Remember that song … “Raindrops keep falling on our heads”?? (Or ceiling tiles!) It’s time to say goodbye to buckets. It’s time to ‘Raise the Roof’ at our beloved, historic Trinity Church! Our Vestry voted on May 13th to proceed with a very exciting proposal endorsed on May 12th by both the Property and Finance Commissions.

We invite you to a special parish forum on Sunday, June 1 st in the Glover Room after worship to hear about the plan for a new roof and how we will fund it. We will explain how will replace the current roof with materials befitting this icon on Main Street. We will talk about how parishioners in the past have left us with endowments that bring this project in reach for us. And we will kick off a fundraising campaign among current parishioners so we can pay it forward to those who follow us.

We have so much Spirit energy right now! It will feel good to take care of our historic home. I am so grateful to serve with such generous and talented lay leaders, and with such a beautiful congregation. Join us!!!

Blessings of this Eastertide to you,
Rev. Andrea

Good news! The home formerly known as Trinity’s ‘Curate House’ has been sold - to an enthusiastic buyer who plans to make the property a forever home in Newtown. As a reminder, after a thorough review process, our Residential Properties Team discerned that Trinity Church no longer has need of two homes.
Our Vestry and Parish, as well as the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, approved selling the home on Schoolhouse Hill Road. The sale closed on April 10, 2025, and the real estate market determined a price providing very favorable income to the parish. Please speak with our Rector, Wardens, Clerk or Treasurer with any questions.

Trinity Church Library/Johnson Library (upstairs hallway, across from Choir and Church School rooms)
An Invitation for all Newcomers and Visitors at Trinity Church … and anyone who wants to say ‘Hello.’
Dear Friends, we value the gift of your presence among us, and we want to get to know you a bit!
Please stay after worship on Sunday, May 18th for conversation. Come to the Library, around the corner from the Sanctuary. Chat with Rev. Andrea, with other newcomers, and with some long-time members as well.
Coffee-Hour treats will be provided in the Library. Little Ones are most welcome.
We invite you to learn more about the Trinity parish family. How has God’s Spirit led you here at this time?
Bring your questions about Trinity Church and your hopes for what spiritual community can mean for you. RSVP at: [email protected] or call at 203-426-9070.

Invitation 1 - We are grateful for Vestry Leader Patrick Corrigan, who will offer the sermon on this 2nd Sunday of Easter.  Rev. Andrea will be able to step away from the Sanctuary to pay a special visit to Church School, and share in conversation with our children about how much we are missing Miss Frances.  
Families – do bring your kids to Church School this week – for this chat with Rev. Andrea, and for a special Easter Church School Ice Cream Party!
Invitation 2 – Parents of Church School families – Please gather in the Library after worship for conversation with Rev. Andrea about our plans for the rest of our Church School year.  
​We need your energy and input also, as we dream of the next phase in our growing Children’s Ministry at Trinity – this ministry will be strengthened by our participation!  Coffee Hour snacks will be available in the Library!

Holy One, and Beloved;
We thank you for all these beautiful faces, the body of Christ, who make up Trinity church. And we celebrate this amazing stained glass window that has graced our prayers and our gatherings for so many years.
We ask you to bless this historic window as it sets out on a journey for restoration, for healing. Keep our window safe, O God, and bring it back soon – restored, brighter, stronger, safer, even more lovely than it is now. We thank you for the skill of the technicians who will heal our window.
Holy God, we take courage in the message of this window – the Ascension of Christ into heaven. After his resurrection, after Easter, Jesus’ body went back to God – so that we can become his body! So that we can continue his ministry here on earth, each of us apostles and disciples and messengers of Christ’s love.
So … while we will miss this window, we know we are empowered by the Ascension to be Christ’s body. We take courage, we celebrate each other, and we will be fine until our window returns!
I invite you now to raise your hands in blessing, and let us say together:
Holy God, Bless our Window, and bring it back soon.  We ARE the body of Christ!  Amen.

