Don’t miss this Sunday’s musical celebration for Advent in the Chapel of The Presbyterian Church in Morristown (December 18 at 4 p.m.). Directed by Dr. Charity Wicks, the Chancel Choir will perform A Spotless Rose, a Vespers service in adoration of the Virgin Mary. This evening prayer service devoted to the mother of Jesus will include music by English and American composers Herbert Howells, Benjamin Britten, William Billings and John Leavitt amongst others, performed by soloists, choir, harp, cellos, flutes and organ. The afternoon will include settings of the ethereal O Magnum Mysterium text by two 16^th-century Spanish composers, Tomás Luis de Victoria and Cristobal Morales, presented by a vocal quartet and The Recorder Consort, as well as settings of the beautiful hymn-tune, Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming presented in various forms and styles. The event is free and open to the public.

 

New book tells the story of Morristown’s Assumption Church

By Marie Pfeifer

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrating its 150th anniversary in Morristown. Robert and Jeannette Fredericks have chronicled the evolution of the town’s first Catholic church from a small wooden structure to the beautiful Gothic-style Revival building we know today in We Built a Family Together: The History of the Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A prior history, The Story of a Parish, 1847-1892, was published in 1892 by former pastor Rev. Joseph M. Flynn.

The new book includes not only the history of the Church, but also the parish schools, Holy Rood Cemetery, convents, the ministry center and rectories, along with a comprehensive guide to the Church’s art (statuary and sculptures), stained glass windows and a section on parishioners’ reminiscences.

The 155-page hardcover book is lavishly illustrated with archival images and new photographs by parishioner Sergio Burani.

Photos copyright © Sergio Burani – Photos by Sergio. Please click icon below for captions.

The authors, long time parishioners, undertook the writing of the book because of their love of the parish. It was, they felt, a story that needed to be told.

Robert is past president of both the Morris County Historical Society and the Washington Association of New Jersey. He’s also honorary historian for Morris Township.

“Assumption Church has made many significant contributions to the community and we wanted to point that out to the reader,” he said. “Assumption was the first Roman Catholic Church in the area; in 1850 they were the first to provide education for children; All Souls Hospital was in existence before any other area hospital.”

The book is available online for a minimum donation of $16 until Dec. 31, 2011; after that date the requested donation is $25. Pre-ordered copies can be picked up at the parish office or shipped for an additional $5.

One block from the Green, Morristown’s Church of the Redeemer is going green

The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, one block from the historic Morristown Green, has decided to go green.

For the next two years, the church will seek certification from GreenFaith, a national interfaith environmental organization based in Highland Park.

“What I love about this program is its comprehensiveness. It’s not just about recycling or using compact-fluorescent light bulbs– this is about taking our commitment to ‘do justice’ seriously, as Redeemer has done so well throughout its history,” said Redeemer’s rector, the Rev. Cynthia Black, in a statement.

The focus will be inward and outward, addressing the church’s use of energy while also supporting local environmental leaders and working to help the poor who often are most affected by pollution, according to the church.

Green Faith, established in 1992, has promoted sustainable practices within the faith community, helping the Sun Farm Network install 25 solar arrays at 25 religious institutions across the state. More details follow:

FROM CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER:

Church near the Green goes green

Church of the Redeemer, located on South Street just one block away from the historic Green in Morristown, NJ, is launching a major environmental initiative to “Go Green” by participating in a rigorous two-year environmental certification program sponsored by GreenFaith, a national interfaith environmental organization (www.greenfaith.org).

The Rev. Cynthia L. Black, Rector of Redeemer, will publicly announce the church’s participation in the GreenFaith program on December 11 in a brief ceremony on the church’s front lawn. As a visual symbol of the church’s environmental commitment, the youth group has constructed an 8-foot lighted peace symbol from recycled plastics collected from parishioners and the local community. Paul Miller, Morristown’s Sustainability Director, will be on hand to wish the church well in its initiative.

The GreenFaith Certification Program is the first environmental leadership program of its kind in the country designed exclusively for religious institutions. To become certified as a “Green Sanctuary,” Church of the Redeemer will address environmental issues and take action holistically both within its walls and by reaching out into the community.

