For some of us, the advent of a new school year is exciting. We hear West Side Story lyrics (“The air is hummin’ and somethin’ great is comin’… “) in our heads and tap dance to the bus stop. School shopping is the absolute best – bouquets of pencils delight us. We just can’t wait to color code our planners. For others, a new school year brings trepidation and an onslaught of anxious questions. Will I like my new teacher? What if my best friend isn’t in my class? … What if I get a bad grade?... don’t make the varsity team?... 

No matter where your kids fall on this spectrum, they will likely carry a backpack to and from school. These backpacks may be mostly empty or crammed full of books and papers. No matter how full they are of stuff, they will contain hopes, dreams, fears, and questions for each new season and each new day of this academic year. If you are a teacher, you will be carrying supplies back and forth to your classrooms as well. 

We invite you all (Preschoolers through High Schoolers, Teachers, College Students, Grad Students, & Professors) to bring those backpacks and schoolbags to Trinity on September 17. Bring them empty or full. Invite a friend! Adults, even if you’re done with school, you are welcome to receive a blessing for your work. If you’d like in on this, we invite you to bring your briefcases, tote bags, or backpacks as well. The priests will bless the bags during the 10:30 a.m. service, to honor all the hopes, dreams, and fears that accompany the new school year, and to ask for God to strengthen, sustain, and encourage all our children as they learn and grow throughout the year. 

The folks at Illustrated Ministries have designed this year’s tag with a simple reminder: You Matter! God sees all of us, knows all of us, and loves us – each of us matters to our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Knowing this, you can pass this message on to your neighbors, near and far. There are color versions of these tags, pre-laminated, so you can attach them and go. Or if you’d like to decorate your own tag, Emily has black and white unlaminated versions of the tag for you to color yourself. 

God’s God Us & We’ve Got This!

Emily

Tuesday, September 26 at 4-5:30pm 
in Pierce-Bishop Hall

In this collaborative reading three acclaimed Irish poets, Jane Clarke, Katie Donovan and Catherine Phil MacCarthy reflect on a changing Ireland. In the process, they explore how poetry may reveal and restore the past, giving memory and story legitimacy.  They affirm Michael Longley's assertion that "A poet must look after words... And he must not use them as a mere tool, but rather make with them..."

Jane Clarke has published three collections with Bloodaxe Books, The River (2015), When the Tree Falls (2019) and A Change in the Air (2023). Jane received the Ireland Chair of Poetry Travel Award 2022, the Listowel Writers' Week Poem of the Year 2016. A Change in the Air is short-listed for the Forward Prize in Poetry 2023. She grew up on a farm in Co. Roscommon and now lives with her wife in the uplands of Co. Wicklow. janeclarkepoetry.ie

Katie Donovan has published five collections, all with Bloodaxe Books (UK). Her most recent, Off Duty (2016) was short-listed for the Irish Times /Poetry Now Prize. Her work has appeared in the best-selling anthology Staying Alive: real poems for unreal times and The Wake Forest Book of Irish Women Poets. She edited Ireland's Women: Writings Past and Present.  She grew up in a farm in Co. Wexford and now lives in Dalkey, a suburb of Dublin. katiedonovan.com

Catherine Phil MacCarthy has published five collections of poetry including Daughters of the House (2019) and The Invisible Threshold (2012) - short-listed for the Irish Times/ Poetry Now Prize. She is a former editor of Poetry Island Review and was awarded a month-long residency at Varuna, the National Writers' House, NSW, Australia (2022) for work on her forthcoming collection, Catching Sight.  A native of Limerick, she lives in Dublin.      catherinephilmaccarthy.com

Grief is one of life’s most profound experiences. Many of us are simply not prepared for the level of sadness, isolation and vulnerability that often result after losing someone whom we love deeply. This October, Trinity Episcopal Church will partner with Nassau Presbyterian Church at its Fall Session of GriefEncounters.

This support group is open to all Trinity parishioners and friends who have sustained the recent or not so recent loss of a loved one. The meetings will be held Tuesday, 7-8:30pm, in the conference room at Nassau Presbyterian Church on October 17 & 24; November 7, 14 & 28; and December 5. There will be no meeting on Tuesday, October 31 (Halloween) or on Tuesday, November 21 (Thanksgiving week).

Each meeting will incorporate confidential sharing and guided conversation, with supportive scripture and prayer. If you are interested in finding out more information about the group, please email Deacon Hank Bristol at hbristoldcn@gmail.com.

Coming October 19-21

The Rummage Committee is collecting donations. Please email us to make a reservation to drop them off at rummage@trinityprinceton.org.

When you arrive to drop off your donations, please park in the church parking lot next to Ivy Hall and we will come and retrieve them directly from your vehicle.

During these dog days of summer, start cleaning out your closets and attics. We need as many of your donations as possible to make this a great sale!

Please donate:

• Gently-worn & Clean Men’s, Women’s, and Children’s Clothing for All Seasons

• Better Ladies’ Dresses & Men’s Clothing

• Housewares (Please, No Glass Vases)

• Electronics

• Books

• Linens

• Shoes

• Jewelry (Fine & Costume)

• Vintage & Antique Items (Remember that Edison Diamond Disc Gramophone from last year?)

• Boutique Items (Crystal, China, & Art)

Please Leave at Home:

• Sporting Goods (Uniforms, sporting equipment, gym equipment, bicycles, skateboards, ice skates, kayaks, skis, etc.)

• Furniture of Any Kind

• Rugs or Other Large Floor Coverings

Many thanks to all!

Calling all who love to sing! Trinity Choirs are kicking back off after Labor Day, and we would love to have you join us.  We have opportunities for singers of all ages, and we’re excited to welcome you to join us. If you’re interested, please reach out to Director of Music Meg Harper at harperm@trinityprinceton.org.  

Linked below is the Registration Form for Trinity's Church School, and for Youth Group, restarting in September 2023!

Church School meets on Sundays at 9:30–10:20am and is geared toward children ages 3-10, from PreK–5th grade. Emily Pruszinski teaches Church School with help from our clergy, interns, parents, and teen volunteers. 

Youth Group meets on Sundays from 6-7:15pm and is geared toward pre-teens and teens ages 11-18, from 6th–12th grade. Our wonderful Lay Pastoral Associate, Wesley Rowell, will co-lead Youth Group this year with Emily Pruszinski. 

Parents and Caregivers — If you are interested in volunteering to help run classes, bring snacks, wrangle sheep at the Christmas Pageant, we welcome your help! There are options listed below for both weekly and seasonal events. If you have any questions, please email Emily Pruszinski (pruszinskie@trinityprinceton.org).

Complete the questions in the attached form to register your child for Church School on Sundays for the 2023-2024 school year. Please fill out a separate form for each child you are registering.