Holidays

St Luke’s Episcopal Clergy to Mark Commuters with Ashes at Noroton Heights Station on Ash Wednesday

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Wednesday Feb. 26 is Ash Wednesday and clergy from St. Luke’s Parish will be at the Noroton Heights Ttrain Station from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. to offer commuters “Ashes to Go.”

This is an opportunity for commuters to observe this solemn holy day and still keep to their busy schedules. St. Luke’s will also offer Ash Wednesday services at the church and chapel at 1864 Post Road at 9:30 a.m., 12 noon, 5 and 7 p.m. All are welcome.

Religion
Talmadge Hill Community Church 2020 logo wide Facebook

Talmadge Hill Community Church Celebrates Its 150th Year

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Talmadge Hill Community Church is excited to announce the launch of its sesquicentennial year of celebration, gratitude and service. — an announcement from Talmadge Hill Community Church
Talmadge Hill has been a continuing community of faith since 1870 and will commemorate the year through a series of events and projects centered on the theme: Welcomed • Loved • Called. This 150th anniversary year will kick-off on Sunday, Jan. 26 at the church’s 10 a.m. service. The church is located at 870 Hollow Tree Ridge Road.

Art Exhibits
Saint John's Bible page illuninated hand-written

St Luke’s Presents Lecture Series on Religious Art; Displays Handwritten, Illuminated Bible

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With the invention of the printing press, so went the practice of writing the bible by hand — until Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, produced a 1,165-page handwritten, gold-illuminated bible in 2011. A limited edition of one of the seven volumes of The Saint John’s Bible is on display at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Parish for all to view for one year. St. Luke’s is also hosting a three-part lecture series this month on Bible art. — This announcement from St.

Darien Library
Gil Harel Darien Library music lecturer

‘Music and Faith’ Lectures at Darien Library Include Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Bernstein

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Darien Library presents a new four-week, Tuesday lecture series on music and faith taught by Gil Harel. (Watch his previous lectures.) All lectures take place from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Community Room at Darien Library, starting this Tuesday, Nov. 20. — announcements from Darien Library
The Renaissance to J.S. Bach
This Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.

The study of what scholars call “early music” is dominated by the works of composers whose faith informed and inspired their creativity.

Religion
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Sacred Heart University Starts Online Forum on Rebuilding the Catholic Church

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Sacred Heart University has established an online forum to help rebuild the Catholic Church in a time of disunity and spiritual decay. The forum, “Go, Rebuild My House,” will serve as an open forum and allow experts from all over the world to contribute posts. When news broke in late summer about U.S. bishops covering up sex crimes committed by priests, SHU President John J. Petillo knew the University could have an important role in shaping what would happen next. Petillo said the Church has lost its way, and it is due time the University follows the vision of Saint Francis of Assisi and helps to rebuild it. “We at Sacred Heart believe, as an institution of higher learning, in the Catholic intellectual tradition.

Religion

Independent Investigation Announced Into Bridgeport Diocese’s Past Handling of Clergy Sex Abuse Charges

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Bishop Frank Caggiano, head of the Diocese of Bridgeport, the largest religious organization in Fairfield County and in Darien, has announced an investigation into how the diocese reacted in past decades to charges of sexual abuse of minors by priests. Leading the investigation will be a non-Catholic retired judge with experience investigating sex abuse charges. On Thursday, Caggiano said in a speech at a church Synod in Rome that recent news of Catholic clergy sex-related scandals has degraded trust in the administration of the Catholic Church. He said bishops “must continue to face courageously and honestly the betrayal of young people by clerics to whom they were entrusted.”
Background
This summer there were reports that Archbishop Theodore McCarrick had been accused of sexual abuse of teenagers, and sexual coercion of seminarians and young priests. Also, a Pennsylvania grand jury released a report detailing incidents of clerical sexual abuse across that state for decades, and prosecutors in other states have announced that they are starting or considering similar wide-ranging investigations.

Parents & Kids

Bible Classes for Children Are Available Free at the Christian Science Reading Room

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Want your children to broaden their horizons this summer? Introduce them to the Bible. During these free, one-hour classes at the Christian Science Reading Room in Darien, children will learn about and discuss Bible characters and beloved Biblical texts. Bible classes will take place in 10 sessions from 11 a.m. to 12 noon, weekdays from July 23 to 27 and Aug. 6 to 10 at the Christian Science Reading Room, 1904 Post Road, Darien.

Music
St. Luke's Choir 2017

Hear St. Luke’s Choirs in Saturday Service: ‘Spring: A Maritime Evensong’

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The choirs of Saint Luke’s Parish in Darien will present Phrases of the Spring: A Maritime Evensong, the last Choral Evensong of the season, on Saturday, April 28, at 5 p.m. A wine and cheese reception will follow. There is no charge for admission, and all are welcome. The service will feature special prayers, hymns, and blessings for boaters, sailors, and those looking forward to getting back to the water this spring. Featured music will include the Evening Service (Collegium Regale), composed for King’s College, Cambridge, England, by Herbert Howells (1892–1983), as well as his Hymn for Saint Cecilia, the martyr and patron saint of hymns, great musicians, and poets. Evensong, one of the great legacies of the English Reformation and most cherished of Anglican services, has its origins in the ancient monastic tradition of marking the day with specific times of prayer.

