Trinity Church Welcomes All through its "Big Red Doors" with Tibetan prayer flags flying in the wind. It would be hard to find a more diverse group of believers, used-to-be believers, and sort-of believers. Many of us were born into other religions and denominations, and have found ourselves to be part of the inclusiveness of God's love.

Prayer - 400 Years

As we commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in Virginia in 1619, the church invites us to give thanks for the resilience and cultural contributions of people from the African diaspora. Therefore, let us offer our prayers to our Loving, Liberating and Life-giving God.

Resilient God, keep us forever in your path, we pray, lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met you in gift of friend and stranger, in the crucible of fortitude and struggle, that we never forget the ancestors who have brought us thus far by faith. By your might

Restoring God, yet with a steady beat, our weary feet have come to the places for which our parents sighed, inspire us with the energy to run with perseverance the race that is set before us, keeping our eyes fixed on you. By your might: Lead us into the light.

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, you who have brought us thus far on the way; Give us grace to honor the lives of your precious children, enslaved in body yet free in mind. May we forever stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before and make no peace with oppression, that children of slaves and former slave owners may one day live in harmony; through Jesus Christ our liberator, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God for ever and ever. Amen.

Hallowmas

October 31-All Hallows Eve. Also known as Halloween, Martinmas, Samhain, and Old Hallowmas, this day marks the midpoint of autumn. Nature's energy turns inward towards winter, and the veil between worlds thins.

October 31-Reformation Day is a religious holiday celebrated on October 31, alongside All Hallows' Eve, in remembrance of the Reformation, particularly by Lutheran and some Reformed church communities.The liturgical color of the day is red, which represents the Holy Spirit and the Martyrs of the Christian Church.

November 1 - All Saints. Our heroes have power to shape our lives. What kind of a hero is a saint? Heroes conquer; saints are heroes who conquer themselves. They are found in all cultures, all religious traditions, and all walks of life. The hidden ones may be the greatest.

November 2 - All Souls Day. Archaeologists find that even our earliest ancestors proved by burial rites sorrow and affection for their dear ones who died. On this day, we remember all who passed on before us and express lasting love by lighting a candle or by some other ritual.

November 5 - Election Day!!
Go out and VOTE.

November 8 - Called to One Table

The fellowship of the table teaches Christians that here they still eat the perishable bread of the earthly pilgrimage. But if they share this bread with one another, they shall also one day receive the imperishable bread together in the Father’s house. “Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 14:15) (© artwork by Br. Mickey McGrath, OSFS.)

November 9-10 Mawlid al-abi

Mawlid al-abi al-Sharif (Arabic: مَولِد النَّبِي‎ mawlidu n-nabiyyi, "Birth of the Prophet", sometimes simply called in colloquial Arabic مولد mawlid, mevlid, mevlit, mulud among other vernacular pronunciations; sometimes ميلاد mīlād) is the observance of the birthday of Islamic prophet Muhammad which is commemorated in Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar. 12th Rabi' al-awwal is the accepted date among most of the Sunni scholars, while Shi'a scholars regard 17th Rabi' al-awwal as the accepted date.

November 9-10 - Kristallnacht

(German pronunciation: [kʁɪsˈtalnaχt]) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November Pogrom(s), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by SA paramilitary forces and civilians throughout Nazi Germany on 9–10 November 1938. The German authorities looked on without intervening. The name Kristallnacht ("Crystal Night") comes from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after the windows of Jewish-owned stores, buildings and synagogues were smashed.

Jewish homes, hospitals and schools were ransacked as the attackers demolished buildings with sledgehammers The rioters destroyed 267 synagogues throughout Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland. Over 7,000 Jewish businesses were damaged or destroyed, and 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. British historian Martin Gilbert wrote that no event in the history of German Jews between 1933 and 1945 was so widely reported as it was happening, and the accounts from foreign journalists working in Germany sent shockwaves around the world.The Times of London observed on 11 November 1938: "No foreign propagandist bent upon blackening Germany before the world could outdo the tale of burnings and beatings, of blackguardly assaults on defenseless and innocent people, which disgraced that country yesterday."

The pretext for the attacks was the assassination of the Nazi German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old German-born Polish Jew living in Paris. Estimates of fatalities caused by the attacks have varied. Early reports estimated that 91 Jews had been murdered. Modern analysis of German scholarly sources puts the figure much higher; when deaths from post-arrest maltreatment and subsequent suicides are included, the death toll climbs into the hundreds, with Richard J. Evans estimating 638 suicide deaths. Historians view Kristallnacht as a prelude to the Final Solution and the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust.

November 11 - Veterans Day (U.S.)/ Remembrance Day. The day was originally called Armistice Day and then renamed Veterans Day. And indeed, the veterans – the rebuilders – are heroes who deserve our admiration and grateful support. Regardless of the deception that got them caught in the war, the war itself undeceived them. And they proved their heroism by going with open eyes about the task of rebuilding their lives.

