St. Thomas the Apostle eNewsletter

eNews

25 March 2011

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

As I have been preparing for my sermons on Sunday and meditating on the long, famous passage from St John's Gospel of "Christ's encounter with the Woman of Samaria at the Well" (which is the Gospel set for this coming Sunday) I have been re-reading some of the many monographs on this portion of the Fourth Gospel. It's actually quite exciting in my reading to 'career' from the rather fustian & Teutonic commentators of late nineteenth century to the 'thoroughly-modern-Millie' [or should I say, post-modern?] commentators of today. Come to think of it 'ricochet' might be a more appropriate verb than 'career.' I am sure many of you will already be alerted if I tell you that one of the monographs is entitled "Are there impurities in the Living Water that the Johannine Jesus Dispenses? Deconstruction, Feminism and the Samaritan Woman?"

It is not the purpose of the Rector's Corner to subject you to Johannine scholarship or critical debate (but I do hope it has whetted your appetite!) other than to point out that we are now reaching that period in our Lenten season when Christ invites us more and more deeply into 'conversation,' devotion and worship as we contemplate the impending arrival of Holy Week, the Sacred Triduum before we can properly celebrate the Resurrection-joy. I encourage you all to avail yourselves of the Tuesday evening Lent course led by Fr Ledebtter- "Exploring the Spirit of the Liturgy," the Friday Stations of the Cross and then the Holy Week Discussions (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday following Mass in the Rectory) some of which will be led by Mr Grant Naylor a Liverpool Ordinand at St Stephen's House, Oxford.

I shall leave you with one tiny phrase from the earlier mentioned Johannine scholarship:

"The interpretation of the John 4 passage initiates the reader into a world essentially characterized by an astonishing inclusiveness, even shocking inclusiveness."

I send my love & prayers

Fr Ian Elliott Davies

Lenten Series continues

Father William Ledbetter (Assistant Priest) is leading the annual Lenten Series this year. The series occur on Tuesdays following the 7:00pm Mass. A soup supper is generously and graciously provided by a generous Parishioner.

Exploring the Spirit of the Liturgy
Fr Ledbetter

"Prayer is at the center of our worship and binds us together as a community of faith. St. Thomas the Apostle is an Episcopal Parish in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. "

Those words are at the beginning of the email [ePrayer] I get each week reminding us that the essence of St. Thomas the Apostle and our chief aim is the Mass where we come together to worship God. All that is good and beautiful and loving about our community is formed and nurtured in the liturgy of our Church. This liturgy is unique in many ways to St. Thomas, yet it is drawn from a rich tradition in the Universal Church and also from our particular Anglo-Catholic, American and even Hollywood setting.

Week Three we'll consider Art and Liturgy, including images and sacred music both in our Church and other Christian traditions. Week Four we'll look at our own liturgy and how all participate both in prayer and movement. The final Tuesday will be a consideration of how our liturgy brings us into the presence of God and how Heaven is made present in our midst in the liturgy. We will examine the worship of the heavenly Jerusalem in the Apocalypse (Revelation) and how our liturgy mirrors that of Heaven.

Hope to see you there.

Fr. Bill Ledbetter

John Donne, March 31

John Donne (21 January 1572 - 31 March 1631) was an English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest who is considered a prominent representative of the metaphysical poets of the period. His works are notable for their realistic and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His early career was marked by poetry that bore immense knowledge of British society and he met that knowledge with sharp criticism. Another important theme in Donne's poetry was the idea of true religion, which was something that he spent a lot of time considering and theorizing about. He wrote secular poems as well as erotic poems and love poems. Donne is particularly famous for his mastery of metaphysical conceits.

Despite his great education and poetic talents, he lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. He spent much of the money he inherited during and after his education on womanising, literature, pastimes and travel. In 1601 Donne secretly married Anne Moore with whom he had 12 children.

