Dear Friends,
We are entering into Passiontide and the liturgical texts and hymns of the season will become more somber as we prepare for Holy Week and the celebration of the Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. This year, Bishop Andrew St. John will help us prepare for Holy Week with the first Quiet Day we have held since the pandemic. He will give three addresses and a homily reflecting on the beautiful Passion Polyptych by Simone Martini. The panels are located in several art galleries around the world but were recently displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The image of the Madonna and Child, above, is another work by Martini in the Met Museum, painted in 1326.
Quiet day preparing for Holy Week with Bishop Andrew St. John
Reflecting on the Passion Polyptych by Simone Martini (c. 1284 – 1344)10:00am Gather for coffee – Living Room
10:15am Reflection on “The Orsini Polyptych” – Living Room
11:15am Reflection on “The Way of Calvary” and “The Crucifixion” – Living Room
12:00pm Shrine Prayers followed by Mass – Lady Chapel
Followed by lunch in the Living Room – Dining room
1:45pm Reflection on “The Deposition” and “The Entombment” – Lady Chapel
2:45pm Evening Prayer in the Lady Chapel
Holy Week is, by far, the jewel in the crown of our liturgical life here at Saint Thomas Church and we are blessed to have two wonderful preachers this year. First, The Rev. Dr. Andrew McGowan, Dean and President of Berkeley School of Divinity at Yale, will preach on Palm Sunday at 4pm, Monday and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 5:30pm, and on Easter Day at 11am.
Second, on Good Friday, The Rev. Dr. Willie Jennings, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School, will preach the Three Hours Devotion: the Seven Last Words from the Cross.
Through symbolic action, readings, powerful music, and equally powerful silence, we will journey together from Palm Sunday to Easter Day. Those who experience all the choral services of Holy Week tell me that it can be life-transforming and is like being on a pilgrimage and a retreat at the same time! I encourage – no, I urge you to attend as much as possible of the week. It is easy to remember as all the choral services Monday to Saturday are at 5:30pm. As we did last year, there will be no sermon on Palm Sunday morning or at the Easter Vigil because those liturgies ‘preach themselves’ and it also helps us keep them a little shorter.
This is also a time to think about your state of life and think about making your confession. You can make an appointment with any of the clergy, Bishop Andrew St. John, or Fr. Mark Brown. The clergy will also be available on Good Friday 10:30am-11:30am and 3:30pm-5pm
Affectionately,
Your Priest and Pastor,
Carl
