BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:icalendar-ruby
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260705T155122Z
UID:55-1080113@christchurchpelham.org
DTSTART:20280206T210000Z
DTEND:20280206T220000Z
CLASS:PUBLIC
CREATED:20260629T164235
DESCRIPTION:Join us for Evensong. Evensong is a traditional Anglican worshi
 p service that includes two Scriptural Lessons\, a selection for the Psalm
 s\, a sermon\, and evening hymns\, canticles\, and anthems sung by the cho
 ir. Evensong normally lasts about 40-45 minutes. Following tonight's servi
 ce we will have a Pizzeria Night (a wide selections of pizzas\, red wine\,
  soda\, and red/white table cloths).  RSVP below!\nWe gather to celebrate
  the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple\, also known as C
 andlemas.  The Presentation is narrated by Saint Luke and details the Jew
 ish ritual of presenting the first born male child in the Temple forty day
 s after his birth\, thus our feast today takes place forty days after Chri
 stmas.  The child was redeemed\, a ritual buying back\, from the Temple w
 ith a money offering.  The Book of Leviticus also details a rite for the 
 “Purifcation of the Mother” that took place in the same visit\, and fo
 r centuries this Holy Day was called The Purification of the Blessed Virgi
 n Mary.  The offering prescribed for this rite was a lamb.  Families tha
 t were unable to afford a lamb could substitute two turtle doves.  \nLike
  the rites of Holy Week\, the Feast of the Presentation and its candle lig
 hting rite seem to have evolved in the fourth century Church in Jerusalem\
 , when it first became legal in the Roman Empire for the Church to be publ
 ic in its witness.  The lit candles carried by the people at the start of
  this service reference to the “Light for revelation to the Gentile” t
 hat Simeon identifies Jesus as.  Elaborate processions – often moving f
 rom church to church in the dark night – were once a hallmark of this ce
 lebration and are likely the basis of the informal but still popular title
  Candlemas.  The service tonight begins with a candlelight procession.\nI
 n the United States\, Candlemas coincides with Groundhog Day\, the earlies
 t American reference to which can be found at the Pennsylvania Dutch Folkl
 ore Center at Franklin and Marshall College. The reference implies that Gr
 oundhog Day may have come from a German-American Candlemas tradition: “L
 ast Tuesday\, the 2nd\, was Candlemas day\, the day on which\, according t
 o the Germans\, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he s
 ees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap\, but if the day be 
 cloudy he remains out\, as the weather is to be moderate.” — 4 Febru
 ary 1841—from Morgantown\, Berks County (Pennsylvania) storekeeper James
  Morris' diary.  \nIt is not at all clear if the groundhog’s shadow has
  anything to do with candlelight processions passing by burrows filled wit
 h inquisitive groundhogs\, but it seems unlikely since it would be difficu
 lt to see a groundhog at night.  
LAST-MODIFIED:20260629T164235
LOCATION:Church
SUMMARY:Evensong for Candlemas
URL;VALUE=URI:https://christchurchpelham.org/events/evensong-for-candlemas/
 2028-02-06
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END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR