Dear Friends,
I have been pondering these words of Pope Francis preached on Ash Wednesday a couple of years ago:
“Lent is the time to proclaim that God alone is Lord, to drop the pretense of being self-sufficient and the need to put ourselves at the center of things, to be the top of the class, to think that by our own abilities we can succeed in life and transform the world around us.” (Pope Francis)
What would that kind of fast look like to you? We so easily think of fasting as giving up some of our food or, worse, denying ourselves the little treats that we take for granted. But could fasting be something more powerful and, perhaps, have nothing to do with diet at all? Pope Francis suggests that fasting might lead to choosing the things that truly matter.
To live a holy lent, then, requires us to take stock and to take control. In so doing we re-align our often busy and frenetic schedules with the promptings of God who calls us to re-discover what really matters.
To do this is hard; it takes time. I remember as a boy when Michael Ramsey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was being interviewed on the television. The interviewer moved to the subject of prayer and asked the Archbishop a very direct question: “How much time do you spend in prayer each day?” Without hesitating, Archbishop Ramsey said, “Oh…about two minutes.” The interviewer was clearly thrown by the answer; “Two minutes, Archbishop? Is that all?” “Oh yes,” said Michael Ramsey, “But it generally takes me an hour to get there!”
Our lives are so often crowded out by full schedules, crowded agendas, and superficial needs that we have no space to discover stillness, and it takes time to get there.
If you go to the back of the Lady Chapel, there you will see a print of a painting by Norman Rockwell, famous for his images of American Life made famous by the Saturday Evening Post. The painting is in the permanent collection of the Brigham Young University Museum of Art. It is a beautiful image of the façade of Saint Thomas Church in 1957; Dr. Morris, the Tenth Rector, is looking down on Fifth Avenue as a verger is precariously balanced on a ladder placing plastic lettering into a noticeboard; words from the prophecy of Isaiah “Lift up thine eyes.” Meanwhile, a vast throng of passersby are walking furiously past the church, their gaze towards the sidewalk, and missing the glorious gothic architecture above them. It is a powerful image and one that I recognize every day I look into Fifth Avenue – the only difference being that, these days, most people have a mobile device in their hand.
This Lenten season is a time for release from the monotony of our daily lives; a time for us to be set free of the constraints of busy schedules, crowded agendas, and superficial needs. Michael Ramsey knew that he had to set aside real time for true stillness to take root in his own busy life – and that was before the advent of computers, mobile devices, fax machines, and even the internet.
So, what are you going to fast from this Lent? And I don’t mean meat or chocolate or cocktails! What is it that needs to go, in order for us to have the space to choose the things that really matter?
Let us set out on the path of fasting and use these 40 days to take stock of ourselves…
On Sunday, we begin our Lenten Sermon Series at Evensong at which the preacher will reflect on the architecture and the liturgy of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and relate it to the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This Sunday, Fr. Gonzales-Grissom will talk about the Temple as the place where ‘God’s glory abideth.’
Underneath this message you will find an update of our social-outreach project Neighbor to Neighbor. The Saturdays that I am able to get there, I am so delighted to see such a diverse number of parishioners and friends of our parish giving freely of their time and talent. Last week, there were over 90 people that we served breakfast to; but we also talk to our guests, get to know them, help them with other needs, and also learn from them as they are our neighbors. This Lent, please consider signing up as a volunteer – there will be a table in the Narthex after the 11am mass on Sunday.
Over the next five Sundays, Fr. Gioia and I will preach at 11am and explore what it means to build community and explore some of the themes that are presented when we look beyond our own needs and to the needs of others.
Affectionately,
Your Priest and Pastor,
Carl
P.S. Before you read the following article on Neighbor to Neighbor, click on the next image to see a short slide-show of the program:
Neighbor to Neighbor launched on October 26 as a way to continue the Church’s rich legacy of community outreach, from William Ferdinand Morgan’s (the Sixth Rector’s) establishment of a “free chapel” open to the public at a time when the great churches of New York restricted membership, and Ernest Milmore Stires’ (the Eighth Rector’s) distribution of food and medicine to the underserved (recognizing that “the mission of Saint Thomas Church is to help us save ourselves by saving others”), to the phenomenal work of Jean Savage and others in our parish in the establishment of a traditional soup kitchen, providing hearty meals to those in need.
Neighbor to Neighbor seeks to leverage the Church’s existing investment in the Ecumenical Outreach Partnership (a partnership among Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral) in order to be a reliable outreach partner for the unhoused and underserved communities in Midtown Manhattan.
Neighbor to Neighbor has operated every Saturday morning since October 26 (regardless of the weather!), providing coffee, tea, pastries, fresh fruit, oatmeal, toiletries, social services resources and, most importantly, a sense of community and fellowship to our neighbors in need.
Many of our guests stay for the entire hour of programming to chat with clergy and volunteers. Many have commented that our program is the highlight of their week. Many of our guests attend Mass during the week and on Sundays.
More than 40 members of the parish have volunteered in our Neighbor to Neighbor outreach, most of whom have volunteered multiple times. Volunteering with Neighbor to Neighbor has been a great way for members of our parish (older and younger!) to build community and friendship.
Apart from volunteering, members of the parish have been exceptionally generous in donating financial resources for our outreach, as well as donations of pumpkin pies to be shared with guests at Thanksgiving, and donations of resources for quality winter coats, scarves and gloves (almost all of which have been distributed to those in need).
Neighbor to Neighbor is growing! Our average guest count rises each month as word spreads among the community. Last week, we served over 100 guests.
Word is spreading among outreach partners! Our outreach is receiving unsolicited financial donations from established New York not-for-profit organizations and passers-by alike! Now that our programming is established, we’ll continue to seek to partner with third parties to ensure our long-term sustainability.
Volunteering requires no long-term commitment and is suitable for everyone regardless of their physical ability.
Signing up to volunteer is easy!
We ask that prospective volunteers first register on the linked registration form so that we have their contact information on file.
After that, a member of our coordinating team (Brenda, Dan, Ted, and Zac) will get in touch with you and send you a link to the rota where you can sign up to volunteer for any Saturday. You may email
communityoutreachstc@gmail.com if any questions arise and a prompt response will be sent as soon as possible.
We recognize that not everyone has the ability to volunteer on Saturday mornings, but they can still support our outreach mission by making a donation using the linked donation form and selecting “Neighbor to Neighbor Outreach” in the drop down menu.
Neighbor to Neighbor welcomes feedback from our community. In addition to our post-programming meeting reflecting on that Saturday’s outreach, we encourage members of the parish to email
communityoutreachstc@gmail.com with suggestions to make our programming better.
During the Sundays of Lent, as you leave after the end of the 11 am mass, you will find 2 volunteers from Neighbor to Neighbor in the Narthex happy to answer your questions and help you to sign up for the program.