 

Looking inward, the church will conduct eco-themed worship services and offer adult and youth religious education about the environment, as well as multi-generational programs designed to enhance members’ spiritual connection to the earth. It will also implement a rigorous set of environmental stewardship measures aimed at improving the church’s use of and relationship to food, water, energy, transportation, waste, toxics and grounds maintenance.

Focusing on the community, the church will seek to develop working relationships with area environmental justice leaders, aiding their ongoing efforts to improve the plight of poor communities that often absorb the brunt of local environmental degradation in the form of toxic waste dumps and incinerators located in their vicinity. Redeemer will also actively engage in legislative advocacy efforts to promote responsible and meaningful environmental legislation. Church members also plan to reach out to other local religious and community organizations to jointly plan sustainability initiatives.

Rev. Black comments, “What I love about this program is its comprehensiveness. It’s not just about recycling or using compact-fluorescent light bulbs– this is about taking our commitment to “do justice” seriously, as Redeemer has done so well throughout its history.”

The Church of the Redeemer, located at 36 South Street, Morristown, is a Christian liberation community in the Episcopal tradition, serving the people of Morristown and beyond for more than 150 years. Sunday services are at 8:00 (prayer book) and 10:30 am (inclusive language). As part of its practice of radical hospitality, the church provides space to the Community Soup Kitchen of Morristown, the Eric Johnson House (part of NJ AIDS Services), a number of 12 step groups, and Empty Bowl Zendo. To learn more, please visit: www.redeemermorristown.org

Leading Holocaust Educator Sister Gemma Del Duca Speaks at the College of Saint Elizabeth, November 16, 2011

Internationally known Holocaust educator Sister Gemma Del Duca, S.C., leads an interfaith dialogue entitled, Teaching Catholics about the Holocaust, Wednesday, November 16, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., in Dolan Performance Hall, College of Saint Elizabeth, 2 Convent Road, Morristown, N.J. The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the CSE Holocaust Education Resource Center.
Well Respected Leader in Holocaust Education Addresses College Audience
Sr. Gemma is the founder and co-director of Seton Hill University’s National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education, Greensburg, Pa., and she is also the former chair of the history department at the university.
Sr. Gemma lives in Israel since 1975, and has led seminars at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem for more than 20 years as an educator at the international School of Holocaust Education. Her association with Yad Vashem began in 1987 when she approached the administrators with her idea to host seminars for Catholic educators in response to Pope John Paul II’s call to recognize the significance of the Holocaust. The seminars are intended for groups of Catholic educators and clergy, primarily from the United States. According to Yad Vashem’s records, hundreds of educators have taken part in the seminars. Her presence as lecturer and coordinator of the program is one of its most important components, according to Ephraim Kaye, who works with international educators at Yad Vashem.
“(Sr.) Gemma is the person who opened the door here to bringing Catholic educators to Yad Vashem,” said Kaye, “They have been a real dedicated and determined group of people who take back what they have learned here. We have (Sr.) Gemma to thank for that. It is really not to be taken for granted.”
In 2007, Yad Vashem honored Sr. Gemma with the Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education.
She is the first non-Jewish and non-Israeli recipient.
Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, New Jersey, the College of Saint Elizabeth enrolls more than 2,100 full- and part-time students in more than 25 undergraduate, 10 graduate and one doctoral degree programs. For information on other activities or programs, visit the College of Saint Elizabeth web site at www.cse.edu.

Video: Morristown’s steeple rescue, no fear of heights here

Here is video of Thursday’s steeple rescue at the Morristown United Methodist Church.

READ MORE ABOUT THE STEEPLE RESCUE

A consecration to remember: St. Peter’s in Morristown, one century ago

Note: St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown will mark the centennial of the building’s consecration with a 7 o’clock service tonight, Nov. 2, officiated by the Right Rev. Mark Beckwith, Bishop of Newark. A musical celebration is scheduled for 4 pm on Sunday, Nov. 6, followed by a reception in the Great Hall. The Rev. Canon James Elliott Lindsley, who wrote a history of St. Peter’s in 1951, plans to attend.

By Bruce Rand

On Thursday, Nov. 2, 1911, President William Howard Taft received a 3,690-gun salute as he reviewed most of the U.S. Navy fleet.

