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Newsletter of the Community of the Gospel, a monastic community in the Episcopal Church, USA

May 15, 2016 - Volume 1, No. 3

Many years ago, before I was ordained,

I was at a service of Holy Eucharist on

Pentecost. Sitting in the pew, I was

wearing red clothing, a wonderful tradi-

tion on Pentecost.

The setting was a large church building,

with a sophisticated (for that day!) sound

system. As the Pentecost lections were

being read, the sound of wind came

through the PA system, at first faintly

then gradually louder until you could

barely hear the readers. By the end of

the Gospel reading, in several languages

at once, the sound of wind and the jum-

ble of languages mixed together into an

overwhelming experience of being in the

Upper Room and feeling the Holy Spirit

descend upon us all. Pentecost has been

one of my favorite feasts ever since,

right behind Easter and Christmas. Just a

few years ago, living in Manhattan, I

ordered a sound machine to help me

sleep through sirens and cars honking

and traffic noises. My two favorite set-

tings were ocean waves and white noise

(close to the sound of wind).

What I became aware of through the

sound of wind in that Pentecost liturgy

long ago was the sheer POWER of the

Spirit. That's what Jesus meant when he

advised us that the Spirit blows where it

will. The Spirit passes into and through

humanity, both individually and corpo-

rately, with mighty power to effect

change, to bring energy, to make the

seemingly impossible bloom into possi-

bility, to get us up moving when we'd

rather collapse into a heap and stay

there.

I think of all the heads I have laid hands

From our Bishop Visitor

Rt. Rev. Chilton R. Knudsen

on - to ordain people or to confirm them,

to seal them with holy chrism at baptism,

or to pray for healing. Each of those mo-

ments includes a specific invocation of

the Holy Spirit in the prayers appointed

for these rites.

The consecration of the bread and wine

at the Eucharistic Table includes an in-

vocation of the Holy Spirit also: "Send

your Holy Spirit upon these gifts, that

they may be the Body and Blood of

Christ".

Throughout Christian history, the Holy

Spirit has been understood to be femi-

nine, as shown (for example) in the femi-

nine gender of the Greek HAGIA SO-

PHIA (literally Holy Wisdom). It is en-

tirely appropriate to use the feminine

pronoun when referring to the Holy Spir-

it: Mystics and writers have done so

from the first century until today.

TRANSFORMATION is what the Holy

Spirit does. And not just for the sake of

expressing her power and creativity, but

for the sake of transforming the world

(and you and me) into what God has

always intended for humanity: The tri-

umph of peace, justice, mercy and love.

VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS! COME,

HOLY SPIRIT!

The Spirit's blessing upon each of you

this Pentecost and always, +Chilton,

Assistant Bishop of Maryland

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Round-Up Western Retreat

By Sister Charity

My deep need for face to face prayer,

conversation and laughter has been met

for this year. Why? I attended the west-

ern retreat!

Br. John Charles Westaway staged the

2nd western retreat for the Community

of the Gospel once again at the Deserts

Journeys Retreat House on April 8, 9,

10, & 11. This facility was designed and

is maintained by Fr. David Caffrey as an

active ministry in his

retirement. It is situated

in the Desert of the 29

Palms in the interior of

southern California near

Palm Springs. The set-

ting is, for me, a "thin

space" of prayer and

quiet. The guest house

is comfy and inviting.

Trails to walk, a Laby-

rinth, Spring flowering

cacti, Icons in the De-

sert, a true treasure.

The retreat began with a sumptuous din-

ner at the 29 Palms Inn. An experience

not to be missed! The schedule of the

retreat was designed by Br. John Charles

for spirited discussions, daily office,

Holy Eucharist, and laughter. We

grilled, drank coffee, sang Hymns and

prayed for those on our Community

Prayer List.

A word about cost: this is most likely

one of the most affordable retreats you

can find. One reason is that there are

Brother John Huebner Now A Lay Preacher

Br. John Huebner first felt the call to

preach while working with the Missionar-

ies of Charity sisters in 2012. At the time,

he was living in Indianapolis Indiana and

working at the Queen of Peace Shelter, a

homeless shelter run by the sisters.

