This week, Walden has been using his special magic with 28 lucky boy choristers from across the country as the Director of Music at the inaugural session of the Royal School of Church Music Boys Course in Dallas! If you know a boy in Connecticut who loves music, contact Rachel (rsegger@trinitynewhaven.org) to explore the unique opportunity to sing with Walden regularly in the Trinity Boys Choir!
On Sunday, June 12th, we need your help to make and serve sandwiches at Chapel on the Green! We will gather at 12:30 pm in the undercroft to assemble approximately 100 sandwiches. Trinity will provide the supplies—all you have to do is show up! If you would like to make cookies or bring something else special for the Chapel on the Green parishioners, you are welcome to do that. As always, the service will take place at 2:00 pm, lunch will happen at 2:30, and cleanup happens between 3:00 and 3:30 pm. We would love to have you with us for any part of that process. If you are interested in volunteering with us on June 12th, please contact Lisa Levy, Outreach Coordinator, at cotg@trinitynewhaven.org. Thank you!
Going on a pilgrimage has always been about finding a way of renewal, healing and restoration by walking to and visiting a sacred site. After two years of this pandemic, God knows we are all ready for renewal. In a way, we have all been pilgrims during this time of hardship, struggling to make our way through the fog of pandemic rules, virus fears, and, for those of us who contracted the virus, charting our path toward recovery.
Our Trinity pilgrimage to France from June 14-28, 2023 will connect with this basic desire for renewal, but unlike an ordinary pilgrimage, the focus will not be on merely reaching sacred sites, carrying backpack and camera. Rather, this pilgrimage will focus on sensory inspired contemplation, as suggested by Psalm 34:8: “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”
Find out more at an informational meeting, in the church’s undercroft on Sunday, June 12, after the 10:30am service. Come and see, listen and learn about a sampling of sites we will visit, such as Paris, Chartres, Vézelay and Taizé. Our meeting will be accompanied by a sampling of French pastries! This pilgrimage concept is conceived as a small group travel format. The maximum number of participants, therefore, is set at 25 people. Pricing per person will be +/- $3000.00. (Airfare is additional.)
Suffering and Remembering
Adult Education Theme for June 2022
Charles Lemert
This coming Sunday we will be at the eve of Memorial Day. Other modern nations may celebrate Victory Day as Russia did, ludicrously, earlier this month. France celebrates Bastille Day; Canada celebrates Canada Day. But none other, so far as I know, celebrates a Memorial Day as we do. But what are we remembering on Memorial Day? The Day began shortly after the Civil War in which some 865,000 soldiers were killed—more than in any war since. Not a community North or South was untouched by death. Drew Gilpin Faust, an historian of the Civil War, wrote The Republic of Suffering, a book that concludes: “We all live in the world of death the Civil War created.”
Suffering and Remembering are, obviously, central to Christian thought. I will take this as the theme for my sermon on May 29 but with special attention to the place of suffering and remembering in American culture. The Sunday after, June 5 at 9:30, Bob Sandine and I will begin a month-long Adult Education course covering Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and John Brown—and their roles is representing different versions of Christian thinking about slavery and the suffering it entailed.
Selma Nancy Oxford was born into the world to the Rev. Heidi Thorsen and Will Oxford on May 25, 2022 at 4:47pm. Everyone is healthy, tired, and happy. Prayers are welcome as Heidi begins maternity leave for some important time with family! Many thanks to all those who have helped them along the journey, including the wonderful staff at Yale New Haven Hospital and our Trinity community.
We are pleased to announce that applications for the Justina O. Anako Memorial Scholarship are now open to all women of color bound for STEM fields.
Started in 2021, the Justina O. Anako Memorial Scholarship is a $1,000 grant awarded annually to a graduating high school senior planning to enroll in college to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) or an undergraduate majoring in a in STEM field of study. Student must identify as a woman of color and can renew the scholarship if the listed requirements are met.
We are tremendously grateful for the generosity of the Anako family for honoring Justina's legacy through this program. Applications are due July 1st. Please spread the word and share this application widely!
