St. Thomas Tidings: June 5, 2025
St. Thomas Tidings: June 5, 2025
June 8th our Priest celebrant will be The Rev Holly Cardone
June 8, 2025 The Day of Pentecost Service Ministers
8:00 am Liturgy 10:15 am Liturgy
Ushers: John Hannan Usher: Patrick Garvin
Lectors: John Cordi Lector: Jeremy Richmond, Emilee Garvin
Altar Server/LEM Camelia Jolly Altar Server/Lem: Kaylee Garvin
Closer: Bishops Committee Closer: Bishops Committee
Men’s Breakfast: Second Saturday of each Month. Next Men’s Breakfast June 14, 2025 Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship
St Martha’s Guild: Please join us at St. Martha’s Guild. We are a very friendly group that gathers each Tuesday morning. We crochet, knit and handcraft items. We would love to give free lessons in knitting and crocheting. This is also a great opportunity to build community and have a nice chat. We meet on Tuesdays in Larkin Hall from 9:30-11:30 am.
Sunday Hospitality Sign-ups
June 8 9:00 Pot Luck, sign up is in the Narthex
June 15 8:00 am Hospitality Provides for Father’s Day
10:15 am Hospitality Provides for Father’s Day
June 22 8:00 am John Cordi
10:15 am
June 29 8:00 am Larry Shaw
10:15 am
Collect from the Seventh Sunday of Easter: O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
June 5, 2025 (today) is the Memorial of Boniface, Bishop and Missionary, 754
Boniface (born Wynfreth; c. 675[2] –5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of the church in Germany and was made Archbishop of Mainz by Pope Gregory III. He was martyred in Frisia in 754, along with 52 others, and his remains were returned to Fulda, where they rest in a sarcophagus which remains a site of Christian pilgrimage.
Boniface's life and death as well as his work became widely known, there being a wealth of material available — a number of vitae, especially the near-contemporary Vita Bonifatii auctore Willibaldi, legal documents, possibly some sermons, and above all his correspondence. He is venerated as a saint in the Christian church and became the patron saint of Germania, known as the "Apostle to the Germans".
Norman Cantor notes the three roles Boniface played that made him "one of the truly outstanding creators of the first Europe, as the apostle of Germania, the reformer of the Frankish Church, and the chief fomentor of the alliance between the papacy and the Carolingian family."[3] Through his efforts to reorganize and regulate the church of the Franks, he helped shape the Latin Church in Europe, and many of the dioceses he proposed remain today. After his martyrdom, he was quickly hailed as a saint in Fulda and other areas in Germania and in England. He is still venerated strongly today by Catholics in Germany and throughout the German diaspora. Boniface is celebrated as a missionary; he is regarded as a unifier of Europe, and he is regarded by German Roman Catholics as a national figure.[citation needed]
In 2019 Devon County Council, with the support of the Anglican Diocese of Exeter, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth, and local Devon leaders of the Orthodox, Methodist, and Congregational churches, officially recognized St Boniface as the Patron Saint of Devon.[4][5][6]
Saint Boniface's feast day is celebrated on 5 June in the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, the Anglican Communion and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
A Bible Moment:
A Reading:
Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household. (Acts 16: 26-31)
A Meditation on the Reading:
What I find particularly notable here is the way the jailer was treated. The men in the prison (both Christians and the others) had every right to hate him. All they would have to do is watch as he killed himself. They could claim that their hands were clean. However, they took action to stop him. They stepped in to save the life of an enemy, and the enemy became a friend – and a follower of Christ. We live today in a time where the country and much of the world is polarized. Many take great pleasure in the misfortunes of those on the “other side.” The Germans call this schadenfreude. Luke/Paul’s message here is that there is a better way. Turn swords in to plowshares, and turn enemies into friends and disciples. Remember, Paul himself was an enemy of Jesus until he was converted nearing Damascus.
From Here:
I am a very political person, and strongly partisan. Yet, so many of my friends, church brethren and sisters, family members and others are on the other side of that divide. It is a hard thing to balance Christian love with partisan politics. I think Paul is telling us here: “don’t balance. Side with Love.”
What do you think?
From the Diocese
Camp Stevens summer camp registration open
Registration is now open for summer sessions for children at Camp Stevens, the diocesan facility in Julian, California. Camp sessions will be held as follows:
Session 1: June 22 – June 27, ages 8-15
Session 2: July 6 – July 11, ages 8-15
Session 3: July 20 – July 25, ages 8-15
Session 4 (International Odyssey): August 3 – August 9, ages 12-17
“At Camp Stevens, summer campers experience the best of childhood and young adulthood; they find wonder in the natural world, build meaningful connections with peers, gain confidence from trying new things, and strengthen their own values with the support of caring counselors and staff,” the Camp Stevens website says.
Tiered pricing is available, for families to pick the price that best matches their ability to pay. For those in need of additional financial assistance for camp fees, applications for “camperships,” offering additional financial support, are available.
Learn more and register here.
https://campstevens.org/summer/#programs_summercamp
Bishop Search Committee offers updated timeline
The Bishop Search Committee has released an updated version of the Bishop Search timeline. The estimated dates for milestones in the Bishop Search are below:
Early May, 2025: Transitions Committee is announced.
Early June, 2025: The diocesan profile is published, and the call for nominations is announced.
June 27, 2025: Nominating period closes.
July-August, 2025: The Search Committee reviews candidate files, conducts Zoom interviews and reference and background checks, and invites finalists to a discernment retreat.
Early September, 2025: The slate of candidates is announced, and the nominating period for petition candidates opens.
October 20-25, 2025: "Meet-and-Greets" are held across the diocese to introduce all candidates to the members of the diocese and the diocese to the candidates.
November 7-8, 2025: The election of the bishop takes place during the annual diocesan convention in Riverside.
May 2026: The bishop-elect begins work in the diocese.
July 11, 2026: Consecration and ordination of the new bishop.
July-September, 2026: Bishop Taylor remains as a consultant, providing support during the transition.
October, 2026: Bishop Taylor retires.
St. Thomas Post Scripts
June Canterbury Tales: We are in need of articles for the St. Thomas Canterbury Tales publication. Please send all article information to Bill Henderson at whender808@yahoo.com, whender808@gmail.com or Rick Fridrick at stlb47@verizon.net, or call the Church office. Articles should be submitted no later than noon on Monday, May 26, 2025.
St. Thomas Tiding: If you have any article/announcement for the tiding please send to Rick Fridrick at stlb47@verizon.net or call the Church office.
Service Reminder: All our services stay on our Facebook page so you can view them whenever it’s convenient for you. It’s always better to view a service later in the day than not at all! The link to the page for all our services is here: https://www.facebook.com/Saint-Thomas-of-Canterbury-Episcopal-Church-of-Long-Beach-CA-124554214274325