St Thomas the Apostle
eNews
September 24, 2010
Greetings!

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
From Fr. Ian Elliott Davies
 
Brother and Sisters in Christ,
 
Fr DaviesAn astonishing number of people who come to our Parish Church tell me how very much they appreciate the liturgies that we offer at St Thomas-- and that they don't mind traveling the twenty or thirty miles that they have just driven on the freeway! There are diverse liturgies at St Thomas-the collected lyrical quietness of the sixteenth century Elizabethan prose of Cranmer at Sunday 8am Masses, the contemplative meditation of the Rosary on Sundays at 9.45am in the Damien Chapel, the calm centredness of the daily 7pm Low Mass, the lilting cadences of the Saturday Vigil Latin Mass at 5pm, and, of course, the weekly Parish High Mass- at which the Intention is always "For Our Parish & People"-all of you are prayed for and held close in the hearts of God's people at this Parish-wide liturgy.

Having just attended the Kol Nidre liturgy at Temple Israel of Hollywood and having heard their remarkably gifted Chazzan, Danny Maseng, I am struck by how vitally important liturgy is for our frenetic twenty-first century minds. At Kol Nidre the Jewish community expresses the movement and pilgrimage from darkness to light, the welcoming of the Torah and the Talmud, the sacred procession of the Holy Scriptures through the community onto the bema and into the Tabernacle-a Tabernacle adorned with representations of the phases of the moon (all space and time are held in God's Hands)-all these elements made me realize how sacred liturgy is-it expresses (and has done for thousands of years) God's deep love and desire for humanity, the grace poured into our hearts, the yearning of God's people for justice, peace and love, the quiet prose of the pilgrimage, the serious 'de-centering' the sacraments offer. We are deeply privileged to have a Parish Church where all these elements are cherished and nurtured-I ask you to pray For Our Parish & People as we pray for you also.
 
I send my love & prayers as always,
 
Fr Ian Elliott Davies
IED Signature
Stewarding the Mysteries of God
Every Member Canvass program continues
 
Stewardship 2010 LogoOn Sunday, September 12, 2010 the members of the 2010 Every Member Canvass team were consecrated at the 10:30am Mass.  Your fellow Parishioners are giving of their time and talent to have a one-on-one dialogue with every member of the Parish.  This is an excellent opportunity to discuss and explore what St. Thomas means to you with a fellow Parishioner.  The in-person get together is casual and will be scheduled for what is most convenient for you - usually before or after the Mass that you attend. 
 
Your Ambassador should have already contacted you to introduce themselves and begin to find a good time to get together.  If you have not been contacted, please let us know.
 
This is not about money.  It is not about meeting a budget.  (The budget process doesn't even begin until the campaign is over in November.)  Stewardship at St. Thomas is about our relationship to God and one another involving all aspects of our lives.  It is about supporting the ministry we actively live in this place, in our community, the Diocese, and the world.  It is about setting aside a portion of our time every day for prayer, meditation, and worship.  It is about embracing an encompassing attitude of joy and love in community. 
 
The 2010 Stewardship prayer will be prayed at every Mass from September 12 to November 21, Christ the King.  Please use in your personal devotions:
 
O God, who hast been pleased to call us to be Ambassadors for thee, make us now of one heart and mind to pray and work and give for the up-building and strengthening of thy Church at home and abroad. Bless our Every Member Canvass, and stir up the wills of all our people to do according to their ability as good stewards in thy service; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
St. Vincent de Paul
Feast Day celebrated Sepember 27 

St Vincent de Paul

Saint Vincent de Paul (24 April 1581 - 27 September 1660) was a Roman Catholic priest dedicated to serving the poor. He is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. He was canonized in 1737.
 
De Paul was born in Pouy, renamed Saint-Vincent-de-Paul since 1828, Landes, Gascony, France, to a family of peasant farmers. He had four brothers and two sisters.

De Paul studied humanities in Dax, France with the Cordeliers and he graduated in theology at Toulouse. He was ordained in 1600, remaining in Toulouse until he went to Marseille for an inheritance. In 1605, on his way back from Marseille, he was taken captive by Turkish pirates, who brought him to Tunis and sold him into slavery. After converting his owner to Christianity, Vincent de Paul escaped in 1607.

