THE EPISTLE:

April 2, 2026

Maundy Thursday

HOLY WEEK 2026

The Holy Triduum and Easter Sunday at St. Thomas

Maundy Thursday, April 2

Holy Eucharist with Footing Washing 6 pm

*Washing of feet is offered to all but not required

Good Friday, April 3

Stations of the Cross at 11 am

Good Friday Liturgy at 12 pm

Pray the Rosary at 1:30 pm

Good Friday Choral Meditation at 6 pm

at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Holy Saturday, April 4

Children's Easter Egg Hunt & Cookout at 10:30 am

Easter Vigil with Holy Baptism at 8 pm

*Incense will used during the Vigil

Easter Sunday, April 5

Festival Choral Eucharist with Brass at 8 am and 10:30 am

Easter Brunch at 9:15 am

There will be no 5pm Eucharist on Easter Sunday.

Help the Episcopal Church in the Holy Land this Good Friday

For over 100 years, gifts collected by the Good Friday Offering have directly funded the outreach ministries of the Episcopal Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Across the entire region, the Church runs schools, medical clinics, and hospitals for anyone who needs care. Before serving at St. Thomas, Mtr. Katie worked in the Diocese of Jerusalem in 2023 and later for the Good Friday Offering in 2024. She has seen the direct results of these gifts: thriving kindergarteners at her friend Fr. Jamil's church in Nablus, excellent vocational schools for teenagers, and the gratitude of her colleague Dr. Suhaila at the Al Ahli Hospital, among countless other ministries ​funded in part by the Good Friday Offering. 

There is a basket in the Narthex of the church with the image you see here where donations may be given for this year's Good Friday Offering from St. Thomas. You can also read more about the Good Friday offering and make your donations online by clicking HERE to visit the Good Friday Offering website.

A Choral Meditation on the Passion of Christ for Good Friday, TOMORROW, 6:00 pm at St. Stephen's

The St. Thomas Choir will travel to St. Stephens-Huntsville (8020 Whitesburg Drive) on Good Friday evening to present A Choral Meditation on the Passion of Christ starting at 6pm. One of the most moving choral services of the year, this meditation employs lessons & carols, spirituals, anthems, motets, and congregational hymns to illuminate the Passion of Christ, which is retold using biblical narratives (this year from the Gospel of Matthew), sung to some of the most ancient plainchant known to the church.

Easter Egg Hunt & Cookout

Bring friends and come fill your Easter baskets at the St. Thomas Easter Egg Hunt at 10:30am this  Saturday, April 4! Meet the Easter Bunny outside when you arrive for pictures. After the Easter Egg Hunt, stay for a hot dog lunch. Email our Children's Ministry Coordinator, HERE if you have any questions.

St. Thomas' Holy Hike:

Stone Cuts at Monte Sano

This Saturday, April 4

Our next Holy Hike will be a trip to see the Stone Cuts at Monte Sano State Park this Saturday, April 4. This will be a moderate hike of about 2.5 miles, including some uphill sections, with time along the way to pause, reflect, and enjoy the scenery. We'll meet at the Monte Sano State Park office/store (5105 SE Nolen Ave., Huntsville, AL 35801) at 9:00 a.m.

Feel free to bring water, binoculars, or hiking sticks if you'd like. Please note there is a $5.00 per person park entry fee. If you have any concerns about the fee or questions about the hike, please reach out to Brett Byford (brett256@gmail.com, 256.808.5776). We hope you'll join us for a great morning of fellowship and time on the trail!

Easter Sunday Brunch

Easter Brunch this Easter Sunday beginning at 9:15 AM

This year's Easter Brunch on Easter Sunday at St. Thomas between our Festival Easter Sunday Eucharist worship services in the Parish Hall will feature sliced ham, hot cross rolls, fruit salad, hot pineapple casserole, punch, champagne mimosas, and deviled eggs (which will be "un-bedeviled" this year by way of a special Easter blessing offered by Mtr. Katie!)! Food will begin being served at 9:15 am in the Parish Hall, most likely before the 8am Easter Eucharist finishes. If you arrive early, be sure to enter through the doors to the Parish Hall, which will be open.

