In Gratitude: Remember, Reflect, and Renew

Journeying Through the Seasons of Life with Christ and One Another

Dear Good People of Trinity, 

This Sunday will be my last Sunday before I embark on my sabbatical.  As I shared in our two recent forums, during my time away I will be inviting you to join me for a period of remembering, reflection, and renewal. Together, we will spend time in sacred remembering, as we recall seasons past and how God has been present in the realities of our lives. We will then spend time reflecting on how God is at work in our hearts and souls in this present season. Finally, we will open ourselves to the renewing of our hearts, bodies, minds, and spirits to prepare us for the path and purpose that God will set before us.

In the months ahead, let us embrace the interconnectedness of our lives and faith as fellow pilgrims on the way.  To guide us during this time, I offer a prayer adapted from our baptismal liturgy.

“Sustain us, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit.  Give us inquiring and discerning hearts, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. Amen.”

I extend my sincere thanks for your loving and faithful support these past 16 years and for the gift of this Sabbath time with my family. It is with great anticipation and promise that we enter this time to see how God will work in all of us to prepare us for what is yet to come. Indeed, what a blessing it is journeying through the seasons of life with Christ and one another!

Peace and Blessings to all,

Dear Friends,

We are excited to announce Trinity’s next Associate Director of Music, Joseph Ferguson.  Joseph will begin his work at Trinity at the beginning of July.  He will be joined in Princeton by his wife Stephanie and their cat Mark.

I am grateful to our dedicated search committee, made up of Michael Edwards, Krista Galyon, Emma Levitt, and Tara Sikma who dedicated time and expertise in this search.  In addition, many members of the parish helped with hospitality for various candidates, taking them for meals and showing them around town.  

This search was intensive and garnered applicants from across the country and also from several other countries.  In each stage of the process, Joseph rose to the top of the pack with his consistent thoughtfulness, level of preparation, and evident deep care for the complex nature of music ministry.  We are looking forward to all that he will bring to our community, both musically and personally.  You can find more background on Joseph, as well as a message from him, below.  Please join us in giving him a warm Trinity welcome!

As we welcome Joseph, we also bid a fond and grateful farewell to Connor Fluharty.  Connor has faithfully served Trinity Church for the last eight years.  Connor has been a gift to this church through challenging times, and we are grateful to him for all that he has shared with us.  Connor’s last Sunday will be Choir Sunday, which is on June 2nd this year.  Please join us for the 10:00 service on June 2nd to celebrate Connor and to send him off with our love.

Faithfully,

Meg and Paul

Joseph Ferguson is an organist and pianist from Little Silver, New Jersey. Currently a graduate student of organ at Yale University's Institute of Sacred Music, he maintains keen interests in improvisation and liturgical music. Joseph is currently Organ Scholar at Church of the Heavenly Rest in Manhattan, New York, where he accompanies the adult choir and choristers on the church’s 138-rank Austin organ, performs service music and voluntaries, and conducts regularly. He previously served a sacred music internship at Our Lady of the Lake Roman Catholic Church in Verona, New Jersey.

Beyond university, Joseph has pursued study of sacred music at St. Joseph’s Seminary & College in Yonkers, New York and St. Patrick’s Seminary & University in Menlo Park, California. Previously, Joseph earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in piano performance from Rutgers University and McGill University respectively, cultivating a passion for the imaginative, idiosyncratic performance practices documented on recordings of the late-19th and early-20th centuries.

Notable performances include Dohnányi’s comic piano concerto “Variations on a Nursery Theme,” Op. 25 with Rutgers Sinfonia as winner of the ensemble’s annual concerto competition; a solo organ recital at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey as part of the Wednesdays at Noon recital series; and Fauré’s Requiem, Op. 48 alongside chamber orchestra at Church of the Heavenly Rest.

From Joseph:

I am incredibly excited to be joining you at Trinity Church. I've had a wonderful experience getting to know some members of the parish already, and I'm so grateful to everyone on the staff and the search committee who has made this possible. I'm looking forward to meeting more of you soon, making music together in service of the community and for the glory of God.

Date and Time: Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 4pm

Location: Trinity Church
Join Voices Chorale NJ and the Berks Sinfonietta chamber orchestra in appreciating the mastery of one of Franz Joseph Haydn’s most distinctive and memorable compositions: Missa in Angustiis (Mass for Troubled Times), more popularly known as the Lord Nelson Mass. Between sections of this liturgical work, the chorale will perform contemporary pieces that respond to themes within the Mass, bringing new perspectives on forgiveness, praise, faith, peace, and unity in a divided world.

VCNJ continues its tradition of presenting various musical styles and eras together in thought-provoking concerts to delight and inspire audiences and musicians alike. Contemporary works include Fragile by Sting and Exsultate! Jubilate! by Kyle Pederson.

Tickets and information are available at https://www.voiceschoralenj.org.  

Adult: $20 ($25 at the door);  Child/Student: $10 ($15 at the door).

Contact Linda Silber (lindafsilber@gmail.com) for more information.

July 13 - 19, 2024

Deadline to register: June 13, 2024

The Prosopon School of Iconology returns to Trinity Church for the (24th!) icon workshop. Beginning students will complete an icon of Christ Emmanuel during the workshop. Never held a paint brush? No worries! You will be given a drawing to trace onto the board, step-by-step instructions, daily demonstrations, and all materials. See the announcement for more information. Still have questions? Contact workshop coordinator and Trinity’s iconographer in residence, Maureen McCormick, at maureen@iconodulestudio.com.

The Flower Ministry is looking for a few more volunteers to deliver flowers.

Each week, when the flowers are taken down from the altar, they are used to make small arrangements for delivery to parishioners selected by the Clergy/Pastoral Care.  Currently, there are only four of us, and we would like to have a few more people to participate.  

The requirements are pretty minimal-you just need to be able to drive and to exercise confidentiality about who is getting flowers and why.

If anyone is interested, or would just like to learn more about it, contact Terri Brown at 609-915-3800 or terribrown4@gmail.com.

Thanks to the cookie bakers, the sandwich makers, the scone maker, the flower arrangers, the waiters, the tea maker, the ticket master, the choir and madrigal singers as well as Roberto and Enrique for their hard work to make it happen! The TEA was a sold out success! Thanks to all who came, enjoyed the delicious fare and supported our magnificent choir.