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| Weekly E-Newsletter |
Week Ending May 08, 2009 |
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Dear Parishioner
St. Thomas the Apostle is an Episcopal Parish in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. We are called by God to be a holy place where love is found, where all are named and where hearts are freed to change the world. |
| Mother's Day, Sunday May 10 |
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The celebration of Mother's Day dates back all the way to ancient times, but the idea of the celebration was first kicked around in 1872. Julia Ward Howe, author of the words to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," proposed Mother's Day as a day dedicated to peace.
But it was Ann Jarvis of West Virginia, however, who really pushed for a national day to honor mothers. On the second anniversary of her mother's death, Jarvis asked her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia, to celebrate a day to honor mothers. Her mother had died on the second Sunday in May. The church obliged and the following year, the city of Philadelphia joined in the celebration. Thanks to a campaign by Jarvis and her supporters, by 1911 almost every state celebrated Mother's Day. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday.
Other countries also celebrate Mother's Day, but some on different days. In England, Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent.
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| Thank you! |
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 We thank Fr. James Sprague for his ministry to St. Thomas the Apostle over the past two months. This Sunday marks the final service that Fr. Sprague will celebrate as we look to welcome back Fr. Davies in the near future. Fr. Sprague and his wife Annie recently relocated to picturesque Santa Barbara from their longtime home in Maine. A teacher, Episcopal priest and part-time Trader Joe, Fr. Sprague has provided a calm and steady presence and ministry during Fr. Davies' recovery and Fr. Stuart's time of bereavement. His sermons have been thoughtful, humorous and inspirational guides to each week's lections. We thank Fr. Stuart who has generously shared his home with Fr. Sprague and Annie each weekend. Fr. Sprague begins a priest-in-charge ministry at St. Matthias in Whittier, CA. We are grateful to him and send him our prayers and best wishes. We look forward to welcoming him back very soon! |
| Blessed Damien |
 On May 10, 1873 Fr. Damien first set foot on the island of Molokai in Hawaii to minister to the leper colony there. When he volunteered for that risky task he was told that he could never return and that he would probably die. But he went anyway. His feast day is celebrated not on the date of his death, but on the date he landed in Molokai.
A person of great compassion filled with the love of Christ for the most outcast and abandoned he is venerated as patron of those with infectious diseases and most especially those living with HIV-AIDS. With the 20 plus year ministry that St. Thomas the Apostle Parish has witnessed in the community to those affected by HIV-AIDS Blessed Damien has grown to hold a special place in the spiritual life of our Parish. Our Blessed Damien Chapel is a special place of devotion and prayer. Many of us at St. Thomas have a strong devotion to Damien and he is celebrated here as a secondary patron on the Sunday closest to his feast day, which will be this coming Sunday May 10, 2009.
Fr. Mark D. Stuart |
| Prayers for Rev. Gwynne Guibord |
 Reverend Canon Dr. Gwynne Guibord, who was ordained while serving as Assistant Priest of St. Thomas has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer and underwent successful surgergy last week. She is now home recovering.
"Dear St. Thomas Family,
While sitting here with Gwynne in her hospital room at Cedars, I opened the St. Thomas eNewsletter and found the article on her surgery. We are both deeply moved by the outpouring of love and support. Certainly prayers do work for she is healing remarkably well.
Thank you so very much.
Our love to all of you.
Lo and Mo. Gwynne"
Please continue to keep Mother Guibord and her partner Dr. Lo Sprague in your prayers.
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| John West: Rock Star |
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From the sound of the cheers for organist John West as he played the crescendoing passages Toccata and Fugue in D minor, you would have thought that the 900 high school chorale singers had never been to a concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
Most of them had not, until they went to the 20th annual Los Angeles Master Chorale High School Festival on April 24. The festival gave high school singers from all over Southern California - including four choirs from Glendora, Charter Oak, Covina and Baldwin Park high schools - an opportunity to listen and even perform inside the concert hall for the first time.
West showed students the full range of the hall's organ inside the concert hall. Then the Los Angeles Master Chorale Chamber Singers performed for the students. The students were rapt in their seats. They cheered on West, the rock star of the event, every time he appeared onstage.
By Emma Gallegos, Staff Writer SGV Tribune
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| General Convention Volunteers needed |
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The General Convention of the Episcopal Church will be held in Anaheim, CA July 8-17. Each congregation in the Diocese is expected to provide volunteers. St. Thomas has been asked to provide a minimum of 10 volunteers. Forms will be available at the back of the Church on Sunday and must be submitted via the Office.
