A memorial service for Polly Fiddler will be held at Trinity Church on Saturday, August 10, at 11 a.m. Polly has been at the heart of our Trinity parish and the New Haven community for decades. We will remember her with so much love and friendship, that she shared so generously with all of us. Let us join Polly and Andy in prayer, for the rest of Polly's soul and for consolation and comfort for Andy in this time of grief.
A number of people in our Trinity community are Indian and Southeast Asian. We are gathering a group of these parishioners this Sunday, July 7, after the 10:30 service in the undercroft to discuss the possibility of starting a group. If you have questions, please email Rev. Heidi. hthorsen@trinitynewhaven.org
This summer we have a few opportunities for individuals to step up and volunteer to make our church a more hospitable place. These opportunities are on top of the ongoing work of our usher team (thank you!).
Serving at Coffee Hour: We are looking for volunteers who can sign up for a Sunday to help stand by the kitchen island in the undercroft, welcome people, and assist with serving food during Coffee Hour. Food will be provided by staff or vestry on most Sundays, though additional contributions are very welcome.
Name Tag Greeter: Stand by the door and help people find their name tag on the magnetic board, or help them a name tag if they don’t already have one. We are coming up on the one-year anniversary of our new name tags, and many people have expressed their gratitude for name tags as a way of getting to know others better. Help us continue this ministry of welcome.
Reach out to Rev. Heidi if the above opportunities interest you. hthorsen@trinitynewhaven.org
This Sunday, June 30, marks Walden Moore's last day as Director of Music at Trinity on the Green. Please join us for our 10:30 service in person or online as he leads our music in worship one last time. Our hearts are heavy knowing that he will no longer be passionately conducting our choirs or effortlessly playing Sister Soosie, but we are grateful that he will continue to offer his gifts to God and the good people of St. John's Episcopal Church, West Hartford, as their Interim Director of Music in the fall.
For 40 years, Walden has formed the minds, hearts, and musicianship of hundreds of young choristers, adult singers, and organists who—even after many decades—look up to his musical prowess, great faith, and generous spirit. Throughout his tenure, Walden has overseen and developed a robust chorister program (one of the few remaining of its kind), fostered excellence and a love of singing in our parish choir, and attended to the many administrative and pastoral needs of our church—all the while serving as lecturer in organ at Yale and guest clinician at choir festivals around the nation. Walden’s unwavering commitment to educating young people also led to the founding of the Choir of Adults and Girls in 2003 and a “long purple line” of organ scholars from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.
Our prayers are with you, Walden, as you begin your next chapter. May this parish always be a home to you. From the bottom of our hearts, we say thank you!
Come, labor on.
No time for rest, till glows the western sky,
Till the long shadows o'er our pathway lie,
And a glad sound comes with the setting sun,
"Servant, well done!"
Our hearts are heavier still as we also bid farewell to our Organ Scholar, David Preston. David graduated last month with his Master of Music in organ from the Yale School of Music. Next fall, he will begin pursuing a second master's degree in harpsichord at Stony Brook University where he will study with Arthur Haas. David will also serve as Associate Organist and Choirmaster at the Cathedral of the Incarnation, Long Island. Congratulations and Godspeed, David!
Our new Organ Scholar from the incoming class at Yale will be announced soon.
While the summer is normally a mellower time for church communities, this was not the case at Trinity. The life of our parish was in full swing this past week—check out some highlights below:
Our Boys and Girls Choirs embarked on a brief trip to Boston. While their arrival was delayed slightly due to the Celtics parade, they enjoyed visits to Quincy Market, the New England Aquarium, and a Duck Boat tour. Last Sunday they sang the morning Eucharist at Trinity Church, Copley Square, where former Organ Scholar Jerrick Cavagnaro serves as Associate Director of Music. Thanks to the good folks at Trinity for their warm welcome, and to our music staff for organizing the trip!
Children, Youth, and Family Ministry gathered at Best Video in Hamden for a screening of Pixar's Inside Out. More than 30 parishioners of all ages laughed, cried, and enjoyed some delicious pizza! The event was part of CYF's at-home summer program, Caring Together, which focuses on good mental health and caring for ourselves throughout the summer months.
Trinity parishioners joined St. Luke's Episcopal Church for a Faith-Full Juneteenth Festival. Attendees enjoyed music by the St. PJ's Jazz Collective and St. Luke's Steel Band. The rain and thunder held off until right when the event ended! May we see one another as God sees us and renew our commitment to freedom and justice every day.
