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Last Week's Sermon
To see more sermons and services, go to our YouTube page! |
Sunday's Music
MASTER OF THE MUSIC
Mr. Jeffrey Parola
PRELUDE
Pastorale
by Charles Wesley
(1707-1788)
OFFERTORY
Mr. Max Miller, Tenor Zion hört die Wächter singen
by J.S. Bach
(1685-1750)
POSTLUDE
Capriccio Pastorale
by Girolamo Frescobaldi
(1583-1643)
HYMNS "Lo! he comes with clouds descending"
"Wake, o wake! with tidings thrilling"
"Lift up your heads, ye might gates" |
Today in
Christian History
On this day in 1970, on a trip to the Philippines, Pope Paul VI was attacked by a dagger-wielding Bolivian painter disguised as a priest. Though the Vatican announced the pontiff was unhurt, he suffered a chest wound in the assault. |
Ongoing Ministries Calendar
27 November
Parish Office Closed
28 November - 7:30am
Homeless Breakfast & Outreach
4-5 December
Annual Diocesan Convention (No Masses)
12 December - 7:30am
Homeless Breakfast & Outreach
13 December 12:00pm
Annual Christmas Sing-a-long & Choir Boutique
19 December - 5:00pm
Advent Lessons & Carols Accompanied by LASchola
25 December - 4 January
Parish Office Closed
28 December - 10:00am
County-USC AIDS Clinic Lunch Program
16 January - 10:30am
Newcomer Orientation |
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"The lack of mystery in our modern life is our downfall and our poverty. A human life is worth as much as the respect it holds for the mystery. We retain the child in us to the extent that we honor the mystery. Therefore, children have open, wide-awake eyes, because they know that the are surrounded by mystery. They are not yet finished with this world; they still don't know how to struggle along and avoid the mystery, as we do. We destroy the mystery because we sense that here we reach the boundary of our being, because we want to be lord over everything and have it at our disposal, and that's just what we cannot do with the mystery... Living without mystery means knowing nothing of the mystery of our own life, nothing of the mystery of another person, nothing of the mystery of the world; it means passing over our own hidden qualities and those of others and the world. It means remaining on the surface, taking the world seriously only to the extent that it can be calculated and exploited, and not going beyond the world of calculation and exploitation. Living without mystery means not seeing the crucial processes of life at all and even denying them."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
God Is in the Manger:
Reflections on Advent and Christmas
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Welcome to The Thomist, St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood's new version of our award-winning eNewsletter.
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| Advent Series
 Canon Davies is pleased to announce this year's Advent Series will take place on Wednesday evenings in the Parish Hall (or Rectory) following the 7pm Mass on 2, 9, and 16 December (please note there is no session on 23 December) The series follows the Advent meditation book I Pray in Poems by Dave Worster.
Copies of the book are available in the Parish Office for $10, or you may purchase it elsewhere. If you are unable to afford the $10, please see Canon Davies or Deacon Johnson privately.
The series begins with an introductory session on Advent Sunday (29 November) in the Parish Hall (or Rectory) following the High Mass Coffee Hour. The introductory session, led by Ms. Dawna Kemper and Canon Davies, will cover the first twenty-two pages of the book.
Canon Davies hopes that many people will be able to attend and make this Advent Season particularly resonant with stillness and thoughtfulness while we hear the clarion of violence in our fractured. world.
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We have partnered with GoodShop.com so that you can feel great about your online shopping! GoodShop gives you the best coupons for thousands of stores like Target, Apple, Amazon, Petco, and more AND a percentage of what you spend on virtually every purchase is donated to our Parish! Plus, with the GoodShop app for iPhone and iPad, you can shop, save, and give on the go!
We thank the Parishioners who registered at GoodShop.com for St. Thomas and went to GoodShop.com before shopping at online retailers. Thanks to your efforts, St. Thomas received $1,109.32 this year! In total since 2009, this program has generated $4,972.71!
Parishioners who have publicly registered are Joan Henehan, Salvador Hernandez, Larry Jackson, D. Jones, James Kennett, Ken Koonce, Mason Shefa, James Vandernaald, Christopher Wagner, and Joseph Warren. If these ten Parishioners can generate $1100, imagine what could happen if more Parishioners were involved! Register today at GoodShop.com! If you have issues setting up your free account or have questions, contact the Parish Office.
