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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
 | | Quinquagesima |
To see more sermons and services go to our YouTube Page!
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2015 Lenten Series
The 2015 Lenten Series "Thinking Allowed" will meet on Sundays in Lent at 9am in the Large Parish Hall. The course, created by Canon Davies, will be led by Canon Davies and various learned Parishioners. the theme is "Thinking Allowed: weariness, cadence, tempo, flow, ennui, fatigue, monotony, rhythm, tedium and 'spiritual attentiveness' in the Church and in our Culture.
The scheduled leaders are:
22 February - Mses. Len Leatherwood & Allison Platt - "Weariness & Renewal, Some Parish Reflections"
1 March - Ms. Sarah Perkins - "A Life of Reflection: Bishop Lancelot Andrewes"
8 March - Ms. Brit Bjurstrom - "A Prophet on Retreat: Elijah and a Biblical Reflection"
15 March - Mr. Clint Gray - "For All Things There Is a Season and a Time"
22 March - Canon Ian Elliott Davies - "The Season of Lent in Review: Weariness Still?"
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Evensong & Benediction
On Saturday, 28 February at 5pm, a choir of sixteen voices from the LASchola, as well as two organists, will accompany a Lenten Choral Evensong & Benediction service.
Intended as a "place apart" from the modern busyness of life, the service will center our hearts during this season of preparation for Holy Week and Easter. This rare and historical Renaissance Lenten service will draw from the Tudor era and beyond and will feature works by J.S. Bach (1685-1750), Sir William Henry Harris (1883- 1973), Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656), John Farmer (1570-1601), as well as a postlude - Improvisation on 'Wondrous Love' - by our very own organist/choirmaster, Jeffrey Parola.
Afterwards, please join us for a wine and light refreshment reception in the Large Parish Hall. This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet the many fine musicians who will participate in this stunning service.
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"Let's Talk About"
On March 15, the "Let's Talk About Series" continues. This month's subject "Similitudes Between Judaism and Christianity" will be led by Rabbi Noah Zvi Farkas following the High Mass.
Rabbi Farkas was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 2008, where he won numerous academic prizes in the areas of Jewish Philosophy and Talmud. He is a faculty member of the Florence Melton Graduate Studies Program and is a guest lecturer at the American Jewish University.
Noah is actively building the spiritual life of Valley Beth Shalom through by leading the Chesed Pillar. His work in the Caring Connection and Chesed Connection, connect VBS community members to each other through wellness programs and hospital visitation, as well as to the larger community through social action projects. In addition, Noah founded VBSnextGen, the newest addition to the VBS community, creating a home for engaged and married Jewish couples in their 20's and 30's.
During his time in rabbinical school Noah co-founded the Seminary Leadership Project, a fellowship program that teaches Jewish clergy the art of communal organizing, housed at JOIN for Justice.
Before coming to VBS, Noah served as Student Rabbi at Congregational Beth Israel in Biloxi, Mississippi where he helped rebuild the Gulf Coast Jewish community after Hurricane Katrina.
In addition to his work at VBS, Noah founded Netiya, the faith-based network that advances urban agriculture in our synagogues, schools, and non-profit organizations in Los Angeles. Netiya converts unused land at our institutions to grow nutritious food, and organize community to seed a more just and resilient food system.
Noah speaks nationally about issues of social justice, generational engagement, and Jewish thought. He has appeared on NPR, and writes a monthly column, Turning the Tables for the Jewish Daily Forward. Noah published several articles on Jewish Philosophy and Jewish communal life. His most recent book is The Social Action Manual: Six Steps to Repairing the World (Behrman House). Noah lives with his wife Sarah in Sherman Oaks along with his three children, Meira, Shaya, and Asher. Noah's number one passion after spending time with his family is thinking up creative ice cream flavors.
He can be followed on Twitter at @RabbiNoah
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Holy Week & Easter
29 March - Palm Sunday
7:30am - Morning Prayer
8:00am - Low Mass & Blessing of Palms
9:45am - Holy Rosary
10:30am - High Mass with Procession
& Blessing of Palms
4:30pm - Evening Prayer
30 March - Monday of Holy Week
7:30am - Morning Prayer
6:00pm - Confessions
6:30pm - Evening Prayer
7:00pm - Low Mass with Sermon
Fr. Jimmy Bartz, Guest Preacher
31 March - Tuesday of Holy Week
7:30am - Morning Prayer
6:00pm - Confessions
6:30pm - Evening Prayer
7:00pm - Low Mass with Sermon
Canon Betsy Anderson, Guest Preacher
1 April- Wednesday of Holy Week
7:30am - Morning Prayer
6:00pm - Confessions
6:30pm - Evening Prayer
7:00pm - Low Mass with Sermon
TBD, Guest Preacher
2 April - Maundy Thursday
7:30am - Morning Prayer
6:30pm - Office of the Triduum
7:30pm - Mass of the Institution of the Lord's
Supper, Mandatum, Stripping of the Altar, and All-Night Vigil Before the Blessed Sacrament in the St. Damien Chapel
3 April - Good Friday
7:00am - Meditation on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary 7:30am - Office of the Triduum 12:00pm - Stations of the Cross 6:30pm - Office of the Triduum 7:30pm - Mass of the Pre-Sanctified & Veneration of the Cross 4 April - Holy Saturday 7:30pm - High Mass of the Vigil of the Most Holy Feast of the Resurrection 5 April - Easter Day 7:30am - Morning Prayer 8:00am - High Mass of the Most Holy Feast of the Resurrection 9:45am - Holy Rosary 10:30am - High Mass of the Most Holy Feast of the Resurrection with Choir 4:30pm - Evening Prayer |
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The Guibord Center Presents
Decoding Rituals and Symbols of Sikhism
Saturday, February 28, 2 - 4 pm Join The Guibord Center as we take an in-depth look at the rituals and symbols of the Sikh faith.
