Church of the Holy Trinity

Open Doors

bwhitla — Tue, 15 May 2012 01:56:06 +0000

Friday May 25, 6pm

….part of the Oasis Series in the Heart of the City – services of music and prayer to nourish the justice seeking soul

a celebration of Doors Open weeekend…

With Special Guest Alfredo Barahona

A joint celebration of Holy Trinity and San Esteban

6-7 pm on the last Friday of the Month Simple meal to [...]

In-Between Spaces

bwhitla — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:47:46 +0000

A reflection on a Three Month Study Leave in Cuba

Homily for Easter 5, 2012

by Music Director, Becca Whitla

Good morning.

I have been asked to share with you a little bit about my recent three month study leave to Cuba. There is also a blog: http://springincuba.blogspot.ca/ and I plan to organize my photos some day someday!

I was there for three months from January to April to study choral conducting and theology at a seminar in Matanzas with my thirteen year old daughter Emma, finishing up the final semester of a Master of Sacred music degree from the University of Toronto. It was part of my larger personal, spiritual and academic journey.

This morning I’d like to invite you to reflect upon in-between spaces and [...]

Love in Action

shesselgrave — Wed, 02 May 2012 00:45:06 +0000

Homily for Easter 4 by Sherman Hesselgrave

Readings: From the Writings of Oscar Romero Psalm 23 1 John 3:16-24 John 10:11-18

“Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.”

The Fourth Sunday of Easter has come to be known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The gospel reading is always a portion of the 10th chapter of the Gospel of John, where Jesus says, “I AM the Good Shepherd” and the appointed Psalm is always the 23rd. Iconographic representations of Christ as the Good Shepherd can be found in catacombs from the earliest centuries of the Common Era. ‘Shepherd’ language has also entered the vocabulary of the church through its Latin equivalent, ‘pastor.’ Seminaries have professors of ‘pastoral theology,’ and parish [...]

Holy Week and Easter Thank Yous and a reflection on the new film, Bully

shesselgrave — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:26:27 +0000

In 1976, when I crossed the Canterbury bridge and became a member of the Anglican Communion, the revival of the Easter Vigil as the liturgical epicenter of the Christian year was in full swing. I still have the recipe for Pashka that was served at the Vigil that year, and I made a batch for our very special Vigil at Holy Trinity last night. For those who asked for it, here it is. It is intended to be spread on Easter bread:

4 8-ounce (907 grams) of cream cheese 1 cup butter 2 cups confectioner’s sugar 2 tsp vanilla 3/4-cup golden raisins or citron 3/4-cup toasted slivered almonds

Soften the cream cheese and butter at room temperature. Cream them (I use a Kitchen Aid mixer, but the recipe [...]

Caring in moments of fear

beth — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 17:51:07 +0000

Take a journey with me back to Maundy Thursday, to that upper room.

All the pictures we see and many of the stories we tell have twelve men at table with Jesus sharing that Last Supper. Probably there were many more than twelve in that room. We know that Jesus had many followers and several of the gospel stories tell of the women who were close to him and travelled with him.

Remember then, that Salome and the two Marys experienced the sadness of Jesus saying “this is my body & this is my blood”, the pain of Judas betrayal in the garden, the agony of Jesus death on the cross. They have been through it all over the past four days

They [...]

Holy Week at Holy Trinity

shesselgrave — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:38:18 +0000

 2012 Holy Week Schedule (Holy Trinity and San Esteban)

All services are bi-lingual (Spanish-English) except for Good Friday (English only)

Palm Sunday — April 1st 10:30 AM (Family Choir rehearses at 9:45 am)

Maundy Thursday — April 5th Supper and Maundy Thursday Liturgy 6:00 pm

Good Friday — April 6th 10:30 am (includes a children’s program)

2:00 pm Ecumenical Good Friday Social Justice Walk

The Great Vigil of Easter — April 7th 8:00 pm

Lighting of the Paschal Fire; Liturgy of the Word; Baptism and Renewal of Baptismal Vows; First Eucharist of Easter

Easter Day — April 8th 10:30 am Festive Eucharist with Flowering of [...]

The Perils of Certainty

isowton — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:38:16 +0000

There’s an interesting moment in the career of Oliver Cromwell, the great Puritan general who became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, when he is parleying with his Scottish opponents and says (I’m paraphrasing), “I beseech you for the love of mercy consider that ye may be wrong”. It’s not included in the record, though one feels it would have been very much to the point if the Scots in turn had besought him for the love of mercy to consider that he may be wrong. Cromwell prevailed in the ensuing flash of certainties and his troopers went on in iconoclastic certitude to stable their horses in Edinburgh cathedral. No doubt many of them took their victory as a God given [...]

Michael Creal’s homily for Lent 4: “Bread for the Journey”

shesselgrave — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:32:37 +0000

Fourth Sunday in Lent Homily March 17, 2012.

Readings cited: Numbers 21:4-9 John 3:14-16

Sometimes at Holy Trinity we have sung an African American hymn that goes “Soon and very soon, we will see the Promised Land.” I’ve never been altogether comfortable with that hymn for reasons I won’t go into at the moment, but certainly, in the reading we heard today from the Hebrew Bible, the people of Israel weren’t singing that hymn as they stumbled their way through the wilderness. They were grumbling and complaining and wishing they had never left the land of Egypt. They hated the rotten food and to top it all off, they were attacked by venomous snakes. Not a promising picture.

Now in the [...]

The Divine Feminine, Friday, March 30, 6pm

bwhitla — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 02:50:31 +0000

Friday, March 30, 6pm

….part of the Oasis Series in the Heart of the City – services of music and prayer to nourish the justice seeking soul

With Special Guest Suba Sankaran

6-7 pm on the last Friday of the Month Simple meal to follow

Downloadable Oasis Poster [...]

Healing the Past, Building the Future

kapn — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 03:07:06 +0000

You are invited to attend

A Service of Reconciliation

with Archbishop Terence Finlay and the Reverend Jim Ferry

Sunday, March 18, 2012 at 4 PM Church of the Holy Trinity 10 Trinity Square Toronto (behind the Eaton Centre)

Reception following The church is a fragrance-free zone Parking available at Bell Trinity Square and City Hall

Healing the Past – [...]