After returning to France, De Paul went to Rome. There he continued his studies until 1609, when he was sent back to France on a mission to Henry IV of France; he served as chaplain to Marguerite de Valois. For a while he was parish priest at Clichy, but from 1612 he began to serve the Gondi, an illustrious family. He was confessor and spiritual director to Mme de Gondi, and he began giving peasant missions on the estate with her aid.

In 1622 De Paul was appointed chaplain to the galleys, and in this capacity he gave missions for the galley-slaves.  In 1625 De Paul founded the Congregation of the Mission, a society of missioning priests commonly known as the Vincentians. In 1633, with the assistance of Louise de Marillac he founded the Daughters of Charity.  He also fought against the Jansenist heresy.  De Paul was renowned for his compassion, humility and generosity.
 
Adapted from www.wikipedia.org
Time to Re-register for Ralph's
As of September 1st - must re-register Ralph's Card
 
RalphsIt's time to re-register your Ralph's Card for Community Rewards. Ralph's requires everybody do this every September, even if you registered in August!
 
To make sure your grocery purchases benefit St. Thomas, please go to ralphs.com, sign in to (or sign up if it's your first time), click on "My Account" and then "Community Rewards" and search for Saint Thomas the Apostle (84981) 
 
Thanks for shopping at Ralph's for St. Thomas!
Fraternal Visit
Pope Benedict XVI meets Archbishiop Rowan Williams
 
Papal VisitHis Holiness Pope Benedict XVI visited September 17 with His Grace Archbishop Rowan Williams at the Archbishop's London home, Lambeth Palace.
Together they addressed a meeting of Anglican and Roman Catholic Diocesan Bishops from England, Scotland and Wales in the Great Hall of the Archbishop's Library.
 
Recalling fifty years of significant meetings between successive popes and archbishops of Canterbury, Archbishop Williams welcomed Pope Benedict to Lambeth Palace before leading the bishops in an opening prayer.
 
In his address to the bishops, Dr Williams stressed the wider spiritual and missionary context in which ecumenical dialogue and growth in unity must take place.  He spoke of the historic visit as "a special time of grace and of growth in our shared calling", and expressed the hope that the occasion would be recognised as having "significance both to the Church of Christ and to British society".  
 
On the topic of the common duty of Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops to engage in mission to our society, he said, "Our presence together as British bishops here today is a sign of the way in which, in this country, we see our task as one and indivisible.  Our fervent prayer is that this visit will give us fresh energy and vision for working together."
 
"Today, this involves a readiness to respond to the various trends in our cultural environment that seek to present Christian faith as both an obstacle to human freedom and a scandal to human intellect. We need to be clear that the Gospel of the new creation in Jesus Christ is the door through which we enter into true liberty and true understanding."
 
"Perhaps we shall not quickly overcome the remaining obstacles to full, restored communion; but no obstacles stand in the way of our seeking, as a matter of joyful obedience to the Lord, more ways in which to build up one another in holiness - by prayer and public celebration together, by closer friendship, and by growing together both in the challenging work of service for all whom Christ loves, and mission to all God has made."
 
Following an address by Pope Benedict, the Archbishop and the Pope exchanged gifts.  The Archbishop gave the Pope a leather-bound diptych of facsimiles of full-page illuminations from the twelfth-century Lambeth Bible.  The Pope gave the Archbishop a copy of the Codex Pauli (produced to celebrate the bi-millenium of the birth of St Paul 2008-9).  
 
The meeting ended with Pope Benedict leading the bishops in the Lord's Prayer and a concluding prayer.

The Archbishop and Mrs Jane Williams then welcomed Pope Benedict into their home, where the Archbishop and the Pope spent half an hour in private discussion before viewing a small selection of the treasures from the Lambeth Palace Library.
 
This was the first time in history that a pope had visited Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury's official London residence, Pope John Paul II having visited Archbishop Robert Runcie in Canterbury in 1982.

Article courtesy of The Archbishop of Canterbury.  The full text of the remarks are available online.
Coastal Clean Up
September 25
 
Heal the BayOn Saturday, September 25th, from 9:00am until 12noon, over 14,000 volunteers from all over Los Angeles will take action to rid our beaches and inland waterways of unsightly and harmful debris. Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) is an international event with over 90 countries around the world participating, making it one of the largest volunteer efforts on the planet!
 
