Sabbatical

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,

Kara

PS I will not be available by e-mail this summer. During my sabbatical, I will be deleting all e-mails I receive, so please e-mail me again after August 15th if anything comes to mind during the summer. In case of emergency, contact Annie Bryson at the parish office and she can get in touch with me quickly. 

PPS For more on Christ Church, see here:

https://www.christchurchtulsa.org/

https://livingchurch.org/news/progress-in-the-pandemic-christ-church-tulsa/

Afternoon Tea at Trinity

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! 

Easter Blessings

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,

Paul

Four Quartets Reading

On Sunday, April 27, 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. 

Conversation Over Crepes @ Jammin' Crepes

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.

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