Parish Weekly March 13, 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.

Rector's Notes

A Note on Prayer

What is your default? 

One of the first prayers that I learned from the Celtic tradition was the Encircling Prayer. I learned it in seminary, and it quickly became embedded

in my heart as a way to ground me. To this day, it automatically comes to mind whenever I need courage and strength in uncertain times. And so

it should not be surprising that it comes to mind now when we do not know when the other shoe

will drop. It is a comforting prayer for the morning before looking at the news. It is restorative amid a busy day. It is a touchstone at the end of the day when it is time to rest.  

So, I share this Encircling Prayer with you, in hopes that it will be the same for you.

Praying with you, 



Amma Leslie+

Mark Your Calendars

• Episcopal 101 Class, Sundays, March 15, 22, 29, 11:15 am, Lounge
• Lenten Wednesday Classes, Wednesdays, March 18 and 25, 2:00 pm, Lounge (see details below)

Worship Ministry

Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross are located in the Nave of the Church, with narrative descriptions on each windowsill near the stations. The temperature in the Nave has been raised for your comfort while you pray. 

Prayer at the stations is open to all weekdays between

9:00 am and 3:30 pm until April 2, or accessible by contacting the Parish Office at 585.442.3544 to make arrangements to pray during off-hours. If you do not have

a door code, please use the intercom, and the staff will buzz you in to gain entrance to the church.

Easter Flower Sign-Up

When the light breaks through on Easter Sunday, our sanctuary will be beautifully decorated with an array of lilies and flowering plants, thanks to the generous donations from parishioners and friends

of St. Thomas.' These plants will enhance our celebration throughout Easter week.

You may donate towards the Easter flowers in one of two ways:

• Click the link below to donate online

• Individual cards, located at both church entrances

If you would like to make a donation in memory of a loved one or as a special gesture of thanksgiving, please indicate this when you sign up. We will include these names

in the list of contributors in the Easter bulletin. Contributions of any amount are greatly appreciated. If sending a check, please make it payable to St. Thomas' Episcopal Church and write 'Easter Flowers' on the memo line. Sign-up forms and checks can

be submitted to the church office.

The deadline for submissions to be included in the Easter service bulletins is noon

on Monday, March 30. Please direct any inquiries Vicky Rupley at 585.233.2546

or via email at vrupley@gmail.com.

Formation



Lenten Wednesdays Classes

Living Well through Lent devotions will be available at each of the church entrances. The group will gather for reflection on Wednesday, March 18, and Wednesday, March 25, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm in the Lounge.

For more information, contact Amma Leslie at leslie@stthomasrochester.org. 

Fellowship Ministry

Women of St. Thomas’ March Meeting

The next gathering of the Women of St. Thomas’ will

be held on Thursday, March 19, at 11:30 am in the Lounge. Andrea Calloway, the Director of The Sunset House, a home for the dying in Irondequoit, and fellow parishioner Maggie Detty, a volunteer at the home, will discuss the work of this ministry.



The program will begin at 11:30 am, followed by lunch. Each attendee should bring a sandwich, salad, or soup. Beverages, chips, and dessert will be provided. We hope you’ll be able to join us!

Note: If the weather is inclement and prevents the group from meeting, the gathering will be canceled. Group members will be notified by 9:30 am via email. Please contact Linda Coleman at 585.313.3164 for more information.

Community Engagement

Dress A Girl Ministry

Lent is the perfect time to sew for our Dress A Girl Ministry. The ministry plans to send 100-200 dresses with the St. Paul’s Church Choir when they visit Ghana in February next year. Currently, there are 20 dresses in stock at the church, and we are seeking help creating more to meet our goal.

Dress kits and instructions are available for pickup during Hospitality Hour on Sundays following the 10:00 am service, and from the bin outside the Parish Office or from the Fiber Ministry closet in the Acolytes Room at anytime. The dresses are quick and fun to make, taking only one to two hours to construct.