Please join us for this festive Easter morning brunch celebration at St. Thomas!

Sing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus for Easter!

A St. Thomas Tradition

on Easter Sunday

Come sing with the St. Thomas Choir on Easter Sunday! Continuing a long tradition, the choir invites members of the congregation to come forward after communion on Easter Morning to sing George Frideric Handel's Hallelujah Chorus with us! Copies of the music will be available as you come forward. Questions? Contact Miss Kathy HERE.

Next Gathering

Wednesday, April 8, 5:30 PM

Happy Spring Sisters! After a brief break, Sisters in Faith will gather for an interesting program led by Marcia Steiner. Meet this Wednesday, April 8, at 5:30pm in the Parish Hall for fellowship. The program will begin around 6pm. Let's reconnect and usher in spring together. Bring a friend!

UPCOMING

Schedule After Easter Break

Regular Programming Returning April 12

A few of our regular programs are taking a brief Easter break. Adult, Children & Youth Sunday School will return at 9:30am on April 12. Our next 5pm "Come As You Are" Holy Eucharist will also be that Sunday.

Wednesday Bible Study will return April 15.

Praying the Rosary will return to an every other week schedule beginning on Friday, April 17. The 10:47 Bible Study will meet on Friday, April 10.

Moms' Group

Thurs., April 9 at 6:30 PM

Moms' Group is having a night out on the town for their April meeting! Meet at 6:30pm at El Vaquero (10020 Memorial Parkway SW, Huntsville) for chips, salsa, and if you wish, a margarita.

St. Thomas' Moms' Group is a ministry for mothers with children ages 0-18. Feel free to bring a mom friend. Contact Audrey Cain HERE for more information.

Help serve in our community on Saturdays starting April 11!

It's time to begin another house for Habitat for Humanity! This year, we'll be at 206 Lake Drive. We'll raise the walls Saturday, April 11, with the starting ceremony at 9 a.m.

On typical weekends, we begin building by 8 a.m. and always finish by 3 p.m. You are encouraged to come as you can and leave when you need to. Call Elouisa Stokes at 256-604-8669 for more information.

Next Meeting: Monday, April 13

10 AM in the Parlor

Our book for April 13 is The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. Be careful when you order it as there are at least two books by that title. We will meet in the St. Thomas Parlor at 10 a.m. that day.

Looking ahead, our book for May 11 will be The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng. It is set in Shanghai before and after World War II.  

Hope you can all join us at these events. A few of us go to lunch afterward and we'd be glad to have you, too. If you can't get the book read in time for the meeting, come anyway. We're always glad to have lots of us.

Save the Date-The Ordination of Deacon Jeannie Randall to the Priesthood at St. Thomas on April 15th!

Make plans to join us on Wednesday, April 15 at 6 pm. The Rt. Rev. Glenda S. Curry, Bishop of the Diocese of Alabama, will ordain our very own Jeannie Randall, along with Deacon Taylor Johnson of St. Matthew's, Madison, to the Sacred Order of Priests! Jeannie has been working through the process towards ordination to the priesthood over the last year with the full support of St. Thomas, and this will be a very special day to celebrate her completion, to honor her many years of service here at St. Thomas, and to join with the people of St. Timothy's Church in Athens, where Jeannie has been serving this year and will now become their new Priest in Charge!

Please put April 15th at 6pm on your calendar and come join in the prayers and celebration of St. Thomas' own Jeannie Randall becoming the newest Priest in Christ's Holy Catholic Church! A special Reception will follow immediately after the ordination in the Parish Hall.

Silver Saints Matinee Presents:

The Greatest Game Ever Played

April 16 at 1 PM

As a tip of the hat to the 2026 Masters Golf Tournament, your Silver Saints Matinee Movie for April 2026 is another really good golfing movie. “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” starring Shia LaBeouf, and Stephen Dillane, is a movie based on a true story of a young amateur golfer who finds himself in an incredible match with the World’s greatest golfer of the time. You asked for a feel-good movie. Come join us in the St. Thomas Parish Hall at 1:00 PM on Thursday, April 16, 2026.