People were still talking about the World Series that ended the Thursday before, won by the Philadelphia A’s over the New York Giants in front of 20,485 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Frank Baker became known as “Home Run Baker” for his two home runs in that Series.

In New York, people were looking forward to the opening of Vera Violetta at the Winter Garden Theatre with Al Jolson in the cast along with a buxom 18-year old named Mae West.

The Life Magazine issue for Nov. 2 had a full-page ad for Packard Motor Cars, which cost $3,200. That was an expensive car to buy – even a Cadillac cost $1,600! Not many people could afford such luxury, since the average annual income was $983. A loaf of bread cost 5 cents, a quart of milk cost 8 cents, and a pound of steak cost 20 cents.

Please click icon below for captions

In Morristown, South Street was a dirt road. The Library and Lyceum on South Street near the Green was still an entertainment center, with the Friday Evening Club having drawn the great entertainers of the day to Morristown over the years, people like violinist Fritz Kreisler and the actress and singer Lillian Russell. Even Mark Twain had been in town to visit the political cartoonist Thomas Nast.

At the Robert D. Foote estate on James Street, 500 people gathered for a breakfast prior to the Consecration Service at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at the corner of South Street and Boyken Street (now Miller Road), marking the completion of its construction after more than 24 years. This was the second church built on the same site, the first having been built a year after the church’s incorporation in 1827.

At St. Peter’s, a choir of trombones and trumpets was getting ready for the start of the Consecration Service at 10 a.m. The church was filled, with 63 clergy in attendance. The Rev. Wynant Vanderpool, a parishioner, was there. He had worked so tirelessly with the architect, Charles McKim, to envision what St. Peter’s would look like.

And Alfred Mills was there. The former mayor of Morristown was 84 years old, having served St. Peter’s as a warden since 1866. At a service the evening before, the Rector, Philemon Sturges, said of Mills: “His record of devoted service is, I believe, without parallel in the history of this parish or the American Church, and his labor for this parish he loves has been unique, not only in its long number of years, but in the value of the wisdom, the conservative judgment and single-hearted devotion which he has without rest bestowed upon the work of St. Peter’s Church.”

From the Tower Gallery, we hear the sounds of that trombone and trumpet choir. The service is about to begin…

Bruce Rand is co-warden of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown.

READ MORE ABOUT ST. PETER’S

Healing Touch Therapy

On Sunday Morning, October 30 at 9:15, the Presbyterian Church in Morristown will be hosting a seminar on Healing Touch Therapy with speaker Carole Reifsnyder RN, NHB-BC. Carole is a Board Certified Holistic Nurse and Integrative Medicine Coordinator for Atlantic Health System. She offers Holistic Health Assessments, Healing Touch, Jin Shin Jyutsu and Guided Imagery at Atlantic Healthy Lifestyles Center located at Morristown Medical Center. Carole also coordinates the bedside energy therapy program for inpatients at Morristown Medical Center.

“Laying on of hands” is and ancient spiritual tradition which in Christian churches has been used at both a symbolic and formal method of invoking the Holy Spirit for healing purposes. Healing Touch is an energy therapy methodology using gentle touch to assist with balancing physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being. Studies have show that people who received Healing Touch in conjunction with other forms of treatment report a sense of inner peace that enhances their sense of spiritual connection. Research has further shown that these techniques can help with pain and stress, lower blood pressure, improve heart rhythms and help one’s mental attitude.

Join us at the Parish House (65 South Street, Morristown) this Sunday morning to learn about this relaxing, nurturing energy therapy and experience a Healing Touch self-help technique for daily use.

Retired Ugandan bishop tells Morristown congregation how he risked all for gay rights

By Marie Pfeifer

Retired Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, who has risked his own life and that of his family as an advocate for gay-, lesbian- and transgender rights, shared his experiences and beliefs at the Adult Forum at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Morristown on Sunday.

In 2007, Senyonjo was relieved of his duties as a bishop in Uganda. “They never formally put me out of the church, but simply took away my duties,” he said.

 “Prejudice and homophobia drive drastic measures such as the current laws on homosexuality in Uganda carrying sentences of up to 14 years in prison,” he told the group. In October 2009, a controversial bill was proposed to the Ugandan Parliament that called for broadening the criminalization of homosexuality in the East African country and introducing the death penalty in some cases.

