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
Sacred Muse: On Christian Art and Music
10.15.23 | Articles | The Forum
Charles Scribner III, author, art historian, and longtime member of the St. Bart’s community, ponders the many ways in which art and music can lead us to the sacred.
Histories, Fun Facts, Regular Facts
10.08.23 | Articles | The Forum
Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post will speak on her new book satirizing American history, US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up).
Embracing Our Differences: Becoming Boldly Inclusive
10.01.23 | Articles | The Forum
Minette Norman, author of the new book, The Boldly Inclusive Leader, explores how to foster inclusion in our workplaces, communities, and everyday lives.
The Practice of Hospitality in All Endeavors
09.24.23 | Articles | The Forum
Denise Mazzei, Associate Professor of Business Management, Culinary Institute of America will explore the nature and importance of hospitality. How might a professional perspective of hospitality enlighten the welcome we extend to others?
Building Respect for Religious Difference
09.17.23 | Articles | The Forum
The Reverend Mark Fowler, Chief Executive Officer of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding will share tools to negotiate issues involving religion effectively and with respect in workplaces and schools.
Women Leaders in Early Christianity
09.10.23 | The Forum | Center for Religious Inquiry
Fordham University professor Larry Welborn, who has taught popular classes at St. Bart’s for several years, introduces his new class on the role that women played in the first few centuries of the Jesus movement, brought to light by a...
The Seraj Library Project: Empowering Palestinian Communities, One Library at a Time
08.27.23 | Articles | The Forum
John Cassel, Treasurer and Board Vice Chair, reviews the remarkable story of the Seraj Library Project’s efforts to bring libraries and library programs to Palestinian communities in the Occupied Territories. The Seraj Libraries provide...
Feeding the Hungry, Welcoming the Stranger: The Work of Episcopal Charities
08.20.23 | Articles | The Forum
The Reverend Kevin Van Hook II, the Executive Director of Episcopal Charities of New York, discusses the ways in which our Diocese is caring for migrants and others in need.
I Was Glad: St. Bart’s Pilgrims in the Holy Land
08.13.23 | Articles | The Forum
The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe and other members of St. Bart’s who traveled to the Holy Land in May reflect on their experience.
Hildreth Meière
08.06.23 | Articles | The Forum
Architectural historian Kathleen Skolnik, who teaches at Roosevelt University in Chicago, pays homage to the prominent twentieth century muralist Hildreth Meière and discusses the works she created for Rockefeller Center, Temple Emanu-el...