On Sunday, March 25, The Right Reverend Ian T. Douglas, Bishop Diocesan of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, joined with the Trinity Parish family for a Pastoral Visitation to confirm 18 youth. Their months long Spiritual Journey was comprised of study, contemplation, writings, spirited interaction and Mentoring with an adult member of the congregation. Bishop Douglas presided at the Confirmation Service with Kathie Adams-Shepherd, Rector, John Satula, Assistant to the Rector, and Tom Mariconda, Deacon, assisting. During his Pastoral Visitation he met with the confirmands to take their questions, provide insights and address the congregation at large. After the service he joined with the Vestry, Trinity's Elected Leadership, for a luncheon and meeting together. Bishop Douglas talked about the expanding role of the Episcopal Church Missions worldwide, the role and ministry of the youth and the emerging role of electronic communications in the day-to-day life of the Diocese among other things. For additional information visit www.trinitynewtownct.org or call 203-426-9070.
It is a Trinity tradition that the first time a bishop visits, we make miters with the children in Children's Liturgy while learning about who and what a bishop is, what they wear, and what they do. On March 25th during Bishop Ian Douglas' visitation, the children made craft foam miters for themselves and one to give to the Bishop. Bishop Douglas liked his miter so much - he wore it for the remainder of the service and for the photos of the Confirmands afterwards!
Worship
April 17, 2012
January 13, 2011
Youth Participate in New Haven's Chapel on the Green
by Sue Vogelman with Photos by Rick and Mary Chamiec-Case
On the cold January 2nd Sunday, members of our Rite 13 Class participated in Chapel on the Green which is a mission/outreach program that ministers to the homeless of New Haven, CT.
Chapel on the Green (from their website)
In the summer of 2008, Trinity on the Green partnered with community agencies and clergy from other churches to launch “Chapel on the Green.” It is based on the Common Cathedral in Boston.
Every Sunday at 2:00 pm people gather on the Upper Green (directly behind Trinity) for a brief (25-30 minute) service of Holy Eucharist is all sorts of weather. We do not cancel services due to weather.
ALL are welcome!
This service has attracted a wide variety of people across New Haven: those interested in social justice, the homeless or anyone that does not feel comfortable in a church building.
Trinity youth helped pack up all the lunch supplies they had made, drove to New Haven with their chaperones, and set everything up when they arrived. There is a drum circle before the service which starts at 1:30 pm. Following the drum circle and worship service, our youth helped distribute bagged lunches to all those in need.
To prepare for this ministry, some of our Trinity youth in 6th and 7th grade made over 150 sandwiches (half peanut butter and jelly and half lunch meat) baked tons of cookies and packaged snacks in bags.
They met together at Trinity Newtown for a lesson led by Rick and Mary Chamiec-Case on what they might expect when they got to the green in New Haven and why they were going. Then they had an orientation from Chris Evans (Coordinator) on the green when they arrived in New Haven.
One of the drummers in the drum circle every week is the grandson of Trinity Newtown parishioner, Jean Kreitzinger, who says, "He never misses a Chapel on the Green service. He's there every week, rain or shine."
Here are some quotes from the Chapel on the Green blog about how our Trinity Youth did for their first time in this ministry:
Its been a pleasure working with Mary Chamiec-Case, the youth and parishioners from Trinity Episcopal Church, Newtown, CT these past weeks in preparation for today's service.
Breaking the 12,000 mark of sandwich lunches distributed on the Green, the 20 plus men, women and teen volunteers [from Trinity Newtown] brought an uplifting spirit of companionship to our service. Everyone was greeted with a smile, a program, a name tag and a "welcome."
I've never seen so many teenagers (and adults) so confidently "radically" welcome all who attended. No one was shy about playing drums or singing, reading the Collect of the Day, the Gospel.
And the lunch...well! A sumptuous buffet of a variety of sandwiches for all dietary tastes, healthy clementines, bananas and all the rest were warmly shared with all our visitors.
Trinity parishioners really showed their heart through their hospitality and engagement with so many congregants. Thank you for the gift of your presence!
Great job Trinity youth!!!
