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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. |
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Rector's Corner
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
 One of the most astonishing elements that has struck me since I have returned and stood at the Altar as well as leading liturgies is the thoroughly more 'centred' and meditative atmosphere in Church. This is especially true in the Lady Chapel and the St Damien Chapel (all of which were hallowed and consecrated by Bishop Glasspool on her recent Visitation to the Parish Church) but they can also be noticed by the internal acoustic of organ, musicians, choir and congregational responses: there is much more of a crisp sound with some resonance in the 'fall off' at the end of music and responses. This, coupled with the beauty of the new work on doors, windows, wood-work and myriad unseen 'repairs' and fixes has added to the wonderfully peaceful atmosphere and ambience of our Parish Church- yet one of the many, many reasons for giving thanks to God for his gifts and entrusting us with the stewarship of this place.
With my love and prayers
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The Time is Now.
The Needs are Great.
On September 25 we launched the 2011 Stewardship Campaign. This year's theme is "The Time is Now. The Needs are Great."
Many thanks to Susan Peacock for her talk, available via You tube below:
 | | 110925 Stewardship Speaker.mov |
The Every Member Canvass program is the cornerstone of our annual Stewardship Campaign. Each member of the Parish is visited by an ambassador. These meetings are an opportunity to share what makes St. Thomas important and valuable in your lives. Parishioners are then invited to pray about the role of the Church in their lives. Following the meeting a pledge card is mailed with an invitation for members to prayerfully make a commitment for 2012. This year we have automated the process with a major upgrade to the Parish database. This will make the tracking of calls, pledge mailings and responses much easier.
This year the Stewardship Ambassador team is made up exclusively of clergy and Vestry members. This approach gives each parishioner the opportunity to meet with a member of the Parish leadership.
In the next 2 weeks please expect a call or email from your Ambassador to set up a mutually convenient time to meet or to talk. Please be patient! Each Vestry member has 15 to 20 calls to make. If you haven't heard from anybody, please contact the office.
Thank you for supporting St. Thomas and for your ongoing gifts of time, talent and treasure.
The 2011 Stewardship prayer:
Lord God of Hosts, Source of all gifts we, Thy people, rejoice in the fullness of Thy generosity. We thank thee for those whose lives are visible signs of Thy love and blessing to others. Give us the courage to do the same. Make us good stewards of all we have received and will receive, generously sharing our time, talents and treasure to build thy kingdom of love and justice. We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord, In whom we begin and end all things.
Amen.
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Videos Available
Sermon by Rev. Ian Elliott Davies on 02 October 2011:
Sermon by The Rt. Rev. Mary D. Glasspool, Suffragan Bishop of Los Angeles at the Mass of Renewal and Reconciliation on September 30, 2011:
 | | 110930 Mass of Renewal & Reconciliation.mov |
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St. Edward Feast (Oct. 13)
 St. Edward the Confessor (1003-05 to 4 or 5 January 1066), son of Aethelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066.
He has traditionally been seen as unworldly and pious, and his reign as notable for the disintegration of royal power in England and the advance in power of the Godwin family. His biographers, Frank Barlow and Peter Rex, dispute this, picturing him as a successful king, who was energetic, resourceful and sometimes ruthless, but whose reputation has been unfairly tarnished by the Norman conquest shortly after his death. Other historians regard the picture as partly true, especially in the later part of his reign. In the view of Richard Mortimer, the return of the Godwins from exile in 1052 "meant the effective end of his exercise of power". The difference in his level of activity from the earlier part of his reign "implies a withdrawal from affairs".
He had succeeded Cnut the Great's son Harthacnut, restoring the rule of the House of Wessex after the period of Danish rule since Cnut had conquered England in 1016. When Edward died in 1066 he was succeeded by Harold Godwinson, who was defeated and killed in the same year by the Normans under William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings.
Edward was canonized in 1161 by Pope Alexander III, and is commemorated on 13 October by the Roman Catholic Church of England and Wales and the Church of England. He was regarded as one of the national saints of England until King Edward III adopted Saint George as patron saint in about 1350. Adapted from www.wikipedia.org |
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Concert October 16 at 5pm
Join Lucinda Carver and Members of the rossetti String Quartet (Henry Gronnier, violin Thomas Diener, viola Eric Gaenslen, violoncello Lucinda Carver, Piano) · Haydn: Piano Trio in G major ('Gypsy') · Fauré: Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano · Brahms: Piano Quartet in G minor FREE Concert with at $10 requested donation Reception to follow |
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St. Francis of Assisi - Photos
Many thanks to all who brought their animal to our Annual St. Francis of Assisi Mass. Below is a sampling of photos. A full gallery is available on our website! Thanks to Ken Koonce for the photos!
