My Blog

Category: Trinity Episcopal Church

  • Remembering 9/11

    Angel over twin towers The Most Rev'd Frank Griswold, former Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, wrote this prayer in remembrance of September 11, 2001.

    "God the compassionate one, whose loving care extends to all the world, we remember this day your children of many nations and many faiths whose lives were cut short by the fierce flames of anger and hatred. Console those who continue to suffer and grieve, and give them comfort and hope as they look to the future. Out of what we have endured, give us the grace to examine our relationships with those who perceive us as the enemy, and show our leaders the way to use our power to serve the good of all for the healing of the nations. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord who, in reconciling love, was lifted up from the earth that he might draw all things to himself. Amen."

  • Advent Balance

    Advent_i

    The following message was first published on November 29, 2007.

         It’s Advent.  Advent is hard to observe in our culture, isn’t it?

         The Church tells us it is a period of preparation for the Feast of the Incarnation, Christmas.  Our faith tradition encourages us to make it a reflective time during which we identify with those who waited long centuries for the appearing of God’s anointed one.  The liturgy for the Sundays and weekdays in Advent direct our attention to the wonderful gift that has come to us in Emmanuel and the promise that he will come again at the end to establish his victorious reign over all things.

         Yet,
    here we are again with all those sights and sounds and smells that tell
    us it is time to be the world’s most accomplished consumers.  Our
    culture encourages us to believe that the things we need and the things
    our loved ones need to make their lives complete can be bought for a
    price, and quite possibly must be acquired if life is to be worth
    living.  The liturgy of advertising and shopping mall directs our     attention to the near frenzy involved in getting there while supplies last.

        I’m not really suggesting that we should not buy gifts or support our local merchants who work so hard and rely so heavily on sales at this season.  I enjoy going to the mall and listening to the music in the stores.  I like to shop for presents and believe it is a good thing to be thoughtful and generous with others as God in Christ has been thoughtful and generous with us in offering us his very life.

         What I am suggesting is that the spiritual dimension of the season can easily be overshadowed.  We need to find a balance and the Church can help.  Go to the mall, after you’ve gone to church.  Buy gifts, after you’ve left your gift at the Altar.  Spend time shopping for the perfect gift, after you’ve spent time in communion with the most perfect gift, Christ the Savior.  Have a wonderful, peaceful, and blessed Christmas!

    How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!
    So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.
    No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin,
    Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.

    "O Little Town of Bethlehem"

    The Rt. Rev. Philips Brooks (1835-1839)

  • Our Homeless Overnight Guests at Trinity Church


    Galveston has a disproportionately large number of homeless men and women.  This is due in part to the presence of public hospital facilities and in part to our mild climate.  The number of homeless persons fluctuates throughout the year as the weather and job market changes.

    For many ye100_1982_2ars, homeless women and men have slept nightly in the shelter of the Cloister of Trinity Church between Eaton Hall and the Sanctuary.  Our understanding has always been that all are welcome here as long as they help us take care of the place and exhibit appropriate behavior.  Sexton Linda Jenkins and her staff have established a relationship with them that will encourage as much order and cleanliness as possible.  We have asked that they not arrive earlier than ten o’clock in the evening and that they depart no later than six o’clock in the morning.  The custodial staff is always here by half past six in the morning to ensure their departure.  I’ve requested that they ask anyone engaging in illegal or disruptive behavior to leave and if they do not leave to summon the police.  Their respect for the church’s hospitality helps them to maintain order.  It is evident that most of those who come night after night look upon each other as friends.

    Recently, as I was visiting with some of our overnight guests on the Cloister, I asked if there was anything we might be able to do to help them.  They were very grateful for the simple privilege of sleeping in a place where they are welcome and safe.  However, they did ask if it would be possible to have the use of the restroom that opens onto the Cloister.  I gave it some thought and concluded that it is a reasonable request and would be a compassionate gesture on the part of Trinity Church.  My only stipulation is that they help us take care of it, keep it clean, and not abuse the privilege.  Linda keeps cleaning supplies in the restroom and reports that the plan is working well thus far.

    Of the eight persons I talked with on that recent evening, six were veterans.  Their presence heightens our awareness of the growing number of veterans among the homeless population.  They also remind us of Jesus’ summons to care for those in need.  We currently have three teams of parishioners who serve meals on three Thursday evenings a month at the Salvation Army.

    In worship week after week, we sit beneath the magnificent Sealy Memorial Altar Window, at the bottom of which are inscribed Jesus’ words recorded in the Gospel According to St. Matthew, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”  I am grateful to God that we are able to do these small things that mean so much to these, our neighbors in need.  In serving them, we serve our Savior.

    Ron Pogue+

  • 159th Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas

    Image3_2 The 159th Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas was held in Galveston last weekend, February 15-16, at the Moody Gardens Convention Center.  The Episcopal Community of Galveston worked together in a marvelous way as hosts.  His Eminence, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston-Houston was the Preacher for the Opening Eucharist and preached a powerful sermon that reminded followers of Jesus that we are called and sent into the world to do something in his Name.  The Rt. Reverend Don A. Wimberly, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, presided over the service as well as the diocesan business meeting the following day.

    It was truly a wonderful event for the 1,000 lay and clergy delegates who attended.  The careful planning and joyful service of the folks from St. Augustine, Grace, and Trinity Episcopal Churches in Galveston, assisted by others from the Galveston Convocation, made this an event to remember for the diocese!

    Thanks be to God for a peaceful meeting of Episcopalians.

    Thanks be to God for those who gave of their time, prayers, and talents to make it possible.

    Thanks be to God for Bishop Wimberly, Bishop High, and Bishop Harrison, and the diocesan staff for their devotion!