When the sisters found out he was ex-

ploring the religious life as a brother in the

Community of the Gospel, they took an

active role in his formation. He found

himself being included in their daily

rhythm of study, prayer, and service to the

poor. In addition to their homeless shelter,

the sisters were active in ministry at a lo-

cal nursing home, a community center,

and weekly home visitations. He espe-

cially remembers how the sisters often

discussed with him the vocation of all

Christians to preach the Gospel through

actions and words.

After moving to Asheville, North Caroli-

na in 2013, Br. John was invited to lead

worship and to preach on several occa-

sions at the local mission where he works.

His training with the Missionaries of Char-

ity sisters was being put to use. It was at

this point that he wanted to explore a more

formalized process for leading worship

and preaching. After discussing this with

Br. Daniel-Joseph and Bishop Chilton, he

was encouraged to pursue the process of

becoming a licensed worship leader and

lay preacher in his diocese.

Br. John met with his bishop and began

the process of obtaining the license based

on the requirements of his diocese. The

interim rector of his parish, a retired semi-

nary professor of NT studies and homilet-

ics, was assigned his mentor. A year later

after fulfilling all the requirements of the

diocese, the license was presented to Br.

John on February 22, 2016 by the Rt. Rev.

Porter Taylor, Bishop of the Episcopal

Diocese of Western North Carolina, at the

diocesan chapel in Asheville. Before the

license was presented, the bishop led a

short service in the chapel which included

prayers, anointing, and commissioning

with the laying on of hands.

cheap deals traveling into LAX .

I want to encourage everyone to come

next year; start saving now! My deep

need for face to face prayer, conversation

and laughter has been met for this year.

Thanks to Fr. David and Br. John Charles

for deepening my monastic practice. And,

their gift of pure presence. See you all

next year!

Br. John & Rt. Rev. Porter Taylor

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By Br. Daniel-Chad, IN

When I converted to the Episcopal Church

after a lifetime in the Christian Church

(Disciples of Christ), an ecumenical and

progressive denomination, I had one thing

in mind: I was seeking a liturgical and

communal setting where I could thrive and

grow in the Spirit.

To be honest, life with the Disciples had

prepared me for this next step: The Disci-

ples celebrated weekly Eucharist and were

becoming more and more welcoming and

diverse. The clergy were generally well

prepared. Social justice was significant to

the denomination and it was and continues

to be important to me as well.

But something was missing. I especially

needed to learn to pray again. The beauty

of the Anglican liturgy literally blew me

away and from my first encounters, I never

looked back. I am not exaggerating when I

state that the Book of Common Prayer and

its collective use in the liturgy, jump start-

ed me again in prayer.

Looking back on the period when I moved

from lifelong affiliation with one church to

another, I now realize that the missing ele-

ment was a setting where I could pray, feel

awestruck with the majesty of the Holy

One, and sit in deep and generative silence.

For many reasons, I had hit a brick wall in

my spiritual development and needed a

very big change in order to repair my soul.

It was about me and not about the denomi-

nation that had so faithfully nurtured me

and my family over multiple generations.

When I walked into Christ Church Cathe-

dral for the first time with its beautiful and

well-preserved architecture and interior, I

felt that I had entered an alternative uni-

verse of sorts: incense, physical acts of

devotion (bowing, genuflecting, kneeling),

long and pondered readings of Scripture,

elegant language and intelligent preaching

on the Word. One day I told the Very Rev.

Robert Giannini, then Rector, about how I

felt the Anglican world I had entered for

worship was “another world.” His com-

ment was: “Good! That is exactly what

we hope for.”

Membership in the Episcopal Church

opened up new insights and options for me

beyond the power of the liturgy itself. I

was a volunteer at the 2006 General Con-

vention of the Episcopal Church in Colum-

bus, Ohio. It was all very exciting for me

as the church was in the process of electing

a new Presiding Bishop. As I went

through the hallways, I noticed a number

of monastics in full habit. This was an

astonishing discovery for me! Until then, I

thought that monastics belonged to the

Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions.

I remember having coffee with several

brothers of the Brotherhood of St. Grego-

ry. They described their community and

how non-residential monastic communities

work. Until sharing coffee and cinnamon

rolls with the Gregorians, I never imagined

that I, too, could be a monastic without

leaving my day job.

Back in Indianapolis, I started reading eve-

rything I could about monasticism. Some

of my reading took me to the Desert Fa-

thers and Mothers where I realized force-

fully how crucial stillness, silence and

meditation are in the monastic tradition. I

even spent the Triduum of 2007 at Holy

Cross Monastery in the Hudson Valley of

New York state. I reached out to the Ben-

edictine sisters at Our Lady of Grace Mon-

astery near Indianapolis who welcomed me

warmly and invited me to the Divine Of-

fice. Later they were to train me in spiritu-

al direction.