Apply here: https://www.trinitynewhaven.org/the-justina-o-anako-memorial-scholarship
We will begin our Summer Worship Schedule at Trinity on Labor Day weekend, starting Sunday, May 29. Note the following changes:
Sundays
7:45am – Quiet Eucharist, Rite I
10:30am – Community Eucharist, Rite II
2pm – Chapel on the Green
*note: 9am Morning Prayer and 5pm Music and Prayer services will resume in the fall
Wednesdays
The 12:10pm Wednesday Eucharist will go on hiatus starting June 1, until the fall
We wish you safe travels, rest, and meaningful worship, whatever your summer plans may be – and we hope to see you around Trinity this summer!
You've heard this one before: rising COVID numbers have forced a change of plans! Your family's health and safety come first so instead of meeting in the Undercroft for Sunday Spark (School), we'll be meeting at this New Haven park for play and prayer instead: College Woods: East Rock (The address of the park is 41-125 Cold Spring St., New Haven, CT 06511.)
9 a.m. - 10 a.m., Sunday, May 15
Vaia will join us to play with the kids as the adults sip, chat, and pray. Juice, water, coffee and breakfast goodies will be available for your family at 9:00 a.m. -- look for Angela near the playground. Please bring a chair(s).
Dr. Susan Alsamarai, Trinity parishioner and mom of two, will lead this free, 6-week discussion based on the book, "The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times." All are welcome to join us at the Woodbridge Library on Thursday evenings through June 23, 6:30-7:30 PM. If you are interested in attending, please contact Angela: family@trinitynewhaven.org.
In response to increasing local COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the CDC now indicates that the New Haven area is now an area of relatively high risk. Trinity on the Green will now recommend — but not require — masking for all those attending services and other functions in person. We hope that summer weather will help tamp down on this newest rise in COVID cases and that we will be able to relax these heightened recommendations soon. In the meantime, we’ll handle this as we have handled the rest of the pandemic: together, physically or otherwise, and confident in our community and our church.
Teens and Adults: Serve the children of our community by volunteering at our Vacation Bible Camp from Aug. 1-5, 8:15 AM to 12:45 PM daily at Trinity. Teens: This is a great opportunity to earn Service Hours for your high school. Contact Angela for details; no pressure, just information! family@TrinityNewHaven.org
This week, many people have been impacted by the news of possible changes to the legal decision of Roe v. Wade, which has protected women’s reproductive rights since 1973. These issues of unborn life, childbirth, abortion, and legal access to abortion are especially heavy in light of Mother’s Day, this coming Sunday.
Our faith is a resource for how to approach these difficult matters of sanctity of life, freedom of conscience, and gender equality – reminding us to place love of God and love of our neighbors at the forefront of how we live and pray. Other resources include past resolutions of General Convention, the governing body of the Episcopal Church (see below). These statements both affirm the sacredness of life and the need for special care to see that individual conscience is honored and protected:
Please know that the clergy and pastoral care staff are available for further prayer and emotional support. We also offer this prayer:
Loving God, ground us with a sense of wonder for the sacredness of all human life. Help us to be attentive to the needs of pregnant people, so that we may support their health in body, mind, and spirit. Give us wisdom to pursue just legislation that opens doors for compassionate care, while honoring the complexity of human decisions. May the power of your resurrection be a source of strength, healing, and renewal; in the name of God who made us, loves us, and walks on this journey with us. Amen.
Trinity Book Group is meeting via Zoom on Monday, May 9th at 7:30pm to discuss The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. The first line of the book is ‘My name is Anna, the wife of Jesus’. It provides a woman centered version of the New Testament.
