Welcome
Our current prophetic sign quotes from Matthew 25: “‘…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'”
A Pastoral Letter from Br. Dave
to Saint Michael and All Angels ChurchDear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The recently introduced practice of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement separating children from their families seeking asylum or immigration at the US-Mexico border has caused great shock and outrage among many Americans and others. Keeping children apart from their families in warehouse or camp accommodations, in cage-like structures, with insufficient care or oversight, and with no idea if or when they will ever see their families again, is a reprehensible act which will leave lifelong spiritual and psychological scars on these young people, who do not have any legal or moral responsibility for their presence at or within our borders. It is cruel, heartless, craven, and morally reprehensible. It is sin. Since it is perpetrated by the government of the United States, every US citizen participates indirectly in this act and we all bear a burden of national guilt.
As a religious leader and priest of the Church, I am glad to join Bishop of Arizona Kirk Smith, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Roman Catholic Bishop of Tucson Edward Weisenburger, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Southern Baptist Convention, Franklin Graham, and countless other religious leaders, both progressive and conservative, in condemning this atrocious policy.
In response to these condemnations, the Attorney General of the United States defended the practice, citing St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, which says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God.” (Romans 13:1) However, this skirts the issue. There is no question that our country can and should enforce its laws. But the issue is not whether the law should be enforced, but the particular choices made about the means used to enforce the law. As multiple news sources have confirmed, there is nothing in the US law which requires this forcible separation of children from their families. The Attorney General has also stepped into a long line of those who have used this passage to condone and support loyalism at the time of the American Revolution, slavery at the time of the Civil War, and segregation at the time of the Civil Rights Movement.
Furthermore, to understand a wholistic Biblical perspective, we cannot take this single verse by itself. This must be balanced with other provisions – including those within the very same Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans!
- Extend hospitality to strangers. (Romans 12:13)
- Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:10)
- You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien; for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 22:21)
- The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself. (Leviticus 19:33)
- Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow. (Jeremiah 22:3)
It is a profound moral burden that we all bear, living in a country where we have chosen leadership that refer to God’s children as people who “infest” our country, as if they are vermin or cockroaches. As Christians, we must not abide this dehumanizing of our neighbors. Immigration and border security are difficult and complicated issues, but there is nothing which requires this horrendous treatment of human beings made in God’s own image. Indeed there is no law or moral principle which allows it. It is only when we refuse to see our common humanity, and degrade our neighbors as subhuman animals, that this sort of atrocity can happen.
I urge you to respond to this situation in two ways. The first is to contact your Senators and your Representative, by phone, email, or letter, demanding a stop to this intolerable practice of separating families.
The second is to join in a Prayer Service for families being separated at the border. This service will be hosted by St. Philip’s in the Hills and Pima County Interfaith. St. Michael’s is a member church of PCI. The service will be offered at 4:00 PM this Saturday, June 23.
To Jesus Christ, who washed us in his own blood for the sins of the world, to him be glory, with God the Father of all humankind, and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.
David Benedict Hedges, n/BSG
Rector
Sunday Schedule
Click here for Sunday’s Lectionary readings.
St. Michael and All Angels has five services on Sunday, serving the needs of parishioners and visitors with several liturgies and styles of worship.
7:30 AM Morning Prayer 7:45 AM Mass with Homily
A simple mass for early risers9:00 AM Family Mass
Our Family Mass, led by Mother Clare Yarborough, has family-friendly music and contemporary retellings of the week’s Bible readings, often read and performed by young churchgoers.10:15 AM Solemn Mass with Sermon
This Anglo-Catholic liturgy includes the “bells and smells” – traditional hymns with our Parish Choir, accompanied on our Æolian-Skinner organ; incense, chanted prayers and traditional vestments. Click here for video from a recent mass (Feast of Corpus Christi).12:30 PM Mass in Spanish
Our Misa en Español is led by Father Jorge Sotelo.5:00 PM Mass with Homily
A simple mass in the late afternoonWeekday Services
See also the Google Calendar below.
Monday
7:30 AM – Morning Prayer
12:10 PM – Low Mass (Rite One)Tuesday
7:30 AM – Morning Prayer
8:10 AM – Lower School Mass (when school is in session)
6:45 PM – Taizé Meditation Service (first and third Tuesdays)Wednesday
7:30 AM – Morning Prayer
12:10 PM – Healing Mass with laying on of hands
6:00 PM – Evening PrayerThursday
7:30 AM – Morning Prayer
9:40 AM – Upper School Mass (when school is in session)Friday
7:30 AM – Morning Prayer
Saturday
8:30 AM – Morning Prayer
9:30 AM – Contemplative Prayer at the House of Prayer (north of church parking lot)Church Calendar
Newsletters and Announcements
News From St. Michael’s (biweekly)
The Messenger (quarterly newsletter)
The Messenger (Pentecost 2018)
The Messenger (Pentecost 2017 revised)
Family Ministry
Announcements
Where to Find Us
View Google Map
Church Office
(520) 886-7292The Rev. David Benedict Hedges, n/BSG, Rector
Hours by appointment – please call.
Julie Rogers, Parish Administrator
Church Office Hours:
Monday through Friday – 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM
Food Distribution Hours:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
St. Michael’s School Info:
Telephone: (520) 722-8478
Web: http://www.stmichael.net/
More info on our Contact Us page.
St. Michael and All Angels Online