In 1615 he became an Anglican priest although he did not want to take Anglican orders. He did so because King James I persistently ordered it. Donne became a Royal Chaplain in late 1615, Reader of Divinity at Lincoln's Inn in 1616, and received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Cambridge University in 1618. Later in 1618 he became chaplain to Viscount Doncaster, who was on an embassy to the princes of Germany. Donne did not return to England until 1620.

In 1621 Donne was made Dean of St Paul's, a leading (and well-paid) position in the Church of England and one he held until his death in 1631. He also served as a member of parliament in 1601 and again in 1614.

John Donne is commemorated as a priest in the calendar of the Church of England and in the Calendar of Saints of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on 31 March.

Adapted from www.wikipedia.org

A Lenten Message from the Presiding Bishop

The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, offers an invitation to deepen our Christian practices during Lent this year in the following transcript of a videotaped message filmed earlier this month in the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City.

Presiding Bishop "The Episcopal Church observes Lent in solidarity with Christians throughout the ages. Lent has anciently been understood as a time of solidarity with those who are to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. It's a time to focus on prayer and study and fasting, and in some traditions, almsgiving. Each of those, when done in solidarity with those preparing to be baptized, is an invitation for us to deepen our own Christian spiritual practice.

"I would encourage you this year to expand the realm of that practice; to think about your solidarity with those who walk the way of Christ, with those who walk the way of Jesus, in particular concern for those beyond your local community.

"We have a remarkable calling in this era to think about our relationships not only with other Christians, but with other human beings across this planet, and indeed, with the rest of creation. Perhaps you might focus your Lenten discipline this year in attention to how you live on this earth.

"Do you live like the Son of Man, who travels continuously with never a place to lay his head? Who doesn't carry two bags or an extra lunch or an extra pair of sandals? That is what he encouraged his disciples to do, to travel light.

"Are you traveling light on this earth?

"Consider as you live through each day, how you use water, how you use fuel, how you use electricity, and how you use the food that is a gift.

"If each of us is able to thoughtfully enter into a more compassionate concern for the blessings of creation, it will change the way in which human beings as a species impact this earth.

"I heard at the Primates Meeting recently from the Primate of Polynesia a very agonized conversation about the plight of his people on low-lying islands in the South Pacific, which are rapidly disappearing beneath the rising sea level. That rising sea level is the result of the way in which wealthier parts of this human population use energy.

"We hear about the concerns of people in Africa who find corn too expensive to buy for food because we are using it here to produce ethanol so we can drive our cars.

"The way in which we use our resources is a spiritual matter. The way in which we live on this earth is a matter of faithfulness. Can we act in solidarity with those who are preparing to enter this community and do so more thoughtfully and in a more compassionate way that considers all of God's creation?

"I invite you to a blessed and holy Lent, to a Lent of prayer and study and compassion through almsgiving and fasting."

To view the videotaped message, visit www.episcopalchurch.org.

The Jewish Jesus

The Guibord Center presents "The Jewish Jesus", on Sunday March 27 from 2pm to 4pm. The lecture will be presented by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine (Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School). A self-described "Yankee Jewish feminist who teaches in a predominately Christian divinity school in the buckle of the Bible Belt," Prof. Levine combines historical-critical rigor, literary-critical sensitivity, and a frequent dash of humor with a commitment to eliminating anti-Jewish, sexist, and homophobic theologies. The lecture will take place at St. John's Pro-Cathedral (514 West Adams St.), and a reception will follow. All events offered by The Guibord Center are open to the public and are free of charge.

Easter Flowers

Easter Lily

If you would like to contribute toward the cost of Easter flowers and decorations, please fill out the yellow form provided with the Order of Service and return it with your donation to the offering plate or the Parish Office no later than Palm Sunday, 17 April, 2011. The suggested minimum donation is $25. You may also contribute via PayPal. Please provide your "In Memory Of" or "Thanksgiving for" in the Special Instructions Section of your PayPal payment.

In This Issue

Rector's Corner

Lenten Series continues

John Donne

Lenten Message from the Presiding Bishop

Jewish Jesus

Easter Flowers - never too early

LASchola Sat. 3/26

Hollywood Blvd. Resurfacing

Treasurer's Report

Mother Knows Best

Coming Soon...

