Dear Friends,
A lot of information today, so here are the topics so that you can scroll down to what you want to know more about:
- The Visit of the Children of HM Chapel Royal
- Canterbury Cathedral
- Earthquakes
- Parish Meetings
- York – New York Centennial Celebration
- Symposium
- Parish Brunch for Pentecost
Evensong on Friday was spectacular and all of us were delighted to see over 300 people in-person in church and 476 on-line! The visit of the Children of HM Chapel Royal with their distinctive livery has caused a stir and the Episcopal News Service will be featuring an article about the visit next week. We welcome the Sub Dean of the Chapel Royal to preach on Sunday morning at 11am, and evensong on Sunday at 4pm will be truly memorable, with the much-loved Coronation Anthem ‘Zadok the Priest.’
Our Grade 7 and 8 boys entertained the Chapel Royal boys at the Rectory after evensong on Friday and it was wonderful seeing them all interacting and sharing so many stories. They held a Trivia Quiz with questions about the UK and questions about the USA which was very amusing as well as insightful. We are delighted to have been joined by members of the Chapel Royal congregation from London and also the Chapel Royals in Canada.
Canterbury Cathedral. Hot on the heels of our visitors from the Chapel Royal, we welcome the Dean of Canterbury and members of the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral in the US (FOCCUS) to Saint Thomas next week. The Dean will be preaching on Thursday, April 25 – St. Mark’s Day and also the anniversary of the Consecration of the current Church – at 5:30pm.
If you are a member of FOCCUS (Friends of Canterbury Cathedral in the US) or would like to become a member, then you are also invited to a reception following that service which will be held at the Rectory.
Please contact Lizette Hernandez for more details.
On Friday, April 26, Dean Monteith will give an illustrated presentation on Canterbury Cathedral – the Mother Church of the Anglican Communion – at 10:30am with refreshments available from 10am. The Presentation will take place on the Fifth Floor of the Parish House.
While I was away after Easter, I was talking with Lizette just after the earthquake affected New York City. It was certainly an unusual event and, for many, a frightening one. I am pleased to say that nobody was injured and it appears that there has been no damage to the Church building. Fortuitously, when building work started in the building next to the Church, the Buildings Committee installed sensors that record any movement or vibration; this currently includes the monitoring of the North wall and the Reredos, so we have that added comfort of knowing if there is any vibration or movement in the Church.
Parish Meetings: The first of our in-person Parish meetings was held last Sunday and attended by well over 50 people in Andrew Hall. Short presentations were made on the Parish finances, the current Choir School model, and an update on our fundraising. We received a good number of very helpful and insightful questions. We will be repeating the presentations and receiving more questions and comments on Tuesday, April 23 at 7pm. We hope that Alumni and former parents will want to join parishioners for the webinar. There will be a repeat of the first in-person meeting on Sunday, April 28 at 12:45pm in Andrew Hall.
York-New York Centennial Celebration: When Our Bicentennial Celebrations continue to attract a lot of interest. When the Dean of Canterbury leaves, the Archbishop of York arrives! Archbishop Stephen Cottrell will be with us for a week, and he will be preaching at the 9am, 11am, and 4pm services on Sunday, May 5. He will also celebrate the Ascension Day mass on Thursday, May 9 at 5:30pm at which the Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, will preach.
Over the first long-weekend, we will also welcome a number of visitors from York to celebrate the Centennial of the twinning of our two cities. In addition to the Archbishop and some of his staff, the party will include the Dean of York, the Chapter Steward of York Minster, the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of York, Canon Sir William Worsley and Lady Worsley, Professor Charlie Jeffrey – Vice Chancellor of the University of York, Professor Karen Bryan – Vice Chancellor of the York St. John University, the Chief Executive of the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, the President of the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, The Governor of the Company of Merchant Adventurers of the City of York (a medieval Livery Guild) and two former Governors together with the Clerk to the Company.
On Sunday, May 6, at 4pm, we will welcome the Deputy Ambassador of Great Britain to the USA and the British Consul General, together with other Ambassadors to the UN and Consul Generals, and representatives of the City of New York, for the unveiling of the commemorative stone given to the City as a gift from the People of York. Dr. Filsell has fittingly chosen music for the service composed by former organists of York Minster, and even one of the hymns has a tune named ‘York’!
The Symposium – Models of Engagement: Church and Civic Society will take place while the Archbishop of York is with us and Fr. Gioia has invited some leading theologians to help us engage with a fascinating and very relevant topic for us at Saint Thomas, sitting as we do at the heart of midtown Manhattan. There will be workshops in addition to some keynote lectures. It is causing a lot of interest and I encourage you to participate if you can.
Finally, we will soon welcome Bishop Matthew to celebrate Confirmation and receive new members into our Church. Following the success of our Bicentennial weekend, we have decided to hold one main mass at 10am on Sunday, May 19 – the Feast of Pentecost, followed by a Parish Brunch. We will be requesting a donation towards the cost of brunch, and a registration link will be available shortly.
I look forward to seeing many of you on Sunday; numbers in church have remained very positive since our remarkably well-attended Holy Week celebrations with over 2500 people attending our Easter Services this year. There is a great deal of energy in the parish at the moment, and we continue to proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ, Risen from the dead.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Your Priest and Pastor,
Carl
