Sunday March 16th 2025
Worship at Trinity
Sundays 8:00 am (HE Rite I)
Café Trinity 9:00 am - 10:30 am Sunday Mornings
Sundays 10:30 am (HE Rite II with choir)
Sunday Worship Bulletins
To download your bulletin for the 8:00 am Sunday Service, click here.
To download your bulletin for the 10:30 am Sunday Service, click here.
Wednesday
12:00 pm Noonday Eucharist; gather in the church
A Morning of Kindness - Mar 23rd
The Vestry, Sam Burton and Tom Rotella invite everyone in the parish to participate in a Lent event. On Sunday, March 23rd, in Barber Hall, between the two services, we are calling it “A Morning of Kindness”. To reach out during Lent to those in need we will decorate brown paper lunch bags and fill them with useful items such as white socks, hand sanitizer and lotion, power bars, ChapStick, and more. A variety of colored pencils, markers, and stickers will be provided to decorate the bags. Parents and adults enjoying Café Trinity are encouraged to participate along with the youth.
We hope to prepare 50 bags which will remain on a table in Barber Hall through the remainder of Lent. The idea is, for any of you to take a finished bag and put it in your car. Then, if you encounter a person in need, possibly at a street corner or while you are out and about, take the bag from your car and hand it to them. Let’s spread a bit of love during Lent to people who could use it.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40
Vestry Faith team, Sam Burton, and Tom Rotella
Special Offerings during Lent and Easter
The Vestry has designated this year’s Easter Offering to support Trinity’s Blessings in a Backpack program. Please use your special offering envelope, write a check to Trinity Church with Easter offering in the memo space, or go to Trinity’s website, click on Donate, and pick the fund.
As is traditional, the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday offerings will go to support the ministries of the four dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. (If you want to learn more about the Good Friday offering, here’s the website - https://www.episcopalchurch.org/good-friday-offering/) Lenten offerings will go to support Episcopal Relief & Development. There are Lenten offering boxes and Lenten devotional materials on a table in the narthex.
Agape Meal on Maundy Thursday
The worship services spanning Maundy Thursday to Good Friday are considered on continuous service. We begin with an Agape Meal following the information in the Episcopal Book of Occasional Services. The Agape meal is followed by the Maundy Thursday worship service in the Sanctuary. The service ends with the Stripping of the Altar and procession of the reserved sacrament to a place for prayer for the night watch.
You may choose to attend any or all of these portions of our Maundy Thursday observance.
The sign-up for the Agape Meal is below. We ask everyone attending to bring one item to share with others. Agape Meal Sign-up
Night Watch also known as the Gethsemane Watch
Our Gethsemane Watch spans the period from the end of the Maundy Thursday worship until the first service on Good Friday. Thursday, April 17th (following the Maundy Thursday service) until 8am on Friday, April 18th (the first Good Friday service) the watch will take place in the middle of the sanctuary.
This ancient devotion is a reminder that on this night, Jesus asked his disciples to watch and pray with him for one hour in the Garden of Gethsemane.
You can sign up for a one-hour.
Night Watch - SIGN UP HERE
We hope to have all the hours covered.
Trinity's March Grief Support Group
Trinity’s March Grief Support Group gathers on Monday, March 17th in the lounge from 10:30 am - noon. This month we’ll consider the “Secondary Losses” that accompany a primary loss. These losses are integral to the bereavement experience and refer to the adjustments that have to be made with respect to many aspects of life.
Parking is available in the William Street parking lot. Please enter through the last door on your left. Contact Randall Clingenpeel @ 540-207-0600 with concerns and questions.
February 2025 Financial Snapshot
Above: Lent resources
Lenten Book Study
With Fr. Ethan
Adults of all ages are invited to join Fr. Ethan on Wednesday evenings from 6:00-7:30pm in Lent for a book study on God Didn't Make Us To Hate Us, the new devotional from the Rev. Lizzie McManus-Dail, an Episcopal priest and church planter in Austin, Texas.