November 11- St. Martin of Tours. Martin was reared a pagan and became an officer in the Roman army. As a young officer serving in the Province of Gaul (France) he became an "inquirer" or catechumen of the Christian faith. At Amiens he encountered a beggar who was cold and naked. Moved with compassion he ripped his own officer's cloak in two and gave the beggar half. From that time on he resolved to become a Christian and follow the Lord's way of life.

After obtaining a discharge from the army, he traveled about but finally settled at Poitiers where he and Hilary (see January 13), the Bishop of Poitiers, founded a religious community. Martin was eventually elected Bishop of Tours and in that capacity he became famous as a pastor and evangelist. He succeeded in establishing parishes and monasteries throughout the region. Martin was a strong advocate of justice in a time and place when power seemed to rule. He protested any mistreatment of heretics or pagans by Christians, and vice versa.

November 12 - Birthday of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (1651-1694). Theologian, early feminist, and first great Latin American poet, who described her inclination to study as so overpowering that neither others’ admonitions nor her own meditations could cause her "to forswear this natural impulse that God placed in me."

November 16 - Margaret of Scotland. When the Normans successfully invaded England in 1066 the Anglo-Saxon royalty fled from England. Margaret, a cousin of the defeated king, fled with her mother and sister to Scotland, where they found refuge in the court of King Malcolm. Margaret soon married King Malcolm and became Scotland's most beloved and revered queen.

She was always a deeply religious person, showing great interest in the church and great compassion for the poor. In her youth she considered a religious vocation and in her maturity she found one, as wife and mother. Her firm and loving influence on the king, the church, her children, and the people, virtually renewed the life of the whole nation of Scotland. Under her influence monasteries, schools, orphanages, and hospitals were founded and the quality of life greatly improved in the land. One tragic aspect of Scottish life about which Margaret could do nothing was that of clan warfare and blood feuds. Malcolm was treacherously slain at Alnwick in 1093 and the grief-stricken Margaret died a few days later. Their son, David, became one of Scotland's finest kings. Their daughter, Matilda, married the English King Henry I, and so Margaret and Malcolm are ancestors of the present British Royal Family.

November 18 - Hilda of Whitby. The lovely Hilda was like a breath of spring in the dark winter of seventh-century England. She was born of the pagan royalty of Northumbria. When she was thirteen years old her great uncle, King Edwin, was converted, and she was baptized with his household. She was a lady of some rank and station and, although deeply touched by the new faith, hesitated to enter upon a religious vocation until she was over thirty. Eventually she founded a monastery at Whitby, with the help of Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne.

The Whitby monastery welcomed men and women and became a great center of the British church. According to Bede, Hilda oversaw the careful teaching of Holy Scripture, "by word and example, righteousness and mercy and purity, and especially peace and charity." There the famous Anglo-Saxon poet, Caedmon, was befriended and there he composed much of his work. There in 664 King Oswy called the church council which decided on the Romanization of the old British (Celtic) Church. Hilda was not pleased with this decision, which seriously changed the worship and discipline of her community. However, she gracefully accepted it, relinquishing local customs in the interest of the unity and order of the universal church.

November 17 - Elizabeth of Hungary. Being born wealthy does not assure security in life, and one's own generosity to others does not guarantee repayment in kind by others. Elizabeth was the daughter of the king of Hungary. She married Louis the Fourth, Landgrave of Thuringia, Germany. She was a loving and exemplary wife and mother. However, when she was only twenty years old, her husband was killed and she and her children became the wards of her husband's cruel and selfish brother, Henry Raspe. Eventually he expelled Elizabeth and her children from the family home, Wartburg Castle.

Elizabeth sought refuge in the church in Marburg, but even there she was not kindly treated. The stern, powerful, and insensitive priest, Conrad, called "the Master of Marburg," had her children taken from her and placed her in a convent of women Franciscans, known as Poor Clares. There she was treated with almost sadistic severity. "Like grass beaten by a thunderstorm," to use her own phrase, she revived to become the most beloved "sister of the poor" of Marburg. She often sewed garments for poor children until her fingers bled, or went days without sleep while caring for the sick. She died in 1231, at the age of twenty-four.

November 20 - Remembrance Day for Meister Eckhart (1260-1328). German mystic, theologian, and Dominican prior whose writings – condemned as "heretical" by the church of his day -- still profoundly influence us. "If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you," he noted, "it will be enough."

November 22 - Feast Day of St. Cecilia. Patroness of church music and musicians, whose feast celebration dates to the 4th century. Depicted with an organ, St. Cecilia has inspired musical tributes by Purcell (“Hail, Bright Cecilia”) and Handel (“Ode on St. Cecilia Day”).


