Newcomer's Tea at the Rectory

Sunday, April 14th at 4 pm

New to Trinity in the past year or two?  The Newcomers Committee invites you to join the clergy, vestry members and fellow newcomers for refreshments and fellowship at the Rectory where Fr. Paul Jeanes lives.  It's next to our parish hall at 25 Mercer St.  We'll start at 4 pm and end at 5 pm.  Then feel free to join us as we walk next door to the church for the evening prayers said during Compline.  Registration is not required but is appreciated; email tomascott1965@gmail.com. 

St. Matthew Passion

Matthäuspassion

Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672)

7:00-8:00 PM

March 23, 2024

Princeton University Chapel

A powerful and dramatic setting of Matthew’s passion narrative by German composer Heinrich Schütz. Written in 1666 for a cappella choir and solo recitative, this piece is a rarely-performed hidden gem of early Baroque church music. Sung by the Lux Choir of the Episcopal Church of Princeton under the direction of Connor Fluharty.

Please come hear this beautiful version of the St. Matthew Passion in an incredible space, and get a head start on Holy Week!

Palm Sunday

Dear Beloved of Trinity Church,

As we prepare to begin our Holy Week Journey, I share with you excerpts from a reflection by Fred Buechner, originally published in A Room Called Remember.

When Jesus of Nazareth rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and his followers cried out, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord," the Pharisees went to Jesus and told him to put an end to their blasphemies, and Jesus said to them, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."  

King Jesus, we offer all churches to you as you offer them to us. Make thyself known in them. Make thy will done in them. Make our stone hearts cry out thy kingship. Make us holy and human at last that we may do the work of thy love. 

We live in trying times. We live in a season when the church and the prophetic Word of God are desperately needed. We live in a time when church attendance is declining, and its relevance is questioned. We live in a time when many say, "put an end to [the] blasphemies." But the message of the Gospel cannot be silenced, and even if we lose heart and find our voices muted, the very stones will cry out with praises and shouts of joy! They would proclaim a word of liberation and Easter life.

As we walk these holy days, may we offer ourselves fully to the redemptive story of God's love shown to us in Jesus. May God be known through us! May God's will be done in us! May our stone hearts cry out the power of God! And finally, may we be made holy and human to do the work of LOVE!

Peace and blessings to all,

Paul

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