Dear Friends,
As a boy, I remember watching The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday nights with my family. Mr. Sullivan made a regular promise to his television audience when he said, “Tonight, we’re going to have a really big show!” This weekend at St. Bart’s, I can make that same promise. We have a series of activities planned for Sunday which will make it hard for anyone to miss church... either in-person or on-line! We have a REALLY BIG Sunday coming up.
- This Sunday, October 6, we celebrate The Feast of Saint Francis featuring a blessing of the animals at the 11 am and 5 pm liturgies. This is a beloved service for all animal lovers and we invite you to bring your pets (or pictures of your pets) as we offer blessings for our animal companions and prayers for the stewardship of creation. For children at the 11 am service, The Art Farm NYC will bring animals for our children to learn about and pet in the chapel during Kids' Church. Peter DeMenocal of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will offer The Forum at 10 am and we will have treats and water available for our animal guests, so bring your pets and join in the fun. (I should add that the 8:00 am and 9:00 am liturgies will remain pet-free for those who prefer a quieter worship experience.)
- We will also offer a blessing and send-off at the 11 am liturgy for pilgrims embarking upon the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage led by our Vicar, the Reverend Peter Thompson and fellow parishioner, Rob Radtke, from Episcopal Relief and Development. The Santiago de Compostela is an important Christian pilgrimage city (along with Rome, Jerusalem, and Canterbury) in the Christian tradition. Pilgrims began traveling to this location from across Europe beginning in the 9th century to witness the reported tomb of the apostle Saint James, son of Zebedee, known as “Santiago.” The “Camino” is intended as a journey to help pilgrims deepen their prayers and renew their faith and we look forward to hearing from these pilgrims upon their return to New York City on October 27.
- Finally, on Sunday afternoon at 4 pm, everyone is invited to a service of Choral Evensong. Stanford’s Evening Service in C, as well as the music of William Smith and George Dyson will be sung by the St. Bart’s Singers and the St. Bartholomew’s Choristers. Come join in this wonderful Anglican tradition.
It is a profound joy to serve such a vital community of faith with so many things happening all at once. Sometimes it feels like a three-ring circus, but the energy and enthusiasm generated by these various events makes me so proud of our staff and our lay volunteers who make all these programs possible. Come and experience a REALLY BIG Sunday at St. Bartholomew’s Church in the City of New York.
Faithfully,
The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe
Rector