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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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Sermons
 | The Solemnity of Christ the King |
To view more sermons, go to our
St. Thomas YouTube page!!!
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LASchola to sing The Mass for Five Voices by William Byard and Premiere "Asperges me" by St. Thomas Parishioner Mason Shefa
30 November 2013 at 5:00PM.
During last months Vigil Mass we experienced the beauty of Byrd's "Mass for Four Voices." This month will continue the theme of Byrd with "The Mass for Five Voices." The series of masses shows Byrd in a reflective mode: it would seem that he composed these cycles as exercises, as easily performable functional music, and as historical examples. Though they are straightforward in design, the masses possess a "classical" quality of precision and balance. Their simple expression and contrapuntal concision make them unique in Renaissance music, and early examples of the classical spirit which was to dominate Europe two hundred years after Byrd's time.
The LASchola will also premier the work "Asperges Me" by Saint Thomas the Apostle parishioner, Mason Shefa. Mr. Shefa is currently a student at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
All are warmly invited.
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Mason Shefa
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On Saturday, 21 December at 5pm the Parish of St. Thomas the Apostle and LASchola will present Advent Lessons & Carols. This festive service will take place instead of the regularly scheduled Latin Vigil Mass.
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The Creative City Awards:
Honoring Innovation in the West Hollywood Business Community
On Thursday, 14 November, Father Davies mixed and mingled with old and new friends at one of the premiere events in West Hollywood, the annual Creative City Awards.
Held again at The London Hotel, the CCA honors Chamber Member businesses for their innovation and creativity and features a festive night that includes a pre-reception, silent auction, dinner and awards ceremony. It's also a wonderful opportunity to chat with Mayor Abbe Land and other West Hollywood City leaders in this, a community that really cares about social programs for those in need.
 | Fr. Davies and West Hollywood City Councilman Jeffrey Prang
Photo Credit: RICHARD E. SETTLE |
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Christmas Flowers and Decorations
 If you would like to contribute toward the cost of Christmas flowers and decorations, please fill out the form inserted in the Orders of Service and return it no later than Sunday, 15 December. The suggested minimum donation is $25.
You may also pay via PayPal by clicking the button below. Please include in the notes your dedication as "in memory of..." and/or "in thanksgiving for...".
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Christmas & Epiphany Schedule
Tuesday, 24 December - Christmas Eve
5:00pm - Family Mass with Sermon & Hymns
11:00pm - Midnight Mass with Sermon & Choir
Wednesday, 25 December - Christmas Day
10:30am - High Mass with Sermon & Choir
Thursday, 26 December - St. Stephen's Day
5:00pm - Boxing Day Party in the Rectory
7:00pm - Low Mass
Sunday, 29 December - The First Sunday of Christmas
8:00am - Low Mass with Sermon
10:30am - High Mass with Sermon and Choir
Tuesday, 31 December - The Solemnity of Mary
10:30pm - Low Mass followed by alcohol-free New Year's Eve Potluck Party
Sunday, 5 January - The Second Sunday of Christmas
8:00am - Low Mass with Sermon
10:30am - High Mass with Sermon & Choir
Monday, 6 January - The Epiphany
7:30pm - High Mass with Choir
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Stewardship Update
We are most grateful to the following 132 Parishioners (as of Thursday, 28 November) out of a potential 219 who have prayerfully considered the role of St. Thomas the Apostle in their life and made a financial pledge commitment for 2014:
Anonymous Caroline Adan Kellie Jane Adan Mary A. Allen Heather Amaral Robert Amore David Anderson Lela Anderson Michael J. Austin Richard E. Backlund Tannis Benedict & Brian Frankish Alex Bernal & Thomas Meissnest Bob Beukema & Ken Mosesian David F. Bode, MD John Bollard Rodney Borr Alex Bramm Bob Brkich & Ben Pratt John Buckley Malcolm Callison Steven W. Carry Dr. Kathryn Challoner Efrain Cisneros Jennifer Collins Craig Coogan Donald Cummings Bradford Daley William Daniel Fr. Ian Elliott Davies John & Janis Davies Lloyd Davis Debby Driscoll Ruth Dunham Michael Ensign Evans Joseph Farnham David Firman James A. Frazier Jeff Friesen Howard J. Gaass Christopher Gable & Gerardo Vergara Eddie Garcia Clint Gray Bob Halvorson John Harper Ron Hartwig Peter & Julie Heimark Jane A. Heitz Sarah Hensley Bob Henry & Linda Wendell Salvador Hernandez Helen Slayton Hughes James B. Hughes Luis Javier Patricia Neal Jensen Jeff Johnson Dea. Walter S. Johnson Robert John Jones Leslie Kaplan Jim Keltner Stephen Kemp Dawna Kemper Peter Kempson Taffia B. Kennedy Thomas Kingsley Ken Koonce Helen Land Dean Larkin & Paul Park Bruce Larson Len Leatherwood & Ray Beaty Joe A. Lopez Ted Marbury Doris Martin Vincent G. Mazzucchelli Andrew Miller & Whitney Wyatt Robert D. Miller Paul Norwood Randy & Ruth Oglesby Carolyn S. Olman Erin & Windy O'Malley Anthony Palacios & John C. Garces Jeffrey Parola Doris J. Parr Robert & Barbara Patrick Alison Platt Janice Quanbeck Nicolas Quilter Enrique David Ramos & David Bartlett Joseph Rials Jo Ann Ridenour Linda Rockstroh Vincent Roncone Christopher A. Rose Charles L. Rumsey Julian Sands John Schleif Darrell Schmitt Daniel & Sarah Schulz Dr. Kathleen & Garland Schweickhardt John Scoles Ryan Scott Anita Sherman & Joe Muro Stan Shipley David A. Silvas John Sims & Curtis Schwab Douglas Stanton Gregory Stanton Steven Strom Fr. Mark D. Stuart Walt Tanner & Jessie Kostosky Suzanne Tenner Thomas G. Thanangadan Reece P. Thomson John Thornbury Ayako Travis James Vandernaald Christopher Wagner & Gary Collis Lynn Walker Gary Warning Joseph Warren Michelle Waterloo Robert Weihing Janet West Cynthia Williams Jenny Williams & Joan Henehan John Williams & Marilyn Anderson Randy Williams Riva Winningham & Jesse Thompson Martin William Wolfe Addison Wright & Laurene Landon Rex A. Yancey Stephen Yoder John Zaragoza