The Silver Saints Movie Matinee offers fun and fellowship with our parishioners and visitors much like going to a theater, but free. We offer snacks and beverages, and we will even pick you up and return you home if you wish. We offer comfortable seating and a time-out break half way through the movie. Please bring your friends and ask people from our neighborhood. Call Jack or Becky Stokes at 256-881-4748, or the church office at 256-880-0247. Please call 24 hours ahead if you will need a ride. Please come join us and be happy.

Newcomer's Episcopalian Class

April 12 at 9:30 AM

If you're a newcomer to St. Thomas and the Episcopal church and would like to know more about the rich history, structure, and practices of our faith, plan to join Elouisa Stokes after breakfast on Sunday, April 12 for a welcoming introduction. This engaging, informal class starts at 9:30 am in the Conference Room.

Special Session: May 30-June 5

Volunteers Needed

Have you heard about Special Session? This weeklong camp for people of all abilities began at St. Thomas in 1998 and is now a beloved part of Camp McDowell’s summer program.

This year’s session runs May 30–June 5 for staff and June 1–5 for campers. This will be the 29th summer! Special Session offers a joyful, Spirit-filled environment where campers are fully welcomed, supported, and free to enjoy all the fun of camp. Over the years, it has become a meaningful reunion for many, while continuing to welcome new friends each summer.

Get involved

We are in need of nurses and counselors and always especially male counselors. Ages 15 can serve as counselors-in-training and 16+ as counselors. Visit the Special Session webpage HERE to find out more.

Adult Ministry

Monday Compline Online with Dcn. Jeannie on

St. Timothy's Facebook Page

Looking for a new prayer opportunity and a way to center yourself in prayer each week? Every Monday at 8 p.m., you’re invited to join Dcn. Jeannie online for Compline. Compline is a brief evening prayer service and a peaceful way to set your week with intention and to end your day with a sense of completion and stillness.

The service lasts just 15 minutes and can be accessed on St. Timothy's Episcopal Church Athens, AL Facebook page HERE. You simply need a Book of Common Prayer (BCP) and to turn to pg. 127. Please contact jrann228@gmail.com or the front office for more information.

Morning Prayer in St. Anne's Chapel in Hiers Hall,

Thursdays 7 AM

Every Thursday morning, join us for Morning Prayer in St. Anne’s Chapel at the end of Hiers Hall. Simply enter Hiers Hall and follow the hallway all the way to the end. There will be signs directing you. As we seek to expand our options for praying together during the week, we hope to see our early birds and any brave night owls at this service of prayer and Scripture. You don't have to know how to read Morning Prayer; we'll teach you!

Friday Bible Study at 10:47 am!

Meet with Fr. Donavan to study the Letter of James in this 1 hour Bible Study on FRIDAY in the Conference Room beginning at 10:47 AM! If you are interested in joining a Bible Study at the church and are available on Friday mornings, you are invited!

Children's & Youth Ministries

Classes & Activities Return April 12

Children & Youth Ministry's regular Sunday programs are taking a break for Easter. Ms. Laura Beth and Ethan hope to see you and your family on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. Check back next week for news!



Music Ministry

Treble Choir

The Treble Choir sings approximately once a month at the 10:30 a.m. worship service and our remaining special services this school year will include special music on Easter morning and Mother's Day! All children in 2nd-8th Grades are invited to join! Bring a friend!

The Treble Choir schedule is available HERE and is posted on the bulletin board leading to Hiers Hall, the choir bulletin board in Hudson Hall, and the St. Thomas Website. Rehearsals are Sunday afternoons 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. Please email Miss Kathy at music@stthomashuntsville.org for details!

Phone: 256.880.0247

Email: StThomas@stthomashuntsville.org