We are pleased to announce that there is a plan to welcome Fr. Ian Elliott Davies back to his Parish ministry at St. Thomas the Apostle.

This plan has been the subject of numerous meetings and has been agreed to by Fr. Davies, his doctors, his parents, a majority of the Vestry, the Diocese and our Bishop.  The plan will be implemented under the auspices and direction of Bishop Mary D. Glasspool.

Fr. Davies will return on September 01 at half-time.  Please contact the office to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Father.   The Clergy ROTA for September is published below.

On September 30, 2011 at 7:30pm we will have a Parish wide Service of Reconciliation with Fr. Davies Celebrating and Bishop Mary D. Glasspool preaching.

We thank you for your patience, love and support of Fr. Davies, your Vestry and Officers, your Bishop and your Parish during this time.

Longtime Parishioner Mary Ffolkes will be remembered at a Requiem on Saturday, August 20, 2011 at 5:00pm.  Organ and Choir will part of the service.

Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and is usually identified as Nathaniel.  The name "Bartholomew" appears in the New Testament only on lists of the names of the twelve apostles. This list normally is given as six pairs, and the third pair in each of the Synoptics is "Philip and Bartholomew".

John gives no list of the Twelve, but refers to more of them individually than the Synoptists. He does not name Bartholomew, but early in his account (John 1:43-50) he tells of the call to discipleship of a Nathaniel who is often supposed to be the same person. The reasoning is as follows: John's Nathanael is introduced as one of the earliest followers of Jesus, and in terms which suggest that he became one of the Twelve. He is clearly not the same as Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Thomas, Judas Iscariot, Judas (not Iscariot, also called Lebbaeus or Thaddeus), all of whom John names separately. He is not Matthew, whose call is described differently. This leaves Bartholomew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes. Of these, Bartholomew is the leading candidate for two reasons:

    (1) "Bar-tholomew" is a patronymic, meaning "son of Tolmai (or Talmai)." It is therefore likely that he had another name. "Nathanael son of Tolmai" seems more likely than "Nathanael also called James (or Simon)."

    (2) Nathanael is introduced in John's narrative as a friend of Philip. Since Bartholomew is paired with Philip on three of our four lists of Apostles, it seems likely that they were associated.

We have no certain information about Bartholomew's later life. Some writers, including the historian Eusebius of Caesarea, say that he preached in India. The majority tradition, with varying details, is that Bartholomew preached in Armenia, and was finally skinned alive and beheaded to Albanus or Albanopolis on the Caspian Sea. His emblem in art is a flaying knife. The flayed Bartholomew can be seen in Michelangelo's Sistine painting of the Last Judgement. He is holding his skin.

Written by James Keiffer 

Fr. Gabriel Ferrer

Sermon

Fr. Gabriel Ferrer

Deacon

The Rev. Walter S. Johnson

We are about to complete Phase II of the Acoustics Project.

A Frequently Asked Question guide  (4 pages) has been put together that outlines the major construction project that will start shortly at St. Thomas to remedy the Acoustics issues at the Church.