Thursday, July 4 | Spiritual Fellowship July 4 Cookout
3:00 p.m. on the Green
James Thomas and the Trinity Spiritual Fellowship host this annual cookout, open to the greater community.
Sunday, July 7 | Sandwich Making for Chapel on the Green
9:30 a.m. in the Undercroft
All hands on deck to help us make sandwiches for our neighbors at Chapel on the Green. Join us later that afternoon for our 2 p.m. outdoor worship service and help serve the sandwiches.
Saturday, July 13 | Ratatouille Pizza & Movie Night
4:30 p.m. in the Undercroft
As part of Trinity's summer sermon series about food, we present a family-friendly movie night featuring Disney's Ratatouille, activities, pizza, and maybe even some ratatouille! RSVP to family@trinitynewhaven.org by July 11.
Sunday, July 21 | Eat, Pray, Play
5 p.m.
"Eat, Pray, Play" allows time for fellowship and food at the home of a Trinity parishioner. These gatherings are open to all members of our community! RSVP to family@trinitynewhaven.org by July 18. Location will be provided upon registration.
Saturday, July 27 | Clean the Green
10 a.m. on the Green
Help make the New Haven Green cleaner, nicer, and more welcoming for all! Meet up at 10 a.m. on the north side of Trinity Church. Rain cancels.
Starting this week until September, there will be no Morning Meditation at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The Trinity Sages group, which meets on the second Tuesday of each month, will also go on hiatus during July and August. Happy Summer!
Fellow Trinity Parishioners,
Regretfully I feel that I must step down as your Junior Warden for none other than personal reasons.
It has been my honor to serve and I have treasured the experience. Please know that I have full faith in the leadership and clergy of Trinity on the Green and have nothing but praise and loving things to say about them all. I am particularly grateful to David Soper, who has unselfishly agreed to step in and serve as an interim until a replacement can be found. He will continue to serve as treasurer and he will certainly bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role.
In closing, I would only ask that you keep me in your prayers as I will certainly keep all of you in mine.
Bob Scott
The Role of a Church Warden and Selection Process
This transition has caused several people to ask about the role of wardens in the church and about Trinity’s warden (s)election process.
The canons of the Episcopal Church provide only a minimal description of the wardens’ responsibilities, listing only one specify duty, namely to notify the bishop “when the parish is without a Rector.” In general, wardens are an example of Christian leadership and life, who provide guidance and support to clergy, the Vestry, and the congregation.
There are different traditions in the Episcopal Church when it comes to (s)electing a new Warden. Some parishes elect wardens, others have the Vestry identify them, or in some cases the Rector appoints a “Rector’s Warden” while the Vestry selects a “People’s Warden”.
Over the past decades our parish has developed a process of warden (s)election that includes three steps:
Wardens and clergy choose a slate of candidates
Trinity’s group of former wardens convene, discuss the slate, and make a recommendation to the Rector
The Rector calls the selected candidate
At Trinity, wardens serve a term of four years. They must have been a Vestry member prior to becoming a warden, and one new warden takes office every two years. This is provided that the new warden the chance to shadow an existing one before becoming the “senior” warden.
...will be the destination of the music staff and the treble choristers this weekend as they travel to a weekend in Boston. They’ll be staying near the Common and will be able to take in some of the history of the city while preparing to sing the Sunday morning service at Trinity Church, Copley Square, where former Organ Scholar Jerrick Cavagnaro is now Associate Director of Music. Our prayers and good wishes go with the travelers on their adventure.
...will be Dr. Mark Brombaugh who will be playing while Walden and Sarah are with the treble choristers at Trinity Church in Boston this weekend. Mark, and his wife, Dr. Kathryn Nichols (also an organist and ordained Presbyterian minister) are longtime friends of Trinity. They have retired to the New Haven area and are substituting at various churches in the area. Welcome, Mark!
Community member at Chapel on the Green—a mom with two young children—just moved into a new apartment and is in need of two dressers and a sofa. Can you help? Contact Lisa Levy, our Outreach Minister! cotg@trinitynewhaven.org
Dear All,
With sadness I am sharing with you the news of Polly Fiddler's departure. In the presence of Andy, her husband and our Trinity Rector Emeritus, she peacefully passing away shortly after noon on Tuesday, June 11.
While Polly's decline hasn't gone unnoticed recently, a fall during a morning walk two weeks ago broke some of her vertebrae, and she has been hospitalized ever since.
Polly has been at the heart of our Trinity parish and the New Haven community for decades. We will remember her with so much love and friendship, that she shared so generously with all of us.
Andy is planning a memorial service for late summer, early fall.