On Cyber Monday and throughout the holiday shopping season, make sure to go to GoodShop.com first to see if the online retailer at which you are shopping is partnered with GoodShop.com!
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| Mass Cancellations
All Masses on 4 & 5 December have been cancelled due to the Annual Diocesan Convention.
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Annual Christmas Sing-a-long  and Choir Boutique
The annual Christmas sing-a-long and Choir Boutique will take place in the Large Parish Hall on Gaudete Sunday, 13 December, following the High Mass. |
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On Saturday, 19 December at 5pm, the LASchola and the Clarion Singers join together to sing for our annual Advent Festival of Lessons & Carols here at St. Thomas. This special Advent service features festive music by Tavener, Ledger, Howells, Willcocks, Poulenc, Warlock, and Miskinis. The choir will be conducted by Stephen Salts, and Jeffrey Parola will provide solo organ music and accompaniment. Join us for what promises to be a beautiful and prayer-filled event, and please invite your friends! A reception will follow in the Large Parish Hall.
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Semi-Annual Cleaning of the Parish Church
On Saturday, 19 December following the 10am Low Mass, Parishioners are encouraged to participate in 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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The Reason for the Season
Literally Healing at Children's Hospital Los Angeles is an innovative reading program dedicated to advocating literacy and its importance to children's success. There are two arms of the program: Therapeutic Library, which tackles sensitive issues in a non-threatening manner to ease the medical and emotional anguish, and the Giving Library, which offers patients staying at the hospital (and their visiting siblings) a choice of one free, brand new book daily to keep. This year, the Parish of St. Thomas the Apostle is once again helping with Literally Healing's Book Drive! You may send books of your own choosing or send books on the hospital's wish list. The hospital's wish list is available by CLICKING HERE. Books donated MUST be brand new and shipped directly to the hospital to control infection (Literally Healing Program 4650 Sunset Blvd. #16; Los Angeles, CA 90027).
 Once again St. Thomas will have an angel tree to benefit Hillsides, a premier provider dedicated to improving the overall well-being and functioning of vulnerable children, youth, and their families. Their vision is to create lasting change in the lives of all at-risk children and youth that they serve by providing high quality care, advocacy, and innovative services that promote safe, permanent environments where young people can thrive. The Angel Tree will be available beginning Advent Sunday (29 November).
We continue our food drive to benefit SOVA food pantries this Advent and Christmas season. We collect food throughout the year to benefit SOVA, one of our partners in the Homeless Coalition. This year, our goal is to fill the SOVA bin (located in the foyer near the Parish Office) at least twice between now and Christmas!
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Christmas Flowers & Decorations
If you would like to contribute toward the cost of Christmas flowers and decorations, please click on the "Donate" button below. Then EMAIL the Parish Office your dedication ("in memory of..." or "in thanksgiving for...")
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| Christmas & Epiphany Schedule
THURSDAY, 24 DECEMBER 2015
CHRISTMAS EVE
5:00pm - Family Mass with Sermon & Hymns
11:00pm - Midnight Mass with Sermon, Hymns & Choir
FRIDAY, 25 DECEMBER 2015
CHRISTMAS DAY
10:30am - High Mass with Sermon, Hymns & Choir
SATURDAY, 26 DECEMBER 2015
THE FEAST OF ST. STEPHEN, DEACON, PROTO-MARTYR
5:00pm - Latin Vigil Mass with Gregorian Chant
6:00pm - Boxing Day Party in the Rectory
SUNDAY, 27 DECEMBER 2015
THE FEAST OF ST. JOHN, APOSTLE & EVANGELIST
8:00am - Low Mass with Sermon
10:30am - High Mass with Sermon & Hymns
THURSDAY, 31 DECEMBER 2015
THE FEAST OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
10:30pm - Low Mass
11:00pm - Alcohol-free New Year's Eve Potluck Party
SUNDAY, 3 JANUARY 2015
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS
8:00am - Low Mass with Sermon
10:30am - High Mass with Sermon, Hymns & Choir
WEDNESDAY, 6 JANUARY 2016
THE EPIPHANY
7:30pm - High Mass with Sermon, Hymns & Choir
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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, 24 January 2016. At this meeting, present, eligible Communicants in Good Standing 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, 14 January in order to be nominated.
Those seeking the Vestry must meet with Canon Davies prior to the Annual meeting in order to understand the specifics of the ministry.
