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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Elizabeth Mullen |
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MAINE CELEBRATED WASHINGTON – A special November 12 worship service at Washington National Cathedral was attended by pilgrims from Maine, natives of Maine who now live in the nation’s capital, and by people who consider Maine their home for just part of each year. As the Right Rev. Chilton Knudsen, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, was dispensing Communion, some worshipers quietly mentioned to her, “St. Peter’s Ogunquit,” or “St. Mary’s in the Evergreens.” They were summer vacationers, Knudsen explained. “They were telling me where their summer chapels were,” she said. “It was very touching. Like most people from Maine I am amazed at how many friends we have who don’t live there all the time. There is something about loyalty to Maine that is a seasonal thing that really gets close to people’s hearts.” People from Maine and friends of the state were welcomed to Maine State Day at Washington National Cathedral, part of a program where each month a state is singled out and elevated in prayer. The congregation at the 11 am service included more than 100 worshipers with ties to the state. Bishop Knudsen was chief celebrant and Maine residents played key roles in the service. The visitors were greeted by the Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of Washington National Cathedral. Lloyd also delivered the sermon. He discussed the nature of generosity based on the Gospel passage in which Jesus comments on a poor widow who placed two copper coins, all she had to live on, in the temple treasury. While rich people were putting in large sums, Jesus said the widow “put in more than all those who are contributing,” according to the passage. “For all of them have contributed out of their abundance but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had.” “It’s so easy to miss people like that, and also to see her we begin to see our lives differently,” Lloyd said. “To see where we put our values.” Massachusetts, one of the wealthiest states, ranks last for its giving while the poorest state, Mississippi, ranks first, he pointed out. “By world standards, everyone here is enormously wealthy,” Lloyd said. “Most of us give a little here and a little there. Someone once called it ‘Goodwill Industries giving.’ We give what we don’t really need or want.” Lloyd said: “To give away in gratitude and generosity is to place ourselves in the deepest current of the universe that flows straight from the heart of God.” Maine visitors played key roles throughout the service. The Very Rev. Ben Schambaugh, dean of the Cathedral of St. Luke in Portland, assisted the bishop in the service. Several church deacons also attended, reflecting the Maine diocese’s strong commitment to service in the community. The Rev. Anne Hunter, the newly ordained deacon for the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rangeley, took part, as did the Rev. Betsy Wilder Deleuse, who serves in the bishop’s office in Portland, and the Rev. Aaron Perkins of York, newly ordained deacon serving in prison ministry. William G. Rhines of Wells, who serves with his wife Linda as Regional Volunteer Leaders for the National Cathedral Association, read Scripture. Wayne Hanson, a Bangor native, carried the state flag in the service-opening procession. He is past president of the Maine State Society, the organization of natives who now live and work in the Washington area. Carl Bouchard, a native of Fort Kent and current Maine State Society president, delivered gifts to the altar during the Offertory, along with his wife Janet. Canon Vicki Wiederkehr, canon for programs and ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, also took part in the offertory, along with Deborah Curtis of Portland, and three Girl Scouts from the Kennebec Council troop 877: Anna Rich, 14, of Rockland, Vanessa Bemis, 13, of Rockport, and Violet Bemis, 9, of Rockport. Afterwards guides led tours spotlighting Maine elements in the Cathedral, including needlepoint kneelers in St. John’s Chapel that honor Winslow Homer and Edna St. Vincent Millay.
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