November 22 - Clives Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis). Born in Ireland, Lewis attended the Protestant church, though he left participation in the church in his teenage years. As a young adult, he flourished as a scholar. He was accepted into University College, Oxford, to study classical literature. During the first world war, Lewis volunteered with the army, and he was sent to the Somme Valley. There he experienced the horrors of trench warfare. Several years after the war, Lewis found himself embracing Christianity once again, described in Surprised by Joy, "I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England." As a Christian and a gifted author, C. S. Lewis provided the world with book after book in which the simple and grand truth of Christianity is exposed. His well-known titles include The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, Miracles, The Great Divorce, and, of course, The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis found deep joy in the faith, despite many challenges of his life. His wish was that all people might know the love of God. "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." Forward Movement


Nov. 24 - Christ the King / Reign of Christ. At the conclusion of the Christian year, the church gives thanks and praise for sovereignty of Christ, who is Lord of all creation and is coming again in glory to reign (see Revelation 1:4-8). This festival was established in 1925 by decree of Pope Pius XI. Originally it took place on the last Sunday in October, just prior to All Saints’ Day. Now it is celebrated on the last Sunday of the Christian year, a week before the season of Advent begins. The festival of Christ the King (or Reign of Christ) ends our marking of Ordinary Time after the Day of Pentecost, and moves us to the threshold of Advent, the season of hope for Christ’s coming again at the end of time.

November 26 - Birthday of Charles M. Schulz (1922-2000) (att.Charles Schutze). Graphic artist, cartoonist, creator of "Peanuts" comic strip, winner of two Peabody Awards and four Emmys. His gift of presenting life's questions and issues with gentle humor brings readers to deeper self-understanding.

November 28 - Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving Prayer

In the silence of our hearts, let each of us give thanks for all the many gifts that are ours.

Let us also be mindful of those today who are without food, family, or home. Let us remember all whom we love who are not now present with us here: those who have gone before us, those in the present time, and those to be born whom we will love.

God of all good gifts, from your holy heart has come a flood of gifts upon us. With uplifted hearts, we gather together to thank you with prayer and with the worship of feasting.

We are grateful not only for the gift of life itself, but for all the gifts of friendship, love, devotion, and forgiveness that we have shared.

May we give our thanks by lives of service, by deeds of hospitality, by kindness to strangers and by concern for one another.

We are most grateful this day for the way You, our God, are visible to us in one another, in countless daily gifts, in the marvels of creation.

We bless you oh God, for the blessings of our lives; and invite you to bless our table and all of the food of this feast that we share. Let us thank the Lord today and all days. Amen.

Sallie Latkovich, CSJ


November 28 - Kamehameha and Emma, King and Queen of Hawaii, 1864, 1885. (att. Queen Emma). The Hawaiian Islands were first evangelized by sternly Calvinistic Congregationalists and by Roman Catholics. Neither group had much respect for the other or for the native Hawaiian culture and traditions. King Kamehameha IV, who was crowned in 1854, and his wife, Queen Emma, actively sought a branch of Christianity that was all-embracing, reconciliatory, and accepting of Hawaiian culture, yet orthodox and traditional.

They found such in Anglicanism. Queen Victoria served as godmother to their son. Under royal patronage Thomas N. Staley became Hawaii's first bishop, ground was broken for St. Andrew's Cathedral in Honolulu, The Book of Common Prayer was translated into Hawaiian, the Queen's Hospital was founded, and several schools were established in the islands with Anglican clergy as tutors. Kamehameha was only twenty-nine when he died. Queen Emma lived on for many years and became a symbol of dignity and Christian piety to the people of Hawaii. The Archbishop of Canterbury described her as one of the most saintly souls he had ever met.

November 30 - St. Andrew (att. St. Andrew). Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter. In fact, he was in part responsible for Peter's call, for he went and "found his brother Simon…and brought him to Jesus" (John 1:41-42). Andrew was a fisherman by trade. He was a follower of John the Baptist before being called by Jesus as a disciple. It was Andrew who told Jesus about the boy with loaves and fishes at the feeding of the five thousand. Andrew also assisted in the distribution of the food on that occasion.

Tradition tells us that Andrew worked among the Scythians, ancient inhabitants of a part of modern Russia. He has long been the patron saint of Russia. Andrew is also the patron saint of Scotland, and the Scottish flag bears the X shaped cross usually associated with him. It is believed that he was bound to such a cross and thus met his death at the hands of angry pagans.







The Liturgical Seasons

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** This prayer is offer for Victims of Violence throughout of the world. Victims of verbal, physical, emotional, of hunger and thirst,economic abuse,warfare (especially Ukraine, Venezuela, parts of Africa, South America Asia and the Middle East, terrorist action, the death penalty, suicide, shootings (in our cities and neighborhoods), and other guise of violence. May their souls rest in peace and their families experience the Comfort of God. The Church bells will toll on Wednesdays @ 6:10pm.

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