To learn more about the convention, follow this link.
 The Ubuntu logo of the 76th General Convention was adapted from a design submitted in a contest, sponsored by the Joint Standing Committee on Planning & Arrangements. The winning design was submitted by the Rev'd Paul Fromberg, Interim Rector of St. Gregory of Nyssa Church, San Francisco, California, a member of the Episcopal Church and the Visual Arts. The Trinitarian design depicts God the Creator in the bright center, God the Son in the cross formed by the longitude and latitude lines and God the Holy Spirit, swirling around the Father and the Son. The swirl is comprised of dancing figures, male and female, with faces of many colors, who symbolize the interconnectedness of humanity.
The word Ubuntu is spelled out in a font especially created for General Convention by Mel Ahlborn, President of the Episcopal Church and the Visual Arts, together with a quotation from the Gospel of John.
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| Services |
MASSES & DAILY OFFICES Sundays 7:30 AM - Morning Prayer 8:00 AM - Low Mass 10:30AM - High Mass with Choir - Childcare Available 4:30 PM - Evening Prayer Monday - Friday7:30 AM - Morning Prayer 8:00 AM - Low Mass 6:30 PM - Evening Prayer 7:00 PM - Low Mass (Tuesday only) Saturday10:00AM - Low Mass 5:00 PM - Vigil Mass with Gregorian Chant 6:30 PM - Compline ROSARY Sunday 9:45 AM - Preceding High Mass RECONCILIATION - CONFESSIONS Tuesday 6:00 PM - Preceding Mass
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We hope to see you soon!
Blessings from
St. Thomas the Apostle |
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| Fifth Sunday of Easter Homily |
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The homily this Sunday will be delivered by Associate Rector Fr. Mark D. Stuart.
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| Fifth Sunday of Easter |
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Celebrant:
The Rev. Fr. James Sprague
Deacon:
The Rev. Mr. Walter S. Johnson
Readings: |
Acts 8.26-end
Psalm 22.25-end
1 John 4.7-end
John 15.1-8 |
| Treasurer's Report |
| Through April 30, 2009 |
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Bounty Received:
$168,088.19
Ministries Funded:
$150,716.34
Surplus:
$9,371.85 |
| No Doubt: May 29 |
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Come one, come all to St. Thomas the Apostle's Movie Night. An opportunity to see the thought-provoking movie, Doubt, discuss it with your friends and eat lots of popcorn! What could be better than a little intellectual stimulation mixed with conviviality? All are welcome - parishioners, friends of parishioners, children of parishioners, pets of parishioners, et al. We've even got a big screen! Mark your calendars for May 29th at 7:30pm. |
| Ministry Fair |
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The annual ministry fair will be held after mass on Sunday, Mary 17, 2009. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about all of the ministries of St. Thomas and participate with those that interest or inspire you.
Join us!
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| Pot Luck |
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There will be Potluck following the 10:30 Mass on May 24, 2009. Please sign up on Bulletin board in the large Parish Hall. Hope to see you there!
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| Get Oriented |
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If you are interested in becoming a member of St. Thomas, or if you are already a Parishioner and wish to learn more about St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, the American Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Communication, please consider attending the Newcomer Orientation Session from 10:30am to noon on Saturday, May 16. This session begins with an historical discussion in the Damien Chapel and ends with a tour of the Church. The tour and discussion includes informaton about our Liturgy, Christian sybbols, practices and faith. |
| Mother Knows Best |
Interesting facts about
St. Thomas the Apostle  |
The model for St Thomas was Trinity Church, Santa Barbara. The Church was designed by Harold Martin. His firm was the longest serving architects for Washington DC Cathedral of St.Peter and St. Paul (National Cathedral). We're in good company! |
| Minutes |
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The minutes from the Vestry Meetings of St. Thomas the Apostle are now available on the St. Thomas the Apostle website. Click here to get the minutes. (Or goto the "Wardens & Vestry" page and click on "Minutes.")
Each month after the Vestry approves the prior months minutes they will be posted in PDF format. |
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Shopping
Online =
Donations
to St.
Thomas! |
Do you shop online? If you shop at Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, eBay.com...or any of thousands of companies - they will contribute up to 30% of your purchase to St. Thomas the Apostle at no additional cost to you.
It's easy - goto GoodShop.com ( www.goodshop.com) and in the box "Who Do You Support" put in " St. Thomas the Apostle." Click on the St. Thomas located in Hollywood, CA. Then click on your store - and follow the link "Goodshop this Store." For St. Thomas to receive donations, you must click through to the store from this site.
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