And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’
- Matthew 25:40
December 23, 2010
Trinity Christmas Pageant
The Trinity Christmas Pageant 2010
Trinity Church held its annual Christmas Pageant on Sunday, December 19 at 4 p.m. Over 300 people attended this beautiful candlelit service of lessons and carols. The story of the Nativity was told in a tableau format with the 4th and 5th graders as the cast of angels, shepherds, King Herod, the 3 wise men and their pages. Pastor Kathleen Adams-Shepherd was the narrator and the music was provided by the youth choirs: The Trinity Choristers and the Primary Choir with Fiona Smith Sutherland as the director.
The gifts on the steps were brought in by the children who attended the pageant. They are for the children at Amos House - a transitional homeless facility in Danbury, and were taken there in time for Christmas.
Sue Vogelman, Minister of Children and Youth Education directed the pageant. “This was my 10th pageant as director and it was just beautiful. The kids did a great job as usual.” The Symes family portrayed the Holy Family with Christopher as Joseph, Heather as Mary, and 3 month old Ryder as baby Jesus. Mason Symes (2 years old) portrayed a little angel who flitted around the manger. Christopher Symes was also in the pageant almost 20 years ago as a shepherd. His parents (Curt and Connie Symes) were thrilled to see their own child and then their grandchild be in the Trinity pageant a few decades later!
December 09, 2010
Rite 13 Ceremony
Posted by Sue Vogelman
On November 21, 2010 Trinity welcomed four youth into their Journey to Adulthood through the Rite 13 Ceremony.
The Rite-13 curriculum assists young people as they take the first steps of passage away from their families and into their own lives. It begins with a liturgical celebration of the gift of womanhood and manhood that each child celebrates around their 13th birthday. During the next two years, the community acknowledges the gift of gender, celebrates the amazing creative power and potential of these young people, and creates a safe haven to explore new ideas, new interests and new abilities.
“Nothing Goes Without Saying”
How often do we think things like, “She knows I love her – it goes without saying” or “He knows how much I appreciate all his hard work – it goes without saying”?
Words can be a powerful affirmation, and the absence of the right words can leave a void that really hurts. The truth is, very little goes without saying, and the important things should NEVER go without saying. There are things we know, but sometimes we still need to hear them loud and clear.
We have a chance to say some important things to some of our 6th and 7th Graders as they arrive at the milestone of their thirteenth birthday. A few times a year, we celebrate an important rite of passage called “Rite-13” or “The Celebration of Manhood and Womanhood” with our teenagers.
This ceremony gives us a way of saying to our young people things we have meant to convey all along – things like: “We stand with you as you make your way on the journey; we’re here if you need us; we think you are terrific; we love you.” We often assume that our teens feel appreciated and accepted as a vital part of our parish, but adolescence can be such a time of uncertainty, and some things just can’t be said often enough.
Please keep these teens and their families in your prayers as they participate in this significant event in their lives.
November 18, 2010
The Saints Came Marching In
Members of our Church School Classes volunteered to dress up as historical saints for our All Saints Sunday procession into the 8:45 and 11:15 worship services on November 7, 2010. They are carrying banners made in 2001 by our Church School Classes.
8:45 Service Saints holding saints' banners
Then the saints marched into Children's Liturgy to tell their story to our youngest parishioners.
October 06, 2009
Hope of Sudan Weekend Huge Success!
The Trinity YAC (Young Adults in the Church) Class ended the year with a huge splash and the ripples will be felt around the community and across the world. They spent the last year planning and preparing for raising money and awareness for those in the Sudan through an organization started by two former Trinity Parishioners, Jerry and Ann Marie DeLuccio, called The Hope of Sudan. The youth decided to have some of the men who were once Lost Boys of Sudan come to speak to three area high schools to tell about their ordeal as children during the long-running civil war in their home country fo Southern Sudan. Five of the Lost Boys of Sudan (now grown men living in the US) came with the DeLuccios to speak to large groups of students at Brookfield, Danbury and Newtown High Schools on Friday, May 29th.