Forty devotionals for forty days of Lent aimed to Liberate Your Faith from Fear and Reconnect with Joy and with chapter titles like "God is offensively generous" and "Baptizing the gender-fringe." Meetings will take place in-person at The House.
Click the link HERE to sign up. Click HERE to learn more the book and author. With questions, please be in touch with Ethan at missioner@thehousefxbg.org.
Lectio Divina Small Group for Lent
I find that Christians often forget that Jesus was a Jew. Most biblical scholars agree that Jesus’ intention was not to create a new religion, but rather to show us a “way” to live more fully in love with each other and with our God. In this Lectio series I want to use scripture from the Hebrew Bible that talks about the Messiah and then move into New Testament readings as well. The practice of Lectio Divina (divine reading) is easy. It is a way to engage with scripture in a very personal way. You can’t make a mistake.
Our group will meet for six weeks on Thursday mornings from 10-11:30 am in the Lounge beginning March 6th and ending April 10th. On Thursday, March 20th we will have a potluck Shabbat lunch together in Barber Hall with appropriate prayers and food.
In the Jewish tradition, a Shabbat dinner is prepared on Friday evening as a remembrance of the day God rested after the Creation. It also marks the start of a day of rest and worship for observant Jews. Since we won’t be together for dinner let’s plan a Shabbat lunch as a way to honor the Jewish roots of Jesus. It is likely he would have shared many Shabbat dinners with his family and friends.
Come to the Lectio group as you are able.
Registration is not required and all you need to bring is an open heart and mind.
Tom Rotella
Administration Office Hours
9:00 am - 2:00 pm Tuesday - Thursday
Interim's Office Hours (note change in blue)
Our (part-time) interim will usually be on the Trinity Campus
9:00 am - 2:00 pm on Tuesday through Thursday.
9:00 am-2:00 pm on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Fridays
8:00 am-1:00 pm the 2nd and 4th Saturdays
During the office hours she may be out at meetings or visiting parishioners, so it is good to call before dropping in. She is happy to meet with people outside these hours by appointment.
When possible, use the church phone to reach her. Her e-mail will be checked during the office hours. mstaley@trinity-fredericksburg.org. Note: if you send an e-mail after 2:00 pm Friday it may not be read until the following Tuesday morning.
Her "sabbath" is Sunday afternoon through Tuesday morning. If you have an urgent reason to reach her outside of office hours, the after-hours contact number is (330) 593-1549.
Text To Donate
You can use the traditional methods or ---Give using text messaging!
Text TRINITYEPISCOPAL
to 73256 on your cell phone
It will give you instructions on how to give
Trinity Communications Changes
Bible Reading Fellowship (Good News Daily) will continue. See details below.
Since 2021 our communications were done remotely from Texas. We believe we can do the important tasks in house at a lower cost. Effective March 1st the Newsletter, Facebook and the Web are being maintained in house.
Please have patience as we make the transition. We continue to seek someone who can assist with various office tasks. If you know someone with good word processing skills, tell them to contact us.
Trinity Communications Changes
"The Details"
The timelines for submitting information remain the same.
Trinity newsletter items need to be submitted by Monday at 5:00 pm.
Please send all newsletter items to news@trinity-fredericksburg.org.
Please send the information workable documents and NOT PDFs.
Please send photographs as separate attachments in your emails.
- Sunday Bulletins will be created in house.
- Our e-mail newsletter will continue every week
- Facebook will have highlights of our events and activities
- You will find key information on our web page
If you want your group's meeting date on the calendar, send it as a newsletter item to be included.
Instagram will not be used.
The Bible Reading Fellowship (Good News Daily) is in the Narthex. This will be produced on BLUE paper monthly. You can also read the daily entries on-line here: Bible Reading Fellowship
The February, March and April edition of "Forward Day by Day," a daily devotion book is also available for your use. They are in the same location as the Good News Daily.
The list of Birthdays, Anniversaries and the Prayer List are here.
In addition, they are listed on GREEN paper in the Narthex.
In addition, they are listed on GREEN paper in the Narthex.
