What happened to the Harbor Chart? As you may well imagine, I’ve been hearing this question a lot! The an-

swer is rather long and complicated, not to men-tion a little embarrassing – I mean, for Pete’s sake, it’s been 8 months since we’ve produced one! The short version is that the Harbor Chart - and church communications in general - are going through some growing pains.

When I arrived at Saint Mary and Saint Jude, one of the first challenges I discovered was that the newsletter was not functioning well. Years ago, Sydney had agreed to take care of the graph-ic layout and printing of the Harbor Chart, but somehow that morphed into her being the editor - a role she never wanted, and was not comfort-able filling. I also discovered that while everyone seems to want a Har-bor Chart, finding people who are willing to write articles is extremely challenging and time consuming. And there was a bigger question looming: in this age of changing communications, should the Harbor Chart continue to exist in its current form at all?

The answer is a hesitant yes, but with some sig-nificant changes. We are working on producing an expanded version of our electronic commu-nication, the Good News. It will include current information about what’s happening in the par-ish, some musings by your rector, and calen-dar-related announcements. It will be delivered by email and Facebook, and if you don’t use a computer, you can sign up to receive a printed

copy in the U.S. Mail.

Meanwhile, we will attempt to continue pro-ducing the Harbor Chart quarterly, or maybe only twice a year. Really, it will depend on the willingness of people to volunteer their time as organizers, editors and writers. (Either that, or the willingness of a motivated benefactor or two to fund a paid editor/writer!) It will be less ad-ministrative and more human interest related, focusing on the life stories of our parish: births, deaths, and other meaningful events; interviews; and lay people’s reflections on faith and our mission.

What you’re reading here today is somewhat of a hybrid of the two future publications. It is the “Win-ter” edition of the Harbor Chart, but that’s really a misnomer, since it includes articles that have been col-lecting for months – most notably Peter Vaux’s farewell edition of Mu-

sic Notes, which was written last May. It also in-cludes articles which, in the future, will fit more appropriately in the Good News.

Thanks to all of you for your patience as we make this transition. And if you find yourself feeling disappointed or frustrated with what we’re do-ing, I ask you to be thoughtful about whether you might commit your own time, talent, or oth-er resources to help us do a better job of keeping everyone informed and telling the story of this wonderful parish.

Yours In Christ,

The Harbor ChartW i n t e r 2 0 1 6

....for the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light....

Isaiah 60:19 From The Rector

Saint Mary’s by-the-Sea & Parish Center, Northeast Harbor Saint Jude’s Episcopal Church, Seal Harbor

Town of Mount Desert, Maine

There has been great progress on the parish center renovation. After lengthy research and interviews, we engaged Fraser Associates Architects, Bar Har-bor, to design the renovation. In addition to strong design and project man-

agement skills, their principal, Geoff Fraser, has significant experience working with non-profit organizations. He understands the unique challenges of working with volunteers and boards, and has experience working for organizations whose plans hinge on the successful completion of a capital campaign.

Last spring Geoff completed the pre-design phase of the project. This included meeting with various groups of people to develop our design goals, taking field measurements and creating drawings that documented the existing condition of the building, providing for an evaluation of the building’s mechanical systems by a consulting engineer, researching and developing a report on building code require-ments, and preparing and helping us negotiate a contract with our builder.

Over the summer Geoff developed some preliminary drawings, and now he is working with our builder (E.L. Shea Builders and Engineers) and our Buildings and Grounds Committee to finalize a plan that meets as many of our goals as possible. Some of the primary goals, in order of priority, are as follows:

1. Structural repairs and/or replacement of the roof trusses and first floor support beams2. Repair and replacement of existing non-compliant electrical systems3. Provide code compliant second means of egress from the second floor4. Renovation of the second floor lobby, kitchen and storage rooms5. Renovation of the first floor counting room, storage, and sacristy6. Renovation/reorganization at the main stairway and first floor lobby to improve way-finding.

We have chosen a collaborative design process including both the architect and builder in order to develop a plan that stays within our budget. Already, we’ve had to let go of some of our wants in order to prioritize our needs.

Still, the new design will be a huge improvement over what we have now. We can look forward to a building that is safe, sound, and refreshingly renewed. Please watch for more details in the months ahead.

