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Parish Weekly October 30, 2026
Mission: St. Thomas' Episcopal Church is a welcoming spiritual community dedicated to following the teachings of Christ Jesus. We grow through learning, celebrate joyful worship, and serve our neighbors.
Vision: We open hearts and minds to create community in Christ.
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We are called in many ways to "encircle with love" those who are inside and outside
the walls of our beloved parish.
We encircle each other with love as we remember our loved ones who are no longer
with us as we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. We remember, we pray, we are present with and for each other in grief, in the love that is shared. Join us Sunday, November 1, on All Saints' Sunday, as we worship with special music at St. Thomas' annual Jarvis Concert. This year our liturgy will be guided by movements from Mozart's Missa solemnis (K. 337), performed by our adult choir, vocal soloists, violinists, cellist, and organist.
A special thank you goes to St. Thomas' Organist and Choir Director, Rhonda Wright,
for organizing the event.
We encircle our transgender and non-binary siblings as we learn about the current
laws and policies that are putting their flourishing at risk. We will discover ways we can support and advocate for them. Join me on Sunday, November 8, after worship, from 11:30 am to 1 pm, for an all-parish presentation by Dr. Emma Forbes-Jones, "Beyond the Headlines." Dr. Emma will discuss how current laws and policies affect our transgender and non-binary community and those who support them. Register for the presentation using the link below. Childcare will be available.
| We encircle each other with love as we come alongside those who were formerly part of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. On Sunday, November 8 at 3 pm, you are invited to join in a service to secularize their building. Many of these loved ones have become part of St. Thomas' since St. Stephen's closed. In a lovely way, St. Stephen's vitality continues with us as their beloved members add to who we are now and who we are becoming. I encourage you to watch the video below to see how God's presence has been in that holy place for over 100 years. | | |
Daylight Saving Time Ends November 1
Please remember to turn your clock back one hour on Saturday night before you go to bed, as we will "fall back" to standard time.
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SMSJ Empty Bowls 2026 Fundraiser, Friday, November 6, 6:00 pm,
- St. Mark's and St. John's Episcopal Church (see details below)
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Wegmans East Avenue Grocery Run, Saturday, November 7, 8:30 am (see details below)
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Beyond the Headlines, Sunday, November 8, 11:30 am, Great Hall
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Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, Parish Office Closed
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Children & Youth Ministries | |
All Saints Day
This week in Sunday School, our lesson will
focus on the tradition of All Saints' Day. In the Apostles' Creed, we profess that we "believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, [and] the communion of saints." Christians around
the world celebrate many saints. In our tradition, saints are all believers who followed in Christ's footsteps. Saints are young and old, historical and contemporary, known and unknown. All Saints' Day is a time to remember, honor, and celebrate the lives of saints who have gone before us. In this lesson, the children will learn about how we honor saints and how those who have gone before us can be faithful role models in our lives. Please direct any questions to Rev. Lydia at lydia@stthomasrochester.org.
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Youth Group
This week in Youth Group, we will explore the tradition of All Saints' Day through activities, prayers, and an Escape (Youth) Room adventure. Each part of our time together will help the youth uncover a person of faith or idea that embraces the spirit of our Program Year theme, “Encircle with Love.”
| Please direct any questions or concerns to Rev. Lydia at lydia@stthomasrochester.org or Paula Gitlin at paula@stthomasrochester.org. | |
2027 Pledge Campaign Update
Contribute your gifts and resources to sustain and grow our parish and community partnerships. To date, St. Thomas' has collected $238,216 in pledges, more than halfway to our goal of $390,000.
If your pledge card hasn't arrived in the mail, you can now pledge and pay online
by using the links below. We appreciate your continued support!
During the first week of November 2026, parishioners will receive their 2027 pledge statements in the mail. The 2026 annual comprehensive giving statements will follow
in an additional mailing scheduled for mid-January 2027. Direct questions and concerns
to Jaime Berthold, Finance and Office Manager, at finance@stthomasrochester.org
or 585.442.3544, extension 102.
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2027 Altar Flowers Sign-Up Now Open
Whether you have a special occasion or celebration, or you wish to honor a loved one, consider sponsoring flowers for one of next year's weekly worship services.
