IN THIS ISSUE Summer Education Opportunities Page 2

Music Notes Page 3

Ascension Family Spotlight Page 4

Birthdays and Anniversaries Page 5

June Ordo Kalendar Page 6

June Lectionary Page 7

Familia The Newsletter of the Ascension Parish Family June 2012

T he Feast of the Most Holy Body

and Blood of Our Lord Jesus

Christ—or Corpus Christi—is a

relatively late addition to the

Church’s liturgical calendar. After gaining

popularity in the first part of the thirteenth

century, Pope Ur-

ban IV officially

instituted the ob-

servance in 1264

and directed that it

be celebrated with

a special proces-

sion.

Almost 750

years later, we are

still observing the

feast in much the

same way Pope

U r b a n e n v i -

sioned—with a

solemn procession,

with the great

hymns of St. Tho-

m a s A q u i n a s

(Laude Sion and

Pange Lingua), and

with devotion to

the saving Body of Christ.

This year, we celebrate the feast as an

external solemnity on June 10. As always,

Corpus Christi forms a sort of capstone to

our liturgical year, concluding the great

Easter cycle that began with Ash Wednes-

day’s solemn call to repentance and led,

ultimately, to the awe of Holy Week, the

joy of Eastertide, the celebration of the

power of the Spirit at Pentecost, and the

core of our faith on the festival of the Holy

Trinity.

So it is appropriate that, before we

begin the long “green season” of the

Church’s year, we celebrate one last festi-

val that recapitulates all the others. In the

great festival of

Corpus Christi, we

honor Our Lord’s

incarnation, His

sacrifice on the

cross, and the res-

urrected life He

grants us through

the power of the

holy sacrament of

the altar. And, to-

gether with blessed

Aquinas, we sing:

“Therefore we, before

Him bending, this

great Sacrament re-

vere. Types and shad-

ows have their end-

ing, for the newer

right is here.”

As usual, Corpus

Christi also marks

the end of our choir season for the year, as

they begin their much deserved break un-

til Michaelmas. But this year, the feast also

marks another leave-taking: the retirement

of our rector, Father Gary Fertig. There

will be a reception to honor Fr. Fertig after

the 11:00 Solemn High Mass— please plan

to attend as we say farewell to Father and

thank him for his many years of faithful

and dedicated service.

Bringing the Body of

Christ to the World

2 Familia June 2012

Familia The Newsletter of the

Church of the Ascension

Parish Family

The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Lee

Bishop of Chicago

The Rev. Gary P. Fertig

Rector

The Rev. Kurt Olson

Assisting Priest

David D. Schrader

Senior Warden

Sylvia Sorgel

Junior Warden

Avril Hector

Jett McAlister

Judy Mintel

Doug Mose

Carol Noren

Cheryl Peterson

Christopher Raymond

David Reeves

Sonja Smith

Members of the Vestry

Charley Taylor

Director of Finance and

Administration

Arelys Vasquez-Greene

Director of Christian Education

Susan Schlough

Coordinator, St. Antony of Padua Soup

Kitchen and Food Pantry

Familia is produced and edited by

Jett McAlister and Andrea Holliday

Wikman.

CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION

1133 N. LASALLE BOULEVARD

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60610-2601

(312) 664-1271

http://www.ascensionchicago.org/

office@ascensionchicago.org

We remember those who have finished their course in Your faith and fear,

especially, on the anniversaries of their deaths:

2 William Brewster Stoskopf, Priest, Eleventh Rector of the Parish

4 Donald C. Rubino

11 Daniel C. Reber

13 Edward Allan Larrabee, Priest, Tenth Rector of the Parish

Charles L. Mezger

14 Albert William Hillestad, Bishop, Twelfth Rector of the Parish

19 Alfred John Landwer, Jr.

20 Lorraine Leonard Burita

23 Daniel F. Thomas

Juanita Warfield

25 Weldon Reeves (father of David)

29 Joseph R. DuciBella

Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord: Let light perpetual shine upon them.

