Trinitytide

Whitsunday, which we celebrated a few weeks ago, brings to an end the first half of the Church Year, which began with Advent last November. From now till this coming November (with the promise of a long, hot summer in between) we are in the second half of the Church’s year, called Trinitytide.

Unlike the first half of our year, which focuses on the birth, life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, Trinitytide simply counts the Sundays from the Feast of the Holy Trinity till the next Advent. In some ancient Church calendars—and in some modern ones—these Sundays were just called “Sundays of the Ordinary Year.” Some modern church calendars mark these Sundays from Trinity to Advent as “Sundays after Pentecost.” Whatever we call them, it’s the longest time on the Church’s calendar.

The liturgical color of Trinitytide is green; the color of growth.

At St Joseph’s, there is growing work to be done this season. We have an Altar Guild to establish, a choir to grow, and, hopefully, new parishioners to bring in. I will be working on re-constructing parish rolls and a parish register. That will enable me to visit your homes and get to know you a bit better as I try to establish the “ecclesiastical status” of those of you attending St Joseph’s.

The Parish Register is the official record of the parish. It tells who our members are, who was baptized, confirmed, married, and died here. It’s an essential record of the life of St Joseph’s.

It’s missing and nobody seems to know where it is. So I’ve got to put together a new one, and it will take time—research, digging through parish documents, asking questions, getting help from you. It will be a task, but one I’m looking forward to, as it will enable me to get to know each of you a bit better.

I’ve asked Bruce Boyer—and am happy to say he’s agreed—to put together an official history of St Joseph’s. This will be good for us to have, and invaluable to me in working on the register. Reconstructing the register and producing a history of the parish will help us as we look to the future of St Joseph’s. More than most, Anglicans understand that our future is embedded in our past. This Trinitytide season of 2011 will be a time of re-learning something of our roots, that come the new Church Year, we’ll be ready for a fresh set of challenges—which the Lord, without doubt, will send our way.

This Trinitytide will be a green time for us—a time of quiet growth for St Joseph’s. Next week, a few notes and suggestions as to making it a time of quiet growth for each of us spiritually, too.—Fr Gregory Wilcox