This Sunday is the start of the Merry Mary Month of May at St. John’s. During this annual observance we celebrate Mary, mothers, and women. During May all our hymns, offertory anthems and instrumental music will highlight women’s texts and compositions. Many of the prayers we will use are written by women, and women from the congregation will serve as the lectors and intercessors for the month.
Many of the hymns we will sing in May come from “Voices Found: Women in the Church’s Song,” a supplement to the Episcopal hymnal. Many of the prayers come from “Women’s Uncommon Prayers: Our Lives Revealed, Nurtured, Celebrated,” a collection of prayers written by clergy and lay women in the Episcopal Church. We are blessed to be part of a church which sees the need for these resources and creates them.
As you enjoy the music, readings, and prayers from our liturgy this month, I hope that you will be inspired to reflect on the importance of the feminine in the Church and in the world and the ongoing struggle of women for justice and full inclusion.