GLAD TIDINGS

No.1. Vol 09 January 2009 christchurchguilford.org

Sanctuary Lamp Annual Parish

Indicates Reserved Meeting to
Sacrament Convene Feb. 8th
A Sanctuary Lamp was recently installed in
the Sanctuary of Christ Episcopal Church.
Sanctuary Lamps are common throughout a
variety of Christian Churches and are present
in nearly all churches in the Episcopal Diocese
of Connecticut as well as the Diocesan House
Chapel. Lamps displayed in Anglican/Episcopal
and Roman Churches indicate the presence of
the Reserved Sacrament, the elements of bread
and wine consecrated during the celebration of
the Holy Eucharist.
Sanctuary Lamps in some
Lutheran churches represent
the presence of God. The
Sacrament is set aside for
administration to shut-ins
and others who would receive
home Communion brought to
them by the priest or licensed
lay ministers serving on our
Pastoral Care committee.
The Sanctuary Lamp usually
hangs near or over the
tabernacle or aumbry, a
small cupboard containing
the consecrated elements.
The Sanctuary Lamp, the
gift of The Rev’d and Mrs. Anthony C. Dinoto,
was given at Christmas in Thanksgiving for
the parishioners of Christ Episcopal Church
Guilford.
The Annual Parish
Meeting of Christ
Episcopal Church,
Guilford will be
called to order on
Sunday, February
8th at 11:45 a.m.
The Order
of Business
will include
presentation
of the Parish
Budget for 2009, which will have been voted
on and approved by the Wardens and Vestry.
Additionally, all communicants in good
standing, (those listed on the official list of
eligible voters) will vote to elect officers and
vestry members for the coming year.
There will be ONE celebration of the HOLY
EUCHARIST on Feb. 8th at 10:00 a.m.
Parishioners are asked to contribute to a “Carry
In Brunch” to be shared after the service in the
Parish Hall. The Parish Meeting will be called
to order in the Church by our Interim Rector
Father Anthony C. Dinoto. The meeting
should take no more than forty-five minutes.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

