THANKS A MILLION!!

You did it!!!  Early last October we stood before you all and announced our goal of reaching $1,000,000 in pledges from all of you to support our beloved Trinity community.  We have been closing in on that number for a while now – and this week we – you – did it.  Thank you for recognizing the importance of this community in your lives and in the lives of your fellow parishioners.  It is only one step in the process of financial stability, but it is one giant step.  Thank you all.  We ARE Trinity Church.  

Trudy Sykes and Bill Hackett, Stewardship Co-Chairs

All In

In my office there’s a little sign that says, 

O priest of God,

say this Mass 

as if it were your first Mass,

your last Mass,

your only Mass. 

That little saying is a traditional reminder to priests about the dangers of complacency. Sometimes, if we aren’t careful, we can take for granted what we do each time we encounter Jesus Christ in the Sacraments – and especially each time we receive Him in the Eucharist. Sometimes, if we aren’t careful, we can start to take the Church for granted. 

Four years ago this week, Bishop Stokes sent out a message closing our churches for public worship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That Holy Week was one of the lowest points for me, personally, in my 10 years of ordained ministry. There’s nothing I love more than walking with the parish through those momentous days of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. During those days in 2020 when we proclaimed that Christ’s death and resurrection are still conclusively, unalterably true, I resolved anew never to take this time of year for granted. I resolved to live each moment of Holy Week as if it were the first time, the last time, the only time, I would be able to observe those liturgies and share the Good News of Christ’s resurrection. I resolved to be “all in,” all the time, every time. 

Holy Week is coming soon, and we have so much to celebrate here at Trinity Church. Our attendance continues to rebound to almost pre-COVID levels, such that our current average Sunday attendance puts us in the top 2% of Episcopal churches nationwide. Our stewardship campaign was a smashing success. There is a wonderful spirit in the parish, with so many people joining us for the first time, getting involved, or deepening their involvement in our many ministries. These, too, are gifts we can never take for granted. 

This year, I encourage you to join us for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday. I especially encourage you to come to this year’s Easter Vigil as we welcome Bishop Sally French as our celebrant and preacher. 

I’m “all in.” Are you? 

In Christ,

Kara

Oasis LGBTQ+ Group

It is a clear positive that civil and human rights for the LGBTQIA+ community have progressed greatly in the last few decades. It is also very clear that hatred and violence towards queer people is on the rise. In the first three months of 2024, over 300 anti-gay bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country. Many of these bills invoke Christianity as the impetus behind them. There is still so much work to be done.

Oasis is the Trinity Church group for people who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. We plan to gather in the weeks after Easter (TBA) for the opportunity to fellowship together and explore how our queerness is a gift from God.

Please contact Wesley Rowell (rowellw@trinityprinceton.org) if you are interested in joining the Oasis group.

Don’t forget – Move your clock forward one hour!

Dear Beloved of Trinity Church, 

This Saturday evening, while we rest, like magic, time will dramatically move forward one hour, and we will lose an hour of sleep. We play this little game twice a year, falling back and springing forward. As if somehow, we had control over time. Yet we all know better. We understand that no matter how we set the clock, time is what time is, and all that we have is the moment in which we live and breathe this very second. And none of us are guaranteed one more breath nor one more second.  

The only thing we do have some control over is what we do with the time that we are entrusted with. Every morning, we wake up, if we are so blessed, and we are gifted with another day. How we spend the fleeting and precious seconds of each day is what defines and makes the totality of our lives. Our lives are fundamentally not formed around years and decades, but rather seconds and moments, each of incalculable worth. 

This morning, I officiated at a graveside service, and the family requested the timeless words from the book of Ecclesiastes:

For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance,

a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; 

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace. 

I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. 

As we turn our clocks forward this weekend, let us remember the precious and sacred value of time -  each second, each moment, each breath, each heartbeat - and that through the love of God these endure forever. 

See you Sunday! And don’t forget to move your clock forward one hour!

Peace,

Paul

Pilgrimage and Retreat

Christians have long known the spiritual benefit of going to another place, whether in a pilgrimage or in a monastic retreat, in order to focus on God without the distractions of everyday life. Pilgrimage is praying with your feet, an active way of drawing closer to God. Retreat is another way of drawing closer to God by not-doing instead of by doing. Here at Trinity Church, we have two exciting opportunities for pilgrimage and retreat coming up soon: one is a grand expedition and one is a quiet retreat close to home. 

1. Exploring our Anglican Heritage: A Pilgrimage from Canterbury to York

October 17-28, 2024

The deadline for putting down a $500 deposit on the Canterbury to York pilgrimage is Easter Monday, April 1. If you are planning on going, please fill out the booking form online or contact Kara for a paper brochure and booking form. 

https://lightlinena.com/pilgrimage/exploring-our-anglican-heritage-a-pilgrimage-from-canterbury-to-york/

The Rev. Keith Voets of the Diocese of Long Island says, "We did this tour several years ago. It was actually the tour that we got engaged on. It really was extraordinary. Highly recommended!" 

