Image: The 1889 Land Run

Dear friends,

It’s almost time for me to load up the wagon and head west! One of the great privileges of serving as a parish priest is the chance to take a sabbatical, and it’s time for mine this year. Because I worked in a part-time church job and an academic administration job before coming to Trinity, this is the first sabbatical I’ve taken since I was ordained 13 years ago. I’m both excited and grateful for the opportunity to spend a summer doing something different. 

My sabbatical plan has three parts. First, from May 12-16 I will attend the Oratory of the Good Shepherd silent retreat at the Community of St. John the Baptist’s convent in Mendham. I will be back for the weekend of the Choir Tea. Then, from May 19-26 I will take a ‘bucket list’ trip across the country on Amtrak. Finally, I will fly back to Newark and load up the car for two months serving as Theologian in Residence for the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma. 

From June 15-August 15, I will be living in Tulsa and affiliated with Christ Church, a growing suburban parish with a vibrant ministry to families. I will be present at Christ Church on Sundays and will preach on occasion, but I won’t have any day-to-day pastoral responsibilities.  My goals for the summer are the following:

• Enjoy a time of renewal and come back with new energy and new ideas for Trinity Church. 

• Learn from a successful parish and diocese in a very different context from Princeton. Christ Church Tulsa is a rapidly growing congregation that excels in ministry to young families and in integrating newcomers into active (and pledging) membership. Two of the five fastest-growing congregations in the Episcopal Church are in Oklahoma: Grace Church in Yukon and Christ Church in Tulsa. 

• Serve as a resource for the Diocese of Oklahoma as they witness to Christ in a challenging social, political, and cultural environment. 

• Begin preparation for my second book. This summer will mostly involve reading and thinking about what I want to say. ‘

I’m excited about what this summer will bring, and I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned with you. 

Yours in Christ,

In recent years, Trinity has held an ongoing dialogue about incarceration and the modern prison-industrial complex. We’ve read about and heard from people familiar with the struggles of life behind bars. Now it’s time to consider this: How do those who have spent years in prison adjust to life outside? 

Join us for the forum hour on April 27 to hear how one nonprofit, the Workwell Partnership, is addressing this issue. A Trinity outreach partner, WorkWell provides job- and life-skills training to returning citizens. Hear what one man has to say about how WorkWell changed his life—and from some of the people who have helped lead the program: Executive Director Jeannette Rizk and board members Connie Leyden and Tom Gates.  

I’m headed on the straight and narrow. Treat people the way you want to be treated—you never know when you are going to run into an angel. And they do walk the face of the earth.         

   —WorkWell graduate Murray 

WorkWell sessions are like therapy—they sprinkled stardust on me. I found courage to be a better man, not just for myself but for the community.

  —WorkWell graduate Larry

Calling all tenors! Trinity's adult choir is in need of a couple volunteer tenors. If this might be you, please reach out to our Director of Music Meg Harper at harperm@trinityprinceton.org!

Mtr. Kara's summer sabbatical begins on Monday, May 12, although she will be back for Saturday and Sunday activities on May 17-18. If you need to meet with her before she leaves, she's available between April 28 and May 11. Stay tuned for more information on what she's doing! 

Dear Friends,

Father Paul asked me to write a note letting you all know where I’ll be for two weeks in early May.  I am excited to share that I am going on a concert tour to Sweden!  Between May 2-16, I will be away for two organ recitals, followed by a bit of vacation time.  

My first recital, on May 6, will be far north in Sweden, in the city of Piteå.  There, I will perform on the genre-defying organ built by Gerald Woehl that is in Studio Acusticum Hall.  This instrument is sometimes referred to as the “organ of the future” for the way it gives the performer access to essentially several disparate instruments in one case.  Organs come in many styles, and have clear and different characteristics in various centuries and regions.  Typically when an organ is constructed, there is an attempt to keep the style of the instrument cohesive so that the whole instrument can work with itself to create a unified sound.  The concept for this organ is quite different.  The builder set out to give the organist access to many different styles of organ construction so that many types of repertoire will sound as convincing as possible.  As a result, the instrument is massive - it has 163 stops (distinct sounds).  I look forward to exploring the sonic capabilities of this instrument!  I will also give a masterclass for the organ and sacred music students at the University of Piteå.

Following this, I will play a recital at Tegs Kyrka in Umeå on May 10.  The organ here had four manuals and 50 stops which, compared to most organs, is quite large.  Compared to the Studio Acusticum organ, of course, it will be refreshingly modest.  It is by all reports a majestic instrument that was designed in the Northern European/Germanic tradition, and I look forward to getting to know it!

After this, I will take some vacation time in Visby, which is an island off the coast of Stockholm, and will take a brief excursion to Tallinn, Estonia.  

I am grateful to our wonderful Associate Director of Music Joseph Ferguson for keeping music running at Trinity while I get to connect with, help train, and share with musicians in Sweden.  I look forward to seeing you all at Choir Tea and Evensong on May 18 shortly after I return!
All my best,
Meg

20's-30s Event: Candle-making for the Choir Tea, Sunday, May 4

On Sunday, May 4, the 20s-30s Fellowship will share sandwiches and help out with a project to make candle centerpieces for the Choir Tea. Join us for fun with a purpose, supporting our choir as they prepare for their trip to England next summer. As always, RSVP here to make sure we order enough food:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbUwPzgavJWrHQoKV1gjR9PKA3h1-yWXjNfxDaJiHpImcSOw/viewform?usp=sharing

Oregon Trailblazers May Gathering: Saturday, May 17

On Saturday, May 17, the Oregon Trailblazers fellowship will celebrate the end of the program year with a potluck. To celebrate Mtr. Kara's impending sabbatical departure, the theme this month will be Wild West. Bring tacos, barbecue, or anything else festive! Sign up here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1moYWLZgHG4OK7St6dz4ZtOxfTqk9yAAwmQUP1A8xa5k/edit?usp=sharing

Trinity Comm

On Sunday, April 27 at 5:30pm, Trinity will host a reading of T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets, probably the greatest religious poem cycle of the 20th century. The readers will be Jakob Wilcoxson, Ada Matthews, and Brit Whittle, with a special guest appearance by Mtr. Kara as the ghost of the "long-dead master" in Little Gidding. The reading, which will last approximately one hour, will begin immediately following Compline. This will be the April activity for the Oasis LGBTQ+ Fellowship. 