Holy Week Services

LASchola 3/26

Join the Women's voices of the LASchola as they sing music for Lenten season. The women of the LASchola will sing the music of Thomas Tallis & Giovanni da Palestrina in the setting for which it was originally composed during the Latin Rite Vigil Mass on Saturday, March 26th at 5:00 pm.

LASchola is a small vocal ensemble of rotating professional singers that performs early choral music within the context of the liturgy. For this outing the LASchola consists of the following singers:

Megan Franklin, soprano, has won multiple awards including Grand Prize in Classical Voice in the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards. She performed on BBC's television program "Songs of Praise" in 2006 as part of the International Church Music Festival, singing under Sir David Willcocks and Paul Leddington Wright. She sings with the USC Thornton Chamber Singers and the Choir of St. James' Episcopal/Anglican Church, Los Angeles.

Frances Mansfield hails from Cambridge, UK, where she sang with the University Church until becoming a Choral Scholar at Clare College while studying Earth Sciences as an undergraduate. \

Meghen Miles holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Performance from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. Meghen has served as the soprano soloist for St. George's Episcopal Church in La Canada since 2004, and performs regularly with the Horizon Music Group, the Charles Dickens Carolers, and has more recently appeared with the de Angelis Vocal Ensemble. Past work includes performances with the USC Chamber Choir, the USC Early Music Ensemble, the Los Angeles Bach Festival, and the Millennium Consort, among others.

Also joining the LASchola this month is Sarah Lynch.

Thomas Tallis (c. 1505 - 23 November 1585) was an English composer who flourished as a church musician in 16th century Tudor England. He occupies a primary place in anthologies of English church music and is considered among the best of England's early composers. He is honored for his original voice in English musicianship.

Giovanni da Palestrina (b. 3 February 1525 - 2 February 1526; d. 2 February 1594) was an Italian Renaissance composer and the most well known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition. Palestrina became famous through his output of sacred music. He had an enormous influence on the development of Roman Catholic liturgical music. His work has often been seen as the culmination of Renaissance polyphony.

Please join us for a reception with light refreshments immediately following the Mass in the parish hall and meet the women of the LASchola.

Lent 3

Celebrant (8am & 10:30am)

The Rev. Ian Elliott Davies

Homily
The Rev. Ian Elliott Davies

Deacon

The Rev. Walter S. Johnson

Assistant Organist
Thompson Howell

Choir Anthem

God is a Spirit

Bennett

Readings
Exodus 17. 1 - 7
Psalm 95
Romans 5. 1 - 11
John 4. 5 - 42

Hollywood Blvd. Resurfacing

The City of Los Angeles is resurfacing Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea and Fairfax. Work began last week with the prepping of the curbs and bus lanes. The length of the project, traffic interruptions, etc. has not yet been made available by the Bureau of Street Services.

We will update the information as we receive it. Please allow for additional time to get to Church.

Treasurer's Report



Gifts received through 2/11:

$48,887.40



Ministries funded thru 2/11:

$58,864.44



Balance:

($9,977.04)

Note from Treasurer:

St. Thomas relies on the Parish for 75% of its funding, all from pledges.

Pledge receipts for the first two months of 2011 are substantially below historic levels. If you are able to bring your pledge current, it would be most appreciated.

Should your personal situation have changed and your pledge commitment needs to be altered, please feel free to contact Craig Coogan, Treasurer, directly. Having accurate information about pledges allows for effective planning.

Thank you for your generosity and support.

Mother Knows Best

On March 30 in 1533, Thomas Cranmer was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury. Cranmer granted Henry VIII's annulment ending his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

Coming Soon...

Please join us for many Parish activities. Here's a sampling of upcoming events - a full list is available online

March 25

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

March 22 @ 7:00pm

Lenten Series - Week 2

March 26 @ 7:00am

Homeless Feeding & Outreach

March 26 @5:00pm