The Anglican Cycle of Prayer is here
The Diocesan Cycle of Prayer is here
For Your Reference
Key Info:
Thank you GEMS for the beautiful flowers! - Mo. Mary
Spring is here!.
This Trinity of daffodils is blooming outside Trinity Episcopal Church.
Pet Stars of the Week
Sadie and Abby - the Interim's pups
Trinity is their third church since taking over my house. They are both "rescues" who were turned over to the Safe Harbor Schnauzer Rescue. Abby arrived in 2021. at the age of 7. Sadie (Abby's daughter) arrived a year later at the age of 6. They are both pure bred miniature schnauzers.
The picture below is from their favorite spot in my previous office where they could watch all of the foot traffic outside and greet parish visitors. -- Mary+
Have a pet to highlight?
Have news to share?
All items for the Trinity newsletter need to be submitted by Tuesday at 5:00 pm. Please send all newsletter items to news@trinity-fredericksburg.org.
Send as workable documents and NOT PDFs. If you want your group's meeting date on the calendar, send it as a newsletter item to be included. Pictures in jpeg format preferred.
CURRENT PRAYER LIST
Aaron, Alice, Allen, Art, Barbara, Betty, Billy Pearson, Bobbi, Brenda, Dabney, Dale, Dana, Danny, David, Debbie, Faye, Frank, Gail Conway, Gaynelle, Janet Smith, Jeff Davis, Jenny Grant, Jerry, Joanne Graves, John, Johnny, Kelley Kulina-Ryder, Kent, Kevin Libby, Kim, Larry, Leslie, Lynn, Melissa, Mike, Nancy Breaux, Nikki, Patricia, Paul, Rebecca, Rene, Rich, Shirley Detweiler, Steve, Susan G., Susan R., Tammy, Thomas, Tiffany, Timmy, Tina, Tracy, Vic
BIRTHDAYS
March 19th - Dora Holman
March 20th - Michael Hubbard
March 23rd - Alexander Luong
March 30th - Steve Bradshaw, William Ross
ANNIVERSARIES
March 17th - Sven and Kathy Rundman
March 19th - David and Jean Hunt
March 22nd - Bill and Kathie Clifton
Ministry Highlight
Blessings in a Backpack
Blessings in a Backpack has one of the most efficient assembly lines around!
In a matter of minutes, the well-coordinated team stuffs 90 bags with food supplies to send home with children in our area whose families need a little extra for each weekend.
The individual bags, then combined into larger transport bags which go into a car to make the delivery. Then, they prepare the next weeks bags for easy preparation.
someone should set this to music.
Volunteers always welcome to join the assembly line.
One more bag would not fit in the cat.
Bag fluffing - a special skill.
Patrick of Ireland - Monday March 17th
Bishop and Missionary, 461
The Episcopal Church has a list of people who we recognize as important examples of faith. If you look at pages 19-30 of the BCP you will see the list of all the people who are recognized. Only people who are found in Scripture have the label "Saint." on our Episcopal List. The Episcopal Book, Lesser Feasts and Fasts has a short Bio for all the people we recognize as well as a collect and readings if a service is held on their day.
Patrick of Ireland is known for many things, some myths (driving out the snakes)and some well known history.
- Grandson of a Christian priest
- Son of a deacon who was also an important Roman official serving in Britan.
- Captured by Irish slave-raiders at 16
- Served as a shepherd until his escape and return to Britan at 21
- Educated as a Christian -- ordained as both priest and bishop
- A vision called him to return to Ireland, so he returned
- He began a missionary conversion throughout the country
He made his appeal to the local kings and through them to their tribes. Christianizing the old pagan religion as he went, Patrick erected Christian churches over sites already regarded as sacred, had crosses carved on old druidic pillars, and put sacred wells and springs under the protection of Christian saints.
He wrote an autobiographical Confession, in which he tells us, among other things, that he was criticized by his [clergy] contemporaries for lack of learning
Trinity Episcopal Church
All are welcome!
825 College Avenue
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
540-373-2996
www.trinity-fredericksburg.org
The House - Episcopal Lutheran Campus and Young Adult Ministry