May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

SUMMER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

1982 Hymnal Seminar Series A monthly look at the great hymns of our tradition,

led by Organist David Schrader

Second Sunday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the Church

Ascension Book Group A monthly discussion of novels, history, and essays

on a variety of compelling topics related to our faith.

Selections are available for purchase at the book stand in Wheeler Hall.

First Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in Wheeler Hall.

Sunday School and Lectionary Bible Study Sunday School classes and the adult lectionary-based Bible study group

are on hiatus for the summer. Classes will resume in September.

If you would like to volunteer to teach a Sunday School class,

please contact the church office at (312) 664-1271,

or by e-mail at office@ascensionchicago.org.

June 2012 Familia 3

T he Ascension Choir is cook-ing up a rich musical ban-quet for the Feast of Corpus Christi, featuring lush clas-

sics from the 20th-century Romantic repertoire.

Among the main dishes are Oliv-ier Messiaen’s (1908-1992) O sacrum convivium and Jean Berger’s (1909-2002) The Eyes of All. The Mass is a short setting by Flor Peeters (1903-1986) Missa in honorem Sancti Jose-phi.

The concluding antiphon—Gregorio Allegri’s (1592-1652) Adore-mus in Aeternum—is a familiar Ren-aissance favorite among Ascension parishioners, and will make a sweet dessert.

Also honoring the Blessed Sacra-ment are works by Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) and Luciano Migliavacca (b. 1919).

Kodály’s theatrical setting of the old hymn Pange Lin-gua (“Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle”) uses St. Tho-mas Aquinas’ text with a melody of the composer's inven-tion. (The congrega-tion will sing the original version of St. Thomas’ hymn.) Over organ accom-paniment, the choral voices sing passages in unison, then break into many parts to spectacular effect.

Migliavacca was choirmaster of the cathedral in Milan, It-aly, in the mid-twentieth century. His works fell out of favor after the Sec-ond Vatican Council and were nearly forgotten.

Migliavacca’s tenderly beautiful motet, Jesu, Rex admirabilis, was found by Ascension Choirmaster Tho-mas Wikman in a small music store in Naples. Wikman found the motet after several hours poring over stacks of music in the store, situated on a narrow street in the old Spaccan-apoli district, near the music conser-vatory of San Pietro di Maiella.

Jean Berger, despite the French notes in his name and musical style, was German-born and left his native country to avoid the Holocaust. In 1939, at the age of 30, he went to Rio de Janeiro as an assistant conductor of the Treatro

Municipal. He learned Portu-guese, served on the faculty of the C o n s e r v a t o r i o Brasileiro de Mu-sica, and toured the whole of South America before settling in the United States. He died in 2002. Berger’s setting of the Oculi om-nium text (“The eyes of all wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their meat in due

season”) is quiet, contemplative, and unforgettable. But it is not the only fine setting of this important text, which is read on several occasions during the church

year, including Maundy Thursday. “It depends on what other musi-

cal pieces we’re presenting,” said the Choirmaster. “If the other choral pieces and hymns are from the Ren-

aissance, I might use the Heinrich Schütz Oculi om-nium.” The classic O sacrum convivium is among Messiaen’s best-loved pieces. He wrote it early in his career, before he began transcrib-ing the music of birds. His early works remain the

most accessible and popular, and include organ composi-tions such as the Celestial Banquet, the Nativity Suite and the Ascension Suite—which is often delivered to us by Organist David Schrader.

News of our Choir members

The choir bade a tearful farewell

recently to longtime member Ben LeClair, who will be spending two years with an opera company in Oldenburg, Germany. Parishioners may remember Ben as the very tall bass who often chanted the role of Jesus in our Holy Week Passions.

Baritone Todd Felker has been taken off the Prayer List, having re-covered from a bout of viral meningi-tis. Todd will be singing the roles of Samuel in Un Ballo in Maschera and Fasolt in Das Rheingold this summer, both with Union Ave Opera in St. Louis. He is adapting well to father-hood: his son Parker is now two months old.

