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. |
Rector's Corner  |
Beloved in Christ,
We have come to the season of Lent: our
opportunity to heed the call of Christ and to prepare for Holy Week and Easter.
You will notice in our liturgies some stark differences from other seasons in
the Church Calendar- there are no flowers in Church, the Gloria is neither said
nor sung (except for Major Feasts such as the Annunciation on 25th March) the
liturgical colour is violet (the colour of mourning, pentience and preparation)
and there are no postludes after the High Mass, the atmosphere is markedly more
meditative and reflective.
To assist in your devotions may I
suggest using the Book of Common
Prayer and meditating on the Psalter, the collection of Psalms (pages
585-808) : each dayhas psalms appointed for the morning and
evening of each day of the month. You are also welcome to join us on Wednesday
evenings for Mass at 7pm followed by a light soup supper and the study course
"Through Lent with St John, artwork inspired by the Fourth Gospel," and on
Fridays Evening Prayer is at 6pm, Stations of the Cross at 6.30pm followed by Mass.
I send my love, prayers and blessing to you in
this Holy Season,
The Rev'd Fr I.E. Davies, B.D. (Wales & Cantab) M.R.I.Ph.
"Costly grace confronts us
as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes as a word of forgiveness to
the
broken spirit and the contrite heart. It is costly because it compels a
man to
submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus
says: 'My
yoke is easy and my burthen is
light.'" Bonhoeffer, The Cost of
Discipleship
"...it is only completely in this world that one learns
to have faith. One must completely abandon any attempt to make something
of
oneself, whether it be a saint, or a converted sinner, or a churchman (a
so-called priestly type!), a righteous man or an unrighteous one, a sick
man or
a healthy one. By "this-worldliness" I mean living unreservedly in
life's duties,
problems, successes and failures, experiences and perplexities. In so
doing we
throw ourselves completely into the arms of God, taking seriously, not
our own
sufferings, but those of God in the world-watching with Christ in
Gethsemane.
That, I think, is faith; that is metanoia (repentance); and that is how
one
becomes a man and a Christian." Bonhoeffer,
Letter to a Friend
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Lenten Reflection: Haitian Bishop Duracin
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 January 12 was a terrible day for the Haitian people. The
earthquake left not a soul untouched. There is not a single
family that did not lose a close friend or member:
Mothers, fathers, siblings, in some cases entire families
disappeared.
As for resources, we have next to nothing. The wreckage is
beyond imagination. However, this situation delivers us into faith. I look at this as a baptism. We who are still alive have had the blessing of survival, but in many ways we have died to the ways of the past. We have the opportunity to rise up
and start anew. In this moment of grief and mourning, life must continue.
During this Lenten season, it is important for us in Haiti to turn inward and rediscover all that is just within us. It is imperative that we be reborn in this moment. We will live without the physical trappings of the church because we still
have the same spiritual guidance, the confessions, the conversations, the reflections.
We need faith. We must go forward with confidence and hope. The Haitian people are fighters. We will not give up.
We must see within this situation the possibilities that exist.
Jealousy, anger, hatred - this is not the time for these. We turn to Jesus Christ, who did not fall into temptation; though he was in hard situations, he overcame death in victory.
We await the resurrection of Christ as we explore what
is found in this wreckage. Dear ones were lost, houses,
clothes, possessions, memories - lives are reduced to nothing.
The church lost precious belongings, and the physical
foundation of the state is in ruins. Yet, we Haitians are speaking to each other in new ways. We can look at each other with new eyes. We can create a society of respect and love so that we may truly live as children of God. This is how we can rebuild our country.
We have also seen how other people - other nations - love
us. The people of this Episcopal Church have sent countless
messages witnessing sympathy. Knowing we are not alone
gives us confidence in new life. We receive comfort and
consolation in our relationships.
My wife was injured in the earthquake and left to seek
medical care. I cannot visit her. I miss her and wish she were here with me. It is difficult to be separated. But this
separation has given me solitude and has enabled me to reflect in a new way about how to proceed in a life founded in God as a Christian.
It is natural to question, but we hold on in faith to God
- God who is always good, the God of infinite compassion.
That we were struck by this tragedy does not mean God is not with us. He is here. We must always remember that God lives in this world. There is pain, but there is also joy. He gives us assurance not of the life that ends, but the life that is eternal.
The earthquake did not diminish our worship, though
it altered the places where it takes place. The church
has not faltered and must now rise to a new role. Belief in
Christ and love for our Lord carries us into a new phase of
construction. We will raise new places to worship God.
We are looking forward to a celebration of Easter;
familiarity of religious practices sustains us. We give glory to
God. We sing within the church of the world. We celebrate
life with the same spirit we were given it. In the middle of
all the deaths, there is a God of love and of life, and we must shout Alleluia with the living.
By Jean Zaché Duracin from an interview with Bishop Jean Zaché Duracin of Haiti, conducted in French and translated by Cecily Hutton, assisting the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti and Episcopal Relief & Development in relief and recovery efforts in Haiti.
