Q: What is All Saints Day?
A: This Sunday we celebrate All Saints Day, one of the seven great feasts of the church. As Laurie+ wrote for the inside of this Sunday’s bulletin:
The New Testament uses the word “saint” to describe the entire membership of the Christian community. Therefore, today we celebrate not only people of heroic sanctity, like Sts. Francis and Clare, but all those baptized in the name of the Trinity. We remember particularly those who died before us, but who are still united to us in this communion of saints. We will open our liturgy remembering them.
On this feast day that recalls our unity with one another, we celebrate and welcome parishioners who are new to St. Francis’, celebrating their unity with us!
Our All Saint’s Day Liturgy includes an altar of remembrance for anyone who has passed away, as well as the reading of the names of those who have died in the last 12 months. Our 10:30am service will begin in the Memorial Garden and include a procession back to the sanctuary.
Those attending may notice that the Memorial Garden has two new recently-donated benches, which were assembled and placed by parishioner volunteers as part of last Sunday’s grounds work day. We have just ordered a sign to commemorate the tribute gift of these benches which will read, “Benches in memory of Joseph Niemann, beloved husband, father, and friend, August 1945-March 2023.” Joseph Niemann was Laurie+’s father.
We will also soon place a plaque to commemorate our still-new sidewalk that leads to the Memorial Garden, making a safe and accessible way to move between our campus’s two worship spaces–the Memorial Garden outside and the sanctuary inside. That plaque will read: “This walkway in memory of Jack & Ann Doerr and Kathleen McDonald. To the glory of God by the people of St. Francis. Dedicated August 2023.”
A third plaque will identify the birch trees planted nearby: “These birch trees planted in memory of those who lost their lives in the COVID-19 pandemic. June 2021.”