The Early Church: A Time of Excitement

Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles finds Philip preaching the Good News and baptizing:

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. (Acts 4: 26-40).

Reading about the Early Church is exciting to me. God’s angels, His messengers, send the Apostles here and then they are sent there. They are running from Jerusalem to Samaria back to Jerusalem and then to Gaza, all at the drop of a hat. They simply go to where they are called, and everywhere they go, they preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. People, like the Ethiopian eunuch, who kept the treasury for the queen of the Ethiopians, immediately converts and desires baptism. How exciting is that! Imagine the power of the Apostles’ presence, the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the world. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people today would respond in the same way as the Ethiopian eunuch? Imagine a community so filled with the Holy Spirit that people flock to join.

Let us pray: Loving Father, send Your Holy Spirit to fill our hearts so that we may draw others to Jesus Christ. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS:

The Rev. Helen Appelberg will be with you this Sunday. Mary and I will be in West Texas checking in on my Mom and Dad.

St. Augustine Weekend:

Saturday, 28 August 2010 at 6:00 p.m. dinner celebrating the new facilities and in honor of St. Augustine’s Feast Day. (We ordered a new “Episcopal Church Welcomes You” sign. Hopefully, it will arrive before the 28th.)

Sunday, 29 August 2010 at 9:00 a.m. Eucharist Rite II celebrating our patron saint, St. Augustine of Hippo.

Rally Day, Sunday 12 September 2010: Rally Day is a Sunday set aside, usually at the end of summer, where members of the Church are invited to join ministries within the Church, for example, Altar Guild, Fellowship, Education, Lectors, etc. Please join us for Rally Day.

The Second Annual St. Augustine Art Show beginning 25 September.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, and especially Roylene Lemons, Cindi Clack, Liam Moloney, all of those serving in the Armed Forces at home or abroad and most especially those from St. Augustine, for those who are traveling, for the ill, and for those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

You Cannot Sell and Buy God's Grace

In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear about Peter and John going to Samaria, and the laying on of hands:

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money! You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.” Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.”

Now after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many villages of the Samaritans. (Acts 8: 14-25).

Simon the Magician, whom we heard about yesterday, saw what power flowed from the laying on of hands, but he did not understand what the gift of the Holy Spirit it really meant. Simon offers Peter and John money for the power of the Holy Spirit. He wants to buy it, but God’s grace cannot be purchased. God’s love and mercy cannot be bought. It is a gift freely given. Simon failed to understand that.

There is a word which derives from Simon the Magician and this passage in Acts, “simony”. “Simony” is the making of profit out of sacred things, and the buying or selling of the sacraments. This was an issue which helped spark the Reformation (in the 1500s) when, with the blessing of Julius II and then Leo X, the Bishops of Rome (the Popes), the Roman Catholic Church sold “indulgences” which were a full or partial remission of temporal punishment (time in purgatory) due for sins which had already been forgiven in the sacrament of reconciliation (confession). People would line up to buy an indulgence, a get out of purgatory free card. The purchaser would receive a document, no doubt suitable for framing, and he would be free from any punishment because of sin.

The money from the sale of indulgences was used for a building project, the Papal Basilica of St. Peter’s in Rome. The Reformers, Martin Luther of Germany in particular, saw the error in this and were very vocal against this practice. The Reformers, like the Apostles in Acts, knew that God’s grace is a gift freely given. The Reformers preached that those who were vested by the Church to confer blessing, namely priests and bishops, and who sell God’s free gifts were acting contrary to God’s infinite generosity.

Let us pray: Almighty God and Father, your gave us the gift of Your Son Jesus Christ who preached the forgiveness of sins and told the world of Your great love. You also gave us the Holy Spirit to be our constant companion and guide. Let us be ever thankful of the gifts You have freely bestowed on us and may we share Your gifts with others, not looking for return. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS:

St. Augustine Weekend:

Saturday, 28 August 2010 at 6:00 p.m. dinner celebrating the new facilities and in honor of St. Augustine’s Feast Day. (We ordered a new “Episcopal Church Welcomes You” sign. Hopefully, it will arrive before the 28th.)

