Dear Friends,
Saint Bartholomew’s Church in the City of New York is deeply connected to the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood in which we reside. The 9/11 Requiem Eucharist we hold each year at St. Bart’s is a powerful liturgy of remembrance. It illustrates our close connection to our neighborhood firehouse, police precinct, and the surrounding city. Nearly 300 people attended this service last Wednesday, many of them first responders and family members of first responders who lost their lives on that fateful day. What an honor it was to have them worshipping and receiving the sacraments with us in our incomparable house of worship.
As we prepare for our annual all-parish celebration of St. Bartholomew’s Day, I’m reminded of all the ways our faith community serves the larger community. St. Bart’s serves New York City in both tangible and intangible ways. Crossroads Community Services serves some 5,000 meals a week to hungry and sometimes homeless people living in Midtown and beyond. Our children’s programs seek to educate young people to live moral and ethical lives within the Christian faith. Our chorister program teaches children how to express their faith musically. Our adult educational programs help us explore the intersection of faith and intellect and challenge us to be aware of…and to confront…injustice and inequality in our society. Our worship services seek to offer a transcendent experience of the Holy and to lift our eyes to ponder things heavenly and eternal.
St. Bartholomew’s Day is always a happy occasion! We remember our rich heritage and ponder our astonishing future. There will be music, food, and opportunities to sign-up for a variety of programs to serve the church and the world. There will be old friends and fresh opportunities to make new ones. I always think of this weekend as the genuine start of the new year. I know that January 1st is the beginning of the calendar year, but September 15th is the beginning of the programmatic year and the start of a whole new set of opportunities to express your faith in the wider world.
I hope you will plan to join us for this festive occasion!
- 8:00 am Holy Eucharist in the chancel
- 9:00 am Holy Eucharist in the Round in the chapel
- 10:00 The Forum (featuring all the clergy from St. Bart’s answering “Ask Us Anything” questions)
- 11:00 am Choral Eucharist with the St. Bartholomew’s Choir in the church
- Following the 11:00 am service, the St. Bart's Day Fair and Back-to-the-Block Party with a bouncy castle, music, food, beverages, and lots of fun for everyone.
- 5:00 pm Contemplative Eucharist in the chapel
Come and become a part of this dynamic neighborhood church located in the heart of one of the largest cities in the world. Come and discover what we are truly all about!
Faithfully,
The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe
Rector