Pa r i s h C e n t e r R e n o vat i o n U p d at e2

P A R I S H S T A F F

The Rt Rev. Stephen LaneBishop

The Rev. Jane E. CornmanRector

Kerry KenneyParish Administrator

Lise WallaceOrganist

Edward HorvathSexton

Patricia ShellnuttAccountant

T H E V E S T R Y

The Rev. Jane E. CornmanBeth Renault

Acting Senior WardenMarsha Planting

Acting Junior WardenLauri Fernald

TreaurerRichard Habermann

Lesley HorvathMorris Kellett

Jackie LoweTodd Miner

Sheila Pulling

O F F I C E H O U R S

Monday - FridayJune - September: 8AM-3PM

October-May: 8:30AM-2:30PMPO Box 105

5 Kimball RoadNortheast Harbor

Maine 04662P: 207 276 5588F: 207 276 3220

E: ssmaryjude@roadrunner.comW: www.maryjude.org

Opening event: Thanks to the Stroud Fund for its part in building the Mount Desert Elementary School greenhouse.

3S t e wa r d s h i p

I was asked to write about stewardship. It gets one to thinking. What were we talking about anyway? Let’s try this. Stewardship is

the duty to maintain and improve something of value. That’s a pithy statement. There are four key words: Duty, Maintain, Improve, and Value. Maybe Value comes first. If it’s not valuable why bother? There are many things of value in our lives. Family, health, community, and religion are certainly some of them, and should cause us to think of our role in preserv-ing their value. Therein lies the duty.

We certainly do not want to let the things that we hold dear diminish in value. Maintain them for sure, but is that enough?

Jesus helps us here with the parable of the talents: The steward who took a risk and was able to increase the worth of his share receives high praise. His master is certainly pleased, and, I think, likely a bit surprised at this very favorable outcome. The chicken guy who hides them under the bed really catches it. He has maintained that with which he was trusted, but he has not improved it. He has failed his duty by our definition and by that of hismaster.

We need to be thinking hard about how to im-prove those things within our trust. This may

very well require taking a risk. We should have the courage to do it. We will also need to use our strength as we make an extra effort.

When you come right down to it, this is not a simple or easy task. Most of us have a few talents that we struggle to increase, but how about all of the other things? What of our spouses, our kids, our social responsibilities? And our church? Why do we think that this is appearing where it is? Having been properly blessed, a covey of pledge cards has now flown out to every one of you. Please treat them kindly. Let our church be nourished and improved. Do your duty. Be good stewards.

This all sounds pretty serious. And I guess that it is. But never forget the joys of stewardship well accomplished. The talents have multiplied. Your garden is blooming gloriously because of the love and care that you lavished upon it. You breath a sigh of content knowing that you have helped sustain the needs of our beloved parish.

There you have it. As a result of all of this con-templation, you have now come to the conclu-sion that stewardship is really worth it, and a bit of fun besides. Go for it!

Stephen Mahoney, MD

House church at the Renaults.’Peter Vaux thanking folks for his 2nd

ever tie! at his retirement party. Catlins at the Blessing of the Animals.

This article was originally written at the beginning of the Stewardship Campaign in October. Since it was written, we have received just over $96,000 in annual pledges and gifts. Thank you! We still fall short of our $135,000 goal, so if you haven’t sent in your annual pledge or gift, please consider doing it soon!

M i s s i o n P o s s i b l e

On Tuesday, October 13th, nine mem-bers of the prayer shawl ministry (and three of their spouses) traveled aboard

the Sunbeam V to Frenchboro/Long Island to teach a knitting workshop to year round island residents. The workshop was hosted by Sun-beam V and the Maine Sea Coast Mission. The group from Saint Mary’s and Saint Jude’s includ-ed Phyllis Par-tridge, Marion Peckham, Jackie Agnese, Mary Ann & Steve Mahoney, Judy Norwood, Nan-cy Stanley, Clau-dine & Ephron Catlin, Jane & Douglas Corn-man, and Kerry Kenney. Douglas is also the Mission’s Director of Island Outreach and one of the Sunbeam’s crew.

Eleven Frenchboro residents, including three children from the Frenchboro School attended the workshop. The majority of islanders who attended had little or no knowledge of knitting. The primary goals of the workshop were to in-troduce and teach a skill that islanders could use to generate supplemental income and to pro-

vide an opportunity for island fellowship and fun. The prayer shawl group members donated a bag containing knitting supplies to each island participant.

