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Purchase Cathedral EVENT TICKETS

Feb. 20 - All closed for Presidents' Day

Feb. 21 - Vestry/Major Chapter dinner/meeting (6:30 pm)

Feb. 22 - Ash Wednesday

Feb. 26 - Installation of new Vestry members at the 10:30 am Eucharist and Newcomers' Welcoming Reception following the service

Mar. 2 & 3 - Diocesan Convention in Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Mar. 4 - CAST Presents: Cassendre Xavier (3:00 pm)

Mar. 8 - Lenten Soup & Study Program begins (6:00 pm)

Mar. 10 - Set clocks ahead one hour tonight

Mar. 15 - Lenten Soup & Study Program (6:00 pm)

Mar. 22 - Lenten Soup & Study Program (6:00 pm)

Mar. 24 - Diocesan Parish Leadership Day (formerly Wardens, Vestry, Financial Officers' Day) (9:30 am - 3:00 pm)

Mar. 25 - CAST Presents: String Group with Anita (details TBA)

Mar. 29 - Lenten Soup & Study Program (6:00 pm)

Sustainability Policies adopted by the Trinity Cathedral Vestry

We agreed to implement these practices at Trinity in an effort to care for the earth better:

1. Set the thermostats down 2 degrees lower in the winter. Every degree we turn the heat down saves 3% on our gas bill and saves energy.

2. Use recycled paper (at least 30% recycled content) for all printing needs.

3. Use only biodegradable products for hospitality hours and events (no Styrofoam or petroleum-based plastics).

4. Print all documents (agendas, reports, programs, etc.) double-sided.

5. Use the chapel for services from January through March.  Keep the temperature in the Cathedral as low as is safe for the organ. Heat the Cathedral only for concerts, other events and holy days.

6. Copy machine: look into whether the one we have is the most energy efficient, and if a new one would be more efficient and not more expensive, see if we can get one that defaults to double-sided printing.

7. Review energy audit done by Greenfaith and see if there are any energy savings we have not yet implemented.

8. Check the new contract we entered a few months ago to get our electricity from a new provider and see if it’s the best plan for us.

9. Replace any cleaning or gardening products that damage the environment with products that are safer, provided they are not significantly more expensive.

10. Turn off the lights when not in use.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

          We write as Christian pastors who are privileged to serve as bishops of The Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Newark and in the Diocese of New Jersey in order to express our grief, alarm, compassion and outrage over the suicide of Tyler Clementi. We join our voices with the voices of all those concerned in Ridgewood, where Tyler grew up, at Rutgers University, where he was a freshman and across our nation. Another gay young person has died by suicide. This tragic loss of a promising life would appear to be directly related to an invasion of Tyler's privacy and a violation of his personal life. Much remains to be considered by law enforcement authorities and the courts in order to determine whether this is also a case of a bullying felony or a hate crime - or a combination of the three. Whatever that legal determination may be, we join with other Christian and religious leaders, with the LGBT community and with all people of good will who take their stand against hatred, bigotry and bullying; against every expression of physical and verbal violence; and against any violation of the dignity of LGBT persons. When the rights of any - especially the members of vulnerable groups who have so often been scapegoated - are threatened, the rights of all are endangered.

          We want to call attention to another, potentially deeper, issue here. It is the invasion of intimacy. Intimacy is a holy place within every human being; an innermost sanctuary where we develop our ultimate beliefs and values, nurture our closest relationships and maintain our deepest commitments. No one has the right to disclose that intimacy for someone else without consent. Such a violation is tantamount to the desecration of a sacred space. It is, in fact, a sacred space. It is the territory of the soul.

          Technology, however, now provides tools to record, seize and disclose the most intimate matters of our lives without our consent. Identities can be stolen, hearts broken and lives shattered. Technology has placed powerful tools in human hands. Will they be used for building-up or for breaking down our neighbor? Tyler Clementi's death certainly poses some important legal issues, but it also raises some critical moral concerns. Hubris has outstripped humility. And that is a serious problem. We can do better. We must do better, with God's help.