The bill has been temporarily withdrawn, but it is expected to be reintroduced, Senyonjo said.

Currently, more than 80 countries criminalize homosexuality, he said. “They believe it is a crime against God and nature. Their ignorance prevents much needed educational programs that would aid in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS.”

The way to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS, he said, is by decriminalizing “something that people cannot change about themselves, thereby opening the door to education about the spread of HIV/AIDS.”

 Redeemer was the last stop on Senyonjo’s latest tour spreading the word and seeking funds to continue his counseling in Uganda of marginalized people. Senyonjo councils not only the gay, lesbian, transgender community but people with addictions, single mothers and HIV/AIDS workers because, he said, he believes God loves everyone. He sees too many young people leaving the church because of discrimination over who they are, he said.

Senyonjo has been able to keep his Kampala-based St. Paul’s Centre for Equality and Reconciliation in Uganda open because of the benevolence of people like the Rev. Cynthia Black, Redeemer rector, and the parishioners at Redeemer, who provided $100 a month for a year to pay the rent, and performer Elton John, who gave a grant for two years for an HIV/AIDS program.

 Black asked Mary, the bishop’s wife, “How are you able to continue this work?”

Mary responded: “God called Christopher to do this work, and I believe in God. I did not want to be a stumbling block in Christopher’s life.”

 It will take some time for change to occur, Bishop Senyonjo said. “When my church evicted me, I did not feel evicted by God. God loves everyone. There are still many spiritual people.”

 “The bishop has a fair amount of support from the bishops in the U.S.,” Black said. “John Cane, bishop in Washington, D.C., raised $11,000 to replace Christopher’s failing car with a new used car. My dream is to help raise money for a library in his counseling center.”

Mary and Christopher Senyonjo are the parents of 10 children and grandparents of eight. Christopher served as a bishop for 24 years and has been  counseling people for 10 years. The couple plans plan to return to Uganda and continue to follow Christopher’s calling, counseling people in need and fighting discrimination of marginalized people.

 

Presbyterian Church in Morristown Welcomes Charity Wicks as its Interim Music Director

The Presbyterian Church in Morristown will now be featuring regular features highlighting its members and staff in its blog here on morristowngreen.com

Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Psalms 150:2-6

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to our new Interim Music Director, Charity Wicks. We are so lucky to have Charity as a part of the Church community!

Charity holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Temple University, a Master of Music degree in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music from Temple University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Instrumental Accompanying from the Manhattan School of Music.

Charity has considerable experience as the director of music ministries at a number of churches in the Northeast and as a conductor, music director and rehearsal pianist on Broadway, with such credits as Spring Awakening and In the Heights, along with numerous operas. In addition to bringing strong professional credentials to the job, she also brings a natural exuberance that makes her a pleasure to work with and will bring new vitality to our already thriving music program.

Charity is assuming the responsibilities for directing the adult choirs, and she will be the church organist and pianist. We are excited for the vision Charity has for the music program, both through the worship services and otherwise.

Charity will be with us until a permanent Director of Music is in place.

Video: A day at the bleach for Morristown church hammered by Irene

Liquid Church is a successful evangelical congregation in Morristown. But Tropical Storm Irene turned the Bethel A.M.E. Church into a real liquid church–with four feet of swampy water that devastated its basement hall.

Compounding the misery was an oversight that left Bethel A.M.E. without flood insurance.

Bethel Pastor Sidney Williams sent an S.O.S. to the community.

The response for Saturday’s cleanup was a beautiful thing. Members of area churches rolled up their sleeves on a Labor Day Weekend for a labor of love.

They came from the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, which shares roots with Bethel. They came from the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. They came from St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. They came from the United Methodist Church. They came from the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints.

Calvary Baptist Church sent food.

Morristown First Lady Mary Dougherty waved the flag for Assumption Church. Her husband, Mayor Tim Dougherty, lent moral support. The Red Cross dropped off more food. (Sorry if we have left out anyone!)

“We’re blessed,” said Bethel member Gwyn Burnett.

Amen, Sister.

READ MORE ABOUT TROPICAL STORM IRENE

Please click icon below for captions.

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