Sunday, February 21, 2010 is Episcopal Relief and Development Sunday. To contribute to the relief effort in Haiti and around the world, visit: www.er-d.org
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| Congratulations! |
 Congratulations to parents John Gregory Serpa (L) & Jeffrey Anthony Giordana (R) and to Baby Jordan Gregory Serpa. Gregory & Jordan were baptized on Sunday, February 14, 2010. (Photo courtesey Les Rumsey)
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Ember Day
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In the liturgical calendar
of the Western Christian
churches, Ember days are four separate sets of three days
within the same week-specifically, the Wednesday, Friday, and
Saturday-roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, that were
formerly set aside for fasting and prayer. These days set apart for special
prayer and fasting were considered especially suitable for the
ordination of clergy. The Ember Days are known in Latin as the
quattuor anni tempora (the "four seasons of the year"), or
formerly as the jejunia quattuor temporum ("fasts of the four
seasons").
The Ember Weeks-the weeks in which the Ember Days occur-are
the week between the third and fourth Sundays of Advent,
between the first and second Sundays of Lent, the week
between Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, and the week beginning on the Sunday after Holy Cross Day, the
liturgical Third Week of September.
The Christian observation of the Ember
days had its origin as an ecclesiastical ordinance in Rome and spread
from there to the rest of the Western Church. They were known as the jejunium
vernum, aestivum, autumnale and hiemale, so that to quote Pope
Leo's words (A.D. 440 - 461) the law of abstinence might apply to every
season of the year. In Leo's time, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday were
already days of special observance. In order to tie them to the fasts
preparatory to the three great festivals of Christmas, Easter and
Pentecost, a fourth needed to be added "for the sake of symmetry." From Rome the Ember days gradually spread unevenly through the whole
of Western Christendom. In Gaul they do not seem to have been generally recognized
much before the 8th century.
Prior to the reforms instituted by the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church mandated fasting (only one full meal per day plus two
partial, meatless meals) on all Ember Days (which meant both fasting and
abstinence
from meat on Ember Fridays), and the faithful were encouraged (though
not required) to receive the sacrament
of penance
whenever possible. On February 17, 1966, Pope
Paul VI's decree Paenitemini excluded the Ember Days as days of
fast and abstinence for Roman Catholics.
Ember Days were made optional by churches of the Anglican Communion in 1976.
Adapted from www.wikipedia.org
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| Duos and Trios | |
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Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 8pm
Martinu:
"Madrigals" for violin and
viola
Rebecca
Clarke: two pieces for viola
& cello
Schickele: "River Music"
for viola and cello
Debussy: trio for flute,
viola and harp
"Gwinna" for flute,
viola and harp by Dave Volpe
"Thin Air" for violin,
viola and cello by Gernot Wolfgang
Musicians:
Violin:
Roger Wilkie
Viola: Andrew
Duckles
Cello: Cecilia
Tsan
Flute: Boglarka
Kiss
Harp: Alison
Bjorkedal
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Bishop launches "Just Action" series
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"Help for Haiti" is is the opening topic for a new video series launched Feb. 17 to feature a weekly call to service from the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno and his bishop-colleagues in the Diocese of Los Angeles.
"What can we learn from Haiti?" the Bishop asks in the 4-1/2-minute program, underscoring that the resilient Haitian people offer much more than a metaphor for the new Lenten season -- and calling congregations and individuals to continued aid for the nation devastated by a January 12 magnitude-7 earthquake. To view the program, click here.
The topic for next week's segment will be the new "Order of the Jerusalem Cross" formed among the 400-plus members of the diocese who have made pilgrimages to the Holy Land.
The new series, which seeks to raise awareness of a timely topic each week, is a collaborative project of the Bishops, the diocesan Community Relations Office, the Episcopal News, and the Hands in Healing initiative. Lead editor on the series production team is Chris Tumilty.
Bishop Bruno has titled the series "Just Action" to emphasize "the importance of expressing our faith in tangible ways that help achieve justice and peace in our world."
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| Movie Night - March 5, 2010 |
Movie Night returns on Friday, March 5, 2010 at 7pm with a pot-luck organized by St. Martin's Guild.
Les Misérables is a 1998
film adaptation of Victor
Hugo's 1862 novel of the same name, directed by Bille
August. It stars Liam Neeson, Geoffrey
Rush, Uma Thurman, and Claire
Danes.
As in the original novel, the story line follows the adult life of Jean
Valjean (Liam Neeson), an ex-convict (paroled following
19 years of hard labor, for stealing bread) pursued by police Inspector Javert (Geoffrey
Rush).