          In our Episcopal tradition, whenever we reaffirm our faith in worship, we are given a challenging question: "will you respect the dignity of every human being?" And we answer, "I will, with God's help." It is an important commitment. Whatever our religious tradition, we can agree on the need to respect one another's dignity. With God's help, we can stand together and stand up against bullies who would damage and destroy the lives of LGBT persons, their partners and families and friends. With God's help, we can offer safety, support and sanctuary to all LGBT persons who are at risk. With God's help, we can remind our society that every LGBT person is made in the image of God. The world needs our witness.

The Rt. Rev. Mark M. Beckwith, Bishop of Newark
The Rt. Rev. George E. Councell, Bishop of New Jersey
 

Major Chapter Forms Accessibility Committee

The Major Chapter of the Cathedral has formed a committee to plan for and implement improvements to our Cathedral buildings so that they will be accessible for people with disabilities. The members are Ellen Wry, Clara Gregory, and Deb Raab from the Cathedral, and The Rev. Deborah Piggins and Ms. Donna Devlin, both members of the Chapter from other parishes.

The committee has surveyed the Cathedral property and noted the many areas that are impossible for those with physical disabilities to reach. It began its survey with an excellent study done a few years ago by Bernard McMullan, chair of our Property and Maintenance Commission.

There are three main areas of focus as the committee begins its work: creating a longterm plan, setting priorities for access improvements, and finding funding sources outside the Cathedral so that the improvements will not need to be paid for out of the Cathedral budget. Priorities will be set by looking at how frequently an area is used, who uses it, what changes could be made to make it more accessible, and what the changes would cost. And under the guidance of committee member Deborah Piggins, who has had experience with grant writing, the group will be spending some time researching possible grant sources and eventually applying for grants.

To begin, the committee set two priorities. First, it purchased a portable ramp to provide wheelchair access from the main part of the chancel into the sanctuary so that clergy and lay people with disabilities can serve at the altar. And it is investigating the possibility of installing a wheelchair lift to allow access up the stairs to the Guild Room and the rest of the education wing. 

The committee would welcome anyone with an interest in accessibility or the knowledge of the grant process to join us. This will be a longterm process, and we would be grateful to share this important ministry with anyone who is interested. Our parish’s mission includes a commitment to welcoming everyone, and we hope that this new ministry will help us to do just that. Interested? Call Ellen Wry at (609) 695-4372 or E-mail her at ellentwry@gmail.com or speak with any of the other members.

Trinity Partners With Trenton Area Soup Kitchen to Open West Ward Satellite Site

Outstanding news! Trinity Cathedral has partnered with another local community service organization, the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), to offer a location to provide dinners to our many neighbors who need assistance. Each Thursday, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm, hot, nutritious meals will be served in Synod Hall, or guests can take their dinner packaged “to go”.  TASK and Trinity volunteers will staff the operation, which got off to a great start on July 16 - all 100 meals were distributed

You may have heard of TASK’s main location on Escher Street. But there are thousands of people in Trenton who either do not own a car, or otherwise cannot make it to the facility. In 2003, TASK first partnered with the First Baptist Church in Trenton’s South Ward, to start the South Trenton Soup Kitchen Satellite. In 2004, the program was expanded to include three evening meals each week. In 2007, a fourth night of service was added at a new location, the Divine Mercy parish. In 2008, TASK served 20,320 meals through the South Trenton Satellite Meal Program.

From 2008 – 2009, TASK piloted an additional satellite site in the West Ward. But during the pilot year, participation was well below what they expected, though prior studies suggested that the need in the West Ward was similar to that in the South Ward. TASK temporarily closed the West Trenton Soup Kitchen to search for a more accessible location for the people that needed their meal service. In April of 2009, Dennis Micai, TASK’s Executive Director, met with Dean René John and discussed the possibility of bringing the program here. Of course, the Dean enthusiastically accepted; “eradicating extreme poverty and hunger” is one of the 10 Millennium Development Goals adopted by the Episcopal Church.

So, once each Thursday evening, hot, nutritious meals will be prepared and packaged at TASK and delivered to our satellite site. Whenever possible, TASK keeps food costs down by purchasing through the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank (where Trinity’s Food Pantry also obtains much of its food) and making extensive use of food donated by the public, area organizations, corporations and farmers. TASK makes a concerted effort to serve fresh fruits and vegetables with every meal.

If you would like to volunteer to help out on one or more Thursday evenings, please speak with Dean John. We are proud to partner with the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen!

Credits to the “Taste of TASK” newsletter article from which this background information was obtained.