THE INCARNATION redresses the Fall by teaching us to raise ourselves to God by the help of the senses. The Word took flesh without losing the Divinity, and He offered himself to man like a book, written within and without: externally by the Humanity, and internally by the Divinity, in order that he might be read, outwardly by imitation and inwardly by contemplation; outwardly in order to heal us and inwardly to lead us to happiness. Inwardly we read, "In the beginning was the Word"; outwardly "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." This book then is unique, written once within and twice without: first by the creation of the visible world, and then by the Incarnation; the first time in order to afford us a pleasurable sight; the second to heal us. First in order to create nature, and second, to redress the Fall.

      — Hugh of St. Victor
          De Sacramentis, I. vi. 5

Let us, in Heaven’s name, drag out the Divine Drama from under the dreadful accumulation of slipshod thinking and trashy sentiment heaped upon it, and set it on an open stage to startle the world into some sort of vigorous reaction.

If the pious are the first to be shocked, so much the worse for the pious — others will enter the Kingdom of Heaven before them. If all men are offended because of Christ, let them be offended; but where is the sense of their being offended at something that is not Christ and is nothing like Him?
We do Him singularly little honor by watering down till it could not offend a fly.

Surely it is not the business of the Church to adapt Christ to men, but to adapt men to Christ."

     —Dorothy Sayers
        Creed or Chaos?, 24-25.

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Becoming a Member
Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy.

We would be delighted for you to join us in the worship and service of Ascension and Saint Agnes Parish.

If you are baptized:
Contact the Parish Administrator, Mr. Michael Vreeland by telephone at 202-347-8161 or by email and ask for your record to be transferred from your
previous parish.  You may become a baptized member of the parish even if your baptism was not in an Episcopal Church. We need the following
information:

1. your full legal name and, if it differs, the name by which you were baptized;
2. your date and place of birth;
3. your date, place, and denomination of baptism (and confirmation, if applicable);
4. name and address of your former church.

If you are already a confirmed member of the Episcopal Church, we will request a letter of transfer from your former parish.  Besides receiving this information, one of the parish clergy will meet with you to welcome you formally to the parish family and to learn how Ascension and Saint Agnes may
best meet your spiritual needs and provide a place for you to exercise your own gifts as we grow together in Christ.

If you are not baptized:
Contact Father Davenport by telephone at (202) 347-8161 or by email, and he will arrange to meet with you and begin in an enriching process that leads
to baptism.

Confirmation:
We encourage you to become a confirmed member of the Episcopal Church. If you would like to do so, the Catechumenate is the first step.

Reception into the Anglican Communion. If you are a confirmed member of the Roman Catholic Church or an Eastern Orthodox Church, you may become a member of the Episcopal Church by being received into the Anglican Communion. The
Catechumenate is the first step.

To be a voting member of the parish:
We encourage parishioners to participate fully in the governance of the parish. To be a voting member of the parish, eligible to participate in its governance, you must --

1. be confirmed in the Episcopal Church, OR confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church or an Eastern Orthodox Church and received into the Anglican Communion;
2. attend Sunday worship on a regular basis; and
3. make and fulfill a pledge of financial support to the parish.

To learn more:
We encourage you to attend the Catechumenate. The Catechumenate is an annual program of weekly classes running for about twenty weeks beginning in the autumn and running into the spring. The classes meet on Monday evenings from 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm in the Parish House, 1219 Massachusetts Ave., N.W. All are welcome to attend.

The next Catechumenate begins in October 2008. Even if you are only casually interested in learning more about Christian tradition, please watch this
site for the date and time of the next introductory meeting.

Questions?
If you have questions, about any of these matters, please call the parish
office at (202) 347-8161.

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1217 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW
Washington, DC 20005-5301

RECTOR
The Rev. Fr. Lane Davenport

PARISH OFFICE
Telephone:  202.347.8161
Facsimile  :  202.347.8036

SUNDAY SERVICE SCHEDULE
Matins                          7:35 am
Low Mass                     8:00 am
High Mass                   10:00 am
Low Mass                    12:30 pm
   Child care during High Mass

DAILY SERVICE SCHEDULE
Monday through Saturday

NEXT CONCERT
To be announced

HOW TO FIND US
Instructions
Street Map

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER
Read about it here

SPECIAL EVENTS
Weddings

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