The group sat together knitting in the Sunbeam’s salon for close to two hours. Every island partici-pant learned how to cast their yarn onto the nee-

dles and how begin knit-ting. Most successfully c o m p l e t e d a few rows before the w o r k s h o p ended. Jil-lian, the Sun-beam’s stew-ard, served

the group a delicious meal of homemade mine-strone soup, toasted bread, and fresh salad from her own garden. No one left the table hungry!

Many thanks to the Saint Mary and Saint Jude Prayer Shawl Ministry Knitters for generously donating their time, talent, and resources to the Sunbeam’s effort to support year round residents on the outer islands.

N e w M e m b e r s . . .

Born October 13th to Katherine Stroud Bucklin & Michael Bucklin. Grandparents: Dixon & Lisa Stroud; Martha & Chuck Bucklin.

Cynthia Elizabeth BucklinBorn December 1st to Elizabeth March and David Houlihan. Grandparents: John & Maude March; Kathleen & James Houlihan.

James Parrish March Houlihan

4

Island Pastors Offer Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service

Thanksgiving is a time when we remem-ber the many blessings in our lives, and a group of MDI pastors sponsored an

ecumenical service of scripture, prayer, hymns, and thanksgiving on November 24th at Saint Saviour’s Church.

The service is intended as an opportuni-ty for the whole community to gather across the lines of individual denominations and traditions. The Maine Seacoast Mission and the MDI Clergy Association sponsored the service.

Singing was accompanied by Saint Saviour’s In-terim Music Director, Andrea Horner at the organ and piano. The Rev. Rob Benson of Bar Harbor Congregational Church was the preacher; other participants were the Rev. Sue Cole of The Church of Our Father, Hull’s Cove, the Rev. Tim Fleck and the Rev. Kath-leen Killian of Saint Saviour’s Episcopal Church, Bar Harbor and Parish of Saint Andrew &

Saint John, Southwest Harbor, and the Rev. Victor Stanley of Somesville Union Meeting House UCC.

The Rev. Scott Planting, President of the Maine Sea Coast Mission, said, “Thanksgiv-ing is a holiday that does not belong to any one religion or tradition, so it is an excellent opportunity for this sort of shared community service. We hope that it may always have some-thing to offer every person of faith, no matter their background.”

The MDI Clergy Association has been created over the last three years from informal gathering of island pastors invited to meet for lunch by The Rev. Planting. The group discusses and co-ordinates response to island-wide issues as well as supporting one another in ministry. For the last several years the group has coordinated the ecumenical Martin Luther King Day celebration at the Mission, as well as last year’s Thanksgiving service at Saint Saviour’s.

Children’s Sermon at September’s Suminsby Park Serrvice

5

6 C a p i t a l C a m p a i g n U p d a t e

As you know, earlier this year we an-nounced a campaign to raise $1.7 mil-lion over the next three years. Our goal

is to put the parish on a secure path for the fore-seeable future. Thanks to widespread support from parish members, the Capital Campaign is on target to reach our goal of $1.7 million.

Recently we received a very generous six-figure gift that lifted us just above $1.2 million. We are tremendously excited, and we look forward to raising the remaining $500,000 in the coming year.

Please remember that all gifts matter, big and small. We have received unexpected and incred-ibly meaningful gifts from people who love us and our parish. They have given what they can, unasked. Such gifts bring home why this cam-paign is so important. A vibrant parish commu-nity is like ripples in a pond. We touch so many people in so many unexpected ways. If you’ve already given, please consider whether you can make an additional gift or pledge to help push us over the top. And if you haven’t given or pledged yet, there’s no time like the present .

Two thirds of the funds raised through the campaign will be added to the Saint Mary’s & Saint Jude’s endowment to ensure that we con-tinue to have a year-round rector. The balance of the funds will go toward critically needed repairs and renovations to the Parish Center, where worship is conducted in the winter and the administrative work of the parish is done. In 2014, major structural problems with this dear old building became evident. These prob-lems urgently need to be addressed and the campaign will allow us to do that.