In these turbulent times, I invite you to join me April 30 at 7pm for a conversation with Elizabeth Oldfield, author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times. As an Anglican Christian, Oldfield offers a thoughtful, faithful, and deeply insightful guide to soulful living, helping us navigate the challenges of being fully human and  fully alive. With refreshing honesty and humanity, she shares the truths of her own journey—its blessings and struggles alike—offering wisdom that is both accessible and profoundly moving.

Elizabeth Oldfield hosts The Sacred podcast and is the former director and now senior fellow of the think tank Theos. She appears across the media, including BBC Radio and television, UnHerd, the Financial Times, and beyond. Oldfield is also a contributing editor at Comment magazine, chair of Larger Us, and a coach and consultant working with purpose-driven individuals and organizations.

Sunday, May 4th at 4 pm

New to Trinity in the past year or two?  The Newcomers Committee invites you to join the clergy, vestry members and fellow newcomers for refreshments and fellowship at the Rectory where Fr. Paul Jeanes lives.  It's next to our parish hall at 25 Mercer St.  We'll start at 4 pm and end at 5 pm.  Then feel free to join us as we walk next door to the church for a lovely choral Evensong service  Registration is not required but is appreciated; email tomascott1965@gmail.com. 

Sunday, May 18, 2025, 3 - 4:30 pm 

Evensong at 5:00 pm

Pierce Hall, Trinity Church, 33 Mercer St

You are invited to join us for a delicious traditional English Tea at Trinity Church.  Enjoy this lovely opportunity to return to an elegant era and have a ‘cuppa’ plus homemade scones with clotted cream and jam, savories, and sweets.  All that and a delicious tea especially blended for this occasion, all served by formally garbed waitstaff and surrounded by lovely floral arrangements.  Following the tea at 5 pm, the exceptional Trinity Choir will sing a traditional Evensong in the historic church, accompanied by our master organists, Dr. Margaret “Meg” Harper and Joseph Ferguson.

Best of all, you will be helping our magnificent choir continue to make beautiful music, not only here in Trinity Church but on an invited tour to sing at English cathedrals in 2026!   This special event, priced at $45 per person with a special new opportunity for a VIP room with champagne and cocktails/mocktails ($85 for VIP room ticket), is a fundraising effort for our choirs.  Our choirs will sing for a week at Ely Cathedral and will be the Choir in Residence for an entire week at Westminster Abbey - an amazing opportunity for an outstanding choir!    

Be sure to make your reservations now as seating is limited.  Payment by cash, check, or Venmo to ‘Trinity Church’ with ‘Choir Tea’ in the memo line.   Questions and/or reservations? Please e-mail Terri Brown at terribrown4@gmail.com or call 609-915-3800.

Tickets will be on sale Sunday, April 27, outside Pierce Hall before the Common Grounds Café at 9 a.m. and in the narthex after the 10:30 service.  On Sunday, May 4, they will be on sale before the Forum in Pierce Hall and after the 10:30 service in the narthex.

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Date & Time: May 3rd at 4pm

Location: Trinity Church, Princeton, NJ

It will be two times the beauty and two times the excitement when Voices Chorale NJ presents “Requiem x 2”. The concert will showcase two powerful musical settings of the requiem mass: the monumental Mozart Requiem, left incomplete by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1791; and the Requiem by Brazilian composer José Maurício Nunes Garcia, completed in 1816 and inspired by familiarity with Mozart’s masterpiece. Both works will be accompanied by the 21-piece Berks Sinfonietta orchestra.

Mozart tragically died before completing his Requiem, and this concert will feature a 1991 completion of the piece by brilliant musician and Julliard scholar Robert Levin. To help audience members better understand and appreciate the various completions of Mozart’s Requiem through history, a pre-concert talk will be presented by Dr. David McConnell, Voices Chorale NJ Artistic Director, at 3:15pm.

Both “Requiems” are dramatic and intensely moving compositions of choral art, and promise an unforgettable musical experience that will captivate and move the audience. Don’t miss this doubly-exciting concert experience!

With the growth of our Nights of Support in Princeton, Good Grief is now able to support more grieving children and families. We now offer peer support groups on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evenings.

With a new night added, we are looking for compassionate and kind volunteers who would like to become a peer support group facilitator. Our next facilitator training is May 2nd-4th at Good Grief in Princeton. Our facilitators make all the difference by creating a safe and caring environment where grieving children and their families can express themselves.

Interested individuals can contact volunteer@good-grief.org.

In 1974, the first women were ordained as priests in the Episcopal Church. You can watch the acclaimed documentary on this pivotal event in our church's history at PBS from now until June. Here's a link if you want to watch on your computer, tablet, or phone: 

https://www.pbs.org/show/the-philadelphia-eleven/

You can also view it through the PBS app on your smart TV.