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XVI Sunday After Trinity
Celebrant (8am & 10:30am)
Fr. Ian Elliott Davies
Sermon
Fr. Ian Elliott Davies
Deacon
The Rev. Walter S. Johnson
Organist-in-Residence
John West |
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PRELUDE
"Sheep May Safely Graze"
J.S. Bach, arr. Virgil Fox
POSTLUDE
"Joshua Fit De Battle Ob Jericho"
Fela Sowande (melody, Spiritual) |
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LECTIONS
Exodus 32. 1 - 14
Psalm 106. 1 - 6, 19 - 23
Philippians 4. 1 - 9
Matthew 22. 1 - 14 |
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Acoustics
Work on Phase II of the Acoustics Project is now complete. Thank you for your patience. The video slide show is available online (link below).  | | The St. Thomas Acoustics Project.mov |
The stained glass is coming back! The original vendor was unable to complete the project as contracted and a new vendor has been engaged. we do not have a final delivery date, but expect it prior to Advent.
On September 30, 2011 Bishop Glasspool blessed the new construction at the Mass of Renewal and Reconciliation.
Many thanks to many pepole who made this project possible. This was the largest construction project for the Church since the organ was built.
Many thanks to the ad-hoc Acoustics Committee. Parish Treasurer Craig Coogan has chaired the effort. Members (over the years) have included Fr. Davies, Evelyn Davis, Steve DeMuth, Hans Herst, Dean Larkin, David Anderson, Patrick Wildnauer, Michael Ensign, Howard Gaass, John West, and Westin Harris. We are grateful to so many who have supported and participated in this process, especially the Vestry and the Endowment Board!
Father Davies offers this poem from George Herbert (1593-1633) in celebration of the Acoustics Project.
THE WINDOWS Lord, how can man reach thy eternal word? He is a brittle crazy glass; Yet in thy temple thou dost him afford This glorious and transcendent place, To be a window, through thy grace.
But when thou dost anneal in glass thy story,
Making thy life to sine within
The holy Preacher's, then the light and glory
More rev'rent grows, and more doth win;
Which else grows waterish, bleak and thin.
Doctrine and life, coulours and light, in one
When they combine and mingle, bring
A strong regard and awe; but speech alone
Doth vanish like a flaring thing,
And in the ear, not conscience, ring. |
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St. Agnes Club to meet
St Agnes Garden Guild will meet on Sunday October 09 after High Mass in the Sunday School Room at 12:15pm to discuss the fall planting plan for the parish grounds.
Here is my heresy, and let it stand if it be that: I believe
that gardening is the first and final sacrament of blessedness.
Both the First Adam and the Last Adam were gardeners.
The seventeenth-century poet Rowland Watkins recalls
the scene at the empty tomb when Christ, dressed in white,
appears to Mary Magdalene as the gardener:
Mary prevents the day; she rose to weep,
And see the bed where Jesus lay asleep.
She found out whom she sought,
but doth not know
Her Master's face; He is the gardener now!"
"The Gardener"
Joseph Beaumont
in Sweet Will Be the Flowers: Poems on Gardens.
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Mother Knows Best
On October 11 in 1521, Pope Leo X (1475-1521) conferred the title of Fidei Defensor ("Defender of the Faith") on Henry VIII of England) as a reward for Henry's Defense of the Seven Sacraments, published in answer to Martin Luther's Babylonian Captivity.
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Please join us for many Parish activities. Here's a sampling of upcoming events - a full list is available online
Homeless Feeding & Outreach
October 10
Parish Office Closed in observance of Columbus Day
October 15 @ 10am
Newcomer Orientation
October 22 @ 7:00am
Homeless Feeding & Outreach
October 24 @ 9:00am
USC/AIDS Feeding November 02 All Souls Day - services at 8am, 12pm and with Choir at 7:30pm November 04 @ 7:45pm Movie Night October 08 @ 7:00am |
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ePrayer
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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History online
Articles and photos from the early years of St. Thomas the Apostle are now available on our website!
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Video Introductions
A brief introduction to the liturgy at St. Thomas:
 | | St Thomas Liturgy Sampler.mov |
A brief introduction to St. Thomas, its history, its place in Hollywood, the Damien Chapel and the organ.
 | | Introduction to St. Thomas |
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