The campaign, with this latest donation, is in the home stretch, and I send my thanks to all who have contributed or made pledges to date. Your generosity and support is crucial. Your gifts will put the church on a more secure foundation for

the next generation and help ensure that this time-honored source of fellowship will continue as a beacon of faith and renewal in the Mount Desert community.

We will continue to report on our progress in the Harbor Chart. Please feel free to contact any of our committee members with questions and suggestions – and, of course, please be gener-ous in your support when we reach out to you individually.

With your help we will get to the finish line.

Maude March, Chair Steering Committee

Factoids:

In 1882, it cost $1,170 to build the original wood-en chapel of Saint Mary’s By-the-Sea.

In1902 the stone church was built in for $19,000.

In 2002, a capital campaign raised $3+ million to renovate Saint Mary’s by-the Sea.

Ephron CatlinTanny Clark

The Rev. Jane CornmanAxie Diana

Jean Fernald

Lauri Fernald Ailsa FoulkeDick Habermann Berno HamiltonJackie Lowe

The Steering Committee

Christening, August 16

Finley Elizabeth Walsh: born July 30, 2014Parents: Lindsay Madeira and Brian WalshGodparents: Joshua Madeira, Bradley Madeira, &Nicole Walsh Grandparents: Ford Madeira & Cheri WalshGreat Grandparent: Constance Madeira

7F r e q u e n t l y A s k e d Q u e s t i o n s

QRemind me again: what is the purpose of this campaign?A. The capital campaign has two pur-

poses: 1) Increase the Doane Endowment so it provides enough income to balance our annual operating budget; and 2) Raise money to reno-vate the parish center.

Q. How much do we need to raise?A. The goal is to raise $1.7 million: $1.2 million for the endowment, and $500,000 toward the parish center renovation.

Q. Why do we need to raise money for the endowment?A. For several years now, we have been spending down one of our endowments - the Leadership Fund - in order to address an average budgetary shortfall of about $35,000 a year. This fund will be depleted in the next 1-2 years. If we cannot increase the Doane endowment so its income meets the needs of our operating budget, we will need to make painful budget cuts that will ad-versely affect all of our constituencies.

Q. Can I get a copy of our annual budget?A. Yes. If you have a copy of last year’s annual re-port, then you already have it. If you don’t have one, contact the church office and we’ll be happy to send it to you.

Q. What’s wrong with the parish center?A. The original design of the roof trusses was flawed. After almost 100 years of use, this flaw has resulted in structural problems that make using the second floor unsafe. This problem has been temporarily addressed with a support beam that is only meant to last for 1-2 more years. In addition, about one-third of the building con-tains old knob and tube electrical wiring that needs to be replaced. Last, when we renovate, we will be required by law to bring the building into compliance with current life safety codes which include creating a fire-rated stairwell inside the building, and we will also need to bring it into

compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.

Q. Why don’t we just tear down the parish cen-ter and put up a new building?A. A new building would cost most of what we’re trying to raise, leaving very little to add to the endowment. The hard reality is that we cannot afford to continue operating at our current level without increasing the endowment.

Q. Wouldn’t excitement over a new building project increase how much people are willing to give?A. Yes. As a general rule, people give more when there is a new building involved. However, in or-der to build a new Parish Center and adequate-ly increase our endowment, we would need to raise $2.6 million. Before we began the Capital Campaign, we conducted a feasibility study to determine how much we could raise. The con-clusion was that raising even $2 million would be a challenging stretch.

Q. Why do we need the Parish Center? Can’t we just use Saint Mary’s by-the Sea year round?A. Even with the heat turned on, worshiping in Saint Mary’s by-the-Sea in the off season is uncomfortably cold and dark. And the Par-ish Center serves as much more than a wor-ship space. The parish hall is needed for meet-ings, church school classes, and parish events. These functions could not be moved to Saint Mary’s by-the-Sea without building an addi-tion or renovating the interior. We can’t build any sort of addition because we don’t own the land surrounding the building. Renovat-ing the interior would compromise its beauty, and would threaten our listing as a National Historic Place.

Q. Why can’t we use the Centennial Fund to pay for the renovation?A. The way the Centennial Fund is set up, the amount of income the Trustees can grant is too

(Continued on page eight)

small to handle a project of this size. Over the past 5 years, they have had an average of $65,000 per year available to grant. While they cannot fund the entire project, the Trustees have been very supportive of the renovation, and have al-ready granted a combined total of $85,000 over the past two years to pay for the capital campaign feasibility study and most of the architect’s fees.