    Episcopal Diocese of Texas

  • The Episcopal Church Welcomes You to Galveston Island!

    The Episcopal Church is alive and well on Galveston Island, near Texas. And, the Episcopal Community of Galveston is preparing to welcome fellow Episcopalians from the Diocese of Texas to their 159th Council, February 15 & 16, 2008 at the Moody Gardens Convention Center.

    This impressive video by Matthew Stanford and the kids of St. Vincent’s Episcopal House in Galveston celebrates the life of the Episcopal Church on this small island that has a big role in the history of Texas and of the diocese.  Thanks to Episcopal Church and the Visual Arts for a grant to make this video possible!

    149 years ago, the diocese met on this island to elect the first Bishop of Texas, The Right Reverend Alexander Gregg of Cheraw, South Carolina.  After Bishop Gregg was consecrated, he and his family moved to Texas, arriving in Galveston.  His first acts as Bishop  of Texas, on Sunday, December 11, 1859, were on this island.  The Altar of St. Augustine’s Church, which will be used at the opening worship service of this year’s Council, is the Altar at which Bishop Gregg celebrated his first Eucharist in Texas.  The pulpit of Trinity Church, which will be moved to the site of the service on Friday night, is a memorial to Bishop Gregg.

    The witness of the Episcopal Church on Galveston Island for the reign of Christ continues today through the ministries of three congregations and two diocesan missions.  The Episcopal Church Welcomes You!

  • Trinity Street Party

    Bill Macdonald produced this video at our recent Street Party at Galveston’s Trinity Episcopal Church. The Street Party was partly in celebration of the 150th year since the opening of our 1857 house of worship and mainly a “bridge event” for our downtown neighbors.

    Musician Scott Christopher played and sang for us, a couple from Mexico touring the church asked for a blessing on their wedding anniversary, new friendships were begun, and it made our hearts glad! Thanks, Bill, for sharing this video.

  • The Blessing of the Animals

    Each year near the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4) we have a service for The Blessing of the Animals at Galveston’s Trinity Church. People of all ages bring creatures of all kinds to be blessed. We do this out of our awareness of the unique role humans play as stewards of all creation, particularly in relation to other living creatures with whom we share this planet.

    Many of the stories surrounding the life of St. Francis have to do with his love for animals. He believed that the world was created good and beautiful by God but needs redemption because of original human sin. He preached to man and beast the universal ability and duty of all creatures to praise God and the responsibility of human beings to protect and enjoy nature as stewards of God's creation and as creatures ourselves. Legend has it that before his death St. Francis thanked his donkey at his bedside for carrying and helping him throughout his life, and his donkey wept.

  • Galveston Benchmark

    My frequent walks on Galveston's seawall brought this e-piphany to mind.

    This is a benchmark. At some point in time, surveyors arrived at a precise calculation of this location and its elevation above sea level. Then, they placed brass plate here so that it could be used by others a reference point in tidal observations and surveys. A surveying team places a transit directly over this benchmark and then uses other instruments to attain precise measurements. People have returned to this benchmark time and time again to orient themselves.

    For Christians, the Holy Bible is a benchmark, a fixed reference point to which we turn to orient our lives and our actions. The Bible, like this one at Galveston’s Trinity Church or the one on your desk, is a revelation of God – God’s nature, and God’s purpose for creation. God gives us additional instruments which are necessary to apply the divinely inspired writings of the Bible to our lives: the instrument of reason and the instrument of tradition. Reason is necessary in order for us to find the truth of the scripture in relation to the world and the time in which we live so that it is ever relevant, as fresh as the morning newspaper. Tradition, the accumulated wisdom of surveyors of the faith through the centuries. It is necessary in order for us to see how others who have gone before us have applied the teachings of the Bible to their circumstances. We can learn so much from their experience and insights.

    In this way, scripture serves as our benchmark for the proper orientation of our life and our faith, helping us find our way as we walk with God. Read the scriptures and use the God-given instruments of reason and tradition to orient the life God has given you. The Book of Proverbs promises, when you do, “Then, you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; prudence will watch over you; and understanding will guard you.” (Proverb s 2:9-11)

  • The Pulpit of Trinity Church

    Last week we removed the brass pulpit from Trinity and took it to Houston where it was refinished and sealed. On Friday we reinstalled it and I must say that results are lovely. The altar guild is pleased because they no longer have to polish it. We thank those members whose gifts made this improvement to our worship space possible.

    e-piphanies from the Trinity Pulpit

    This is the pulpit of Galveston’s Trinity Church. It is a memorial to the Right Reverend Alexander Gregg, who was elected the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas at a convention held in this very place in 1859. I am honored to be able to proclaim the good news from this pulpit, where so many faithful preachers have stood before me. The important thing is not the pulpit or the preacher. The important thing is what happens in a pulpit – sermons. A sermon is an event through which divine inspiration intersects human intelligence and emotion so that transformation occurs. Terry Holms compared preachers to Hermes, the mythi-cal messenger of the gods. He said that there are three important things to understand about Hermes in Greek mythology: first, he had to travel through chaos to deliver the message entrusted to him; second, he had to subvert perceptions; and third, the message did not belong to him, but to the hearers of the message. Any preacher will tell you that the process of preparing and delivering a sermon is often chaotic, that subverting perceptions, getting people to look at things in a different way, is usually necessary, and that the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of the hearers pro-duces results we preachers never dreamed of. This pulpit and millions of other pulpits around the world, is the scene of count-less epiphanies every week. People are helped, lives are trans-formed, Christ’s Church is built up. So, whenever you see a pulpit, thank God for the times a preacher has helped you through a sermon and offer a prayer for those who are called and ordained to preach.