—Andrea Holliday Wikman

Music Notes 20th-century Romantic masterworks for Corpus Christi

Luciano Migliavacca

Olivier Messiaen

4 Familia June 2012

Ascension Family Spotlight Interviews with Parishioners and Friends of the Parish

Familia features a regular series of in-terviews with members of the Ascen-sion family to help us get to know each other better. Maybe you’d like to be interviewed? Send e-mail to ascension.familia@gmail.com to learn more. This month, Familia talked with Judy Mintel, who joined the Vestry this year. Familia: Judy, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. I’ll start by asking what I ask almost everyone—when did you first come to Church of the Ascension? Judy: I came to Church of the Ascen-sion with Tom Wikman in 1984 when he first became choirmaster here. My husband and I have been best friends with Tom and Andrea from way back. We were also recording engineers for Chicago’s Music of the Baroque when Tom was Music Director of that group —so we were avid followers of Tom’s music. But my total embrace of Church of the Ascension came slower than it otherwise should have because of two factors: First, I had been raised Roman Catholic, so I was conditioned to be wary of any other denomina-tion. Second, my husband and I were living in Bloomington, Illinois, which is about 130 miles away. I came to Mass at Church of the Ascension as often as I could from a great distance. When I left State Farm’s General Counsel’s office in 2005 and my fam-ily moved to Chicago, I formally joined the church. Familia: So, you are a lawyer? Judy: Yes, I graduated from the Uni-

versity of Chicago Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1973. I have been in private practice in Chi-cago and I was an administrative law judge for the Virginia State Corpora-tion Commission, as well as Deputy Insurance Commissioner. But I’ve spent most of my career with State Farm, representing the com-pany in corporate litigation related to pricing. I am an author of a book on that subject. Now, I teach that area of the law to students at the University of Chicago Law School, where I have been employed since 2005. Familia: What about your family? Judy: My parents were married in 1942. At that time marriage between a Roman Catholic like my mother and a Protestant like my father was scan-dalous to many, just like interracial

marriage was in the 1970s and gay marriage is today. My parents eloped, and my father joined the army, par-ticipating in the Italian invasion at Anzio Beach in World War II. He was a surgeon and ran one of the first “MASH” units on which the old T.V. program was based. I was the second of four children, born at the Presidio in San Francisco. As a child, I also lived at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; the Panama Canal Zone; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. When I was attending school at the University of Chicago, I met and mar-ried my husband Richard Mintel. Dick has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and he has been a university professor his entire career. He also is a recording engineer focusing on classical music. We have one daughter, Josey, who is

Richard, Josey, and Judy Mintel

June 2012 Familia 5

1 | James Wilson

3 | Sylvia Sorgel

Angela Caldwell (daughter of Jim & Tracy)

5 | Fr. Gary Fertig, Ordination to the Diaconate

7 | Chuck Boyle

8 | Fr. Kurt Olson, Ordination to the Diaconate

11 | Jim LoBello

Bill Flodin

12 | Katie DuClos

13 | Jim Lenz

14 | Asher Anderson (son of William Anderson &

Lisa Oldham) Christopher McKee

15 | Ricardo (Ríqui) Antonio Avila

16 | William Reynolds Hedley (grandson of Joan)

17 | Chris Carlo

18 | Rhea Gerberick (daughter of Anne Monma)

Bp. James Winchester Montgomery, Ordination to the Diaconate

19 | Josey Mintel (daughter of Judy & Dick)

20 | David Knox

Victor & Marjorie Lofgreen, wedding anniversary

24 | Suzanne Mauntel

25 | David Allen

26 | Kenn Greene-Vélez

28 | David Jones

Rene & Kevin Olson, wedding anniversary (son of Fr. Kurt & Nancy) Fr. Barry Cotter, Ordination to the Diaconate Doug Mose & Jim Krusas, holy union

