In this week’s news…
- The Rector’s Message
- The Renewal of Baptismal Vows
- This Week’s Services
- Adult Education
- Sunday’s Virtual Coffee Hour
- Children and Families’ Zoom Gatherings
- Evening Prayer and Meditation and the Rosary
The Rector’s Message
Dear Friends,
Most of my evangelical Christian friends know their Bible very well, but I am always surprised how they do not know the tradition of the Blessed Virgin Mary being present in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. We read in the Book of Acts about the Apostles gathering after the Ascension: “All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.” (Acts 1:14) It was not until I saw an icon of the day of Pentecost that I noticed that Mary was there, in the center of the room. I then looked at other great works of art through the centuries and, in every one, Mary was there!
Now, everything that we say about Mary should say something about Jesus; as the Mother of God, her role was always to point to him. If Pentecost is the birthday of the Church, which is the Body of Christ, then it is a beautiful thought that the Mother of Jesus was there to witness that birth. This is reflected in a beautiful short poem by Frances Hall Ford (1931-2008):
At the Church’s birth,
Licked clean by flames of Spirit
Maid and Apostles in horseshoe
Make sweet maternal crib
In whose dark cave
The World, that Old King,
Waits with a swaddling cloth.
The birthday of the Church is a reminder that we are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ – truly part of his family. Pentecost is, therefore, one of the traditional days to celebrate baptism in the Church and you might like to pray the Renewal of Baptismal Vows on Sunday which you will find underneath this message.
As we celebrate Pentecost this year, let us pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to inspire us at Saint Thomas Church and pour out more gifts upon us that we may recognize Christ in one another and be drawn by the Spirit into the Father’s love.
Your clergy met with the Bishop recently and he has encouraged us to begin plans for re-opening the church. This will happen in stages – first for private prayer, then for small gathering at the daily mass, and, finally, on Sundays. None of this will happen before July 1. At the same time, a small group is planning the re-opening of the Parish House for staff only and the Choir School is making plans to re-open in September. So much could happen between now and then and there are various scenarios that we are exploring. In all of this, we are taking advice from the CDC, Federal and State Government, consulting with other schools and parishes similar to ours, and observing the practices of other Dioceses around the world as they slowly re-open.
As Eastertide draws to a close, I am reminded that closed doors were no match for the Risen Christ or the Holy Spirit! The Spirit has clearly been at work in our parish and the parishes of New York, binding us together through this crisis. So, to end, here is another beautiful Pentecost poem; this time by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889):
God’s Grandeur
The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs –
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
Affectionately,
Carl,
Your priest and pastor
The Renewal of Baptismal Vows
Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil and
renew your commitment to Jesus Christ?
I do.
Do you believe in God the Father?
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and
fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the
prayers?
I will, with God’s help.
Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever
you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
I will, with God’s help.
Will you proclaim by word and example the Good
News of God in Christ?
I will, with God’s help.
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving
your neighbor as yourself?
I will, with God’s help.
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people,
and respect the dignity of every human being?
I will, with God’s help.
May Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and
bestowed upon us the forgiveness of sins, keep us in eternal
life by his grace, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
This Week’s Services at St. Thomas Church
The Solemn Eucharist of the Day of Pentecost
- Sunday, May 31
- Video and Audio Webcasts available at 8am
Shrine Prayers (Intercessions) and Mass
- Monday, June 1 – Saturday, June 6 (except Thursday)
- Audio Livecast at Noon
Evening Prayer and Meditation
The Rosary
Saturday, June 6
Via Zoom starting at 10am
The Solemn Eucharist for the First Sunday After Pentecost
Sunday, June 7
Video Webcast available at 8am and then on demand.
Adult Education at Saint Thomas Church
Theology Class
Sunday, May 31, 10:00-11:00am
A study class on the English and Greek texts of
Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians
Friday Online Bible Study
Friday, June 5, 1:30-2:30pm
A study on the Gospel of John with Fr. Bennett.
For more information about these activities, all on the Zoom platform, please contact Fr. Cheng for the first two classes, and Fr. Bennett for the Friday Bible Study.
“Virtual” Coffee Hour, May 31 at 12:30pm
We will continued hosting our “Virtual Coffee Hour” via Zoom. This meeting will start well after the webcast of the service on Sunday, May 31 at 12:30pm and will last no longer than an hour.
It will start with a short prayer and will continue with checking in and conversation. We will include a time for Breakout Rooms, which will allow for smaller groups to talk together. The hour will be moderated by Fr. Moretz.
Please click here to learn more about Zoom, an extraordinary tool for communication and community.
Children and Families’ “Sunday Zoom!” Gathering
Our Young Teens group FAITH ALIVE meets on a weekly basis and will meet again on Sunday, May 31, at 9:30am.
Our Nursery and Sunday School families meet for their regular weekly Sunday Zoom! this Sunday, May 31, at 10:15am.
If you know a child or family that would like to participate, in any of these gatherings, please email Mother Turner for the required invitation codes.
As we discover new ways of being a church community during in this new chapter of our lives, we are circulating an additional weekly newsletter for families Be Faithful, Be Creative and Be Connected.
If you know a family who wishes to be added to the distribution list for children and families, please also contact Mother Turner.
Outreach Project
Our Sunday School, now meeting via Zoom, is conducting our very first, St. Mary’s Kids Pentecost Project, which will run until May 31, Pentecost Sunday. This Outreach Project will benefit the children in long term care at Saint Mary’s Children’s Hospital in Bayside, Queens. They are in need of new pajamas, socks and small fleece blankets. The Sunday School families are attempting to collect 50 Gifts in 50 Days. We still need pajamas (sizes 2T, 4T, 5, 6) socks (size toddlers and children’s sizes small and medium) and blankets (fleece children’s size 4’x6′). Would you please help?
All donations can be ordered online and delivered directly to the rectory. Deliveries should be addressed to the Rev’d Alison Turner, 135 W. 52nd Street #39A, New York, New York 10019.
Thank you so much! For more information, please contact Linda Morfi.
Evening Prayer and Meditation
Thursdays at 6:30pm via Zoom
Saint Thomas Church has begun a regular 6:30pm Thursday service of Evening Prayer and Meditation that you can join online, led by Fr. Adam Spencer, Associate for Pastoral Care, and Sr. Promise Atelon, Deacon and Seminarian. This service will take place over the Zoom platform.
Please join us for this time of peace and prayer together.
For log-in access to these worship services, please contact Fr. Spencer.
The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary
Join Father Adam Spencer, Associate for Pastoral Care, via the Zoom online platform as we continue to pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary together on the Saturday morning of June 6, at 10am.
Throughout its history the Church has commended the use of many forms of prayer to those who seek a deeper relationship with God. One of these prayer methods given to us by the tradition of the Church is the Holy Rosary. By meditating on the mysteries of the Gospel and asking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we hope to grow in our love of Jesus.
For more information about this prayer service service, please contact Fr. Spencer.