2. Parish Retreat at Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY

April 24-26, 2024

Spend two nights at Holy Cross Monastery for a time of prayer, reflection, and plenty of time to rest in the presence of God. We will arrive on Wednesday afternoon and check out Friday morning. Holy Cross is the home of an Anglican Benedictine order of men who provide a tremendous ministry of hospitality, and it's a beloved destination for many Episcopalians. The cost is $220 per person, and a $110 deposit is due by March 24. We have a maximum of 20 spaces available. Email Kara if you intend to participate in the retreat! 

Here's what a typical day at Holy Cross looks like: 

Breakfast is available from 6:30am to 8:15am
7:00am - Matins
8:30am - The Great Silence Ends
9:00am - Holy Eucharist
12:00pm - Diurnum (Midday Prayer)
12:30pm - Dinner
5:00pm - Vespers (Evening Prayer) - Sundays at 4:00pm
5:45pm - Supper
7:30pm - Compline (Night Prayers)
The Great Silence begins after Compline

I hope you'll join me for these two very special events!

Kara

The Bishop is Coming!

Bishop French's Visitation at the Easter Vigil

Saturday, March 30, at 7 PM

Trinity Church is honored to welcome Bishop Sally French as our Celebrant and Preacher at the Easter Vigil this year. Since this is her official visitation to Trinity for the year, Bishop French will do Baptisms as well as Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation of Faith as part of the service. Before she comes, we need to fill out a form listing the people being baptized, confirmed, etc. If you or your child(ren) are interested in Baptism and haven't already talked to us, please let Annie or Paul know. Young people who plan on being confirmed should contact Emily. Adults who would like to be confirmed, received, or making a reaffirmation of faith* should contact Kara. 

For confirmation, reception, and reaffirmation, we will need to know your full name, previous church affiliation if any, age, and the date and place of your baptism (a 'guesstimate' is fine). 

*What's the difference? In Confirmation, our young people affirm the promises that were made for them at their baptism. Adults from other traditions commit to living out their Christian life in the fellowship and communion of the Episcopal Church. Those who were previously confirmed in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches are received by the Bishop rather than confirmed again. And anyone, at any time, can make a public reaffirmation of their faith with the Bishop and receive her blessing on God's continuing work in their lives. 

Slow down, you move too fast

A few weeks ago, when I went to Kentucky for my retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani, I cut it way too close to catch the train to the airport. We pulled up to Princeton Junction as the train arrived. In a flurry, I jumped out of the car, grabbed my bags, gave a hurried goodbye, and off I went – literally running to make the train. I was awkwardly carrying my bags and glanced over my shoulder for one final goodbye, and I tripped. Not once, but twice!! And the second time, I just caught myself, preventing what would have been a full-out face plant. 

I scrambled to my feet and barely, just barely made it - hand bleeding, knee throbbing, out of breath, and thoroughly embarrassed. Here I am, a full-grown man running and tripping, flustered and frustrated in an incredible rush and hurry to get to the Abbey … so I could slow down and find some peace. A rather ironic start to my retreat!

I settled into my seat on the train and attempted to calm myself and regain some composure. I thought I would listen to some music. As I was scrolling through my Apple Music library, a song that I had used for a funeral popped up. I listened and laughed out loud! 

It was Simon and Garfunkel’s, The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy). The opening verse says, “Slow down, you move too fast. You got to make the morning last.” The final verse says, “Let the morning time drop all its petals on me. Life, I love you, all is groovy.”

In his book, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, Thomas Merton writes, 

“There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence ... The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence … It destroys our own inner capacity for peace.” 

There is a violence from the rush and running, the hurrying and busyness of modern life. This inhibits our capacity for peace. It holds us captive, preventing us from enjoying the gift of life and, as Simon and Garfunkel put it – feeling groovy. 

Here’s to slowing down, loving life, and … feeling groovy.

Lenten Peace and Grace be with you,

Afternoon Tea and Evensong

Sunday, April 21, 2024

3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Evensong at 5:00

With beautiful Spring colors on display all around, we invite you to join us for a delicious traditional English tea on Sunday, April 21, 2024 from 3 - 4:30 pm. There will be freshly baked savories, sweets and traditional scones with clotted cream and a delicious tea especially blended for us for this occasion. Our formally garbed waitstaff and beautiful floral arrangements will all take you back to an elegant era. Following the tea, Trinity Church's exceptional choir will perform a Choral Evensong in the church.

The event, priced at $35 per person ($40 at the door) is a fundraising effort for the choir. Please be sure to make your reservations early as seating is limited; if desired, entire tables may be reserved. Reservations may be made by emailing mstengel329@hotmail.com or calling 609-924-4807 and leaving a message.