Palm branches and crosses burned in preparation for Ash Wednesday in the Church of the Redeemer’s St. Francis Garden.

Persons in need of assistance from a priest in preparing for a first confession should call the Parish Office at 955.4263.

Ash Wednesday, February 22, is the first day of Lent, and Redeemer will celebrate The Eucharist with the Imposition of Ashes at 7 and 10 a.m., 12:10 p.m., and 6 p.m.

Ashes are signs of mortality and penitence; the priests mark the foreheads of the congregation with the ashes in the form of a cross, the sign of redemption and in remembrance of baptism.

Ash Wednesday is a strict fast day; pregnant women and those with special dietary needs due to age or health are exempt from fasting.

Redeemer is located at 222 S. Palm Ave., in downtown Sarasota. For more information, call 941.955.4263./end

Born a slave in Delaware in 1746, Absalom Jones bought his own freedom in 1784 and eventually, in 1802, became the first African-American ordained as a priest in The Episcopal Church.

The Rev. Canon Anderson formerly served as the Rector at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia, the Mother Church for Episcopalians of African Ancestry, founded in 1792, and whose founding Rector was Absalom Jones. The Rev. Canon Anderson was also Rector for parishes in Hartford and Washington, D.C., and now resides in Sarasota.

Additional parking is available during Sunday worship at the M&I Bank Garage building on McAnsh Ct. For more information, call 941.955.4263.

The Rev. Dr. Paul F.M. Zahl

“Paul Zahl has been an articulate, well-informed, nationally known voice for orthodoxy for decades within the Episcopal Church,” says the Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson, Rector of Redeemer. “Those who hear him speak can expect to be challenged, edified, and inspired.”

Over his career, Dr. Zahl has served as Dean of Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama, and was also Dean/President of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. He has served parishes in New York City, Westchester County, and Charleston, South Carolina as well. He retired from All Saints in 2009.

Dr. Zahl holds academic degrees from Harvard College; the University of Nottingham; St. John’s Theological College in the Church of England; and the University of Tuebingen in Germany, where he was awarded the doctorate in systematic theology in 1994. He has written several books, the most recent of which is “Grace in Practice: A Theology of Everyday Life”(2007).

Dr. Zahl and his wife Mary, a leader in Southeastern garden design, reside in Maryland, and have three grown sons, John, David and Simeon, all of whom are in Christian ministry./end

On Christmas Eve, Redeemer’s afternoon Family Mass (Rite II) begins at 4 p.m., and is preceded by a festive half-hour of traditional Christmas carols, beginning at 3:30 p.m., including favorites such as Silent Night and Joy to the World, sung by the congregation and choirs. During the Eucharist, St. Nicholas makes a surprise visit, receiving a special blessing from The Rev. Fredrick Robinson, Rector of Redeemer, and reminding all of the true meaning of Christmas. Babysitting for toddlers and infants is provided beginning at 3:30.

The early evening service is a Choral Mass (Rite II) which begins at 6:30 p.m. This mass is preceded by a half-hour of singing of traditional Christmas carols, which begins at 6 p.m., and is accompanied by the festive sounds of trumpets and organ. Babysitting for very young children and infants is available during this Mass.

Beginning at 9:30 p.m., Redeemer’s late-evening “Midnight Mass” is preceded by a joyous musical celebration of organ and brass with Bradenton organist Michael Stuart performing with two festival trumpets — played by world-renowned trumpeter Daniel Mendelow, first trumpet for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra; and well-known local trumpeter Andy Kemp. At 10 p.m., the choir of Redeemer will sing anthems and carols for thirty minutes, heralding the High Solemn Mass (Rite I with incense) which begins at 10:30 p.m.

Christmas Day, December 25, Redeemer offers Holy Communion at 7:30 a.m.; Choral Mass at 10 a.m., and a Mass in Spanish at 1 p.m.

