Prayer Cycle for the Week of June 7, 2026

Second Sunday After Pentecost:  Trinity Sunday

The Collect:

O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.- BCP

Elisabeth Cruciger, Poet and Hymnographer, 1535

The below names, "LFF" are celebrations from "Lesser Feasts and Fasts", online 2025. Holy Days are in the Book of Common Prayer.  https://www.episcopalchurch.org/wpcontent/uploads/2025/03/lesser_feasts_and_fasts_-_2024__final_.pdf

Prayers and Gratitude for the Parish 

David, Isabel, Gary, Judy, Matthew, Chris, Pam, Ray, Kay, Jane, Daphne, Kissa, Carolyn, Charlotte, Stephen, Harrison, Bill, Gregory, Marjie, Judy, Tim, Tasha, Rodney, Gloria, Helen, Fran, Milinda, Don, and Jeremy.  We mourn the loss of life over the past four seasons in our Parish.

 Prayers for Friends of St. Benedict

Nancy Jo, Adam, Tina, Amanda, Jess, Tim, Gary, Shane, Marianne, Ron, Kelly, Oran, Judy, Michael, and Jerry.

Prayers for Military Deployed in Service to the Nation

Mark and Richard

Prayers for the Departed

Paul
_______________________________________

In the case of a pastoral care emergency please call the Rector directly
360-485-7281

Monday - June 8 - For Parish Members

Robbie 

Melania the Elder, Monastic, 410

Tuesday - June 9 - For Parish Members

Pam
Ray

Columba of Iona,, Monastic, 597

Wednesday - June 10 - For Parish Members 

Spencer
David 

Ephrem of Nisibis, Deacon and Poet, 373

Thursday - June 11- Ascension Day

Judy

Friday - June 12 - For Parish Members

Gift 

Enmegahbowh, Priest and Missionary, 1902

           Saturday - June 13 - For Parish Members

 Charlotte 

The First Book of Common Prayer, 1549

A Prayer for this Parish 

O God, our heavenly Father, make the doors of our Church wide enough to receive all who need your care, compassion, and fellowship; and narrow enough to shut out all pride, selfishness, and prejudice in the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit.  Amen

Sunday -June 14, 2026
3rd Sunday of Pentecost
Sheep Amongst Wolves 

Worship Services - 8 am and 10:30 am  

For the members of our parish family that
passed away  this year:

Mary Eberling
Kathleen Bruner
Kristie Louise Gouley
Paul Conroy

Give to the departed eternal rest;
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Nothing Ordinary about Ordinary Time

“Ordinary Time” is the part of the church year that is not a major festal season like Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter.
In the Episcopal Church, it refers especially to the stretches of time:

• after the Epiphany season

• after Pentecost

It is called “ordinary” not because it is unimportant, but because the Sundays are numbered or “ordered”: the First Sunday after the Epiphany, the Second Sunday after Pentecost, and so on.
 During Ordinary Time, the liturgy often emphasizes: 

• the life and teachings of Jesus

• Christian growth and discipleship

• the ongoing life of the Church

The liturgical color for most of Ordinary Time is green, symbolizing growth.

PEACE GARDEN UPDATE

by Clarice Gregory (Garden Leadership)

Last Saturday, a group of parishioners was able to quickly lay cardboard and cover it with bark at the back of the church to begin our efforts to eradicate the St. John’s Wort. Thank you to Reverend Beth, Dawn, Bob W., Annette, Gerry, Norman, and Clarice for making a speedy work of the task. Later that day, Jim L gathered all the weed piles in the parking lot and transported them to the recycling center – thank you for that surprise!!

I’ve added more areas/tasks that need someone to maintain them. The master garden plan will be in the Narthex with the sign-up sheet. If you can add your name to a task, it will be very much appreciated.
Thank you to Jill for her financial contribution to the garden upgrades. The benches and the Columbarium in the Peace Garden have been scrubbed and sealed.  I hope that you will come out and see and perhaps spend a moment thanking the Good Lord.

This fall, I will be looking for 4 -6 Hellebore starts (if anyone needs to divide theirs). I can use them for planters in the columbarium area. 

Summer Vacation

— Caroline Madden and Sunday School Teachers

(Thank you to our wonderful team of Sunday School teachers:  Kelly Ellis, Helen Johnston, Mary Jones, Caroline Madden, and Andrea Weston-Smart.  We are grateful for raising up our youngest members in the Faith.)

We have completed our Sunday school sessions for the year, and we will miss our students. We have done many wonderful things in our classroom this year and hopefully made many memories.

During our summer break, there will be Go-to-Bags in the narthex for the children to use. These bags include stories to read, worksheets to complete, and pencils and crayons. Please feel free to take these pages home for at-home activities. The bags will be resupplied with new adventures as needed. 

We also want to ask for volunteers to help out with Sunday school for the new year. We could use a couple of new teachers, and some assistants would really be helpful. That way, our teachers can be in church when they are not teaching. Please pray about this very important ministry. Our kids need you!

Welcome To Our New Acolyte Leader

Please join us in welcoming Gift Deresoma, who has agreed to serve in the critical worship role of Acolyte Leader.  This is a great opportunity for our young people to gain confidence and grow in the faith.  Please see Gift for more information.

A Brief History of Acolytes (from Building Faith)

The word acolyte is derived from the Greek word akolouthos, meaning companion, attendant, or helper. This ministry has its roots in the Old Testament, where the prophet Samuel is seen assisting Eli, the Levite priest. Similarly, Elisha is seen assisting Elijah the Prophet.