Sunday, 29 August 2010 at 9:00 a.m. Eucharist Rite II celebrating our patron saint, St. Augustine of Hippo.

Rally Day, Sunday 12 September 2010: Rally Day is a Sunday set aside, usually at the end of summer, where members of the Church are invited to join ministries within the Church, for example, Altar Guild, Fellowship, Education, Lectors, etc. Please join us for Rally Day.

The Second Annual St. Augustine Art Show beginning 25 September.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, and especially Roylene Lemons, Cindi Clack, Liam Moloney, all of those serving in the Armed Forces at home or abroad and most especially those from St. Augustine, for those who are traveling, for the ill, and for those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Proclaiming the Risen Christ to the World

Today’s daily reading continues in Chapter 8 of the Act of the Apostles, and we hear about Saul, who was there when they killed Stephen and his approval of the crowd’s actions:

And Saul approved of their killing him.

That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.

Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured. So there was great joy in that city.

Now a certain man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great. All of them, from the least to the greatest, listened to him eagerly, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed. After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that took place. (Acts 8:1-13).

As so the persecution against the Christians began led by Saul of Tarsus. He went into people’s homes, rounded up the Christians and threw them into prison. But the Apostles did not hide; they went on proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ and doing His works. The Apostles went to Samaria, a region inhabited by mixed remnants of the northern tribes who worshiped God. Those who encountered the Apostles also had an encounter with Christ. Jesus touched their lives using the Apostles as His hands and feet and serving as witnesses to Christ's life, death and resurrection. The people they met were transformed by the love of Jesus.

How are our lives transformed by encountering the Risen Christ? Are you and I instruments of Christ’s transforming love? Where have we fallen short of being true witnesses to the power of the Resurrection in our lives? Have we opened our hearts to God's Grace in our lives?

Let us pray: Loving Father, open our hearts to receive the love that Jesus offers to us, and transform our lives by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that we are formed into instruments of Jesus’ love. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS:

St. Augustine Weekend:

Saturday, 28 August 2010 at 6:00 p.m. dinner celebrating the new facilities and in honor of St. Augustine’s Feast Day. (We ordered a new “Episcopal Church Welcomes You” sign. Hopefully, it will arrive before the 28th.)

Sunday, 29 August 2010 at 9:00 a.m. Eucharist Rite II celebrating our patron saint, St. Augustine of Hippo.

Rally Day: Sunday 12 September 2010: Rally Day is a Sunday set aside, usually at the end of summer, where members of the Church are invited to join ministries within the Church, for example, Altar Guild, Fellowship, Education, Lectors, etc.

The Second Annual St. Augustine Art Show beginning 25 September.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, and especially Roylene Lemons, Cindi Clack, all of those serving in the Armed Forces at home or abroad and most especially those from St. Augustine, for those who are traveling, for the ill, and for those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Decisions

Today we hear the end of Stephen’s speech to the Council and what the Council does to Stephen:

“Our ancestors had the tent of testimony in the wilderness, as God directed when he spoke to Moses, ordering him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. Our ancestors in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors. And it was there until the time of David, who found favor with God and asked that he might find a dwelling-place for the house of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says, ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things?’

You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.”

When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died. And Saul approved of their killing him.

That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. (Acts: 7:60-8:1).

Stephen was truthful with the Council. He recounted salvation history, and God’s constant movements toward Israel, and Israel’s constant rejection of God. Each time God sent someone to bring the Israelites back home, they rebelled and went their own way only to find that their approach always ended in disaster. They made very bad choices. Stephen called them to task on the choices they made. Their response: they silenced him; they killed him. Stephen is an example of courage; he was able to speak truth to power. He followed Christ to the end, even though his discipleship cost him his life. He could have remained quiet, on the sidelines, but he did not.

