful services for church altar guilds. You will enjoy exploring their website at www.communionlinens.com Please call for additional workshops not listed on the card above at 1-800-905-9556 Their catalogue is a MUST HAVE for every sacristy and features useful laundry tips and linen history.
The early fog and mist gave way to a beautiful morning of sunshine as Altar Guild members from around the state gathered at the Cathedral of St. John for a 9 a.m. Eucharist. The Bishop was celebrant and many received their service pins. Our Bishop received an official Altar Guild pin as well! After the service there was a tea in Synod Hall followed by guest speaker Provincial Directress Nancy Feid of North Attelboro, Massachusetts who gave an oft-times humorous look at her many years of experience serving in many capacities of altar guild service. We learned about new sources for small linens, the work of the National Guild, and many other available resources. Her table of printed handouts was a popular spot as was the book sale table from Morehouse Publishing.
Afterwards, we were treated to a delightful and informative tour of the cathedral and its history and architecture, by Dean Krauss, and a sacristy visit to examine the vestments and storage techniques. Items from the Cathedral and his personal collection were on display for us to see and study.
If you missed this year’s annual meeting, please try to be with us next year! It was wonderful to meet old friends and some new faces. Approximately 50 attended the meeting. Special thanks to the Altar Guild and ECW of the cathedral, Arline Walker, Winston Lima, Miss Tinker, and the cathedral staff who helped make today possible. Please send your photos from today to share!
Email and questions are still coming in for our Altar Guild Gathering on Saturday, the 28th. If you are planning to have members receive their pins during the service, please come to the Cathedral early with your pins and give them to me at the back of the nave by 8:45 so they may be placed on the altar for the blessing and distribution.
Each church will be called up to the foot of the altar to receive their pin from the Dean and Bishop.
What to wear? Well, many but not all guilds wear a simple dark skirt and blazer with a white blouse and small cross when they assemble as a guild in public. You may wish to do this if it is you custom, otherwise, whatever you usually wear on Sunday morning to church will be fine!
Who is hosting the coffee hour? The members of the Cathedral Altar Guild and ECW.
Speakers: Mrs. Nancy Feid, Provincial Directress, Mr. Robert Egan,
Special tour of the cathedral and sacristy after the presentation will be given by The Very Rev. Harry E. Krauss- a tour which is NOT to be missed!
If your entire guild or directress cannot attend, think about sending one member to report on the event to your guild at its next meeting.
A Morehouse Publishing book and supply table will be set up at the coffee hour. Checks will be the preferred method of payment.
A selection of items for relocation (tippets, stoles, frontals, etc.) will be available for your inspection to be relocated to another Rhode Island altar. Please know your altar measurements if you are looking for a frontlet or frontal.
Responding to date for the Annual Altar Guild Gathering at St. John’s Cathedral, Providence on March 28th:
St. Barnabas
St. Mary’s
St. John’s Newport
Epiphany East Providence
All Saints Pontiac
St. Augustine’s
Emmanuel, Cumberland
St. David’s-on-the-Hill
St. Paul’s Pawtucket, Grace Church, Providence, St. Elizabeth’s Canochet, Cathedral of St. John’s.
Please send an email to Revdma@aol.com this weekend with your church name and number of ladies attending. If you have members receiving pins, please indicate the number and bring your pins to the 9 a.m. Eucharist. See you all in two weeks!
All parish altar guilds were sent invitations inviting their directors and members to attend the altar guild gathering on March 28th at the cathedral. Some guilds have sent in their responses. Please let me know the number coming from your parish so we may plan on coffee hour. If new members will be receiving their pins, please bring them with you to the service for the investiture by parish. Contact me at revdma@aol.com or by phone at 860-599-8484.
The following invitation for the March 28th altar guild gathering will be sent out to all Episcopal churches this weekend.
Here is an hilarious poem I came across on a UK website about a church needlewoman with problems! Free patterns at the link below in red.
An embroiderer’s lament
The fringe on my frontal looks frightful,
The bulge in the burse is much worse,
The tunicle’s less than delightful,
And the vicar’s becoming quite terse.
He tripped on the verge of a vestment,
And strangled himself with the stole
And, somehow, the size of his chest meant
My bold cope had no hope at all.
The alb and the orphrey are awful
My motif misfires on the morse,
The tassels are tatty – a drawerful
Had tarnished and look very coarse.
The maniple lining is sagging,
The veil for the chalice too small,
The dalmatic’s dramatic but dragging
And I don’t like the kneelers at all.
I cannot be ready by Advent
It’s all such a terrible strain
But unclerical things that were said meant
(Thank God) they’ll not ask me again.
On March 28th, the last Saturday in March, altar guild members, sacristans and parish directresses are invited to attend a morning at the Cathedral of St. John in Providence which will be devoted to the ministry of altar workers in our diocese. We will begin with a Eucharist at 9 a.m., with our bishop as celebrant. After coffee hour, we will be welcoming several speakers discussing topics of interest to altar guild workers, as well as enjoying a time to get to meet each other. If there is a specific topic you might wish addressed, please contact me at Revdma@aol.com If you have probationers in your guild who will be receiving their altar guild pin, please let me know if you would like this presentation included in the programming for the morning. Bulk mailing invitations and details will be going out after Christmas, but do reserve this 3 hours in Lent to come together with all of us for the first time in a very long time.
As the rain came down in torrents outside, the guild hall of the Church of the Epiphany was cozy and warm as altar guild members from eight area churches gathered for a Christmas decorating workshop. After discussing flower budgets, what materials are legal to use according to R.I. guidelines, and ideas for decorations, there was a slide presentation on what to avoid in decorating sacred spaces. A flower -arranging demonstration featuring designs for nave window baskets and embellishing a candle using a jello mold ring as a mechanic for holding floral foam followed an enjoyable refreshment interlude. The three-hour workshop concluded with a tour of the sanctuary and new sacristy, where we learned a great trick for stole storage in the form of a Shaker-style peg rack. No folds and creases!
We also delighted in inspecting the new storage units which were recently installed for hanging storage, and drawers for parament storage. Perhaps one of the best tips we gathered was the use of plexiglass inserts into the bottom of candlestick cups which prevent the dripping of hot wax into the bottom of the cup. The insert is somewhat like a bobeche which fits around the candle base and effectively protects the deep cup from becoming filled with wax. Great idea! (see photo below).
My thanks to Susan Bergstrand, the Rev’d Jennifer L. Pedrick, and the ladies of Epiphany’s altar guild for providing a delightful venue for our workshop. Agendas and notes from the morning will be posted here later for those who could not attend. Special thanks also for the tour of the church-what a joy to see such a perfectly organized and meticulously-kept sacristy!
Visit the Church of the Epiphany web site at http://www.smgchurch.org/index.html
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