Altar flower sponsors can choose to have our Watchcare ministry deliver them to a home-bound parishioner or someone who needs floral cheer, or can take them home after the service. Signing up is easy and fast! Call the Parish Office at 585.442.3544 or use the link below. For more details, contact Vicky Rupley at vrupley@gmail.com or 585.233.2546.
| | Note: 2026 Altar Flower donations are full, and the 2026 sign-up page link is no longer active. | |
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New Staff Addition
St. Thomas' staff continues to grow. With decades of property management experience, Chris Bach joins the team as our Property Manager. Please join us in giving Chris a warm St. Thomas' welcome the next time you stop by the office.
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Thank you to St. Thomas' lay delegates Susan Chazan, Brian Kruschwitz, and Janet Sowden for joining the clergy on Saturday, October 24, at the 95th Diocesan Convention. Congratulations to the following folks from St. Thomas' who were elected to new offices: The Rev. Lydia Arnts, Commission on Ministry; Charlie Zettek and the Very Rev. Leslie Burkardt to the Board of Trustees. Read the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester's approved resolutions using the link below.
A special thank you to Charlie Zettek for serving as the Bishop's Diplomat to the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York at their diocesan convention Friday-Saturday!
| | Thank you to the Stewardship Committee and the Parish Connections Ministry for nourishing us in body and spirit at Sunday's Ingathering Luncheon. Special thanks to Susan Hughes' and Anne Bauer's leadership, and to the faithful crew of helpers: Nancy and Jim Stefano, Riley Flaum, Linda Coleman, Maggie Detty, Judy Zettek, Barb Skornia, and Mary Scollan. | |
If you have thanksgivings to share, please email Amy Holowczenko, Communications
& Reception, at communications@stthomasrochester.org.
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SMSJ Empty Bowls 2026 Fundraiser
The annual SMSJ Empty Bowls event will be held Friday, November 6, at St. Mark's and St. John's Episcopal Church on Culver Road. Tickets may be purchased online by scanning the QR code (on the flyer) or clicking the link below. Contact Rev. Maria Hartz-Clienburg at mhartz@stmarksandstjohns.org for more details.
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Wegmans East Avenue Grocery Run
The Youth Group will be participating in this year’s Wegmans East Avenue Grocery Run on Saturday, November 7. Please consider joining the team or supporting them by donating using the QR codes on the flyer. All donations will benefit St. Mark’s and St. John’s Episcopal Church and House of Mercy feeding ministries.
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Get Ready
for Sunday
Read the Revised Common Lectionary
for All Saints' Day
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Parish Weekly Deadline
The deadline for submitting articles for
the Parish Weekly is Tuesday at 9:00 am. Unless noted, the newsletter is published
on Fridays at 10:00 am. Please send
articles directly to Amy Holowczenko at communications@stthomasrochester.org.
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Sunday Live Stream Service at 10:00 am is available on St. Thomas' YouTube channel—St. Thomas Episcopal Church of Rochester, NY. The live stream can
be viewed any time after 10:00 am throughout the week.
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Brighton Food Cupboard
(585) 271-5355
Centers for Disease Control
cdc.gov
Episcopal Relief
& Development
(faith-based response
to epidemics)
bit.ly/2VMcNuu
Interpersonal
Violence Hotline
(for physical and mental related to interpersonal violence and trauma)
(585) 275-HEAL
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Monroe County Department of Health
monroecounty.gov/health-coronavirus
National Child
Abuse Hotline
(800) 342-3720
National Suicide Prevention
988
New York State Mental
Health Provider Hotline
(844) 863-9314
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NYS Office of
Addiction Services https://oasas.ny.gov/
Rochester AA Support
(585) 232-6720
Willow Domestic
Violence Center
(585) 222-SAFE
The Trevor Project
(for LGBTQ youth, 13-14)
1 (866) 488-7386
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St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church of Rochester, New York, is proud
to stand with the Greater Rochester Black Agenda Group and its declaration that “Racism is a Public Health Crisis." As a community
of faith and followers of Jesus Christ, we believe that every person
is continually made in the image of God beautifully and wonderfully.
We are committed to doing the hard work of love. We are dedicated
to the practice of growing and learning how to know and love our neighbors as we seek to create community. We hold the hope that
love does win through forgiveness, kindness, and transformation.
We desire to be a people who work for the equity of all. We work to acknowledge our complicity
and part in racism, and we are committed to working together to tackle injustice in our lives, in our church, in our community, and in the world.
| | Copyright ©2026 St. Thomas' Church of Rochester, NY. All rights reserved. |
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