eNews
5 May 2012

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.

Sermons
 
The Fourth Sunday of Easter
The Fourth Sunday of Easter
  
Did you know that all of the Sermons from March 2011 on are available online at our website and on our YouTube channel?

 

An Update on Bishop Jon Bruno

 

Bishop Jon Bruno thanks everyone for the outpouring of prayers and love that he has received since his April 26 diagnosis with acute monocytic leukemia. He has begun intensive chemotherapy at the City of Hope, to which he transferred on April 27. His medical team continues to evaluate the effectiveness of this particular protocol and to determine next steps of treatment. The Bishop remains actively engaged in leadership of the Diocese; however, because he is in protective isolation, he cannot receive visits, calls or flowers at this time. Cards are very welcome and may be sent to the Cathedral Center, 840 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90026. Mary Bruno and the Bruno family join the Bishop in thanking everyone for the many expressions of ongoing support and prayer.

 

Please note: A copy of Bishop Bruno's April 26 message to the Diocese is HERE. As the Bishop stated, the Bishop's Office will continue to provide regular updates as his treatment continues.

St. Thomas Ministry Fair
 

Ministry Fair

The annual St. Thomas Ministry Fair will be held on Sunday, 27 May after the High Mass. Tables with representatives and information about various ministries and guilds will be placed throughout the Parish Hall. This will be an excellent opportunity to thank all of those who contribute so much to St. Thomas as well as an opportunity for Parishioners to contribute time and talents.

The Feast of English Saints and Martyrs of the Reformation Era
 
Today, we commemorate the forty saints and eighty-five beatified Martyrs of England and Wales: A group of men who were executed on charges of treason and related offences in the Kingdom of England between 1584 and 1679. Many were convicted under show trials or even no trials. All were subjected to what some considered to be the religiously oppressive regimes of the Tudor and Stuart periods as part of the Protestant purge that lasted for several hundred years. Below is the genesis of this period in history:

Queen Elizabeth I was excommunicated by Pope Pius V on 25 February 1570, creating a situation full of perplexity for English Roman Catholics. Once this declaration was made, a number of Romans acted on it, and a number were implicated in plots against Elizabeth which were undoubtedly treasonable from the English Government's point-of-view. That a certain party of English Catholics was in rebellion against Elizabeth is not disputed. Thus some saw the rule of Elizabeth a greater danger to the highest interests of England than had previously been threatened in cases where history had justified the deposition of kings. And the Pope had sanctioned this view. However, in the eyes of Elizabeth and her ministers, such opposition was nothing less than high treason. Also, it's important to note that a large number of English Roman Catholics refused to go so far as rebellion.

The next pope, Gregory XIII, on 14 April 1580 issued a declaration that although Elizabeth "and her abettors" remained subject to the excommunication, it was not to be binding on Catholics to their detriment. The majority of English Roman Catholics then persisted in the practice of their religion, which was made possible only by the coming of the seminary priests. 

After the Northern Rising, an unsuccessful attempt by Roman Catholic nobles to depose Elizabeth and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots, Parliament had passed a statute declaring it to be high treason to put into effect any papal Bull of absolution to absolve or reconcile any person to the Church of Rome, to be absolved or reconciled, or to procure or publish any papal Bull or writing whatsoever. Purely religious acts were declared by Parliament to be treasonable.
 
Elizabeth's government, however, refused to make any distinction between Roman Catholics who had been engaged in open opposition to the Queen and those who were forced by conscience to ignore the provisions of this statute. All were identified by the government and treated as one.
 
Under the Act of 1585, it became high treason for any seminary priest, or any Jesuit, simply to come to England; and felony for any person to harbor or relieve them. 
In This Issue
Sermons
A Letter from Bishop J. Jon Bruno
Tuesday Night Confessions & Mass
Coming Soon...
The Fifth Sunday of Easter

  

Lections

Acts 8:26-end
Psalm 22:23-end
I St. John 4:7-end
St. John 15:1-8

Celebrant & Preacher

Fr. Ian Elliott Davies

 

Deacon

Dea. Walter S. Johnson


Choir Master & Pianist
Mr. James Keltner
Mass Cancellations, Priest swapping, and a new face!
 
On 7 & 8 May, all clergy in the diocese will be attending the Clergy Conference; therefore, on these two days, Confessions and the Masses have been cancelled.

Also this week, Fr. Mark D. Stuart will be saying the Mass on Wednesday night, and Fr. Ian Elliott Davies will be saying the Mass on Thursday.

We welcome Fr. Gary London, who will be saying the Masses on Monday evenings.
The Feast of the Visitation of Our Blessed Lady to St. Elizabeth
  

The Feast will be celebrated on Thursday, 31 May, with Holy Rosary at 6pm, Evening Prayer at 6:30pm, and a Solemn Mass at 7pm. All are welcome!

On This Day in Church History 

 

On this day in 1493, in the bull Inter caetera, Pope Alexander VI sets the boundary between Spanish and Portuguese lands in the New World.

Coming Soon...

 

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

 

12 May @ 7:30am

Homeless Feeding & Outreach

 

16 May @ 7:30pm

Vestry Meeting

 

19 May @ 10:30am 

Newcomer Orientation Series


26 May @ 7:30am

Homeless Feeding & Outreach

 

26 May @ 5:00pm

LASchola sings the Mass

 
28 May - Memorial Day
The Parish Office will be closed, and due to the clinic's closure on this day, there will be no County-USC AIDS Clinic feeding program

 

25 June @ 9:30am

County-USC AIDS Clinic Feeding Program

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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