Join your fellow St. Thomas parishioners and many others at the Venice Beach site at the foot of Washington Boulevard. This is the 5th consecutive year St. Thomas has been involved in running this clean-up site - let's make this year the best turn-out yet. We have traditionally had excellent turn-out from St. Thomas.
Please contact Jeff Friesen at [email protected] if you have any questions. More information is available at the Heal The Bay website
In This Issue
Rector's Corner
Stewarding the Mysteries of God
St. Vincent de Paul
Reregister Ralphs Card
Fraternal visit
Coastal Clean Up Day
LASchola
"Flea" Sunday
Empowered Patient
Edna Garren Internment
Parish Pot Luck
Mother Knows Best
ePrayer List
Trinity 17
Celebrant
8:00am & 10:30am
Fr. Ian Elliott Davies
 
Homily
8:00am & 10:30am
Fr. Ian Elliott Davies
 
Deacon 10:30am
The Rev. Walter S. Johnson

Assistant Organist 10:30am
Thompson Howell
 
The Choir will be on their annual retreat this weekend preparing Sacred Music for the next year.  We are fortunate for the gift of John Thornbury who shall serve as Cantor at the 10:30am Mass.
 
Readings:
Jeremiah 32.1-3a, 6-15
Psalm 91.1-6, 14-end
1 Timothy 6.6-19
Luke 16.19-end
LASchola 9/25
 
The LASchola celebrates the Music of the Renaissance by singing Orlando di Lasso's Missa Octavi toni in the setting for which it was originally composed.  The Mass will be sung during a Latin Rite Vigil Mass at Saint Thomas The Apostle Episcopal Church on Saturday September 25that 5:00 pm. Also sung during the Mass will be di Lasso's Magnificat Octavi toni & Jubilate Deo.
 
Orlando di Lasso (1532 (possibly 1530) - 14 June 1594) was a Franco-Flemish composer of the late Renaissance. He is considered to be the chief representative of the mature polyphonic style of the Franco-Flemish school, and one of the two most famous and influential musicians in Europe at the end of the 16th century (the other being Palestrina).
 
One of the most prolific, versatile, and universal composers of the late Renaissance, di Lasso wrote over 2000 works in all Latin, French, Italian and German vocal genres known in his time. These include 530 motets, 175 Italian madrigals and villanellas, 150 French chansons, and 90 German lieder.

Saturday, September 25, 2010 @ 5:00pm.
 
Please join us for a reception with light refreshments immediately following the Mass in the Parish Hall and meet the LASchola singers.
"Flea" Sunday
 
Feast of St Francis 

Sunday October 3 marks The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (affectionately known as "Flea Sunday").  It will be celebrated at the 10:30am High Mass.  Please bring your pet to receive a special blessing.  For the enjoyment and safety of all, please insure that all pets are on leashes or in containers.  You may also bring a photo and have the photo blessed.

Empowered Patient
 
The Empowered Patient
On October 3, 2010 in the Small Parish Hall following both the 8am Low Mass and 10:30am High Mass, an information and discussion session on being an empowered patient led by our parish nurse Tim Wright will take place. 
 
If you would like to read up before hand, the discussion will be based on the book The Empowered Patient by Elizabeth Cohen ISBN 978-0-345-51374-8.  Available at Amazon.com.
Edna Garren
 
Longtime friend and parisioner of St. Thomas Edna Garren passed away on Tuesday, August 24.  Deacon Johnson will lead the prayers for Internment on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 2:30pm.  All are welcome.
Parish Pot Luck
 
Parents, Children and ALL of St. Thomas are welcome to join us for a parish-wide potluck, October 10th, immediately following the 10:30 Mass in the garden of the rectory.  This will be an opportunity for fun, food, and fellowship as we show our support for our St. Thomas children and families and come together to discuss plans for our youth programs and events in the upcoming year.  RSVP at [email protected] so we have a head count, but all are welcome!  The more, the merrier.
Pastoral Counseling
One-on-one Pastoral counseling is available.  Please contact the office (323-876-2102 ext 2) to schedule an appointment with the Clergy.
Homeless Breakfast

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.
Mother Knows Best

 
 
On September 25 in 1626, Lancelot Andrewes, bishop of Chichesterm died.  Andrewes held high positions in the Church of England during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I and oversaw the translation of the King James Version of the Bible.
ePrayer List
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.
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