United Thank Offering During Lent

Each Lent, St. Thomas' holds a collection for the United Thank Offering (UTO), a ministry of the Episcopal Church that provides one-time grants

to assist in missionary, health and well-being needs, including projects supporting the environment, overseas projects, community building including LGBTQ+ initiatives, and the Diocese of Jerusalem.

The UTO started in 1889, and has addressed needs

in the U.S. and around the world through these gifts. Notice the blessings around you, and give

thanks to God through the UTO.

Last year, one of the UTO theme for grants focused on access to water and funded $23,193.50 for the Thakabanna Primary School Water System Installation in the Diocese of Lesotho, Southern Africa. Located in a mountainous and remote area,

the students are only allowed access to water once a day. This project will drill a borehole to address water scarcity, which will benefit the local community by providing

water to those in need.

UTO coin boxes and brochures are available at both church entrances. Alternatively, you may mail a check to the church with "UTO" noted in the memo section. All contributions will be gathered at the end of Lent on April 19. Please consider joining

us in giving thanks this Lent through the UTO.

Wendy Petry has been chairing the United Thank Offering at St. Thomas’ for 34 years, and has decided this year will be her last. Anyone interested in shadowing her, learning more about the UTO, and taking over this campaign next year should contact Wendy Petry, UTO Chairwoman, at wendywhp@yahoo.com.



Brighton Food Cupboard Requests

The Brighton Food Cupboard is a program

of Jewish Family Service of Rochester in partnership with the Brighton Central School District and Foodlink. March and April donation needs for the Brighton Food Cupboard include toothpaste, toothbrushes, and shampoos, which will help keep our neighbors smiling and looking great.

Drop for off your donations in the collection boxes located at each church entrance. Thanks for caring and sharing in the love!

Update: St. Thomas' collected 256 pounds of soup and crackers during our Souper Sundays campaign for the Brighton Food Cupboard. It is warming to the body and the soul to have such a great outpouring for our neighbors.

Community Education

City of Rochester Public Education Sessions: Opioids in Our Community

Share your perspectives on how the opioid epidemic

is affecting our community and its families, what resources are available to prevent overdose, and what you observe

as barriers to care at the Cameron Community Ministries public education sessions on Wednesday, March 18,

and Wednesday, June 24, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm,

at 28 Cameron Street in Rochester. For more information, contact the Office of Special Projects and Educational Initiatives at 585.428.7192.

Children and Youth Ministry



The Pool of Siloam

This week in Sunday School, we will read John 9:1-41. In this passage, a blind man receives sight after Jesus rubs mud on the man’s eyes and instructs him to wash in the pool of Siloam. After this miracle, the man begins to proclaim Jesus’ power and believes Jesus to be the light of the world. While others do not believe the man, Jesus affirms his faith and remains with him. Our lesson this week focuses on the ways in which we see light in the world around us. How does God open our eyes to see the light of Christ here and now?

Youth Group Meets This Sunday

This week in Youth Group, we will continue our exploration of the artwork of Henri Matisse and reflections from the SALT project. As Holy Week approaches, we will engage in prayer practices that express the many emotions present in the drama

of that week. We will also look for ways that hope and light are beginning to peek through in our Lenten Journey. 

The Youth Group will meet on the first and third Sunday of each month. All are welcome. Please contact either Rev. Lydia at lydia@stthomasrochester.org or

Paula Gitlin at paula@stthomasrochester.org with any questions or concerns.

In Case You Missed It

April Creation Care Meeting

St. Thomas' parishioners are invited to join the

Creation Care Committee in a discussion of the book,

"The Serviceberry," by Robin Wall Kimmerer, at 8:00 pm

on Tuesday, April 7. Dr. Kimmerer will be speaking

at an event hosted by the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York on Saturday, May 2, for which this book is recommended preparation.

For more information, contact Allen Blair at 585.473.3453 or blairallen1959@gmail.com.

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. 

Daily Devotional (Forward Day by Day): click here for the link.

For Prayer Requests, click here or on the link at the bottom of this page.

Emergency Contacts

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

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

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

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.