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The First Sunday of Advent
Lections
Isaiah 2:1-5
Psalm 122
Romans 13:11-end
St. Matthew 24:36-44
Celebrant & Preacher
Fr. Ian Elliott Davies
Deacon
Dea. Walter S. Johnson
Choir Master
Mr. James Keltner
Mr. Jeffrey Parola
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Sunday's Music
Mass Setting
Missa in A
by Pompeo Cannicciari
(1766-1837)
Prelude
Air
by Samuel Wesley
(1766-1837)
by David Drexler
(b. 1967)
Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland
by Friedrich Wilhelm Zacho
(1663-1712)
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At 7pm on Black Friday (29 November) the Parish Church will host a semi-formal High Mass to be a place of beauty and sanctity as an alternative to the rushing financial, bargain-hunting world. Guest Organist Blake Howard will be playing meditative music to accompany this solemn Mass.
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Advent Series
During the Wednesdays in Advent following the 7pm Mass, the Stewardship of Faith and Knowledge committee presents "Prayer and Spirituality from Different Traditions and Histories." We kick off the series on Wednesday, 4 December with special guest speaker Chazzan Danny Maseng from Temple Israel of Hollywood who will talk on the great spiritual traditions and practices of Judaism.
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GoodShop.com
GoodSearch.com
We thank the following Parishioners who registered at GoodShop.com or GoodSearch.com for St. Thomas and went to GoodShop.com before shopping at online retailers and/or used GoodSearch.com as their internet search engines:
Joan Henehan
Larry Jackson
James Kennett
Ken Koonce
Mason Shefa
Christopher Wagner
Joseph Warren
Thanks to your efforts, St. Thomas received $820.48 this year at no cost to you! In total since 2009, this program has generated $2,318.27 for the Parish! If these seven Parishioners can generate $820, imagine what could happen if more were involved! Register today at GoodShop.com! If you have issues setting up your free account contact the Parish Office.
On Cyber Monday and throughout the holiday shopping season, make sure to go to GoodShop.com first and see if the online retailer at which you are shopping is partnered with GoodShop.com!
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The Reason for the Season
We continue our food drive to benefit SOVA food pantries this holiday season. We collect food throughout the year to benefit SOVA, one of our partners in the Homeless Coalition. During the upcoming holidays our goal is to fill the SOVA bin (located in the foyer near the Parish Office) as often as possible! We thank Christopher Gable for his continued work with this wonderful cause.
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Scheduling Changes in December
On Saturday, 7 December, Fr. Davies and Dea. Johnson will be joining our four Delegates at the Annual Diocesan Convention. On this day, the 5pm Latin Vigil Mass is cancelled.
In December, the Vestry meeting, normally scheduled for the third Wednesday of the month, has been moved to Tuesday, 17 December to accommodate our Advent series on Wednesday.
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Semi-Annual Cleaning Day
Following the 10am Mass on Saturday, 21 December, Parishioners are encouraged to attend the semi-annual cleaning of the Parish Church. Supplies and lunch will be provided. While this is an all-day affair, any amount of time contributed will be appreciated.
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Annual Parish Meeting
The Annual Parish Meeting will take place in the Large Parish Hall following the High Mass on Sunday, 19 January 2014. At this meeting, the Congregation will elect four new Vestry persons to serve a three-year term, and four delegates & two alternate delegates to represent St. Thomas at the Annual Diocesan Convention. Those interested in standing for the Vestry or representing the Parish at the Diocesan Convention must request a nomination form from and submit paperwork to the Parish Office on or before Thursday, 16 January in order to be nominated. Those seeking the Vestry need to meet with Fr. Davies prior to the Annual meeting in order to understand the specifics of the ministry.
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On This Day in
Christian History
On this day in 1863 the first annual national Thanksgiving Day was celebrated. Back in October, President Lincoln had proclaimed the fourth Thursday of each November from that time forward as a national day of thanks.
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Please join us for many Parish activities. Here's a sampling of upcoming events - a full list is available online
29 November
Parish Office Closed
30 November @ 5:00pm
LASchola sings the Mass
14 December @ 7:30am
Homeless Feeding & Outreach
17 December @ 7:30pm
Vestry Meeting
21 December @ 10:30am
Newcomer Orientation Series
23 December @ 10:00am
County-USC AIDS Clinic Feeding Program
28 December @ 7:30am
Homeless Feeding & Outreach
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Parking at St. Thomas
Regardless of what the signs read, parking on Gardner Street is now allowed on Sundays unrestricted between 7am and 1pm. There is no two-hour time limit! If you receive a ticket, please turn it in to the Parish Office.
Please make sure to remit your citation to the Parish Office promptly. The City may not dismiss citations that are more than two weeks late.
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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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