A Day of Joy

by The Reverend Beth Anne Nelson on September 28, 2022

TLDR: Come to St. Dunstan’s on October 2 for a day of joy.

Sunday, October 2, promises to be a full day. I recognize that the schedule is printed in many places, however, just to remind everyone:

Holy Eucharist Rite I at 7:45 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:00 a.m. with Bishop Fisher Celebrating (Baptisms!)
Formation at 10:10 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 11:00 a.m. with Bishop Fisher Celebrating (Confirmations!!)
Holy Eucharist in Spanish at 1:00 p.m. This is the first time having Eucharist at this service (Yay!!)
Blessing of the Animals at 4:00 p.m.

I am very excited about this day and hope you, your family, and your friends will join us for these celebrations. What I appreciate about the day is that we are taking St. Francis’ “unconquerable joy.”^[1] The early services contain the two primary sacraments of the church, Baptism and Eucharist. These are our primary sacraments, because they were specifically ordained by Christ;^[2] we see scriptures where Christ celebrated the Eucharist and he was baptized. We also have the blessing of witnessing a sacramental rite: Confirmation at the 11:00 a.m. where we welcome new adults into the Episcopal Church. They may have been a different denomination, or Episcopalians who were baptized but not yet Confirmed. As such, we celebrate our church family expanding. We also celebrate, because new members are willing to walk in the way of Christ.

It is appropriate to celebrate these sacraments on St. Francis day, as he truly embodied Christ’s life through poverty and joy despite suffering. When I was at Seminary of the Southwest, some Franciscans told me that they did not like the commercialization of St. Francis day, because it did not emphasize the Christian duty to which we are called. To me, the perfect way to celebrate is exactly as we are: by emphasizing the new road several of our members are taking in being baptized and confirmed. Then, later, we will have a St. Francis day liturgy.

The words we are praying during this last service come from The Book of Occasional Services. What I appreciated about this book was that it has a section about those who have lost a pet. We will take a moment to bless the picture of the pets that are no longer with us. This is important to the idea of the day, because it means we recognize the suffering and loss of this life, despite our many joys.

We will bless our pets, who are members of our family. We will be grateful for all of God’s creation and we will love each other. Yes, there is suffering in this world. There is also pain and hurt. There are times when we begin a new path, a confirmation, reaffirmation, or reception that brings joy and the unknown. There are also times of pure elation; we find those through our faith. In our world, it is our joy to lift each other up and celebrate. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

^[1] Lesser Feasts and Fasts. Church Publishing. P. 392

^[2] See the 39 articles of religion XXV on Sacraments

About the Author

The Reverend Beth Anne Nelson

The Rev. Beth Anne Nelson has been married to her husband, David (also a Priest in our Diocese,) for eleven years; they have two daughters, Grace and Faith. She is a Candidate for Holy Orders in the Diocese of Texas. Beth Anne has a Diploma in Anglican Studies from The Seminary of the Southwest and a Master of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary (2009). She was ordained to the Diaconate on June 26, 2021 and started her curacy at Saint Dunstan’s Episcopal Church on July 1. She enjoys spending time with family, jogging, cooking, and is an avid reader.

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