Beloved ones, let us enter into the Season of Lent – this first Sunday of Lent – praying with ‘The Great Litany.’ It is a moving tradition, in our Episcopal Church, to turn our hearts to God in the solemnity of these ancient words.
A Cantor will lead us in chanting this Litany, and our Choir will guide our chanted responses. We will be invited to kneel or be seated, as able, during this prayer.
You will find The Great Litany on page 148 in your Book of Common Prayer.
The Episcopal Church tells us of the history of this ancient prayer. It is:
“an intercessory prayer including various petitions that are said or sung by the leader, with fixed responses by the congregation. It was used as early as the fifth century in Rome.
The Litany was the first English language rite prepared by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. It was first published in 1544. Cranmer modified an earlier litany form by consolidating certain groups of petitions into single prayers with response.
The Litany’s use in church processions was ordered by Henry VIII when England was at war with Scotland and France.” https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/great-litany-the/
The Penitential Order
Beginning on March 16th , we will begin our liturgy each Sunday with the Penitential Order, inviting us to focus on Confession early in the service. This is found on p. 351 in the Book of Common Prayer.
‘Rite 1’ – Remembering our History During Lent
On Sunday, March 23rd , we will use the ‘Rite 1’ version of Holy Eucharist, an older liturgy, found on p. 323 in the Book of Common Prayer.  
​According to The Episcopal Church, “The Rite 1 liturgies reflect the language and piety of the Elizabethan era and the first Book of Common Prayer, although the structure of these liturgies also reflects the influence of modern liturgical scholarship.”
Some of us will find the language of Rite 1 familiar and comforting, as we grew up with it. Others may find this departure from contemporary language an invitation into a new awareness of our history. On March 23rd, our Choir will chant the Psalm. And, as part of our observance of this history, our communion will be shared in silence.

Beloved Ones, we will begin a season of sharing a mid-week meal together with our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on Tuesday, March 4th . On this ‘Fat Tuesday,’ traditional Christian cooks would use up rich ingredients like butter and eggs before a Lenten season of fasting and dietary moderation – celebrating with pancakes for supper! Join us at 5:30pm in the Glover Community Room.

Ash Wednesday follows on Wednesday, March 5th with The Imposition of Ashes at 6:30 PM in the Sanctuary. See a description below!

After Ash Wednesday, we are then invited to gather on Lenten Wednesdays before Holy Week - with the exception of Wednesday, March 19th when our Vestry meets – no Supper that day.
Join us on these Wednesdays in Lent:
March 12th
March 26th
April 2nd
April 9th
5:45 PM – Come before Supper to Pray with the Stations of the Cross in the Sanctuary
6:00 PM – Gather for Supper in the Glover Community Room
Please use this Sign-Up Genius link to RSVP your family’s planned attendance at
Supper. Please also use this link to volunteer to host, or to bring simple dishes to share – soup, salad, bread, or a casserole. Let’s share duties of set-up, clean-up, and cooking.

(This is a family event, and therefore childcare will not be provided.)

Ash Wednesday is our threshold into the season of Lent. With Christians around the world, we follow the ancient practice of wearing dust and ashes on our foreheads, a sign of our mortality, of our human limitations and failings.

We will offer the liturgy for Ash Wednesday and the Imposition of Ashes in our historic Sanctuary at 6:30 PM. There will be lovely music as well.
Our liturgy invites us: “Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. … I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.”
Let us prayerfully enter this new season - together.
Peace be with you,
​Rev. Andrea

Beloved Ones, we invite you to stay with us after worship on Sunday, January 26th. It’s plenty cold outside … but we will find abundant warmth, comfort and joy in our Glover Community Hall!
Join us for an amazing meal, and help us celebrate our many ministries. We have a couple of fun surprises for you, celebrating our many children and families.
We will hear a few brief updates on current Trinity Church projects, and we will elect our leadership for 2025. We do a bit of business - in a context of fellowship and feasting!  We are grateful for all the written reports submitted by our leaders – please read the Annual Report.
Peace be with you,
​Rev. Andrea Castner Wyatt