SETTING AN EXAMPLE ST. MIKE'S CELEBRATES 60TH YEAR BY EMBRACING OTHER RELIGIONS.Byline: HOLLY J. ANDRES Staff Writer STUDIO CITY -- St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church Episcopal Church, Anglican church of the United States. Its separate existence as an American ecclesiastical body with its own episcopate began in 1789. Doctrine and Organization is celebrating its 60th anniversary today, and the congregation is looking forward to the gifts. ``Church exists to be a relevant presence in the world. What's the most relevant thing we can do? Set an example,'' said the Rev. John Capellaro. ``We're saying, come and teach us how to pray from your wisdom. It would be a gift to us.'' Capellaro is talking about the longed-for but elusive gifts of peace and understanding among faiths. ``There is so much confusion about religion and interfaith matters,'' Capellaro said. ``Violence around the world carries religious labels. We're ready to grow and make a difference. We're opening our doors for other faiths to help us become better people.'' The congregation has scheduled a daylong day·long adj. Lasting through the whole day. adv. Through the day; all day. Adj. 1. daylong - lasting through an entire day program of interfaith activities. The idea for ``Common Ground: An Interfaith Day of Peace'' was suggested by Geoffrey Sharp, a vestry member at the church. The opening presentation, at 10 a.m., will be on Islam, with prayer presented by JihadTurk, director of religious affairs at the Islamic Center of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . Sister Linda Snow, from the Sisters of St. Joseph
The Sisters of St. Joseph are a Roman Catholic order of women founded in Le Puy, France. of Carondelet, will follow at 11 a.m., with a talk on prayer in the Roman Catholic tradition. Additional religious learning opportunities include an interfaith panel discussion from a woman's point of view, a labyrinth labyrinth (lăb`ərĭnth), intricate building of chambers and passages, often constructed so as to perplex and confuse a person inside. walk, Buddhist prayers led by the Venerable Bhante Chao Chu, chief abbot from the Rosemead Buddhist Monastery, and a 3 p.m. peace walk on the church grounds. Kathryn Argall became a member of St. Mike's, as the church is affectionately known, 58 years ago. She remembered the warm welcome that changed her worship life -- she came from another Christian denomination A denomination, in the Christian sense of the word, is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and/or doctrine. Denominations Christianity is composed of, but not limited to, five major branches of Churches: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, -- and her personal life. ``It's my comfort and joy. Most of my friends have been made through the church. When I'm there, I'm home,'' said Argall. ``I think the church has been a success because it's been a very active parish. The outreach programs and the worship services are the other reasons.'' Capellaro is carrying on the welcoming tradition at St. Mike's. Recent attendees have told him that they've been coming back to Sunday services because of something he said a few Sundays ago. ``I said, `All of you folks who are new here today, boy is it nice you're here. Your presence allows us to be changed and that's a gift,''' Capellaro said. ``We're a respite for those in need. We're a respite for that homosexual couple or for those who have no faith background. We're not the place for pat answers. ``We're on a journey of exploration and if you're eager to mature as a human being, we're a safe place to do that.'' Betsy Meiman had been passing the church on her way to work. The beauty of the church architecture was initially what persuaded her family to attend an Easter service this year, and they have been attending services ever since. ``What impressed us was a combination of (the church) being modern in its thinking. It's very intelligent. It's very liberal -- that was important to us,'' said the transplanted New Yorker. ``It's a spiritual place, not necessarily `churchy church·y adj. church·i·er, church·i·est 1. Conforming or adhering rigorously to the practices or creeds of a church. 2. Of, suitable for, or suggesting a church: "two . . . .' It's been a supportive community.'' A traditional choral cho·ral adj. 1. Of or relating to a chorus or choir. 2. Performed or written for performance by a chorus. [Medieval Latin chor Evensong, presided over by the Right Rev. J. Jon Bruno Joseph Jon Bruno commonly known as J. Jon Bruno is the Episcopal Bishop of Los Angeles. He was seated February 1, 2002 surrounded by more than 1,000 Episcopalians and guests surrounding Echo Park Lake. , bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles is a community of 85,000 Episcopalians in 147 congregations, 39 schools, and 18 major institutions, spanning all of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties, and part of Riverside County. , will be held at 5 p.m. The evening prayer will be followed by Havdalah Havdalah is a Jewish religious ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat and holidays, and ushers in beginning of the new week. In Judaism, Shabbat ends -- and the new week begins -- at nightfall. Havdalah may be recited as soon as three stars are visible in the night sky. , a Jewish service that comes at the end of Shabbat. For the potential visitor who might be put off by the word Episcopal, Capellaro explained that the word simply means a church with bishops. ``We have Holy Eucharist every Sunday. We do a very traditional liturgy and it's a beautiful worship,'' said Capellaro. ``And within that, we want people to be on a real spiritual journey.'' ``Common Ground: An Interfaith Day of Peace,'' 9 a.m.-6 p.m. today, St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, 3646 Coldwater Canyon Ave., Studio City. Sunday services at 8 and 10:30 a.m. with Sunday school Sunday school, institution for instruction in religion and morals, usually conducted in churches as part of the church organization but sometimes maintained by other religious or philanthropic bodies. In England during the 18th cent. for all ages at 9:30 a.m. Call (818) 763-9193 or see www.stmikessc.org. holly.andres(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3708 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The Rev. John Capellaro and Kathryn Argall, in St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, will celebrate 60 years in the community with an interfaith day of prayer and discussions. Argall has been attending the church for 58 years. David Sprague/Staff Photographer |
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