One afternoon I was browsing my just-

arrived edition of the now defunct Episco-

pal Life. In the classified ads section there

was a tiny announcement from the Com-

munity of the Gospel inviting persons in-

terested in exploring religious life with this

non-residential community to get in touch.

I visited the web site and was much im-

pressed with the freshness and simplicity

of the monastic concept that was offered. I

started thinking that maybe I, too, could

live a life of prayer, service and study

alongside other members of the communi-

ty. Especially attractive to me was the

name: Community of the Gospel. Could

I, too, be a part of this community of the

Good News?

So after mulling it over for some weeks, I

took the leap and contacted Brother Daniel

-Joseph Schroeder. He began patiently and

very systematically working with me on

novitiate requirements (actually, we called

novices at that time “associate members”).

One thing that drew me to the community

was the kindness of the Guardian and his

from-the-gut commitment to the monastic

life. I figured that I could offer my obedi-

ence to this ex-cop from Milwaukee, if I

ever got that far in the process.

And I did get that far! On September 25,

2008 I was received as a novice in the

Community of the Gospel during a won-

derful sung evensong at Christ Church

Cathedral attended by many family and

friends. On April 15, 2009, during the

community’s convocation, I was received

as a full member (along with Br. John

Charles Westaway) at All Saints Episcopal

Church, Appleton, WI. I chose the name

“Daniel-Chad” to honor my patron saint,

St. Chad of Lichfield +672 who was

known for his simplicity, pastoral concern

and monastic commitment. His feast day

is March 2. Coincidentally, that was the

first Mass ever celebrated in the Commu-

nity of the Gospel by our Chaplain, the

Rev. Tyrone Fowlkes. Finally, by 2013 it

Called To Be A Brother To The World

St. Chad of Lichfield

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seemed clear that I was stable enough in

my monastic calling to offer life vows.

This happened at the Convent of the

Transfiguration, Glendale, OH in the

presence of our entire community, mem-

bers of my parish, friends, and other reli-

gious including two Benedictines from

Our Lady of Grace, Indianapolis, and an

Oblate of Julian of Norwich (who is my

spiritual director), as well as one mem-

ber of the Brotherhood of St. Gregory.

Has it worked? I mean, has my goal of

becoming more prayer-full taken hold in

my life? While I know that there is plen-

ty of room for improvement, my days are

organized around prayer and meditation,

service through my spiritual direction

practice, and study. In the past, when I

imagined this period in my life, I never

dreamed that I would be here doing what

I am doing. It is thanks to my childhood

Christian nurture with the Disciples, my

on-going care and involvement in the

Episcopal Church, and the embrace of the

Community of the Gospel that I am

called to be a brother to the world around

me.

When I entered the community, it was

very, very small. There was no assurance

that it would survive. We had not yet

secured recognition from the bishops of

the church. There has never been a lot of

money in the accounts. Yet, we seem to

have all of our needs met—and more.

Now I see our community as an estab-

lished non-residential community of the

Episcopal Church with strong leadership

from our guardian, bishop visitor and

chaplain. The members of the communi-

ty take absolutely seriously their voca-

tions as religious. We are growing in

numbers, diversity and in the joy of the

Gospel. I believe deeply that this com-

munity and other non-residential and mo-

nastic expressions are agents for the re-

newal of Christ’s church. The Communi-

ty of the Gospel points to a hopeful future

and I am glad to be a part of it.

Called To Be A Brother

To The World

continued from page 3 What do I know of the Holy Spirit? I can only tell you a story.

A girl in her twenties is sitting at the organ in a cold, dark chapel in Germany. Her

fingers are half frozen on the keys. Still, there is practicing to do.

She turns to a hymn that has sung in her since childhood.

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;

Wean it from earth, through all its pulses move;

Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art;

And help me love Thee as I ought to love.

This, she knows, is the prayer of her heart. The prayer that sings in her veins, awake

or asleep.

I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies;

No sudden rending of the veil of clay;

No angel visitant, no opening skies;

But take the dimness of my soul away.

She knows she is lying. She longs for the rending of the veil of clay, for angels visi-

tant, for opening skies.

Well, then, something within her says, what will you do?

And in her mind’s eye, she sees Abraham, ready to sacrifice his beloved, his Isaac.

What is my Isaac, she wonders? But she already knows. It is the stage. The joy and

relief of being other people.

But in her quest to be other people, she has become fierce. She has become skilled at

putting doubts about other actresses in directors’ minds, so that, in the end, they cast

her. This is not the person she wants to be.

Very well, she says. If giving up the theater will open the skies, then I will do it.

The very next day she writes a letter resigning from the play in which she has just

been cast. The agony of driving past the theater is very real and does not lessen with

time.

Forty years pass. Years when skies trembled and opened briefly; years when the

skies remained stubbornly closed. Years when, in her frustration, she would give up

on God and return to the stage, only to discover she couldn’t be herself there, but only

someone else.

She lives in a world where the language of sacrifice is rarely spoken, and then, usual-

ly, only in ritual. It isn’t for the likes of us, is the unspoken word.

But what if it is? What if the voice in that cold, dark church was the Holy Spirit?

What if it wasn’t? Discernment, that is what is needed; another of the Spirit’s gifts.

She only knows that those moments when the skies opened, however briefly, were

worth any sacrifice.

And what, a voice asks, if none of it was necessary? What if it wasn’t such a holy

spirit asking this of you?

She smiles. Well then, she says, He will understand what I meant, and take me at my

best. It is His Nature.

A Pentecost Reflection by Maria Lundgren ,

the former Sr. Hilary-Grace

Editor’s Note

Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart

George Croly, 1854

Frederick Atkinson, 1870.

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The Cappadocian Fathers of the 4th centu-

ry (Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and

Gregory of Nazianzus) described the Trini-

ty as a continual dance of self-emptying.

The Father poured Himself into the Son,

the Son poured Himself into the Spirit, and

the Spirit poured Herself into the Father.

This, they said, was how God shows what

love is like – a continual dance of a love

offering.

St. Paul described the process in his letter

to the Philippians, “Let the same mind be

in you that was in Christ Jesus, who,

though he was in the form of God…

emptied himself taking the form of a serv-

ant…humbling himself,” all for love. This

self-emptying of one’s love for another is

referred to as kenosis; to release one’s own

will and allow the loving will of God to fill

the void, and eventually spilling out to be

shared.

So, what does this have to do with Pente-

cost? Just about everything.

This dance isn’t just among the Creator,

Redeemer, and Sustainer – it’s also a

dance with the creation – you and me.

God’s love cannot be contained, but must

be poured out. It must permeate every-

thing from cosmos to neutrinos.

Pentecost, like all the seasons and Holy

Days of the Church year, are continuing

affirmations of God’s love for us. This

dance of love is the next logical step in the

flow of love from one to another, from

God to us.

But it doesn’t end there, either! Our re-

sponse to this love is to join the dance – to

empty ourselves of our (false) selves, and

to receive this love from our Creator.

Then, become aware of when and where

it’s most important to pour forth this love

unto someone else, some other of God’s

creatures, or on the natural world He gave

us to organize it all.

Peter sums it up well when he writes,

"Divine power has given us everything we

need for life and godliness through our

knowledge of God, who called us to share

in the divine glory and goodness. In be-

stowing these gifts, God has given us the

guarantee of something very great and

wonderful to come. Through them you'll

be able to share the divine nature." (2 Pe-

ter 1:3-4)

Anyone care to dance?

by Br. Daniel-Joseph, Brother Guardian

Important Dates

Pentecost

May 15

St. Mary the Virgin,

Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ

August 15

Holy Cross Day

September 14

Convocation 2016

October 27-31 Our next issue of the Bell Tower is

planned to come out for Holy Cross

Day, September 14. (if God allows!)

Would love to see some pre-convocation

articles submitted by you all. Also look-

ing for articles on what the cross means

to you . If you have an idea for an arti-

cle that does not fit these catego-

ries , do it anyway and send it in.

Maybe this newsletter can become

one of the forums we need between con-

vocations and retreats. Submissions

should be sent either in email or word

document form to

athanasius1953@hotmail.com.

Next deadline is September 1, 2016.

Thanasi - editor

Invitation 2 Submit

The Bell Tower is the newsletter of the

Community of the Gospel, POBox 414,

Hortonville, WI 54944

www.communityofthegospel.org