29| Michael Malone

June Birthdays and Anniversaries

currently attending the Johns Hop-kins University. She is a pre-med there, majoring in neuroscience with a music minor, in violin performance. Familia: Judy, you recently joined the Vestry and I know you’re inter-ested in expanding our parish’s work in social ministry—can you tell me a little bit of what you’re hoping to work on? Judy: Well, we do such a great job with our Food Pantry and the annual Thanksgiving Dinner—and I’d like us to build on that success. We all know that now, more than ever, there is great need for help in the city. There are a couple of us on the Ves-

try who are interested in starting a social ministry committee, and we have a bunch of ideas—but the first step will be recruiting other people in the parish who have a passion for social ministry to serve on the com-mittee with us. Anybody who’s inter-ested should feel free to contact me. Familia: That sounds great, Judy. And what about outside of church— what are your other interests? Judy: Outside of my family, the church, and my work, my two main interests have been classical music and higher education. I have been on the Board of Directors of Chicago’s Music of the Baroque

and the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. Currently I am on the Board of the Chicago Chamber Musicians. I have also been a member of the Illinois Wesleyan University Associates Board and have supported the Uni-versity of Chicago in numerous ways both financially and through volun-teer activities. My favorite activities are walking along the Lakefront with my dog, Razi, listening to music, and reading. Some of my favorite composers in-clude Bach, Handel, Mozart and Mahler. And some of my favorite au-thors include William Faulkner, John Le Carré, Shakespeare, Mark Twain and Günter Grass.

—Interview by Doug Mose

Ascension Family Spotlight, continued

6 Familia June 2012

Ordo Kalendar—June 2012 1 Justin, Martyr at Rome, c. 167

2 The Martyrs of Lyons, 177 (Saturday Public Mass of Healing at 10:00 a.m.)

3 THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

5 Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz, Missionary to Germany, and Martyr

6 Norbert, Archbishop of Magdeburg, 1134 (Wednesday Low Mass at 6:20 p.m.)

8 William, Archbishop of York, 1154

9 Columba, Abbot of Iona, 597 (Saturday Public Mass of Healing at 10:00 a.m.)

10 THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST:

CORPUS CHRISTI SUNDAY

11 ST. BARNABAS THE APOSTLE (Low Masses at 7:00 a.m. and 6:20 p.m.)

12 Enmegabowh, Priest and Missionary, 1902

13 Antony of Padua, 1231 (Wednesday Low Mass at 6:20 p.m.)

14 Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, 379

15 THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS (Low Masses at 7:00 a.m. and 6:20 p.m.)

16 Joseph Butler, Bishop of Durham, 1752 (Saturday Public Mass of Healing at 10:00 a.m.)

17 THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Proper 6)

18 Bernard Mizeki, Catechist and Martyr in Rhodesia, 1896

20 The Translation of Edward, King and Martyr, 979 (Wednesday Low Mass at 6:20 p.m.)

22 Alban, First Martyr of Britain, c. 304

23 Etheldreda, Queen and Abbess, 679 (Saturday Public Mass of Healing at 10:00 a.m.)

24 THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Proper 7)

25 THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST (Low Masses at 7:00 a.m. and 6:20 p.m.)

27 Cyril of Alexandria, 444 (Wednesday Low Mass at 6:20 p.m.)

28 Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, c. 202

29 SS. PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES (Low Masses at 7:00 a.m. and 6:20 p.m.)

30 Protomartyrs of the Church of Rome, 1st Century (Saturday Public Mass of Healing at 10:00 a.m.)

Looking ahead…

Jul 1 THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Proper 8)

Jul 2 THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST (Low Mass at 7:00 a.m.)

Jul 4 INDEPENDENCE DAY (Church office closed; Low Mass at 7:00 a.m.)

Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, Martyr, c. 202, June 28 If theology is “thinking about faith” and arranging those thoughts in some systematic order, then Irenaeus has been rightly recognized by Catholics and Protestants alike

as the first great systematic theologian. His name means “the peaceable

one”—and suitably so. The year 177 brought hardship to the mission in Gaul. Persecution broke out, and a mounting

tide of heresy threatened to engulf the Church. Irenaeus, by now a presbyter, was sent to Rome to mediate the dispute regarding Montanism, which the Bishop of Rome, Eleutherus, seemed to embrace. While Irenaeus was on this mission, the aged Bishop of Lyons, Pothinus, died in prison during a local persecution. When Irenaeus returned to Lyons, he was elected bishop to succeed Pothinus.

