DEAR FRIENDS 

This-coming Sunday, May 27, is Trinity Sunday, on which we celebrate the Undivided Trinity, Three Persons in One Substance:  Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  It’s an odd celebration in many ways.  Afterall, we affirm our faith the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity every Sunday at mass when we recite the Nicene Creed and at Baptisms and in the Daily Office when we recite the Apostles Creed.  Most notably, Trinity Sunday is odd because it’s the only festival in the church year which honors a specific doctrine and reality rather than a person or event.  One might argue that the Feast of Corpus Christi (traditionally celebrated on the Thursday or Sunday after Trinity Sunday) is also primarily about a doctrine, but Corpus Christi is not subscribed to by all Christian denominations, whereas the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity is foundational to all groups who call themselves Christians—Reformed, Anglican, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and everything in between.  Trinity Sunday is particularly popular among Anglicans because Thomas Becket was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury on the Sunday after Pentecost in 1182.  His first official act was to declare the day of his consecration as a new festival in honor of the Holy Trinity.  This observance spread from England throughout the whole of Western Christendom and was finally established for universal observance in the Western Church by Pope John XXII in 1334.
            If you are confused by the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity or find discussions of doctrine overly intellectual and brutally dull, you are not alone.  The nature of the Holy Trinity is one of the Holy Mysteries, and like all Holy Mysteries, wrapping our minds around It is sometimes difficult, and It is always difficult to express in mere words.  On one level or another, most of the heresies and theological wrangling in the first five centuries of the Christian Church concerned this very doctrine, and the debates were treated with life-and-death seriousness, even down to the philosophical and theological implications of single letters in the words used to articulate the church’s belief about the Holy Trinity.  And I can assure you that this week, all over Christendom, thousands of ministers are considering how best to give a Trinity Sunday sermon without either saying something heretical or boring their congregations into a coma.  Nonetheless, belief in the Holy Trinity is foundational to our understanding of who we are as Christians, and, therefore, worth our efforts to understand it, and certainly worth a special Sunday to celebrate it.
 
See you on Sunday,
Fr. Wallace
 

NO ONE DID FLEE . . . WE HAD A GRAND FLEA . . . MARKET, THAT IS! 

St. Paul's is happy to announce that it raised $3220 during its Annual Flea Market last weekend!—this despite rainy weather all day Saturday and the cancellation of the Carroll Park Fair.  A Flea Market is a tremendous undertaking, and we couldn't have done it without the all of the volunteers, some of whom started weeks ago, and their many, many hours of work.  Special thanks to the Flea Market Coordinators:  Sandy Miller, Madge Wilner, and Rob Snyder; and to Nick Mancino, who walked around in the rain wearing a sandwich board to bring people in.  Congratulations to everyone for a job well done!

SEARCH COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS APPOINTED 

The Wardens and Vestry of St. Paul’s are very excited to announce that Monika Torrey and Keith Edwards have accepted the invitation to serve as Co-Chairs of the Rector Search Committee. 

DIAPER DRIVE SUCCESS!

Thank you to all for your donations to the Sunday School's diaper drive. Because of your generosity, we were able to donate over 600 diapers and more than 100 packages of wipes, as well as diaper cream and other baby essentials, to the families in The Kensington.  The families are all very thankful for your support!!

CELEBRATION OF FR. BOB’S MINISTRY AT ST. PAUL’S

Sunday, June 10 

By now everyone has received the letter from Fr. Bob announcing that he will be leaving St. Paul’s.  We are planning a grand celebration of his 15-year ministry on Sunday, June 10, part of which is the presentation of a gift of appreciation.  If you would like to contribute to Fr. Bob’s gift, in appreciation and thanks for his ministry, special envelopes will be available in the service bulletin through June 10.  You may also mail your contribution to the church or pay through the website.  Remember to provide your name and pledge number (if you have one).  Please make checks payable to St. Paul’s Carroll Street.
 

SOLEMN EVENSONG & BENEDICTION ON CORPUS CHRISTI

4:00 pm, Sunday, June 3 

Cerdorrion Vocal Ensemble, 8:00 pm, Friday, June 1.  Information at http://cerddorion.org/.
Accord Treble Choir, “On Wings:  Birdsongs from Earth and Other Worlds,” 3:00 pm, Sunday, June 3.  Information at http://www.accordchoir.com/.

SUMMER SCHEDULE

Begins Sunday, June 24

As in past years and in order to avoid the summer heat, Sunday morning masses will begin at 10:00 am beginning June 24.

THIS COMING SUNDAY AT ST. PAUL’S

Trinity Sunday 

• Solemn High Mass: 11:00 AM
• Sunday's Appointed Readings and Homily
  • The First Reading—Isaiah 6:1-8
  • Psalm 29
  • Epistle—Romans 8:12-17
  • The Gospel—John 3:1-17
  • Sermon—Fr. Wallace
• Music
  • Prelude:  Psalm 23—Emma Lou Diemer
  • Entrance Hymn:  “Holy, holy, holy,” Hymnal, 362
  • Offertory Hymn:  “Holy God, we praise thy name,” Hymnal, 366
  • Communion Hymn:  “I bind unto myself this day,” Hymnal, 370
  • Dismissal Hymn:  “Holy Father, great Creator,” Hymnal, 368
  • Star-Spangled Banner in honor of Memorial Day
  • Postlude:  Chant héroïque (from Neuf pièces, Op. 40)—Jean Langlais