Q. How is the rector’s salary determined?A. The minimum total clergy compensation is determined by a formula approved, each year by Diocesan Convention. It’s the midpoint between the average classroom teacher and the average administrator (not including the superinten-dent) salary in our community, as reported by the Maine Department of Education. This for-mula ties clergy salaries to the socio-economic status of the community where the church is located. Our current rector’s starting salary was in line with these guidelines, and has only been increased for cost of living since she arrived.

Q. Are there naming opportunities?

A. Yes. Naming opportunities for the renovated Parish Center are listed in the Capital Campaign Case Statement. If you’d prefer your contribu-tion to be physically recognized at Saint Mary’s by-the-Sea or Saint Jude, this will be done with memorial benches, plaques, or gardens.

Q. What is the difference between my annual pledge and the Capital Campaign?A. The annual pledge is money we ask for annu-ally for the day-to-day expenses of running the church. We ask for a pledge every year in order to plan the operating budget. A capital cam-paign happens very infrequently to raise money for specific needs over and above the operating budget.

Q. Why haven’t I been asked to contribute?A. The Campaign is ongoing for 3 years, and over the course of that time we will be ask-ing everybody to contribute as generously as they can. If you haven’t heard from us yet, you will.

8 F A Q s ( Continued from page seven)

Nellie decided she wanted to go to Boarding School. “Fine,” said her parents, “but you have to do this yourself.” So she started to raise money for her tuition, mostly by babysitting. After a summer of that effort, she and her family cooked up a Finale, a party at the Neighborhood House on Sunday, August 23rd. She enlisted some friends and family and choreographed a Vaudeville evening none of us will forget. A Horvath hoot! It raised thousands of dollars. We all applaud Nellie and are so happy she loves The Canterbury School in Conneticut.

T h e H o r vat h H o o t

L to R: Nellie, Ed, Philip, Lesley, & Mary Bridget. Lots of dancing by the little kids.

9

Before leaving for France, I spent an hour or so at Saint Mary’s by-the-Sea, filing music and updating the

organization of our music library. It was late in the afternoon and I was reminded of the years when I used to play for the Sun-set Services. Before arriving at Rosserne, I would often spend an hour or so practicing the organ in the Stone Church. On summer afternoons, SMBTS can be a particularly glorious place - sun streams in through the large west window (and the lighthouse window). The whole building has a quite different atmosphere to it than is the case earlier in the day; it is radiant! Many peo-ple have commented to me over the years how meaningful is the silence in the build-ing. I agree, but also believe that this space can become even more special when there is some music playing, especially when it comes from the center of the building un-der the tower (where the acoustics are the finest) - perhaps the voice of a Sally Mer-chant, or the strings of a Monfredo ‘girl,’ or the harpischord of a Mary Ann Mahoney.

Several weeks before, I had met with Jane Cornman to plan music for the upcom-ing Sundays. We pick hymns to match as closely as possible the ‘themes’ of the ser-vices while ensuring that they are familiar or at least ‘singable’ (I’m not sure that we invariably succeed on the issue of familiar-ity, but we try!). Jane suggested to me that I pick out some of my favorite hymns for the

May 10th service (my last). I said I would be happy to do so. What I should have add-ed is: ‘how much time do we have?’ Going through the hymnal to pick four or five hymns, I quickly realized that I could put together a list of the “finest hymns ever written” that would take us considerably longer to sing than was available in even multiple services. I will not bore you with describing the full list of hymns that I fi-nally decided on for that service (none of the tunes were Welsh, as it turned out!).

However, one of the them is not in our hym-nal - or any other hymnal, for that matter. Several years ago, I was in Cornwall, in the southwestern tip of England, and heard a tune that I immediately became very at-tached to - one of those tunes that you just can’t get out of your head. I wanted to use it in our parish. The trouble was that the words were very much place-based and that place was Cornwall. So I brought the music back with me and asked Mike Kennedy if he would write some new text that focused on Maine, rather than Cornwall. Mike gra-ciously did this - the result is Hymn for Mount Desert (i.e. MDI). We have sung this hymn on occasions at SMBTS and I in-cluded it in the May 10th service.

