An Invitation

You are cordially invited
to attend

A Celebration of the Holy Eucharist

the Rites of Profession

and the 40th Anniversary of Foundation

of the

Brotherhood of Saint Gregory

The Rt Rev Rodney Michel, Celebrant

Brother Richard Thomas Biernacki BSG, Preacher



The Feast of Saint Mary the Virgin

August 15, 2009 at 1:15 pm

Chapel of the Stigmata

Mount Alvernia Retreat Center


158 Delavergne Avenue,


Wappingers Falls, N. Y. 12590-0858

Fellowship in Mount Alvernia

Members of Episcopal Christian Communities participated in the April 2008 meeting of NÆCC held at Mount Alvernia in Wappingers Falls NY. Among the communities were Anamchara Fellowship, Anglican Order of Preachers, Brotherhood of Saint Gregory, Community of Celebration, Community of the Paraclete, and Rivendell Community. The meeting was fruitful and blessed with prayer and warm fellowship, as we explored how best to encourage one another in building up the church.

On the closing days of the session, the NÆCC group was supplemented with additional members of BSG, who had arrived for their spring Council meeting. All joined in prayer and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. In the photo below, we gather for prayer in the Celtic tradition, led by sisters from the Anamchara Fellowship.

Help the FisherFolk!

Aliquippa was the recipient of a recent gulley-washer/flash flood, and Franklin Ave. was the gulley. It was a raging river. The car on the left in the attached photo is one of the cars from the Community of Celebration. It collected lots of debris, some of it large pieces, and also some water, but the mechanic has given it a clean bill of health.

Three and a half inches of rain in one and a half hours, which is a lot for this area. Also, the ground was very hard from lack of rain, and didn't absorb any of the impact of the water. There were from 6 to 15 inches in the community's basements -- a mixture of rain and sewage -- not a very nice blend! They've spent the last 6 days and nights emptying basements, washing away the muck, disinfecting with bleach, and spraying with antimicrobial, anti-mold, anti-odor solution, and they're not finished yet. Both State and Federal Emergency reps have been there and it looks pretty certain that downtown Aliquippa will be declared an official disaster area of some sort. Some folks might say, "What's new?"

The Uncommon Grounds Café (a major ministry of the community) was hit even harder because they are farther down the Ave. They got 4 ft. of sludge in the basement and about a foot on the first floor. They lost most of their food supplies which were stored in the basement, along with friges and freezers.

Aliquippa Police lost 4 or 5 of its cars as well as the cars of those on duty. The Library lost most of the children's books. It's a real mess, and all involved seek your prayers for the recovery of homes and businesses along the Avenue.

The Café could use financial assistance. Contributions for Uncommon Grounds clean-up can be sent to

Church Army National Headquarters
210 West North Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15212

with 'Uncommon Grounds recovery' in the memo line.

There has been a tremendous outpouring of cooperation by individuals and groups in Aliquippa, and the Café is at the heart of it. What Celebration has been working so hard to achieve--mobilizing the community to come together and work for the common good of Aliquippa's recovery is happening big time as a result of this tragedy. A big silver lining.

Thanks for your support.

Welcome the Dominicans!

A warm welcome to the Anglican Order of Preachers as Observers in NAECC. Visit the web site to learn more about their work and ministry!

Welcome to NÆCC

Five of the member communities of the National Association of Episcopal Christian Communities gathered for the annual meeting at the Community of Celebration in Aliquippa Pennsylvania this September. Among other actions taken, the leadership suggested the creation of a blog on which issues concerning the growth and development of various forms of Christian community might be addressed. In-common is the result of that effort. The blog will provide each of the communities with access to post news of interest and concern to the wider church, and opportunity for anyone to comment and respond. (Please be patient over the next month as we continue to build the capabilities of the blog.)

In addition to representatives from the hosting Community of Celebration, the Brotherhood of Saint Gregory, the Community of the Paraclete, the Rivendell Community, The Little Sisters of Saint Clare, and the Third Order Society of Saint Francis, the gathering welcomed Fr Gregory OJN as a guest representative from the Conference of Anglican Religious Orders of the Americas (CAROA). His presence was in response to a reciprocal invitation from CAROA whose meeting the NÆCC Convenor attended this summer past.

The gathering enjoyed its time of worship and fellowship with the Community of Celebration, and took time to visit a joint project with the Church Army: Uncommon Grounds Cafe, on Aliquippa's main thoroughfare. It was a great joy to all to share in the life of this vibrant Christian community.

Among other actions, the assembly elected Tobias Stanislas Haller BSG as Chair, Masud I Syedullah TSSF as Vice-Chair, Carle Griffin OCP as Recorder, and Bill Farra SCC as Treasurer.

NÆCC welcomes comments and inquiries at this blog, and hopes to expand it as a place to share resources and ideas. Further information is also available at our website.