Weekly Announcements • October 13, 2024
October 13, 2024
October 13, 2024
What are your experiences of being supported that have led you to walk in love with others?
I came to the US from Sri Lanka to study engineering. I didn’t have any family or friends here, so it was a very lonely time for me. But I made friends with some Palestinian students, and they invited me to be their roommate. They treated me like family.
And they were very good cooks: they made delicious Middle Eastern food,and I did the dishes.That’s one of many ways in which loving people have walked with me.
As an aerospace engineer in Silicon Valley, I had the opportunity to share that same kind of accompaniment. I worked on engineering standards with international colleagues, and we had to find ways to compromise. We spoke different languages and didn’t always agree on issues, but we achieved compromise on technical issues. So, I learned to listen for the purposes of understanding. That’s what life is all about: living together and learning to understand each other. Of course, this also means recognizing my own limitations, and those of others.
Sometimes it’s hard to walk with vulnerable people. Part of my diaconal ministry happens in jail. At first, I didn’t want to be there. I was frightened by the heavy doors closing behind me as I visited. But there was so much need! Some inmates are entirely abandoned by their family, so part of my walk with them is to love without judgment. It is a mutual walking in love – we listen to each other, and they learn from me and I from them.
As a Christian, I am motivated by the Great Commandment and the Baptismal Covenant, which tells me to respect the dignity of every human being. Everyone needs some help at some point in their lives, just as I did as a student and an immigrant. God walks in love with me in my struggles just as God does with the marginalized people with whom I minister.
— The Rev. Bertram Nagarajah serves as Deacon at Trinity Cathedral, San Jose, California and ministers widely to the Silicon Valley community.
We will celebrate All Saints on Sunday, November 3. All Saints is the feast in which the Church remembers the one communion and fellowship of saints, both past and present, and it is traditional to remember in the order of service that day loved ones who have died. If there are deceased whom you would like to be remembered in the order of service, please send their names to the parish office by Wednesday, October 30.
The parish vestry voted in 2022 to go "mask friendly"; that is, unless otherwise indicated, masks are optional at Trinity Parish. Please note that, pending further guidance from the Diocese and local infection rates, the church may in future return to requiring face coverings for in-person gatherings.
Located at 11 Homer Street in Newton Centre on the lower level of Trinity Church, the Pantry is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and a member of the Greater Boston Food Bank. It is open most Tuesdays from 2:30–5:30pm and the third Saturday of each month from 11:30am–2pm.
New households are asked to fill out the Online Pantry Registration Form or print and fill out this paper form. If you live in Newton and wish to be added to the CSFP delivery list, send an E-mail with your name, phone number, city, and family size. If you live in Boston, click here to find resources available for those in need of food.
Please remember in your prayers: the Episcopal parishes of Newton, our clergy and people; the Centre Street Food Pantry, its clients and staff; Joseph, our President; Maura, our Governor; and Ruthanne, our Mayor. Pray also for Joan and for peace and a return to calm in South Africa; for peace in South Sudan, the Palestinian territories, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen; comfort and care for all migrants and refugees; All Saints Anglican Church, Winterton, KwaZulu-Natal; the Khethani Christian Fellowship, Khethani Township, KwaZulu-Natal; B-READY Afterschool staff, teens, youth, and families; comfort and healing for Ellen, Dotty, Margaret, Beverly, MaryAlice, Solomon, Hannah, and Jorge; for the soul of David; for the soul of Eleanor; for the soul of Carolyn; for the soul of Bette; for the soul of David; for the soul of Ephraim.
Saints Calendar (For readings please see satucket.com/lectionary/)
The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 7:00pm Eucharist (6:45 Carols Prelude)
Read MoreThe Fourth Sunday of Advent, 10:00am Eucharist
Read MoreAnnouncements and events for the week of December 22, 2024
Read MoreBreathe one fleeting word and embrace the eternal Word.
Read MoreThe Third Sunday of Advent, 10:00am Eucharist
Read MoreAnnouncements and events for the week of December 15, 2024
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