Complimentary parking is available at the M&I Bank Garage on McAnsh on Christmas Eve day beginning at 3 p.m., and ending at 1 a.m., on Christmas Day morning. Christmas Day parking is available in the garage between 7 and 1 p.m.

For more information, call 941.955.4263.

Fr. Robinson thanking the Mayor and pointing out some of the important connections between Col. Gillespie and the Church of the Redeemer, which he founded more than one hundred years ago.

Colonel John Hamilton Gillespie — after whom our Gillespie Hall was named — was the leader of the group of early settlers from Scotland. He was the first mayor of Sarasota and was also the founder of the first area golf course and public library and eventually was ordained a deacon for the Church. (To read more about Redeemer’s fascinating history, click here.)

Complimentary tea and scones were served in Gillespie Hall, and noted local historian and author Jeff LaHurd signed copies of his new book about Colonel Gillespie, and Bobby Brader played Scottish and Victorian ballads on the pianoforte.

Tours of the church were offered throughout the two-hour Tea & Scones afternoon, which took place on Saturday, October 29. Scroll below to see the great photos of the event captured by Nick Catsakis.

Jeff Lahurd, author of "John Hamilton Gillespie" at the book signing table.

Fr. Fredrick Robinson, Rector and members of the Church of the Redeemer hearing the Mayor's proclamation.

Author Lahurd, Mayor Atwell and Fr. Robinson with the Proclamations issued by the City of Sarasota and by the City of Dumfermline in Scotland, Sister City of Sarasota.

The Church of the Redeemer is joining churches around the world this year in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the publication and enduring legacy of the Kings James version of the Holy Bible. Since 1525, when William Tyndale produced the first printed translation of the New Testament in English, there have been numerous translations of the Bible. No previous version, however, was as influential as the 1611 translation, commonly referred to as the King James Bible.

This year, 2011, marks the 400th anniversary of the 1611 publication and the Church of the Redeemer has planned several opportunities for parishioners and the entire community to learn about the origins of the King James Bible and gain a deeper understanding of its impact around the world.

On Sunday, 9 October, during the 7, 9, and 11 o’clock worship, the Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson, Rector, preached on the significance of the King James Bible. Services were modeled after the 17th-century service of Holy Communion using the liturgy from the 1559 Book of Common Prayer that would have been used by King James I and the divines assembled for the Hampton Court Conference. All clergy were dressed in vestments of the period of 1559. Scripture readings came from the authorized version (after 1611) of the Bible, and music was contemporaneous to the period.

The Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson in 17th-century vestments, greets parishioners.

The Rev. Richard Marsden in 17th-century vestments.

On November 1, All Saints’ Day, the Right Reverend Daniel Hayden Martins, Eleventh Bishop of Springfield, Illinois, will be the special guest preacher at the Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave. All Saints Day is a day for commemorating all saints, known and unknown, and Bishop Martins will preach during the morning 10 o’clock mass and the evening 6 o’clock Solemn High Mass.

Bishop Martins will also preach on Sunday, October 30, during the 7:30, 9 and 11 o’clock morning masses, as well as during the Solemn Evensong later that day at 5:15 p.m.

The Rt. Rev. Martins obtained his BA in Music from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, and his Masters in Music History from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He writes several Internet blogs, including, Confessions of a Carioca (www.cariocaconfessions.blogspot.com), and, Woe to Me If I Preach Not the Gospel (www.frdanssermons.blogspot.com). He is the author of a novel, A Slight Momentary Affliction.

He answered the call to the Episcopal priesthood after earning his M.Div. (cum laude) from Nashotah House. He was ordained into the diaconate by Bishop Robert Ladehoff in the Diocese of Oregon in June of 1989. Bishop James Barrow Brown in the Diocese of Louisiana priested Martins just in time to celebrate a Christmas Mass. Following his ordination, he became the curate and school chaplain at St. Luke’s and later became the vicar of St. Margaret’s, both in Baton Rouge. He went on to serve as rector at St. John’s in Stockton in the Diocese of San Joaquin before becoming the rector of St. Anne’s in Warsaw, Indiana.