Beloveds of God,

It's been almost a week since our Matilda arrived like a whirlwind. Since then, Nik and I have been learning so much every day and getting to know our little girl. Although Nik came home from the hospital with the flu, he is on the mend, as am I. Mattie (as I call her, when her given name has just one too many syllables to say) lives up to her name as a "mighty warrior" and has the determination of the many other Matildas in my family for whom she is named. Though she be but little, she is fierce! 

We are so grateful for the prayers, well wishes, and support we have been receiving. The first part of the meal train arrived yesterday and is such a gift.

I will continue to hold all of you in prayer as well for your ministry and love for one another and our community.

O eternal God, you have promised to be a father to a thousand generations of those who love and fear you: Bless this child and preserve her life; receive her and enable her to receive you, that through the Sacrament of Baptism she may become the child of God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Yours in peace,

Mother Carrie, Father Nik, Mattie, and the pups 

In her note above, Mother Carrie said of Mattie, "Though she be but little, she is fierce!" Shakespeare first wrote this line - can you guess which play it appears in? Choose from Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night's Dream, or Hamlet. Scroll to the very bottom for the answer.

Meal Train for Nik & Carrie Combs!

There are times in our lives when friends and family ask, "What can I do to help out?" The answer is usually to help them with a meal. When many friends provide support through a meal, Meal Train keeps everyone organized.

MealTrain.com is a free meal calendar tool that makes planning meals among a wide group easy and less stressful.

We have set up a Meal Train for Nik and Carrie Combs, so they can spend less time planning and cooking meals, and spend more time raising their baby Matilda.

To read more details about this project, click here. If you aren't a good cook, have no fear; you can purchase a gift card through MealTrain so they can call for takeout!

The Three Magi, Byzantine mosaic circa 565, Basilica Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, in Ravenna, Italy. Byzantine art usually depicts the Magi in Persian clothing, such as breeches, capes, and Phrygian caps.

On Sunday January 5, we welcomed the Rev. Marilyn Anderson as our supply priest. She will be working with us now through February 16.

Get to know her during Coffee Hour!

In her January 5th sermon, the Rev. Marilyn Anderson read this short poem.

"On the Mystery of the Incarnation"

It’s when we face for a moment

the worst our kind can do, and shudder to know

the taint in our own selves, that awe

cracks the mind’s shell and enters the heart:

not to a flower, not to a dolphin,

to no innocent form

but to this creature vainly sure

it and no other is god-like, God

(out of compassion for our ugly

failure to evolve) entrusts,

as guest, as brother,

the Word.

+ Denise Levertov

Please wear your name badge at church, as it helps us learn each other's names! If you need a badge, please sign up for one at the back of the church, by the entrance.

Resolve to Volunteer in 2025!

Trinity runs on volunteers - hosting Coffee Hour, maintaining the altar and grounds, preaching, ushering, editing the newsletter, counting donations, leading Adult Formation, filming our services, and more more more.

If you have a talent you would like to share, or if you want to learn more about how you can volunteer at Trinity, please sign up during Coffee Hour.

Many hands make light work!

Call for 2025 Pledge Cards

Please get your 2025 Pledge Cards in to the office as soon as possible. If you don’t have a card, call Melanie and she can fill one out for you. 

We only have approximately 30 cards, which is half of last year's. 

Thank you!

Trinity Lime Rock + Trinity Torrington!

Some generous and considerate folks at Trinity Lime Rock applied for a Terrell Trust grant to assist with the seasonal overflow shelter here at Trinity Torrington. They were approved for $1000, and an anonymous donor from their church matched it with another $1000. This money will be split between Trinity Torrington and the Northwest CT Y, which staffs the shelter.

Trinity Lime Rock has been following our efforts in temporarily housing the unsheltered, and they support us in our efforts. We are most grateful for their gift!

Below is Conrad Sienkiewicz (at Trinity Lime Rock) receiving the donation from the Rev. Heidi Truax, Cheryl Duntz, and Jim Conzo.

Funeral Services for George Anderson will be held this Saturday, January 11, 2025, at 11:00a.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 220 Prospect St., Torrington. A burial will follow in Trinity Memorial Garden. Gleeson-Ryan Funeral Home, 258 Prospect St., Torrington, is in care of arrangements.

His service will also be streamed live via our website.

At the request of the family, in lieu of flowers, please make a donation in his name to AccentCare Hospice Connecticut, 1579 Straights Turnpike 1E, Middlebury Ct 06762 or Trinity Episcopal Church Book of Remembrance, 220 Prospect St., Torrington, CT 06790.

His obituary can be read here.

If you would like to deliver one of the readings at his funeral, please contact Lydia Babbitt at lydiadbabbitt@gmail.com.

Men's Breakfast January 18

The men of Trinity will meet for breakfast on Saturday January 18 at 9am at Twin Colony Diner in Torrington. We talk, and eat, and enjoy each other's company.

Contact Conrad with questions.

Our Culture is Beautiful Movie Discussion

On Saturday January 25 at 1pm at Trinity Church (220 Prospect Street in Torrington), we will have a movie screening followed by a discussion with members of Our Culture is Beautiful, a local group that celebrates cultural diversity in Torrington. Our movie this month is a 2014 film (rated PG-13) that centers on a major figure in the civil rights movement in 1965 as he plans a march to draw attention to voting rights in the South. This Oscar-winning* film was directed by Ava DuVernay and stars Daniel Oyelowo.

(*Best Original Song - "Glory" by John Legend and Common.)

For more details, contact Conrad at conradsank@gmail.com.

The movie is free, and all are welcome!

"Though she be but little, she is fierce!"

~William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, spoken by Helena as she fights her frenemy Hermia.

Details about Mtr. Carrie

Mother Carrie will be on maternity leave from now until April 7^th (the Monday before Palm Sunday) with a combination of vacation and paid leave. During that time, our services of Holy Eucharist will be covered by two wonderful retired local clergy: the Rev. Marilyn Anderson and the Rev. Evelyn Wheeler. Emergency pastoral coverage for the first part of leave will be handled by Rev. Marilyn, and after that by a familiar face, the Rev. Nikolaus Combs.

The full document explaining who to contact about what, and how, can be found here.

If you have an announcement or event that you would like publicized, or if you are a parishioner involved in an event that you would like to share with the parish, please send it to The Portal at announcements@trinity-torrington.org, and we can then direct your announcement to the best method of communication.