Irenaeus’ enduring fame rests mainly on a large treatise, entitled The Refutation and Overthrow of Gnosis, Falsely So-Called, usually shortened to Against Heresies. In it, lrenaeus describes the major Gnostic systems, thoroughly,

clearly, and often with biting humor. It is one of our chief sources of knowledge about Gnosticism.

He also makes a case for Christianity which has become a classic, resting heavily on Scripture, and on the continuity between the teaching of the Apostles and the teaching of bishops, generation after generation, especially in the great see cities. Against the Gnostics, who despised the flesh and exalted the spirit, he stressed two doctrines: that of the creation as good, and that of the resurrection of the body.

—From Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints © 2010 The Church Pension Fund

June 2012 Familia 7

June Lectionary June 3 — THE MOST HOLY TRINITY Exodus 3:1-6 Romans 8:12-17 John 3:1-16 June 10 — THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST: CORPUS CHRISTI SUNDAY Deuteronomy 8:2-3 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 John 6:47-58 June 11 — ST. BARNABAS, APOSTLE Isaiah 42:5-12 Acts 11:19-30, 13:1-3 Matthew 10:7-16 June 15 — THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS — 1 John 4:7-16 Matthew 11:25-30 June 17 — THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Proper 6) Ezekiel 31:1-6, 10-14 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 Mark 4:26-34 June 24 — THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Proper 7) Job 38:1-11, 16-18 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 Mark 4:35-41, 5:1-20 June 25 — THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST Isaiah 40:1-11 Acts 13:14b-26 Luke 1:57-80 June 29 — SS. PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES Ezekiel 34:11-16 2 Timothy 4:1-8 John 21:15-19

Several committees and other groups at Church of the As-cension are looking for some volunteers. Your participation ensures that the parish will continue to be an active, vital community. How can you help? The Evangelism Committee is looking for additional parish-ioners to help plan and conduct activities to welcome guests and new members to the church. Opportunities include:

Greeting guests on Sunday morning after Mass, and giving them gift bags with information about the parish

Baking (or buying – we won’t tell) goodies for the coffee hours after Sunday Masses

Planning or helping at the summer garden parties The Parish Office is looking for some volunteer help with light office work. Needs include:

Collating and assembling mailings (such as Familia)

Answering the door for requests for food during the week (during set office hours)

The Activities Committee produces those fabulous gala receptions we all look forward to at Christmas, Easter, and other major holy days. With the St. Anthony of Padua Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry, the Activities Committee also coordinates the annual Thanksgiving dinner for our neighbors in the senior living community on Oak Street. Volunteer opportunities include:

Planning or helping at various receptions (Michaelmas, Christmas Eve, etc.) at the church

Cooking at the Thanksgiving meal (a wonderful way to serve the local community!)

The public recitation of the Daily Office is an integral part of the parish’s prayer life. Volunteers are always needed to serve as Lay Readers for Morning or Evening Prayer, and as Acolytes for the Low Masses that follow. Training will be provided! To volunteer, contact Charley Taylor at the parish office: 312-664-1271, or office@ascensionchicago.org.

Calling all volunteers!

CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION SUMMER WORSHIP SCHEDULE

Sundays

7:30 a.m. Morning Prayer

8:00 a.m. Low Mass

9:00 a.m. Sung Mass

11:00 a.m. Solemn High Mass

4:00 p.m. Evening Prayer

Weekdays

6:40 a.m. Morning Prayer (M-F)

7:00 a.m. Low Mass (M-F)

6:00 p.m. Evening Prayer (M-F)

6:20 p.m. Low Mass (W and Holy Days)

Saturdays

9:40 a.m. Morning Prayer

10:00 a.m. Public Mass of Healing

6:00 p.m. Evening Prayer

ALL ARE WELCOME.

CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION 1133 N. LA SALLE BOULEVARD

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60610-2601