Government & Politics
Beyond Thoughts and Prayers Darien United 2018

Public Meeting Wednesday on Mass Shootings and What to Say to Children About Them

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On Wednesday night, March 14, Darien United, the youth group that brings together kids from several Darien churches, will present a “thoughtful faith-based conversation” on school shootings for parents. The event,  “Beyond Thoughts and Prayers: A Christian Response in the Age of Fear and Anxiety,” takes place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Middlesex Middle School cafeteria. “The goal is to have a conversation about how to help children survive and thrive in a time when school shootings dominate the headlines,” the group says in an announcement. “Shootings in public spaces are leaving many in our community fearful and fragile—especially our children,” the announcement says. “Parents, who are on the frontlines of addressing these fears, find themselves looking to reassure children afraid to go to school.

Music
United Church of Rowayton 910-26-16

Special Music Service Sunday, March 11 at United Church of Rowayton

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The public is invited to attend a special music service entitled “Abound in Hope,” combining a 10-piece orchestra and a 35-member choir at the United Church of Rowayton, 210 Rowayton Ave., at 10:15 a.m., Sunday, March 11. “The ‘Abound in Hope’ service is a celebration of the days leading up to Easter,” says Pastor John Livingston. — an announcement from the United Church of Rowayton
The orchestra and choir will be under the direction of Marsha Hall, the church’s music director. All the musicians are from the local area. The ensemble will be performing “The Tree of Peace” by the internationally applauded composer and arranger Gwyneth Walker, D.M.A.
The text for “The Tree of Peace” was adapted from the Jon Greenleaf Whittier poem “O Brother Man.”
“We are excited and honored to present this inspiring work,” says Marsha.

Holidays
Christian Science Church Darien First Church of Christ Scientist 11-15-17

Thanksgiving Morning Service at First Church of Christ Scientist, Darien

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The members of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Darien invite you and yours to join us for a special Thanksgiving service to hear an uplifting Bible Lesson, sing songs of thanksgiving and share expressions of gratitude from the congregation. The Thanksgiving Day proclamation of the President will also be read. The service will take place Thursday morning, Nov. 23 at 10:30 a.m at the church edifice, 2331 Post Road. The Thanksgiving Bible Lesson emphasizes how God sustains and cares for us. What can be more natural than singing praises to God for the blessings already received and for the good to come?

Community Organizations
United Church of Rowayton 910-26-16

United Church of Rowayton Sponsors Food Drive for Person-to-Person

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Area residents are invited to join in The United Church of Rowayton’s fall food drive October 1-9, to help fill the shelves at Person-to-Person (P2P). “This is the first year for our newly remodeled food program at P2P,” says Susan Zelman, site manager. “Our goal is healthier eating habits and lifestyles,” she says. “The new program can be seen at MyPlate.gov.”
Non-perishable food donations are welcome such as canned beans and lentils, canned tuna, salmon and chicken in water, canned or boxed soups, stews and chilies,  100% fruit spread, pasta sauce, and healthy snacks such as protein, breakfast and granola bars, unsalted nuts and seeds, whole grain crackers and single-bag popcorn. Bill Peltz, with the church’s Board of Christian Outreach, says, “Hunger is not limited to the holidays.

Government & Politics
St Luke's Service of Unity and Community 08-15-17

Message at Interdenominational Church Event in Reaction to Charlottesville: Bigotry and Christianity Don’t Mix

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God’s message of love for all nationalities — a message repeatedly seen in the Bible — is a powerful rebuke to bigoted hatred of others, Christian preachers from different Darien Churches told an audience Monday at a service held to counter messages coming out of Charlottesville, Va. this past weekend. About 65 people attended the special “Service of Unity and Community” held in the front of St. Luke’s Church early Monday evening. “We’re here tonight for love and for the radical embrace of God and Christ that’s able to break down every barrier,” the Rev. David Anderson, pastor of St.

Around Town
Noroton Presbyterian Church NPC Service Day 05-09-17

28 Community Service Projects in Noroton Presbyterian Church’s Annual Service Day

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Hundreds of members of Noroton Presbyterian Church (NPC) participated in 28 community service projects around Darien on Sunday, April 30 for the second annual NPC Service Day. The idea developed last year was for the church community to come together, all ages and stages, and serve their greater community. “NPC Service Day was a wonderful opportunity for our congregation to serve our community,” Interim Senior Pastor, Rev. Dr. John Seiders said. “What a great joy it was to see children, youth, and adults caring for people and the larger community in which we live. “In a day and age when people are polarized about all kinds of issues, it is our desire to actively care for our community and the people who are here.”

The day had projects for everyone, i.e. outside projects, sitting down projects, manual labor projects, etc.