Dear Beloved of Trinity,

As we draw ever closer to the celebration of the Resurrection, I share with you these beautiful words of Easter blessing from John O’Donohue:

"On this Easter morning, let us look again at the lives we have been so generously given. Let us lay down the useless baggage we carry—old pains, old habits, old ways of seeing and feeling—and find the courage to begin again.

Life is so short, and we are no sooner here than it is time to go. We must use to the fullest the time we have been given. We often underestimate the good we can do. A kind word, a listening ear, a helping hand—these can be the light someone needs in a time of darkness.

We weren’t put here to chase wealth or status. We are here to seek the light of Easter within our hearts—and once we find it, we are meant to share it freely and generously.

May the spirit and light of this Easter morning … bless us, watch over us, protect us on our journey, and draw us out from the shadows into the light of peace, hope, and transfiguration."

Easter is a miracle, a promise, and a calling. The truth of Easter is a sacred invitation to reawaken our souls to the gift of life and the infinite possibilities before us. The Easter proclamation stirs us from the slumber of indifference, opening our hearts to see the world with renewed wonder—to feel again the joy of simply being alive, and to walk more fully and freely in the way of the Risen Christ.

May we embrace, with joy and renewed spirit, the days before us. And may the light of Easter continue to guide, sustain, and encourage us for the journey yet to come.

Easter Blessings,

From 8 pm on Maundy Thursday evening to 7 am on Good Friday morning, the reserved sacrament from the Maundy Thursday service will be on the altar in the Lady Chapel. We invite you to spend an hour in prayer with Jesus, who asked his disciples ‘could you not watch with me one hour.’ 

Sign up at the Google link below or in the Narthex: 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1li8RNJzYlMZHXMicNtPM7ZtVDrLee3vG4--JoembROU/edit?usp=drivesdk

Families! Save the Date: Holy Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 11am

Trinity’s Easter Egg Hunt takes place on Holy Saturday at 11am on Stockton Lawn, and will be covered with colorful, candy and treat-filled eggs. Beforehand, we gather at the church entrance for a blessing. Bring your baskets and get ready to hunt for eggs. During the hunt, keep an eye peeled for the Easter Bunny, who loves to pose for photos. Come back for the Easter Vigil at 7pm or on Easter Morning to celebrate our Risen Lord!

The Agape meal will be directly following the 7:00 pm Easter Vigil service on Saturday, April 19. We will need volunteers for set up (6:30 pm), serving (9:00-9:15 pm), and clean up (10:00 pm- 11:30 pm). Volunteers should email Thalia Mingo at thaliawmingo@gmail.com

Trinity's current Communications Director Char Mansfield will be moving to Chicago to pursue their career as an ordained minister.  During Char's eighteen months in this role, they have greatly enhanced the quality and timeliness of our parish communications as well as the live-streaming of our Sunday service.  Now we need to replace them and continue their good work! The search  committee consists of Morgane O'Connell, Nithila Peter, Hailey Hensley, Tom Scott, Annie Bryson and Char Mansfield. A job description is posted at https://www.trinityprinceton.org/employment. If you or someone you know is interested in this part-time position, please send a resume and cover letter to communicationsearch@trinityprinceton.org. 

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! 

Next Platinum Club meeting is April 21st at 12 noon! We look forward to seeing you there. Remember to bring your own lunch!

Because our April meeting time falls on Holy Saturday (April 19th), the Oregon Trailblazers won't meet this month. Join us instead for the Easter Vigil at 7 PM. Bishop French will be there and it should be a lot of fun. Of course, our traditional Easter Egg Hunt for kids will be earlier that day at 11 AM. We will meet again on Saturday, May 17 at the usual time (5:30 PM) for our last gathering of the program year. The theme is "Wild West" to celebrate Kara's impending sabbatical in Oklahoma that starts the following Monday! That means tacos, barbecue, or anything else you think might work. Stay tuned for a signup later on. 

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. 

Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 4:00 PM 6:00 PM

Jammin' Crepes - 20 Nassau Street (map)

Interested in solutions to rising local homelessness? Join us for Conversation Over Crepes.

Connect with HIP’s Executive Director, Lori Troilo, and HIP Board Members at Jammin’ Crepes to learn how neighbors are helping neighbors avoid eviction, homelessness, and drive systemic change in housing policy.

25% of any purchase during April from 4-6pm (including take out orders) will be donated to HIP’s Eviction Prevention Program and Transitional Housing Program, which provides families in crisis with a path to a permanent home.

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. 

Hello dear Trinity family,

Back in college I came across this painting above: Jesus on the cross, juxtaposed above Abraham and Isaac at the scene of near sacrifice. The text at the bottom reads, “Gen. 22:8 - God will provide the lamb.” I was so moved by this painting that I felt inspired to create in response to it. The result was a Good Friday choral piece called Elahi, from the Aramaic phrase, “Elahi! Elahi! Lema sebaqtani?” (“My God! My God! Why have You forsaken me?”) I invite you if you are interested to listen to this piece as part of your meditation on Christ’s sacrifice for us this Good Friday.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RJf5FzDHLUtDMwhx-A0oF877RaSvusat/view?usp=drive_link.

Peace,

Char

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.