Flash forward to early Christian times. Acolytes are mentioned as a minor order (a transitory step leading to the orders of deacon, priest, or bishop) beginning in the third century. At first, acolytes assisted deacons at the preparation of the table. Later, they carried candles in processions. In Rome, they carried fragments of the bread consecrated at the Mass to other churches.

In the late Middle Ages, when candles began to appear upon altars, acolytes lighted the altar candles. Eventually, lay servers (sacristans) performed these duties as part of their training for the priesthood. After the Reformation, many of these duties were taken over by lay clerks. However, later in the nineteenth century, the clerks faded, and their duties were largely taken over by lay “acolytes” and sacristans or altar guilds.

Acolytes Today

Today we see acolytes dressed in robes of red or white, quietly carrying torches, crosses, alms basins, and cruets of water & wine. A vital part of worship, acolytes blend into the background and help our liturgies flow smoothly.

We may see acolytes doing any or all of the following, depending on the church denomination and worship style:

• Carrying torches or a cross (crucifer)

• Holding the Altar Book open before the presider at the Eucharist

• Bearing the Gospel Book in procession and at the proclamation

• Carrying the vessels to the Lord’s Table

• Washing the presider’s hands (lavabo)

• Bringing additional vessels to the altar after the consecration of the bread and wine

• Clearing the altar after Communion

The Book Club is starting the book: "Liturgies for Resisting Empire"

The Wednesday Morning Book Group is starting a new book:  Liturgies for Resisting Empire: Seeking Community, Belonging, and Peace in a Dehumanizing World by Kat Armas. We expect to start discussing Liturgies for Resisting Empire at our 11:00 am Zoom meeting on Wednesday, June 17th, 2026.

If you’re new to the group and wish to join us, please send me an email, and I’ll send you a link to the meeting.  
Send the email to Anne Metzler at annieg426@gmail.com . 

Rest in Peace: Paul Richard Conroy

Paul Richard Conroy, a beloved member of our Parish, passed away Sunday evening after a heroic struggle against cancer.  Paul was surrounded at his passing by the love of his wife, family, friends, and his dog, Abby.

Please join together in praying for Paul and his family.

Almighty God, our Father in heaven, before whom live all who die in the Lord: Receive our brother Paul Richard into the courts of your heavenly dwelling place. Let his heart and soul now ring out in joy to you, O Lord, the living God, and the God of those who live. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Letter from Bishop LaBelle 5/31/2026

Ringing in the Future of St. Benedict

-By Norman Gregory, Junior Warden

We are pleased to say thanks for a donation of a bell that previously rang at St. Joseph – St. John Episcopal Church in Lakewood. We now have the first element of our new bell tower at St. Benedict. We believe the bell itself was cast by C. S. Bell Company of Hillsboro, Ohio (yes, the founder’s name really was Bell).  The C. S. Bell Company was known for casting its bells of a secret alloy of steel and cast iron that resulted in the bells having a much more pleasant tone.  To buy a bell like this would have cost us up to $750 in fully restored condition.

We expect the first indication that actual construction has begun will be an above-ground foundation being poured over the footing that was put in place when St. Benedict was originally constructed.  We expect this to happen very soon.

While the concrete foundation is hardening, the custom glulam beams will be constructed, as will the custom metal fittings to hold everything together.  Once those parts are available, we expect you will be able to watch the construction proceed in our parking lot.

Episcopal News Service

The Episcopal News Service (ENS) has been added to the St. Benedict Web Site for your convenience.  It is a successor to the bi-weekly paper, Episcopal News, that ran from 1835 to 1937. Episcopal News Service  offers in-depth reporting of local, regional, national and international news for Episcopalians and others interested in the church’s mission and ministry. Episcopal News Service is the official news source of the Episcopal Church.

The link will be posted each week for your easy access.  We hope that you find this new service helpful, click on the link below. 

Flowers at St. Benedict

Kathy presents the beautiful flowers and creativity of Sharon.

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.-Matt 6:29

Flowers remind us of the glory and abundance of the Lord's Creation and our call to be good stewards of the beauty around us.  We are blessed by the generosity of parishioners who provide the Church with flowers and greenery.  Sharon Lochner provides the arrangements with the support of the Church Sacristan Nancy Zabel.  

Don't Flush "Flushable" Wipes!

Every three years, Thurston County requires that we have our on-site septic system inspected, which was done recently.  The good news is we passed the inspection.  The concerning news is that there were several "wipes" products in the tank.  While these products are marketed as "flushable," they are the bane of municipal sewers as they don't break down and have to be removed from the sewage stream and sent to a landfill.  

As the Vestry considers replacing the septic tank with a sewer connection, wipes result in a VERY expensive pump repair bill.  Let's start now.  Thank you for your help.

- Norman Gregory, Junior Warden

Remember our New Mailing Address!

Please remember that the mailing address for St. Benedict now matches our street address: 910 Bowker St SE, Lacey, Washington 98503.  We are finding that mail forwarded from our old PO Box is getting delayed.

If you have mailed something to the Church and haven't gotten confirmation that it has arrived, please call the Church Office and let us know, 360-456-2240.

Thank you for your help.

-Norman Gregory, Junior Warden.

Clarice needs you!

Sign up for your plot

Bob and Dawn Wille spent Tuesday afternoon caring for the Church plot.  Dawn weeded, and Bob blow torched the weeds in the cracks of the sidewalks.

Sign-Up for Your Plot
Clarice Gregory, Head Gardener 

Thanks to everyone who signed up to maintain one of our beautiful gardens (there are now name tags in the gardens so folks can thank you personally).  There are still lots of tasks that need doing regularly (blowing the Peace Memorial Garden clean, mowing the front strip along Bowker St., weed-eating the peripheral area, blowing the parking lot clear of leaves, etc.).  If you are willing to "own" one of these tasks, please let me know.