Our end of year pot luck is on Sunday, May 29that 4pm at the home of Veronica and Dieter Soell. We will be discussing Pullitzer prize winning March by Geraldine Brooks, a powerfull love story set against the backdrop of the civil war. We are excited at the prospect of meeting in person for the first time since last June
If you would like to know more about either of these events please contact Jenny Briggs jenniferobriggs@gmail.com
Dr. Susan Alsamarai, Trinity parishioner and mom of two, will lead this free, 6-week discussion based on the book, "The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times." All are welcome to join us at the Woodbridge Library on Thursday evenings through June 23, 6:30-7:30 PM. Angela will be ordering your copy of the book so let her know by May 11 if you are interested in attending: family@trinitynewhaven.org.
Thank you to all who celebrated with Rev. Heidi and Will by donating diapers to them and the Diaper Bank -- over 3,000 (!) diapers and dozens of packages of wipes were collected! About 40 parishioners and friends attended the rainbow-themed Baby Shower on Saturday which featured a get-to-know you game, colorful cupcakes, parental advice giving, and homemade rainbow pizza. May God abundantly bless Rev. Heidi, Will and their little one.
Meet & Greet Events
Bishop Transition Committee Announces the Following Meet & Greet Events
The Bishop Transition Committee is pleased to announce the following Meet & Greet events. These gatherings (both in-person and livestreamed) are an excellent way to get to know the Bishop Diocesan Nominees.
Come to listen, learn, and be inspired by our Nominees. All are welcome to attend the session of their choice.
Your questions will help us shape the conversations. Questions must be submitted in advance. Click the button to submit your questions.
Monday, May 9 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm | St. Mark’s, Mystic | 15 Pearl St, Mystic, CT 06355 | Southeast Region In-person Registration Watch on YouTube
Tuesday, May 10 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm | St. Luke’s, Darien | 1864 Post Rd, Darien, CT 06820 | Southwest Region In-person Registration Join on LocalLive
Wednesday, May 11 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm | St. Luke’s, New Haven | 111 Whalley Ave, New Haven, CT 06511 | South Central Region In-person Registration Livestream link coming soon
Thursday, May 12 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm | Christ Church Cathedral | 45 Church St, Hartford, CT 06103 | North Central Region In-person Registration Watch on YouTube Watch on Facebook
Friday, May 13 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm | St. John’s, New Milford | 7 Whittlesey Ave, New Milford, CT 06776 | Northwest Region In-person Registration Watch on YouTube
Saturday, May 14 | 10:00am – 12:00pm | St. John’s, Vernon | 523 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon, CT 06066 | Northeast Region In-person Registration Watch on Facebook
Palm Sunday and Easter were egg-specially fun this year for the children and families at Trinity. Although Donkey Xote had car trouble on Palm Sunday and couldn’t make it, Farmer Anne at Olympia Farm made sure we had our fill of farm animals! The sheep, goats, lambs and kids welcomed our kids into their pen. Rocks were painted for Chapel on the Green and sunflower seeds planted to remember those in Ukraine. As the bells rang on Easter Sunday, the children scrambled for colorful eggs which were graciously filled by The Wednesday Group. Thank you to all who made these two days eggs-tra special!
Trinity’s expansive musical program is only possible through the efforts of our amazing music staff. In addition to our Director of Music and Music Program manager, Trinity is blessed to host Organ Scholars, who, over a two year professional apprenticeship, contribute tremendously to our worship even as they grow as church musicians. Current Music Director Walden Moore and Music Program Manager Rachel Seggar are both former Trinity Organ Scholars themselves, and in recognition of the importance of the organ scholar program to Trinity on the Green, a plaque honoring “the Long Purple Line” will be dedicated and placed at the upcoming Festival Evensong on April 24th.
Saturday, April 23 from 3:30-5pm
Trinity on the Green, in the Undercroft
In lieu of gifts, Trinity parishioners are invited to bring diapers and diaper supplies (such as wipes). Some of these will be used by Heidi and Will for their baby, though the majority of them will be donated to the Connecticut Diaper Bank to make sure families throughout our community and the state have the supplies they need for their growing families. If you are unable to attend on Saturday, diapers can be dropped off at the church on Sunday, April 24.
Questions about how you can be involved in this event? Contact family@trinitynewhaven.org.