In accordance with the canons, which were modified for 2016, a list of Communicants in Good Standing eligible to vote will be published prior to the Annual Meeting.
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2016 Sign-Up Sheets
Sign-up sheets for 2016 Coffee Hours, Altar Flowers, St. Damien Chapel Orchids, and Lamps are now available in the Large Parish Hall.
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| Stewardship
We are most grateful to the following 116 Parishioners (as of 25 November) who have prayerfully considered the role of St. Thomas Parish in their life and made a financial pledge commitment for 2016:
AnonymousAnonymousAnonymousJose AbdoCaroline AdanKellie AdanRobert Amore David AndersonLela AndersonDeshan AtapattuMichael J. AustinDavid BartlettRay Beaty & Len LeatherwoodAlexander BernalRobert Beukema & Ken MosesianBrit BjurstromEd Blancarte & Nicolas Sean CarreraJohn BollardRodney BorrAlex BrammJohn E. Buckingham, Jr.John L. BuckleyMalcolm CallisonThe Challoner FamilyBrad & Wendy ChambersJolin CroftsDonald CummingsBradford DaleyFr. Ian Elliott DaviesJan & John DaviesLloyd DavisGregory Dilger & Jeffrey LawsonDebby DriscollRuth DunhamMichael Ensign EvansChristopher FernicolaJames FossettJeff & Chanel FriesenHoward J. GaassChristopher Gable & Gerardo VergaraClint GrayHeather & Myles GriffithArtur GrigorianBob HalvorsonJohn HarperRon Hartwig & Robert PiercePeter & Julie HeimarkJoan Henehan & Jenny WilliamsBob Henry & Linda WendellSarah HensleyHelen Slayton HughesJames HughesLuis Javier & Laurence JacksonPatricia Neal JensenDea. Walter S. JohnsonD. JonesRobert J. JonesLeslie KaplanMargaret KempStephen KempTaffia KennedyMaurice KingThomas KingsleyKen KooncePete Lisowski & Shannon Stacy, MDTed MarburyDoris MartinVincent G. MazzucchelliRobert D. MillerJoseph & Anita MuroPaul NorwoodRandy & Ruth OglesbyCarolyn OlmanErin & Windy O'MalleyJeffrey ParolaDoris ParrRobert, Barbara, Austin & Sam PatrickAlison PlattBen Pratt & Bob BrkichJanice QuanbeckJohn Ramos-HazletJudith ResellMichel Rhola, PhDJo Ann RidenourRonald RosatoCharles L. RumseyJohn SchleifDaniel & Sarah SchulzGarland & Kathy SchweickhardtJohn Scoles, MDRyan ScottStan ShipleyDavid A. SilvasBill StarkSteven StromFr. Mark D. StuartReece P. ThomsonJohn E. ThornburyEd ToscaPaul Tournay & Lee CoxAyako TravisBradley UphamJames VandernaaldChristopher Wagner & Gary CollisLynn WalkerGary WarningJoseph WarrenMichelle WaterlooRobert WeihingChristopher WhiteRandy WilliamsMichael & Shelley WilliamsonMarty WolfeAddison Wright & Laurene LandonRex YanceyStephen Yoder
The 2016 pledge cards will be blessed on Sunday.
If you would like to print a pledge card and bring it on Sunday to be blessed, CLICK HERE to download one.
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| The Guibord Center
The Guibord Center is excited to announce their next wonderful event on Saturday, 5 December at 6:30pm at St. John's Cathedral (514 West Adams Blvd): Diana Butler Bass in conversation about her newest book, Grounded: Finding God in the World - A Spiritual Revolution with the Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord
Bass brings her understanding of the latest research and studies and her deep knowledge of history and theology to Grounded. She cites news, trends, data, and pop culture, weaves in spiritual texts and ancient traditions, and pulls it all together through stories of her own and others' spiritual journeys. Grounded observes and reports a radical change in the way many people understand God and how they practice faith. In doing so, Bass invites readers to join this emerging spiritual revolution, find a revitalized expression of faith, and change the world.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. As is their custom, this event is offered at no charge and all are invited to attend. Donations are gratefully accepted. CLICK HERE to register.
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| The Episcopal News Weekly
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St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood is an Episcopal Parish in the Anglo-Catholic tradition.
Come to St. Thomas just as you are: A child of God and an inheritor of God's grace!
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