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. 

A Tribute to Joseph Gaudioso, RIP

One of the first individuals I met was Joseph Gaudioso. He told me he wanted me to serve on the Vestry. I had every reason to say no. "Of course I will!" I heard myself blurt out, realizing that when Joseph asked - with his arms on my shoulders, and that irrepressible smile on his face - "yes" was the only answer I was capable of. That's one of the many things that made him so effective as a leader. He made you think that you actually had a say in the matter. You didn't.

For the next several months I watched in awe as Joseph deftly guided a Parish struggling with the departure of a strong former Rector and coping with the inevitable change that comes about during an interregnum. I had the privilege of working along side him, meeting often times two or three times a week as we dealt with a variety of situations that even Hollywood could not invent. It was the most challenging church-related work I have ever done, but being a part of an extraordinary Vestry led by Joseph also made it the most rewarding church-related work I have ever done.

After the Search Committee had presented the finalists for Rector, Joseph asked me to be part of the Traveling Vestry that would meet each of them in person. Again, with every reason to say no, I said yes. By then I understood I had no choice. Three trips to the east coast of the United States and one to London followed. It was about a month after 9/11, and our first trip to New York City included a visit to the site of the former Twin Towers. The first thing Joseph did when we arrived there was to ask one of our Vestry members to lead us in prayer. This was something I saw time and time again. Under Joseph's leadership, we always stepped out in prayer.

We were in London the second week of Advent. After hearing Father Davies preach, and knowing we had found the priest that we would recommend, I recall walking through Covent Garden. It was a cold, crisp night, and a choir was singing carols outdoors. We all paused and took in the beauty of the moment. It all came together for me in an instant. The privilege of being part of St. Thomas the Apostle Hollywood. The privilege of knowing and working with the Vestry and so many other phenomenal parishioners. The privilege of calling Joseph Gaudioso my friend. At our first Sunday back at St. Thomas, Joseph spoke to the congregation, assuring us that our new Rector would soon be among us. "Father is in the house" he said, first in Italian, "and there is nothing to worry about." The contribution that Joseph was St. Thomas can never be calculated. It was simply that great. 

 
On 8 November 2013, Bob and I celebrated the Blessing of our Covenant Relationship (as we called a same-sex wedding at that time) at St. Thomas, and after the High Mass, Joseph approached me with tears in his eyes. "I saw your mother walking down the aisle with you," he said. She had died four years earlier. It only served to convince me that Joseph was connected to God in a most unique way. That he could see "beyond the veil" of time and space.

To have known Joseph and his gracious and loving partner Charles is a gift I will always cherish. In moving through the grief, my mind is flooded with memories of the wonderful meals we shared - always with copious amounts of wine, the good work we did, and, perhaps above all, the laughter.

"May the Angels lead thee into Paradise; and the Martyrs receive thee at thy coming and bring thee into the Holy City Jerusalem. May the Choirs of Angels receive thee, and mayest thou, with Lazarus once poor, have everlasting rest."
 

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:

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?"

"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

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

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

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!