Ready! Set! Rite 13 Weekend

Peace and blessings to all our Rite 13 Candidates, their families and all the many hands and hearts that joined in our weekend celebration of these young lives. The weekend's activities included a rehearsal/parent's meeting, banquet and movie nite on Saturday and the Liturgy and reception on Sunday.

Special thanks to Episcopal Women (Mary, Janet, Georgie and Terri) and Saint Andrews Brothers (Mike, Tim, Tom, Scott and Jim) who made our Saturday night banquet a beautiful occasion.

What is the Rite 13 Celebration? In short, the Rite 13 liturgy is a rite of passage in the broadest sense of human tradition. It marks the passage from youth to adulthood in a formal ceremony. As a Christian Community, Rite 13 echoes the scriptural evidence of Jesus' own youth-adult transition. When he was about 12, Jesus went with his family to Jerusalem for the annual festival of passover. Jerusalem was a walled city that Jesus and his family had probably visited many times. Likely, Mary and Joseph gave their son a little wandering room and when it came time to pack up and go home he was nowhere to be found. In the story, that most of us are familar with, Jesus was found in the temple talking with the elders. He had undertaken that critical step faced by every maturing human, to begin the "journey to adulthood" .. the bold step of charting one's own course.

This Rite 13 Celebration coincides with a biological imperative - sexual maturity. The Rite 13 Program - indeed all of J2A programming - is designed to raise awareness of this creative potential and the obligations and responsibilities that it entails. The Rite 13 liturgy itself is a public statement that says: Manhood and womanhood is a gift from God but adulthood is earned. Our youth have agreed to undertake the journey to earn a full status as adults who make a pledge to live as God's children. The community of All Saints has pledged to help and stand by them.

This was a proud occasion for all of us at All Saints. God Bless these youth and all who care and supervise their continued education.