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| Weekly E-Newsletter |
Week Ending May 29, 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. |
| Whitsunday (Pentecost) |
 A feast of the universal Church which commemorates the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ, on the ancient Jewish festival called the "feast of weeks" or Pentecost (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10). Whitsunday is so called from the white garments which were worn by those who were baptised during the vigil; Pentecost ("Pfingsten" in German), is the Greek for "the fiftieth" (day after Easter).
Whitsunday belongs to the Apostolic times is stated in the seventh of the (interpolated) fragments attributed to St. Iren�us. In Tertullian (On Baptism 19) the festival appears as already well established. The Gallic pilgrim gives a detailed account of the solemn manner in which it was observed at Jerusalem ("Peregrin. Silvi�", ed. Geyer, iv). The Apostolic Constitutions (Book V, Part 20) say that Pentecost lasts one week, but in the West it was not kept with an octave until at quite a late date. It appears from Berno of Reichenau (d. 1048) that it was a debatable point in his time whether Whitsunday ought to have an octave. At present it is of equal rank with Easter Sunday. During the vigil formerly the catechumens who remained from Easter were baptized, consequently the ceremonies on Saturday are similar to those on Holy Saturday.
The office of Pentecost has only one Nocturn during the entire week. At Terce the "Veni Creator" is sung instead of the usual hymn, because at the third hour the Holy Ghost descended. The Mass has a Sequence, "Veni Sancte Spiritus" the authorship of which by some is ascribed to King Robert of France. The colour of the vestments is red, symbolic of the love of the Holy Ghost or of the tongues of fire.
In Italy it was customary to scatter rose leaves from the ceiling of the churches to recall the miracle of the fiery tongues; hence in Sicily and elsewhere in Italy Whitsunday is called Pascha rosatum. The Italian name Pascha rossa comes from the red colours of the vestments used on Whitsunday. In France it was customary to blow trumpets during Divine service, to recall the sound of the mighty wind which accompanied the Descent of the Holy Ghost. In England the gentry amused themselves with horse races. The Whitsun Ales or merrymakings are almost wholly obsolete in England. At these ales the Whitsun plays were performed. At Vespers of Pentecost in the Oriental Churches the extraordinary service of genuflexion, accompanied by long poetical prayers and psalms, takes place. (Cf. Maltzew, "Fasten-und Blumen Triodion", p. 898 where the entire Greco-Russian service is given; cf. also Baumstark, "Jacobit. Fest brevier", p. 255.) On Pentecost the Russians carry flowers and green branches in their hands. Article was transcribed for New Advent by Wm Stuart French. | |
| Catacheumen Class 2008-09 |
On Sunday the Catacheumen class of 2008-09 will come to fruition after a year-long process. We welcome Bishop Sergio Carranza, Celebrant and Preacher who will confirm, receive or renew the catacheumenates.
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| Catechumenate 2009-10 |
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In the early Church, those seeking to become Christians through the Sacrament of Baptism were enrolled in a process of preparation lasting from 2 - 3 years culminating with the Great Liturgy of the Easter Vigil at which time they were brought into the fullness of the Christian Faith. This process based on the Catechism of Christian teachings was known as the Catechumenate.
Here at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish we have restored the Catechumenate for the modern time and as such have been recognized by Bishop Bruno as a leader in adult Christian formation in the Diocese of Los Angeles. Our Catechumenate is a strict commitment of nine months ending at Easter Vigil with the visitation of one of our Bishops. Our Catechumens are comprised of those new to the faith who are not baptized, those who are baptized but not confirmed, those who wish to be received from other communions with Apostolic Succession, and Episcopalians wishing to renew their baptismal vows. The process involves not just a didactic approach to Christian belief, but also dialog, discussion and active participation in exploring a vibrant, meaningful, and personal faith expressed in the community of our Parish.
We are now in the process of forming the next Catechumenate for 2009 - 2010 which will begin on July 12th. If anyone is interested in knowing more, or wishes to be enrolled please contact the office to make an appointment to see Fr. Davies. |
| Services |
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MASSES & DAILY OFFICES
Sundays
7:30 AM - Morning Prayer
8:00 AM - Low Mass
9:45 AM - Rosary
10:30AM - High Mass with Choir - Childcare Available
4:30 PM - Evening Prayer
Monday - Friday
7:30 AM - Morning Prayer
8:00 AM - Low Mass
6:30 PM - Evening Prayer
7:00 PM - Low Mass (Tuesday only)
Saturday
10:00AM - Low Mass
5:00 PM - Vigil Mass with Gregorian Chant
6:30 PM - Compline
RECONCILIATION - CONFESSIONS
Tuesday 6:00 PM - Preceding Mass
Many additional activities occur each week at St. Thomas the Apostle. See the calendar for more! | |
We hope to see you soon!
Blessings from
St. Thomas the Apostle |
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Pentecost (Whitsunday)
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Celebrant:
The Right Reverend Sergio Carranza
Homily:
The Right Reverend Sergio Carranza
Readings:
Ezekiel 37.1-14
Psalm 104.26-36, 37b
Romans 8.22-27
John 15.26,27; 16.4b-15
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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.
Ubuntu is loosely translated as I in You and You In Me. This is the theme for the 76th General Convention. 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. |
| Welcome! |
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With joy we welcomed into our Parish family Andrew and Whitney Miller (pictured on the right) and their daughter Elsa who was baptized at the High Mass on May 24th. |
| Pot Luck |
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There will be Potluck following the 10:30 Mass on May 31, 2009. Hope to see you there!
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| St. Martin's Guild |
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The St. Martin's Guild is coming back just in time for summer!
Summer events for Parishioners, which include a tour of historic downtown, a trip to Catalina Island, and Sunset Junction, are being made. This is a great opportunity for fellowship, and other ideas are being welcomed.
Please see Marty Wolfe during the next few weeks at coffee hour if you have any suggestions. |
| Follies |
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Join the St. Thomas Singers on June 20th at 7 PM for coffee and pie, or a slice of cake. From the "Sound of Music" to "South Pacific" join us on a walk through some of the best of Rodger's and Hammerstein.
Tickets are $10, which includes desserts and a show. Tickets on sale at coffee hour or through the parish office. Proceeds benefit the Choir. |
| Mother Knows Best |
Interesting facts about
St. Thomas the Apostle  |
St, Thomas has presented 104 candidates to receive the sacrament of Confirmation since Fr. Ian Elliott Davies introduced the current Catechumenate process.
The nine month catechumenate has an 82% retention rate of people who have become members of the Parish.
In the early days of the Parish(1920's,30's, and 40s), all catechumens were attired for the occasion with women and girls dressed in white dresses with veils and men and boys in white shirts and ties often with a white suit or white ribbons tied to their arms. |
| 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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