SUNDAY, February 8, 2009
Annual Meeting
11:45 a.m. in the Church Sanctuary
 GLAD TIDINGS
Nominating
Committee
Announces Slate of
Officers for 2009
Nominations are:
Edward Siebert- Senior Warden, David Kish-Junior
Warden
Clerk-Kasha Kingsbury, Treasurer-Dirck Goss,
Vestry/3 yr. term-Robert Donahue, Rob Hutchison,
Dana Schneider; Vestry/2 yr. term-Jean Valentine;
Vestry/1 yr. term-Rhoda Whitman, Diana Stovall;
Delegate to Convention-David Jones, Barbara Casey
Deanery Representative Barbara Casey, David Jones
Nominating Committee for 2010-
Ron Casey, Vickie Reeve, Susan Shackford, Lisa St.
Marie.
Incumbent Vestry Members are: Ted Culotta, Kay
Claiborn, William Glover, Cindy Smith.
Guilford Food Bank
Contributions
A note of thanks was received recently from the
Guilford Food Bank.
The parishioners of Christ Episcopal Church,
Guilford donated 223 bags of non-perishable food
items as well as grocery store gift cards and other
items to the food bank in 2008.
Weekly donations of food items can be left in the
collection bin located in the narthex just inside the
front entrance.
Mardi Gras
Costume Ball
Join in the merry-making and good cheer
as we celebrate Mardi Gras ( French for
“Fat Tuesday”) on SATURDAY, Feb. 21st
6:00 pm.
“The Guilford Green Krewe of Christ
Church” will celebrate Mardi Gras
with a Costume Ball and Cajun style
cuisine prepared by our own Mardi Gras
aficionado, Richard Marvin. Parishioners
are urged to invite guests from outside the
parish to join in the fun.
Mardi Gras Costumes are strongly
encouraged. We’ll name a King and Queen
of Mardi Gras and share a King’s Cake.
The room will be decorated with the
traditional colors of Mardi Gras: Purple
representing Justice, Gold for power and
Green for faith. Traditionally, Mardi Gras
or Fat Tuesday, the last day to indulge, is
the day before Ash Wednesday and the
onset of the Christian Season of Lent, a
time of penitence and fasting.
Revelers are invited to BRING YOUR
OWN BEVERAGE. Tickets are $10 for
adults and $2.00 for children.
“Laissez les bon temps
rouler”
Let the
good
times
roll
 GLAD TIDINGS
David, Mitra
Kish & Family
Lady Liberty stands “at our sea-washed,
sunset gates ... her name Mother of
Exiles.” The United States radiates a
beacon for the oppressed. Most of our
ancestors came from elsewhere braving
the new world for opportunity and
freedom.
Our story of acceptance is the
adventures of David and Mitra Kish,
born in Iran, and displaced in the
revolution that removed Shah Pahlavy
from leadership in 1979. David’s uncle
was a diplomat for the Shah so, like
many who were challanged by the
government of Ayatollah Khomeini, he
exited the country. At that time, David
was studying medicine in Bucharest,
Romania, He earned his MD in 1982
and, qualified as a gynecologist, in 1987.
He then emigrated to the United States
and has been here ever since.
David first lived with a cousin in
Princeton, NJ. He was impressed with
the quality of life in a university town,
so when he sought a place for himself,
he chose New Haven, home to Yale
University. For ten years, his business
was Kish Oriental Rugs, in Orange,
CT. He moved to Guilford in 1994
after purchasing a condominium in the
“Spaceship” on Whitfield Street. David
became a U.S. citizen in 1996.
In 1998, David met Mitra who was on vacation after
graduating from medical school in Tehran. By the time
they met a second time, their attraction for each other and
their common interest in medicine had led to marriage in
November 1999. They were soon on a plane to America.
“Send these, the homeless tempest-tossed to me,” says Emma
Lazarus in her sonnet engraved on the Statue of Liberty.
Many families have heeded these words to escape religious or
political persecution. In the Kish’s experience, it is both.
David and Mitra settled in Guilford. Their family grew with
the birth of Andre and Mariam, and they now live on Davis
Drive.
When they sought a church home, David and Mitra first
tried St. George’s Catholic Church and then the Unitarian
Church in Madison. The Persian Sufi religion is universal in
nature with roots in Zoroastrianism which predates Islam
and other modern religions. Sufis believe in a single God.
There is similarity to the teaching of Christ who said that
no one should hide his light under a bushel. Sufis believe
that knowing one’s true being is necessary to achieve
freedom in life. David and Mitra decided on Christ Church
after concluding that the broad outreach of Episcopalian
Christianity suited and often paralleled their belief in Sufism.
In choosing Christ Church as a new home, David says
that Sufism is a tolerant religion open to all believers: Jew,
Christian, Muslem, and Buddhist. He sees the Anglican and
Episcopal churchs as similarly tolerant of all beliefs, ethnic
roots, cultures, and status. He and Mitra are comfortable with
the service and fellow parishioners.
Norman MacLeod baptized four Kish family members in 2002
and they have been devoted parishioners ever since. David
is a member of the Finance committee, an organizer of Crop
Walk, and was elected to the vestry in 2008. The Kish’s two
children, Andre and Miriam, attend Calvin Leete school and
are active Sunday School members.
Mitra will soon take her USMLE examinations -- required
for all physicians wishing to practice medicine in the U.S.
David has volunteered for two tours of duty in Senegal
with Doctors Without Borders. His OBGYN specialty is
focused on infectious disease and cancer and he is hopeful of
evenually obtaining his US medical license.
Christ Church parishoners continue to welcome new
members true to Christ’s call to “love our neighbor” and true
to Lady Liberty’s gift to those “yearning to breathe free.”
Christ Episcopal Church Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
P. O. Box 574 PAID
Guilford, Connecticut 06437 Guilford, Connecticut
Permit Number 1

Change Service Requested

Epiphany
GLAD TIDINGS
a publication of
Christ Episcopal Church
2009 Concertato Series
11 Park Street
Guilford, Connecticut 06437

The Rev’d. Anthony C. Dinoto

Erika Grace Powell, Soprano
Interim Rector
Editor Featuring art songs and arias accompanied by Adam Pajan
fracdinoto@snet.net Saturday, January 31, 2009
203-453-2279
7:00 p.m.
Rhoda Whitman Reception in Parish Hall to follow
Senior Warden
toodotmom@juno.com Discounts available at local restaurants for your special dinner before
203-453-4165
the concert.
Pat Wakefield
Parish Administrator For tickets, information, please contact
cecsec@snet.net
203-453-2279
Bob Donahue
phone: 203-453-2500
William D. Glover fax: 203-458-1019
Managing Editor e-mail: Bobd343170@aol.com
wdglover@comcast.net
203-458-1926