Let us pray: Gracious Father, may we speak truth to power as Stephen did without regard to the consequences.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski +
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas

When We Encounter God We Are Transformed

Stephen’s speech continues in today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles. He tells the authorities about Moses:

“But as the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased and multiplied until another king who had not known Joseph ruled over Egypt. He dealt craftily with our race and forced our ancestors to abandon their infants so that they would die. At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful before God. For three months he was brought up in his father’s house; and when he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds.

When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his relatives, the Israelites. When he saw one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. He supposed that his kinsfolk would understand that God through him was rescuing them, but they did not understand. The next day he came to some of them as they were quarrelling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you wrong each other?’ But the man who was wronging his neighbor pushed Moses aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ When he heard this, Moses fled and became a resident alien in the land of Midian. There he became the father of two sons. (Acts 7: 1-29).

The story was a familiar one to the authorities; it is familiar to us. But Stephen is reminding the authorities about the people God calls. We already heard about Abraham and today we hear about Moses, who was sent away by his mother so that his life might be spared from the sword of Pharaoh. Moses grows up in the house of the man who is enslaving his people. Moses is also a murderer. He killed an Egyptian who was mistreating a slave. Moses is a fugitive from Egyptian law. This is the man God calls to lead His people from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. God encounters us where we are, but God does not expect us to stay there. An encounter with God transforms us.

Let us pray: Forgiving Father, Your Son Jesus greeted the sinner and embraced the fallen, but He called us to turn away from our failings and to turn to You. May the Holy Spirit enliven us to walk with Jesus who embraces us where we are, but leads us forward. Amen.


CALENDAR REMINDERS:

This Sunday, 15 August 2010, the Baptism of Hayden Blevins, at 9:00 a.m.

The Feast Day of St. Augustine & Blessing of the New Facilities:
Dinner celebration on Saturday, 28 August 2010 at 6:00 p.m.
Eucharist, Sunday, 29 August 2010 at 9:00 a.m.

Please let Pat Tate, Alicia Gaskin or myself know if you or others are coming so that we can get an accurate head count.

The Second Annual St. Augustine Art Show: It will be at the end of September and lasting into October. This year’s theme is “Spirit”.

PLEASE REMEMBER ALL THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST and especially:

In thanksgiving for the grants from the Anglican Compass Rose Society and First Presbyterian Church in Galveston

Sue and Sean Coleman as Sue recovers from brain surgery
For all those who are traveling
For the intentions of everyone in the congregation

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Angelic Faces

Today’s account from the Acts of the Apostles picks up where we left off yesterday when we met the first deacons in the Church. We read the story of Stephen, the first martyr:

And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Then the high priest asked him, “Are these things so?” And Stephen replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.’ Then he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God had him move from there to this country in which you are now living. He did not give him any of it as a heritage, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as his possession and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in a country belonging to others, who would enslave them and maltreat them for four hundred years. ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

“The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him, and rescued him from all his afflictions, and enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan, and great suffering, and our ancestors could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit. On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all; so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors, and their bodies were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. (Acts 6:15 – 7:16).

Note that the passage opens with a description of Stephen’s face; it was like an angel’s. “Angel” is an appropriate word because it simply means “messenger” (ανγηλως). Stephen recounts the message of salvation history starting with the call of Abraham.

Scripture is a love story between God and His people. In it, God continually chases after humankind, and we rebel time and time again. Although we are not faithful, God is. In tomorrow’s reading, we will hear more of Stephen’s speech to the Council.

Let us pray: Glorious Father, we ask you to help us become better angels, messengers, of the Good News of Jesus Christ; infuse our hearts with the Holy Spirit so that we may proclaim to all people Your faithfulness and forgiveness for those time when we are not faithful to the call in baptism you have given us. Amen.

NEWS:

Our Cambridge scholar, Valerie (Sherman Boyer’s granddaughter), has sent word back home; she is doing very well with two As and one B. Make us proud!

Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., a youth group from Holy Spirit Episcopal Church in Houston will be at St. Augustine to clean the furniture and finish the move in.

CALENDAR REMINDERS:

This Sunday, 15 August 2010, the Baptism of Hayden Blevins, at 9:00 a.m.

The Feast Day of St. Augustine & Blessing of the New Facilities:
Dinner celebration on Saturday, 28 August 2010 at 6:00 p.m.
Eucharist, Sunday, 29 August 2010 at 9:00 a.m.

Please let Pat Tate, Alicia Gaskin or myself know if you or others are coming so that we can get an accurate head count.

The Second Annual St. Augustine Art Show: It will be at the end of September and lasting into October. This year’s theme is “Spirit”.

PLEASE REMEMBER ALL THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST and especially:

In thanks giving for the grants from the Anglican Compass Rose Society and First Presbyterian Church in Galveston
Sue and Sean Coleman as Sue recovers from brain surgery
For all those who are traveling
For the intentions of everyone in the congregation

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

The Life of a Deacon

Today in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we read about the first deacons in the Church:

Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. They set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.” And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (Acts 6: 1-15).

The word “deacon” comes from the Greek word διάκονος (diakonos) which means “servant”. The deacons took care of those who had no one to care for them, like the widows. The role of the deacon is a special one, a servant and a prophetic voice calling for social justice. As we know, deacons still have a vital place in our Church today.

This year at the diaconate ordination in the Diocese of Texas, the Rev. Sam Todd preached. Here is a little of what he said about deacons:

You also in your person and by your ministry will be a prophetic reminder to us priests and bishops of the core of our calling. The misguided advocates of so-called per saltum ordination think it insulting to the diaconate that some people should pass through it on their way to other orders. But in fact no one does pass through the diaconate. Because the orders are not sequential but layered, the diaconate remains the foundation of all ordained ministry. . . .

The most important cleric in my life was Deacon Merrill Hutchins who taught me in high school and introduced me to the 19th century novel John Inglesant. I was much struck by a particular passage within it. A Benedictine named Cressy says to the title character: “I put before you your life, with no false colouring, no tampering with the truth. Come with me to [Haiti, he might have said] …There you shall teach the smallest children in the schools, and visit the poorest people, and perform the duties of the household – and all for Christ. I promise you on the faith of a gentleman and a priest – I promise you, for I have no shade of doubt – that in this path you shall find the satisfaction of the heavenly walk; you shall walk with Jesus day by day, growing ever more and more like to Him; and your path, without the least fall or deviation, shall lead more and more into the light, until you come unto the perfect day; and on your death-bed – the death-bed of a saint – the vision of the smile of God will sustain you, and Jesus Himself shall meet you at the gates of eternal life” (J. Henry Shorthouse, John Inglesant, A Romance, Scholarly Press, Chapter XIX, p. 203).

That is the life of a deacon.

Let us pray: O God, most merciful Father, we praise you for sending your Son Jesus Christ, who took on himself the form of a servant, and humbled himself, becoming obedient even to death on the cross. We praise you that you have highly exalted him, and made him Lord of all; and that, through him, we know that whoever would be great must be servant of all. We praise you for the many ministries in your Church, and for calling this your servant to the order of deacons. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS:

The Feast Day of St. Augustine & Blessing of the New Facilities:
Dinner celebration on Saturday, 28 August 2010 at 6:00 p.m.
Eucharist, Sunday, 29 August 2010 at 9:00 a.m.

Please let Pat Tate, Alicia Gaskin or myself know if you or others are coming so that we can get an accurate head count.

The Second Annual St. Augustine Art Show: It will be at the end of September and lasting into October. This year’s theme is “Spirit”.

PLEASE REMEMBER ALL THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST and especially:

In thanksgiving for the grants received from the Anglican Compass Rose Society and First Presbyterian Church in Galveston
Joyce Merritt who is undergoing cancer treatment after surgery
Sue and Sean Coleman as Sue recovers from brain surgery
For the intentions of everyone at St. Augustine
For all those who are traveling

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550