St. Thomas the Apostle eNewsletter

eNews

06 May 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.

St. Thomas has a great respect for both the rich liturgical heritage of the church and for living the message of social justice proclaimed by Jesus Christ. Whether you are young or old, gay or straight, single, married or in a relationship, female or male, poor or wealthy, you are welcome at St. Thomas just as you are...a child of God and an inheritor of God's grace.

Videos available

There are now 21 videos posted on the St. Thomas YouTube Channel, including Easter and the recent LASchola Latin Vigil Mass. (You can "subscribe" to the channel and get an automatic email whenever a new video is uploaded!)

The most recent videos are:

Easter II Sermon

110501 Easter II Sermon.mov

LASchola Latin Vigil Mass - Part I: The Prelude, The Greeting, Kyrie Eleison, The Confession, the Absolution, Gloria in Excelsis, The Collect, The First Lesson

110430 LASchola Latin Vigil Mass Part I.mov

LASchola Latin Vigil Mass - Part II: The Gospel, The Homily, The Nicene Creed

110430 LASchola Latin Vigil Mass Part II.mov

LASchola Latin Vigil Mass - Part III: Prayers of the People, The Peace, The Offertory, Sursum Corda, Santvs et Benedictvs, Canon of the Mass, Lord's Prayer, Breaking of the Bread

110430 LASchola Latin Vigil Mass Part III.mov

LASchola Latin Vigil Mass - Part IV: Angus Dei, The Invitation, Communion, Post Communion Prayer, Salve Regina, Dismissal, The Postlude

110430 LASchola Latin Vigil Mass Part IV.mov

Rector's Corner

Now that we're into Eastertide we will slowly 'settle' into the more familiar and 'mundane' (in the best sense of that word) daily, weekly and seasonal liturgies.

May promises to be an exciting month with the Dr Carver's Baroque Concert on the 15th- please try & join us and bring a friend to this free event!

May is also traditionally "Our Lady's Month of May" and we will be remembering the important witness of the the Shrine of of Our Lady of Walsingham, East Anglia during this time. Please also take time in your prayers to remember all those whose lives have been affected by the storms and flooding in the Deep South and the countless communities who have lost homes, livelihoods and families there.

I send my prayers and blessings,

ied sig

Fr Ian Elliott Davies

PS even if you are away on vacation you can still keep up to date with St Thomas the Apostle's sermons and liturgies online- please see the links in this e-news to connect!

Concert May 15

Chamber Music May 15 Concert

A beautiful selection of Chamber Music featuring works by J.S. Bach, Geminiani, Handel, Casello and Vivaldi will be performed at St. Thomas the Apostle Church.

Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 4:00pm

Lucinda Carver, Harpsichord

Sue Feldman, Baroque Violin

Courtney Huffman, Soprano

Leif Woodward, Baroque Violoncello

Concert is FREE to the public with a $10 suggested donation

Royal Wedding Anglican Style

An estimated 2 billion people around the world tuned in on April 29 to watch the historic royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey, a ceremony infused with British pageantry and steeped in elements of Anglicanism - past, present and future.

Inside the abbey, the Very Rev. John Hall, dean of Westminster, conducted the service according to a 1966 version of the liturgy of matrimony from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, while Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, as head of the officially established Church of England, presided over the royal wedding and solemnized the marriage.

The Anglican leaders of Scotland, Ireland and Wales were among the 2,000 guests also to attend the ceremony, alongside representatives from other faith traditions, members of the British and foreign royal families, international dignitaries, members of the U.K. Parliament, and a smattering of celebrities, including musician Sir Elton John, and footballer David Beckham and his wife, former Spice Girl singer Victoria.

Bishop Richard Chartres of the Diocese of London, a personal friend and mentor to the royal family and dean of Her Majesty's Chapels Royal, delivered the address. Chartres confirmed Middleton into the Church of England at a private ceremony in March.

As heir to the British throne, Prince William is destined one day to succeed his grandmother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, as monarch and as supreme governor to the Church of England.

The wedding ceremony also included a strong ecumenical and interfaith presence, with faith leaders from the Buddhist, Jain, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh communities in the United Kingdom, as well as representatives from the Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Greek Orthodox and Zoroastrian traditions.

Choral music at the service was performed by the combined choirs of Westminster Abbey and Her Majesty's Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace, under the direction of James O'Donnell, the abbey's organist and master of the choristers. Other musicians included the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry and the Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force.

Westminster Abbey has been a historic centerpiece for royal celebrations and ceremonies throughout the centuries, dating back 1066, the year that saw the coronations of Harold II and William the Conqueror. The abbey is known as a "royal peculiar," a place of worship that falls directly under the jurisdiction of the British monarch, rather than a bishop.

Anglican and Episcopal churches around the world that trace their origins to the Church of England bowed to the royal occasion with various events and services held to honor the happy couple.

Adapted from The Episcopal News

God of all grace,
friend and companion,
look in favor on William and Catherine
and all who are made one in marriage.
In your love deepen their love
and strengthen their wills
to keep the promises they will make,
that they may continue
in life-long faithfulness to each other;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit California, United States of America, following their Tour of Canada in July this year. The Couple will visit the State of California from 8th July to 10th July 2011.

The Duke of Cambridge has never before visited the United States of America in an official capacity. His Royal Highness has visited the United States of America privately. The Duchess of Cambridge has never before visited the United States of America officially or privately.