Starlight: Exploring the Epiphany in Art
The Reverend Dr. Ayla Lepine, Associate Rector of St. James's Piccadilly in London, explores the role of the star in the story of the Magi's visit to Bethlehem and how that star has been depicted in art.

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.
As Bishop Sarah Mullally prepares to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the Reverend Canon Chuck Robertson, Ph.D., Canon & Senior Advisor to the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, reflects on the role Archbishops of Canterbury have played within the Anglican tradition.
January 18: The Reverend Dr. Andrew Wilkes, Co-Lead Pastor, Double Love Experience Church
January 25: James L. Ferrara, M.D., Ward-Coleman Chair in Cancer Medicine, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine
February 1: Edward Button, Countertenor, The King’s Singers
February 8: Annual Meeting of the Parish
February 15: Melanie Holcomb, Ph.D., Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Nancy Thebaut, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the History of Art, University of Oxford
February 22: Michael Zuch, LCSW, Clinical Social Worker and Ph.D. student at Rutgers University School of Social Work
Watch or listen to The Forum from previous weeks below.
The Reverend Dr. Ayla Lepine, Associate Rector of St. James's Piccadilly in London, explores the role of the star in the story of the Magi's visit to Bethlehem and how that star has been depicted in art.
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.
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...
Alexander Pattavina, Director of St. Bartholomew's Choristers, and friends discuss the impact that singing can have on a young person's life.
The Reverend Jarel Robinson-Brown, Curate of St. Botolph-without-Aldgate in London, talks about why our body and God's body matter to our spiritual life and journey into wholeness.
The Reverend Canon Stephanie Spellers and the Reverend Zack Nyein reflect on the Episcopal Church's four day “festival for the Jesus movement” held recently in Baltimore.
Liz Reiner Platt, Director of the Law, Rights, and Religion Project at Columbia Law School, discusses current legal trends in religious liberty law, especially from a progressive perspective. Though “religious freedom” most commonly...
University of Michigan musicologist Mark Clague, author of the book O Say Can You Hear? A Cultural Biography of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” discusses Americans’ changing relationship with their national anthem.
The Right Reverend Deon Johnson, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, reflects on his experience as the first openly gay Black bishop in The Episcopal Church and the ways in which the Church is still working towards the full inclusion of...
Film Director Yuval David and Executive Producer Mark McDermott discuss their new documentary, Wonderfully Made, which explores the challenges of LGBTQ+ Roman Catholics. The film is accompanied by an art project, which aims to expand the viewers...
The Reverend Robbie Pennoyer, Head of Lower Manhattan’s Grace Church School, reflects on the state of our young people and the role that faith can play in their lives.