Make a Joyful Noise: The Power of Music in Difficult Times
Ethnomusicologist and St. Bart's parishioner Margaret Farrell reflects on how music can lift spirits in difficult times.
Every Sunday at 10 am
Each week, guest speakers from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines join the Reverend Peter Thompson and other St. Bart's clergy for deep and insightful conversations about topics that matter to our lives as responsible citizens and people of faith. Speakers in recent years have included winners of the Tony Award, the Emmy Award, the MacArthur Fellowship, and the Pulitzer Prize, professors from prominent universities like Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia, and journalists from New York, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.
Sunday, July 20, 2025
Fake News: The Most Famous Quotes the Saints Never Said
The Reverend Peter Thompson fact checks quotations purported to derive from famous Christian figures, including St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Avila, Martin Luther, and John Wesley. Please post your questions in the comments section on Facebook or YouTube, or email the Reverend Peter Thompson at
Upcoming Speakers at The Forum
July 27 Mama: A Queer Black Woman’s Story of a Family Lost and Found
Author Nikkya Hargrove discusses her memoir about her unconventional journey to motherhood.
August 3 Expunge: Restoration after a Criminal Record
Attorney Jeffrey Grant, founder of White Collar Support Group, explains how expunging criminal records can benefit those who have already served their sentences and the society-at-large.
Watch or listen to The Forum from previous weeks below.
Featured
Funeral Planning for Invincible People (Who Have No Time to Die)
05.01.22 | Articles | The Forum
Funeral Planning for Invincible People (Who Have No Time to Die) Amy Cunningham, Owner of Fitting Tribute Funeral Services, helps us think about a topic we often avoid--our own deaths--and guides us in the important work of preparing...
Values, Vision, and Belonging: How to Reckon with the Climate Emergency
04.24.22 | Articles | The Forum
Values, Vision, and Belonging: How to Reckon with the Climate Emergency Karenna Gore, the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary, returns to St. Bart's to discuss the ongoing climate...
A Rabbi and A Priest in Conversation
04.03.22 | Articles | The Forum
4/3 A Rabbi and A Priest in Conversation As Easter and Passover both approach, The Reverend Meredith Ward speaks with Rabbi Sarah Berman, Director of Adult Education at Central Synagogue, about the connections between Christianity and Judaism...
Money Legacies
03.27.22 | Articles | The Forum
Donald Romanik, St. Bart's parishioner, President of The Episcopal Church Foundation and author of Money Legacies, calls us to recognize and reconsider the ways in which we were taught to think about money as children...
NYC Schools: A Conversation with Chancellor David Banks
03.20.22 | Articles | The Forum
David Banks, in his first few months as chancellor, shares his priorities for NYC Schools.
The Art of Ritual: Making Meaning in the Modern World
03.13.22 | Articles | The Forum
Whether secular or spiritual, simple or spectacular, remixed or traditional, rituals are powerful tools for deepening the experience of life. And yet they’re widely misunderstood and vastly underutilized, even in our religious institutions...
War in Ukraine: Understanding the Religious Dimension
03.08.22 | Articles | The Forum
3/8 Special Edition of The Forum Tuesday, March 8, 6:00 PM War in Ukraine: Understanding the Religious Dimension Aristotle Papanikolaou and George Demacopoulos, Co-Directors of the Orthodox Studies Center at Fordham University, discuss the...
Special Edition of The Forum: War in Ukraine: Understanding the Religious Dimensions
03.08.22 | Articles | The Forum
Professor Aristotle Papanikolaou, Professor of Theology and Co-Director of the Orthodox Studies Center at Fordham University, discusses the religious background for the current conflict in Ukraine and shares his perspective on how Christians are...
Fasting: A Most Counter-Cultural Practice in Lent
03.06.22 | Articles | The Forum
Brother Curtis Almquist of the Society of St. John the Evangelist introduces the season of Lent, paying particular attention to the practice of fasting and what it might mean to fast in this day and age.
Love Bade Me Welcome: A Close Reading of George Herbert’s Love (III)
02.20.22 | Articles | The Forum
LOVE BADE ME WELCOME: A CLOSE READING OF GEORGE HERBERT'S LOVE (III) George Herbert’s Love (III), with its moving depiction of a generous and forgiving Love, is one of the most cherished poems in the Anglican tradition. Julie...