William Riak, Thomas Mum and Jerry DeLuccio speak at Danbury High School
The students were very moved by what the men said. The message they gave of "Never give up" and "Always give back" was powerful and inspiring. John Dau came to Newtown High School from Syracuse, NY. John is co-author of the book, God Grew Tired of Us: A Memoir published by National Geographic. He was also featured in the award-winning movie documentary God Grew Tired of Us. John spoke to the Newtown students as he told of all the organizations he has started and how he has raised millions of dollars to start medical clinics in Sudan since he came to America in 2001. Then he told the high school students that his first day of school wasn't until he was 17 years old when he learned his abc's writing in the dirt with his finger. He's now 32 years old and the head of the John Dau Foundation which provides healthcare in the war-torn region of southern Sudan by building and sustaining medical clinics and training community health workers. "As Americans, you are lucky," he explained to the students, you have many opportunities here such as education, healthcare, jobs that we didn't have in Sudan or in the refugee camps." James Riak (from New Haven, CT) was also at NHS. He was so excited to "meet" John Dau again. He remembered him as a leader of the boys back in Sudan. Both men shared how their faith was how they managed to keep going - it gave them hope.
John Dau and James Kurchuk greeting people after speaking at Newtown High School.
Then on Saturday, May 30th, the YAC Class set up for the U2charist and Walk of Hope at a local school. The stage had the altar with frontal designed by a parishioner with photos of Lost Boys, banners made by the each class of Trinity Church School representing the 8 MDGs and the Hope of Sudan Alliance and the band which consisted of more high school youth who had spent hours practicing U2 songs.
The youth also sold bottles of water, picture books called, Brothers' in Hope, handmade necklaces with footprints on them, and ONE bracelets to help raise money for Sudan. The Walk of Hope began with a short singing of Siyahamba as over 150 people walked through the Fairfield Hills Campus across the street from the school. Along the way, the YAC Class members had posted signs with facts of what the original Lost Boys had gone through in Sudan in the 1980s. We paused at the 1,000 step point to remember the 1,000 miles the boys had to walk in hope of finding safety.
Walk of Hope
The U2charist (an Episcopal Holy Eucharist service that features the music of the rock band U2 and a message about God's call to rally around the UN Millennium Development Goals) began after the walk and about 300 people were in attendance as the music started. U2's lead singer, Bono has given permission for his music to be used free of charge or permission as long as all the profits go to a cause that supports the MDGs. It was a rockin' service of music, prayer, and emotion as we watched a short video piece about the story of the Lost Boys and how we can help Sudan recover today. People came from all walks of life and from all over the greater Newtown community. One woman said she heard about it through a co-worker at Danbury Hospital, another said she had just seen the Walk of Hope advertised on a poster at a coffe shop and decided to come that afternoon.
The YAC Class had set a goal of making $5,000 to provide a much needed well for clean drinking water to a village in Southern Sudan. Salva Dut was another "Lost Boy" who came to speak and be a part of the U2charist Weekend and he founded, Water for Sudan. "$5,000 puts a well into the ground, and you get to name it," says YAC Member Ellen. The well will be called The Well of Hope given in the name of Educating Youth To Youth (EY2Y) from Trinity Episcopal Church, Newtown, CT.
"It seemed like a huge goal at first - we weren't sure we could actually make that much money," says Anna (YAC Member and a leader of this mission project). "But we actually made $8,400 all together!" The other $3,400 will be used to support some of the other important needs in Sudan through The Hope of Sudan Alliance like supporting a health clinic.
This weekend was such a success, the YAC Class (who are 11th and 12th graders this year) are planning more exciting events including another U2charist for this spring. "In the name of love. What more in the name of love?" -- U2
Some members of the YAC Class pose with their teachers behind the altar frontal from the U2charist
January 18, 2009
The 11th Day of Christmas Pageant
On the 11th Day of Christmas . . . we had the Trinity Christmas Pageant! On January 4th, 2009, the 4th and 5th graders reenacted the story of Jesus’ birth while the Trinity Choristers and Primary Choir sang beautiful Christmas Carols. (Click on photos to see them bigger.)
November 21, 2008
Bishop Ahrens visits
Bishop Laura Ahrens visited Trinity on November 16th. To welcome her, the Church School classes all made welcome signs during class the week before.
During Children’s Liturgy, the younger children all learned about what a Bishop wears during a church service and made their own miters. Bishop Laura spoke to the children up at the altar at the 8:45 and 11:15 services and loved the miter they made for her.
Photo Albums
April 2012
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