Let us join Polly and Andy in prayer, for the rest of Polly's soul and for consolation and comfort for Andy in this time of grief.
-Luk
Into thy hands, O merciful Savior, we commend thy servant Polly. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech thee, a sheep of thine own fold, a lamb of thine own flock, a sinner of thine own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of thy mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.
On Sunday, June 16, after the 10:30 service in the undercroft, our Senior Warden Marsha Ackerman and Rector Luk De Volder will present an update on the search process for our new Director of Music. They will provide background information and details of the upcoming interview process. It will be an opportunity to address questions and a chance to share our strategy to bolster our Trinity choirs and music program.
This past year's interview process (2023-24) has been most instructive thanks to the hard work of our search committee. Much gratitude goes out to each of them, especially the co-chairs Paul Berry and Marsha Ackerman. With the security of an interim Director of Music, Simon Lee, coming this fall, and with a sense of increased expertise, we are now ready to resume the search process.
Our Children, Youth, and Family Ministry is celebrating the dads in our community with prayer and fellowship. Children’s Chapel features a gift-making session, too. Join us!
Young Adult Episcopalian (YAE) events are for young adults ages 21-39(ish). If you attend an Episcopal church, another mainline church, or are generally seeking community and a place of faithful belonging, you are welcome to join us. Feel free to bring a friend!
Questions or want to rsvp? Email yaeforjesus@gmail.com or Rev. Heidi (hthorsen@trinitynewhaven.org). RSVP is strongly encouraged for all events.
Event Schedule
Trivia at The Trinity Bar (not the church...) | Tuesday, June 18 at 5 p.m.
Join our trivia team at The Trinity Bar (157 Orange Street). YAE covers food (not drinks). Parking is available on the Trinity apron if you need a place to park for free. Plan to arrive between 7 and 7:30 p.m.; trivia starts promptly at 7:30.
June House Church | Sunday, June 30 at 5 p.m.
Gather at Corsair Apartments (1050 State Street) for a casual Community Eucharist followed by food and fellowship. Wear a swimsuit if you’re interested in swimming in the pool!
Blueberry Picking & Cobbler Baking for COTG | Two-part event!
Saturday, July 27 at 10 a.m. – Pick your own blueberries at Bishop’s Orchard (480 New England Road, Guilford) … both for yourself and for our baking project (see below).
Sunday, July 27 from 12:30-3 p.m. – Meet in the Trinity undercroft and help bake some blueberry cobbler to serve at Chapel on the Green, a weekly meal service that serves folks who are housing or food insecure on the New Haven Green.
August House Church | Sunday, August 11 at 7 p.m.
Join us around the campfire for dinner and Compline (a brief and beautiful service of night prayers). We’ll end the night with s’mores. Address will be provided when you RSVP.
YAE Planning Meeting | Sunday, September 15 at 12:30 p.m.
We’ll end the summer with a lunch at Nica’s (603 Orange Street), covered by YAE. We will make plans for how we will gather in the fall and early winter.
This year's summer sermon series begins on July 14 and ends on August 18. Six preachers will reflect on the relationship between food and faith through the lens of personal storytelling and scripture. This sermon series will tie in with a number of other activities around Trinity this summer, including the compilation of a new Trinity cookbook!
All preachers will submit a recipe alongside their sermon, which ties in with the themes of the sermon in some way.
July 14 – William Margraf, Seminarian
July 21 – Rev. Heidi Thorsen
July 28 – Lisa Levy, Outreach Coordinator
August 4 – Rev. Luk De Volder
August 11 – TBA
August 18 – Rev. Peter Sipple
This Sunday at our 10:30 a.m. service we honor the dedication, talent, and musicianship of our Choir of Adults & Girls and Choir of Men & Boys. The service includes the investiture of new choristers, the awarding of prizes and certificates to graduating members, and recognition of our singers and music staff. Tributes will also be given to outgoing Director of Music Walden Moore. After the service, all are welcome to a festive coffee hour in the undercroft!
Join the Trinity Yarn Works group in the undercroft this Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. to discuss items to make for this year's Christmas Market. We have lots of patterns and and yarn to share and are looking for new ideas to create! A light lunch will be provided.
This Sunday, Trinity choir members and others join Rev. Peter Sipple to present a concert titled "The Promise of Love." The concert will be held at 4 p.m. at St. Thomas's Episcopal Church (830 Whitney Avenue).
The program features repertoire related to the theme of love from the Renaissance to the present day, including works by Gesualdo, Brahms, Debussy, Vaughan Williams, Tim Lind, and others. Admission is free but donations are gladly accepted to support the music ministry at St. Thomas's.