Mike’s text does not specifically address these places, but rather the island on which they exist. The words of the third verse, in particular, stand out to me:

Music Notes :A Sense of Pl ace

(Continued on page ten)

As mentioned in the Rector’s opening letter, the following article is very old. Our deepest apologies to Peter Vaux for postponing publication of his farewell edition of Music Notes!

10 Hear us, Dear Lord, as we meet as one, On Mount Desert, our glorious island home,Year-round and summer, old-timer and new, Together we give our heart-felt thanks to You.

Walk with us as we cross the rocks of Giant Slide,Steady our helm through Somes Sound narrows tide,Breathe with us as we circle Eagle Lake. Deepen our joy from all that we partake.

Author of beauty, keep this vision whole; let not our careless greed exact its toll. And fill our lives inspired by this place, with Your abundant mercy, love and grace.

This is my final issue of Music Notes. I will great-ly miss being the organist in this parish - I have loved just about every minute of playing here, whether at the Winter Chapel, Saint Mary’s by-the-Sea, Sunset Services or, occasionally, Saint Jude’s. Thank you all for your friendship, your good wishes (including the splendid represen-tation of our island, in all of its 3-dimensional glory that was presented to me at the retirement party) and for sharing in the music with me!

V e n t u r eAt times over the past decade or so, I have been tempted to slip some music of a different genre into a service program - for example, I have of-ten thought that the occasional piece of soft jazz - or perhaps a classical piece ‘jazzed up’ - might be at times be appropriate. I have rarely given in to this temptation, however.

One time I did venture from the “straight & narrow” was when we used part of Geoffrey Beaumont’s English Folk Mass during a service at Saint Mary’s by-the-Sea. Beaumont was an

Anglican priest from Oxford and composed his mass in an attempt to make church music more appealing to the “ordinary” person. I had come across one section of this music years ago; the part that is based on Psalm 150. In Beaumont’s setting, a cantor sings lines of text (e.g. Praise God in his Holiness/Praise Him in the Firmament of His Power) which are repeated by the choir and/or congregation.

The style of the music is part jazz, part swing. It was with some trepidation that I scheduled this piece as offertory music one Sunday. One of our guest singers in the choir that summer had a particularly fine, strong baritone voice and was perfect for role of cantor. The choir sang the responses and I pounded out bass octaves and ‘vamping’ chords on the piano.

I have recently come across an acerbic review of Beaumont’s Mass published in the Harvard Crimson in 1959 - following a performance of the piece in Providence and the subsequent “ru-mor that [the work] will be imported to Boston.” To say that the Harvard reviewer did not look kindly on the music is an understatement!

Nevertheless, the music is joyful, energetic and true to the message of its text (at least in this part of work). I enjoyed doing it at Saint Mary’s and a number of congregation members came up to me afterwards to say how refreshing it was. Per-haps they were too polite to say otherwise, but I think the choir enjoyed singing it. Unfortunately we have not repeated this music at Saint Mary’s; nevertheless,

I do think that there is room for us occasionally to include in our services music that is outside of the box of traditionally-used works.

Peter Vaux

M u s i c N o t e s (Continued from page nine)

Many thanks to all those who provided photographs for this issue. Sydney

I n M e m o r i a m

Our larger community has lost some extraordinary people in the last months. Please go to the website: www.maryjude.org to read their obituaries in full.

AllesandroVitelli

April 15

Samuel Fox, MD

April 22

Francis Greene

May 27

RobertNeuman

June 20

Ruth Fraley

July 5

The Rev. Edwin Garrett

July 3

Linda Savage

July 5

Mary HallJuly 17

Marie “Mimi” Byers Reed

July 17

Marion “Kippy” StroudAugust 22

Hugh “Barney” Johnston III

August 23

Fred DonaldBucklin

September 26

Katherine “Puss” Draper Shutt

October 13

June SpencerOctober 13

Gunnar Hansen

November 7

James W. Wood, Jr.

October 11

11

S a i n t M a r y / S a i n t J u D e B o x 1 0 5 1 2 K i m b a l l R o a dN o r t h e a s t H a r b o rM a i n e 0 4 6 6 2

Children’s sermon after The Nativity.

C h r i s t m a s C h e e r

Advent wreath making: Jenny and Lucy Rogers

12