Nirinjan Singh Khalsa, on the Advisory Council of The Guibord Center, will explain the "Five K's of Sikhism" and their importance. We will also learn about Sikh ceremonies and the meaning behind the different rituals and traditions during Sikh prayer services.
There are more than 500,000 Sikh Americans living here as our neighbors, as our doctors and lawyers, mechanics and colleagues, and as our children's friends. Learn more about this faith tradition that carries a deep reverence for all life and often engages in remarkable efforts to feed the hungry of any community.
Hosted at the Khalsa Care Foundation with light refreshments to follow the presentation. RSVP HERE!
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Big Sunday
Looking for a way to help the community? Big Sunday offers more than 1500 ways you can help! Click on the image below to download the flyer.
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On Christmas Day 1864, when The Rev. Elias Birdsall, age 34, read morning prayer for 10 people gathered in L.A.'s Odd Fellows Hall, he most likely never dreamed that then-frontier town of about 5,000 people would grow to become the nation's second largest metropolitan region, with some 18 million residents today.
Since that Christmas morning, services have continued every week for the past 150 years, and the congregation - named for St. Athanasius, the 4th-century Bishop of Alexandria - today remains a vibrant center of prayer and service at the heart of our Cathedral Center of St. Paul. It is the oldest continuing Protestant congregation in Southern California.
In the spirit of The Rev. Elias Birdsall's original 1865 lecture series, the Diocese of Los Angeles presents the following lectures:
CATHEDRAL CENTER:
HISTORIANS' WEEKEND: THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Friday, 27 February, 6pm
Reception, Dinner, Video Preview
Saturday, 28 February, 10am-3pm
Symposium, Lunch, Workshops
CAMPBELL HALL:
CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH-LEADERSHIP FORUM WITH THE PRESIDING BISHOP*
Tuesday, 24 March, 11am
*Ticketed event co-sponsored by The Episcopal Church. Viewing site (open admission) at the Cathedral Center.
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The First Sunday of Lent
Lections
Genesis 9:8-17
Psalm 25:1-9
I Peter 3:18-end
St. Mark 1:9-15
Celebrant & Preacher
Deacon
Dea. Walter S. Johnson
Organist/Choirmstr
Mr. Jeffrey Parola
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Sunday's Music
Prelude
Improvisation on 'Ein feste Burg'
by Jeffrey Parola
(b. 1979)
Offertory
Like as a hart
by Herbert Howells
(1892-1983)
There are no organ postludes in Lent which is symbolic of the abstinence of the Season.
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Filming in the Church
Due to a scheduled filming in the church TODAY, all Morning & Evening Prayer services and Masses will take place in the Rector's Office.
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Stations of the Cross
Beginning on Friday, 27 February, Stations of the Cross will take place following the 7pm Mass. Please avail yourself of this seasonally penitential service.
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Beyond the Veil: A Taste of Jewish Mysticism
At Temple Israel of Hollywood
Tuesday Night Series: Dine & Learn with Chazzan Danny Masent
17, 24 February &
3 March
7-8pm
An Intro to Authentic Kabbalah Three encounters with sacred Jewish text. All classes include historical and textual background, along with comparative examples from world mysticism. First encounter: Sefer Yetzira - The Book of Formation: AKA, The Original Recipe for Building a Golem. The oldest of our mystical texts is a wondrous, poetic revelation about the creation of the world. We will explore the beauty of the dancing Hebrew letters, the poetry of divine motion, and divine sacred music *All ingredients provided (Some assembly required) Second encounter: Raza D'Shabbat - The Secret of the Sabbath Revealed: a short, magnificent excerpt from the Zohar - the Book of Illumination, Judaism's greatest mystical text. Prepare yourselves for the wedding of all weddings. The King & Queen will be there and you're invited! *Formal attire optional. Third encounter: L'cha Dodi - Come, My Beloved: The original 10 step program to heal the world -- Tikkun Olam! Shlomo Alkabetz wrote this seminal hymn in the 16th century in Safed - the city of mystics. Anagrams, diagrams and parables -- come unlock the treasure chest. Discover the power and beauty revealed in this hymn through text study and music.* The 400 year-old recipe for cleansing your soul!
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Automatic Payments
You may now make automatic monthly payments to St. Thomas via PayPal! this is an easy way to remember pledge and Capital Campaign payments. Visit the WEBSITE. Click "Donate" on the right side and follow the instructions. Make sure to check the box "Make This Recurring" in order to make it recur monthly.
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On This Day in
Christian History
On this day in 1895 abolitionist Frederick Douglass, the first black man to hold high political office, died. After escaping to freedom in 1838, he became the most prominent black abolitionist. Critical of the "Christianity of this land," which accepted (or at least tolerated) slavery, he considered himself a devotee of "the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ."
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Please join us for many Parish activities. Here's a sampling of upcoming events - a full list is available online
Newcomer Orientation Series
County-USC AIDS Clinic Feeding Program
Homeless Feeding & Outreach
28 February @ 5:00pm
Evensong & Benediction featuring LASchola
14 March @ 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, contest the ticket by filling out the form found CLICKING HERE! Contact the Office if you have any issues.
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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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