Dear Friends,
It was glorious to see the church so full for the Feast of Pentecost! This Sunday and the following Sunday we have two of the largest parades of the summer but, in spite of the noise, we will celebrate another Day of the Resurrection. Robbie has made arrangements with the Security team to meet any parishioners from the East side on North East Corner of 53rd and 5th to escort you across the road. (It is possible, also, to simply enter the subway at that spot and walk under 5th Avenue, arriving outside the Parish House in 53rd Street). There is no problem accessing the Church from the West side and, if you are driving, you can still access the car park in West 54th Street, or your ride can drop you off there.
June 11 is the beautiful Feast of Corpus Christi and also Valedictory Sunday for the Grade 8 boys of our Choir. At the end of the service, they will receive their crosses from Mr. Seeley, who will give them a charge, and we will have the chance to thank all of the Choir for some splendid music over the past program year. There will be a special coffee hour following that service.
During the summer months, our choral music at 11am will be provided by the Gentlemen of the Choir or by Visiting Choirs. We also have our Summer Feast Days sung by the Gentlemen of the Choir, and followed by Cheese and Wine. On August 15, we will also have dessert!
Although the Noble Singers are having a summer recess, the 9am Mass will continue to be sung and last around 50 minutes; a cantor will help the congregation sing the hymns, the Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei, and the Psalm and Gospel Acclamation. Instead of a children’s sermon, there will be a five-minute homily (unless there are a lot of families present – we will play it by ear!). If you are planning to go out for the day, why not drop in to the early mass at 7:45am or the Sung Mass at 9am.
Summer Feast Days
Thursday, June 29 St. Peter and St. Paul
Tuesday, July 25 St. James the Apostle
Tuesday, August 15 The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Thursday, August 24 St. Bartholomew
Friday, September 8 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
We look forward to welcoming the choristers of the Saint Thomas Girl Chorister Course to the church and the Choir School July 22-30, 2023. The course will be led this year by Guest Music Director Jared Johnson, newly appointed Music Director of Grace Episcopal Cathedral in San Francisco. The choristers will sing five services during their week with us. Of special note, this year they will premiere a new commission by our first ever Composer-in-Residence Jessica French. Throughout the course, the choristers and staff live at Saint Thomas Choir School and take part in choral rehearsals and services, music history and theory classes, private vocal coaching, and even have time to do a little sight-seeing and see a Broadway Show! If you would like to provide scholarship support for a chorister to attend the course this summer, please visit the giving page on the website by clicking on the link below and select “Girls Chorister Course” from the drop-down menu. Course tuition this year is $1,250 per chorister.
Click here to Sponsor a Girl Chorister!
Sunday is known as Trinity Sunday or, to give it its full title – The Feast of the Holy and Undivided Trinity.
Being interviewed for a conference on wellbeing, Archbishop Rowan Williams said, “Human beings deserve to have the fullness of their humanity engaged.” In the interview he talked about being attentive to the world around us, to the actions we engage in and, fundamentally, to ourselves. It is so easy in a world that is so fast and furious and with so many distractions to become disengaged from reality and, therefore, from God our Creator. Trinity Sunday is a reminder that our doctrine of God is founded on the idea of relationships and that through exploring those relationships we discover more fully our own humanity and the possibilities of that humanity. I remember as a young priest seeing my spiritual director every month and, often, talking about the same old things time and time again that never seemed to get me very much further. But I know now that it was because I was trying to be someone else – and trying to neatly separate out the different areas of my life to ensure that they never got mixed up! Separating my priestly calling from my often confused and mixed-up self that was Carl. But I also remember the session where I stopped putting things into neat boxes and spoke, probably for the first time, as the real me – if you like, uniting my head and my heart. My spiritual director suddenly commented – “before, Carl, you were a two-dimensional person. Now you are becoming a three-dimensional person and your spiritual journey can really begin.”
Pope Francis, preaching on Trinity Sunday in 2018, said this: “God does not want so much to reveal to us that he exists, but rather that he is the ‘God with us,’ that he loves us, is interested in our personal story and cares for each person, from the smallest to the greatest.”
Our stories matter to God because God is calling us into relationship with him; as it were, drawing us into the center of the life of the Trinity. The evangelist, Jefferson Bethke reflects on this mystery, that living in community and cherishing diversity within that community reflects the image of God; he suggests that it is in our very identity to live in community since we are made in God’s image. He says, “Trying to live without community is trying to live without oxygen. We weren’t created to do it.” To be human is to be called to live in the life of the Trinity. To be fully human is to acknowledge our relationship with a loving Father in union with his Son Jesus Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Affectionately,
Your Pastor and Priest,
Carl
P.S. The Choristers are enjoying beautiful weather at their summer camp in Connecticut. Mo. Turner sent us these pictures:
