March 2010




The Rev.
Andrea L. Wight

The Rev. Andrea L. Wight graduated from one of the Episcopal Church’s eleven seminaries, the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley CA, in May of 2003, and her position at St. Mary’s marks the beginning of her active, ordained ministry.

She is a lifelong Episcopalian, being born and raised in New Jersey. As a teenager her family moved to Wyoming where she continued her life in the Church. She graduated from the University of Wyoming in Laramie with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy. Shortly after graduation she moved to Las Vegas NV where she lived and worked as a hospital pharmacist for close to 28 years.

She was ordained to the Transitional Diaconate in February of 2003, and was ordained to the Priesthood on October 25, 2003.

She is very active in the American Association of University Women, a member of the Kiwanis, with the Diocese of Chicago, is a member of the Greater Rockford Clergy Association, and is a volunteer reader at Spring Creek Elementary School. She enjoys running and yoga. She has two grown children, and two younger sisters.

Ten Essential Steps
for a Godly Life

  1. Confess often, get rid of your sins: use the formal BCP confession, prayers from the prayer book or make up your own. Don’t feel you always have to be right.
  2. Get in the habit of using the name of Jesus often: think in his name and use it in prayer.
  3. Don’t blame others when you are sinning: when you know you are sinning stop it as quickly as possible.
  4. If you are unhappy more than you are happy, find out why and change your life-it is inside you. We are responsible for our own peace, our own happiness. No one else can make us happy and we can’t make others happy.
  5. Spend more time in prayer: the more you pray, the easier things come. Talk to yourself-Jesus is in you.
  6. Don’t hold a grudge; you will be the one who ends up sick: give it up. Let God given music flow through you instead of the grudge.
  7. Do not agree with criticism: this is the pivotal point in our spiritual growth. When someone is criticizing, especially the church, bow your head and silently pray for the person.
  8. Stay loyal to worship. When you stay away from church you stop praying and you are open to Satan: it is not possible to be lukewarm.
  9. Don’t complain because things end-let’s rejoice because they happened.

From an article by The Rev. Lewis O. Tanno,
St. Clement Episcopal Church, Tampa
, FL

 

 

Lenten rhythm provides opportunity
to deepen spiritual journey

   With all the ups and downs of the past three to four months, I’m really ready to sink into the rhythm of Lent.  Lent is helpful in that way -- to set a rhythm to help us focus and dedicate some time every day to prayer, meditation and reflection on the readings from devotional booklets or other sources. 

Besides a daily rhythm of prayer and reflection, on Wednesday mornings we are walking the Stations of the Cross using a setting from the Iona Community.  We started that last week, and the feedback was very good.  On Sunday Feb. 28, we resumed our ‘Lost Christianities’ series for four weeks.  So, there are things happening to help us embrace the spirit of Lent. 

When I was a child, it was always about figuring out what I was going to give up for Lent -- usually it was chocolate or something like that.  Now in my later years, the greatest sacrifice seems to be time related -- specifically to be even more diligent in keeping to a daily routine of prayer and devotion and really work at deepening my spiritual journey.  There is an equally great benefit to keeping such a routine as I find myself feeling more content and much less stressed.        

With daylight hours lengthening every day, the promise of warmer days inches closer and closer.  I must say I am ready to shrug off the winter blues and, along with it, my cocoon -- all the bundling it takes to keep me warm on cold winter days. It can’t come soon enough -- days when we can throw open the windows and doors and let the fresh air breeze through the house.  I don’t know exactly why, but the cold days of winter always feel longer than the warmer days of summer. 

       In the meantime the Lenten journey is at hand.  And, hopefully, as we walk that journey for the rest of the month, we will continue to prepare ourselves for the promise of a glorious Easter celebration!  I’m counting on that…and of course for good weather and brighter days ahead.

                                                                 

Pastor Andrea

This page prepared by St. Anskar's, Rockford

     

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