Dear Friends,
This past Wednesday, June 19th, our parish office was closed in observance of our newest federal holiday: Juneteenth.
On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that enslaved people were now free, two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation itself had little impact on slave-owning Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops available to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the Union forces were finally strong enough to overcome the residual resistance and proclaim freedom to the remaining enslaved people.
During the Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention held in Baltimore in 2022 a resolution was passed to include Juneteenth in the Church’s liturgical calendar as a day set aside for prayer and contemplation. Several dioceses, including our own Diocese of Southeast Florida, presented resolutions to GC and a combined form was passed by both houses of the General Convention. This is the collect that our diocese submitted:
O God of all life and truth, whose loving care knows no bounds and whose will it is that all people shall live in freedom: We give you thanks that on this day in 1865 the last enslaved people in our land learned of their freedom. Give us your grace to repent of the sin of racism in the United States and to seek your guidance to dismantle the systems of white supremacy it has engendered. Give us the courage continually to work for justice and freedom for all peoples for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, in whom you have set us free from the bondage of sin and death; and who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
A merge of two families by Deacon Miguel
In the year 2000 I joined St. Christopher’ family of God alone, with the exception of my nephew’s wife, the daughter of a retired Episcopalian Bishop. Soon after, their two children were born in Key Biscayne and baptized at our church, but the rest of my family lived else were, mostly New England and Alabama. In my new spiritual home, I found a loving church family who welcomed me while I trained for 3 years in the service of God.
My new church family had not replaced the very close ties I kept with my blood relatives, good people who grew up and followed the teachings of the Gospel in their own Roman Catholic churches; in fact one of my brothers, when he was alive, had a very active ministry with immigrants in a Long Island church which his own town parish sponsored.
On June 16 I had a memorable 90th Birthday celebration, offered by church members and hosted so graciously by Dottie Devaney Goldman at her beautiful home. Twelve of my relatives had flown down for the weekend and at Dotties’ I was mesmerized to see how each member of my family bonded with the Key Biscayners by sharing interests whether in art, law, medicine or else.
As we were the last ones to leave this very animated gathering, Dottie, very happily told me: “I’m delighted, Miguel, it went so well, everybody came….you see, we are really a church family”
“Well, I thought, the Christian love for one another has merged, for me, two families, into one”….
4th of July Pre-Parade Breakfast
A huge “THANK YOU” goes out to our parish’s Holderman family. For as many years as I can remember, they have sponsored (funded and hosted) a community-wide breakfast in the St. Christopher’s Parish Hall before the 4th of July Parade. This lively, popular event is part of the fabric of our community’s July 4th Celebration, and a major outreach of St. Christopher’s.
This year, the Holdermans are moving away.
Last Sunday, at Deacon Miguel’s 90th birthday party, several parishioners expressed a desire to continue St. Christopher’s 4th of July Breakfast. We got an immediate “Go ahead” from Junior Warden Isabelle Lamas and Rev. Willie.
Well, THERE WILL BE A ST. CHRISTOPHER’S 4TH OF JULY BREAKFAST THIS YEAR!!
Here are the facts:
Menu: scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, fresh fruit, orange juice, coffee.
Hours: 8:15-9:00a.m. for first responders and those working the parade | 9:00–10:30a.m. for the public.
If the short lead time allows, we plan to have fans with St. Christopher’s name to give to parade-goers to get name recognition and to give relief from the usual 4th of July sweltering heat.
We hope the bagpiper will attend with his annual serenade and that you and your family will be there to give a warm St. Christopher’s Church and School welcome to those who attend.
We also need a few volunteers to help with set-up the day before the event, and to clean-up immediately afterward.
SEE YOU AT THE ST. CHRISTOPHER’S 4th OF JULY BREAKFAST and at the Parade!
In Christ,
Carol Zeiner
Please Pray For...
As the Body of Christ we are called to pray for each other in times of sickness or hardship, or any form of distress, as well as to give thanks for the bounty and goodness which God has given us.
We are also happy when our prayers have been answered or are no longer needed as the illness, crisis, or concern may have passed. If you have anyone currently on our prayer list who has been blessed in this way please contact Cecilia Braham in the parish office (cbraham@stchriskb.org) to let her know if there are any names to be removed. Many thanks in advance.
St Christopher’s Parish & School Community
Pat Neal, Susie Schradle, Kathy V, Carol, Isabel L.
Family & Friends
Erik, Marilyn, Jane, Stewart, Sherrie, Julian, Charles, Mary Jo, Michael V, Allison, Frances R., Paul, Angie M., Dominique, Debi P., Lisa K., Katrina, Barbara, Eleanor, Nancy, Bill and Family, Lori, Paul J, Hugh, Keith, Barbara, Rebecca, Esteban, Carol, Jack and Marilyn Courtnay, Andy, Jane, Samuel, Niki, Dave, Geno, Patricia, Robert, Jackie, M.F.P., H.H.R., Bella and family, Betsy, Ethan, Danie, Dean and Richard, Gustavo Z., Gary, Mr. Long, Tracy, Shane, Stephen and Family. For Rex and Ruthann. For Ulla Britt Faiella and Ivonete Leite.
+ For the repose of the soul of Rick Faiella, Roberto Weisson & Doris Hodges.
+ For peace in the Holy Land.
+ For refugees and all who are in danger.
+ For the Nominating Committee: Jeff Brosco, Pam Gordon, Callie Holderman, Lynne Nelson, Ken Noto and Peter Verbeeck, and Lynne Libby, their chaplain.
+ Peace, Freedom and the Safety for the people of Ukraine