Following the screening (on a large screen) Fr. Davies will lead a discussion
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| Service Schedule |
MASSES & DAILY OFFICES
Sunday
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 through Friday
7:30 AM - Morning Prayer
6:30 PM - Evening Prayer
7:00 PM - Low Mass
Tuesday
6:00 PM - Reconciliations / Confessions
Saturday
10:00AM - Low Mass
5:00 PM - Vigil Mass with Gregorian Chant
6:30 PM - Compline
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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First Sunday of Lent
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Celebrant (8am & 10:30am)
The Rev. Ian Elliott Davies
Homily (8am & 10.30a):
The Rev. Ian Elliott Davies
Deacon (10:30a):
The Rev. Walter Johnson
Assistant Organist:
Thompson Howell
Prelude
Duren Adams Fall
("When Adam Fell")
by Gottfried August Homilius
(1714-1785)
arr. E. Power
Biggs
As Bach learned from Pachelbel,
so did Homilius learn from Bach. This unique and moving work by Homilius,
Organist at Dresden in 1742, was fortunately discovered by George B. Weston,
Professor Emeritus of Romance Languages at Harvard University. Originally for
solo Oboe and Organ, the Prelude has been adapted for Organ alone by giving the
Chorale melody to the pedal.
(There is no Postlude during the Lenten Season)
Deuteronomy
26.1-11
Psalm 91.1, 2, 9-end [91.1-11]
Romans 10.8b-13
Luke 4.1-1
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| Clergy |
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The Rev. Ian Elliott Davies
Rector
The Rev. Michael Cooper
Assistant Priest
The Rev. Mr. Walter Johnson
Deacon |
| Pastoral Counseling |
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One-on-one Pastoral counseling is available. Please contact the office (323-876-2102 ext 2) to schedule an appointment with the Clergy. |
| Vigil Mass |
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Missa Vigil hoc septem dies cum lingua Latina. Missa mos ineo 5 meridianus et cum ero Abeo Gregoriana in Ecclesiae Parochiae Sancta Thomasiensis.
[The Vigil Mass on Saturday will be in Latin this week. Join us at 5pm in the Church with Gregorian Chant.] |
| Homeless Breakfast |
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On the Second and Fourth Saturdays of each month the Homeless Breakfast takes place. Volunteers are welcome and greatly needed!
150 homeless and needy Angelinos are served a tasty breakfast by St. Thomas volunteers. Come at 7:00am to help prepare and share pancakes, eggs, sausage, biscuits and good fellowship. Come at 7:30am to help serve. Come at 9:00am to help clean up.
Deacon Johnson serves as the Social Worker providing outreach to the Homess during the Breakfast. This portion of the program, including providing safer sex kits, hygene items and other critical supplies is funded in part by a grant from The City of West Hollywood. |
| Lent Study Course |
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Lent Study Course for 2010 "The Eucharistic Gospel: Through Lent With St John"
which will show us art work inspired, through the ages, by the Fourth Gospel.
The course will bring together two of Fr. Davies' favourite themes - the literature and
Gospel of the Johannine Community and superb artwork. The course will
inspire our devotions and our hearts as we 'travel' at a very different pace
through Lent this year.
Wednesdays during Lent
starting February 24
7pm Mass followed by Lenten Soup generously provided by Jacquline Cole and the Lent Study Course
Please join us!
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World Interfaith Award
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The National Association of Interchurch and Interfaith Families (NAIIF) has
given its annual "World Interfaith Leader Award" to the Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord from the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. The Rev. Michael and Barbara Slater, NAIIF founders and co-chairs,
said their panel of judges selected Guibord because she "demonstrated
extraordinary national leadership, courage and a capacity for inspiring in
others the urge of interfaith dialogue and cordial relations between faith
communities."
Congratulations to our friend and former Assistant Priest Mother Guibord!
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The Rev. Bruce receives necessary consent
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The Rev. Canon Diane
Jardine Bruce has received the necessary consents to her election as seventh
bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Los Angeles, officials have confirmed.
Meanwhile, Standing Committees and bishops with jurisdiction continue to provide
their consents to the election of the Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool as the
diocese's eighth bishop suffragan. The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Los
Angeles -- offering its weekly update of consents received from counterpart
Standing Committees in 109 other dioceses of the Episcopal Church -- said on
Feb. 17 that in the past 43 days, of the 56 total votes needed, Bruce has
received 56, and Glasspool, 45.
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| Mother Knows Best |
Interesting facts about
St. Thomas the Apostle, The Episcopal Church and The Anglican Community  |
On February 21 in 1173, Pope Alexander III
canonized Thomas Becket three years after the Archbishop of Canterbury's
martyrdom at the hands of King Henry II's knights.
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| ePrayer List |
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Prayer is at the center of our worship and binds us together as a community of faith. This week we commenced our electronic prayer chain email. A list of persons on the prayer list is sent weekly.
The prayer chain email is an opt-in list only - it will not be sent unless you sign up for it. If you'd like to be on this distribution list, please update your profile (please use link at the bottom of the email, customized with your email)or contact the office. |
| Miss a week? |
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If you missed an eNews, they are now conveniently archived! Click here! |
| 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.") |
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