From the Rector's Desk

Dear Saints of God,

Time has flown by quickly and we are now at the start of summer. This means vacations and many other celebrations. Two celebrations are upcoming in our Community Of Faith. One is the ending of the 175th Anniversary on Sunday, July 13th, 2025. This Sunday will be designated as "Awards Sunday" when we recognized and honor many for their contributions to the anniversary and ministry in the parish. The second will be my Celebration of Retirement and End of my Pastoral Ministry at Christ Church. This will be on Sunday, July 20, 2025 at 4:00 pm. I am looking forward to a wonderful time of worship and fellowship with you the saints of God and many others with gratitude.

It is my prayer that as we engage these times of fellowship that God's Holy Spirit which we again celebrate at Pentecost will infuse us to be more fully His own as we are present one with the other.

Respectfully,
Fr. Trevor+

Noonday Prayer and Quiet Reflection

This week Fr. Trevor+ continues his 10-week series of reflections on the theme of 'Forgiveness'.
Facebook Live Noonday Prayer and Short Reflection.
Click the link below to watch the most recent broadcast.
Noonday Prayer 06/12/25
Week 8:
Hymn: "O For a Faith that Will Not Shrink"

Pentecost

This past Whitsunday, our Sunday school youth brought a truly special touch to our Pentecost service! With symbolic doves "flying" through the air, they helped us all visualize the significance of that powerful day. It was a wonderful way to recognize the Holy Spirit's descent and the role doves play in representing peace and new beginnings.

Did You Know?

As June rolls in, many of us begin to think about two significant Sundays that often share the same month: Trinity Sunday and Father's Day. In 2025, they actually fall on the very same day – June 15th!

So this year, as we celebrate dads and ponder the divine, we have a unique opportunity to reflect on different facets of fatherhood – both earthly and heavenly – on a shared special Sunday. Here a couple of fun facts...

Trinity Sunday is the only major Christian feast day that celebrates a doctrine rather than a person or an event! It's observed the Sunday after Pentecost and focuses on the mystery of the Holy Trinity: God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—three distinct persons in one God.
This makes it unique among Christian holidays, which usually commemorate specific historical moments like Christmas (the birth of Jesus), Easter (Jesus' resurrection), or Pentecost (the descent of the Holy Spirit). Trinity Sunday, instead, invites believers to ponder the fundamental nature of God as a "three-in-one" unity, a concept that is considered a central, yet ultimately mysterious, affirmation of Christian faith.

The "Mother" of Father's Day was a Daughter Who Advocated for Her Widower Dad: While many people know Father's Day is celebrated in June, fewer realize it was largely spearheaded by a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd from Spokane, Washington. After attending a Mother's Day sermon in 1909, she felt strongly that fathers, especially her own Civil War veteran father who raised six children as a single parent, deserved a similar day of recognition. She campaigned tirelessly, going to local churches, the YMCA, and government officials. Her efforts led to the first statewide Father's Day celebration in Washington on June 19, 1910, the month of her father's birthday. It took many more decades for it to become a national holiday in the U.S., finally being signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1972.

Online Morning Prayer

Online Morning Prayer with Bishop Heyd Every Weekday at 8 a.m.

Please note that you'll need to register before you join.
Click here https://dioceseny.org/online-morning-prayer to register.

Announcements

Coffee Hour

Get ready to brew up some good times this Sunday after worship! We invite you to our weekly Coffee Hour in the Guild Room, where we will celebrate our graduates
Summer Service Schedule Update: Get ready for summer! Starting Sunday, June 22, 2025, we'll be switching to our summer service schedule. Join us for ONE Sunday service at 10:00 a.m. throughout the summer months. Our regular service schedule will resume in the fall.

Fr. Trevor Retirement Event

The Staten Island Council of Churches (SICOC) will honor Fr. Trevor with a Retirement Celebration on Wednesday, June 18th, 2025, at Christ Church New Brighton. $35 cost per person. We hope to see you there, as we celebrate Fr. Trevor in retirement.

Vestry Meeting

Please note that our regular scheduled Vestry Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. Reports and other important information must be submitted on or before June 12, 2025, to be included in the packets. Packets will be available for pickup on Friday, June 13th, 2025, after 1:00 PM.

Table with the Episcopal Church for Juneteenth!

There are two opportunities to join the Episcopal Churches on Staten Island for the Juneteenth festival tabling: Saturday, 6/14 (Tappen Park) and Saturday, 6/21 (Snug Harbor). Please contact Mother Kirstin at kswanson@dioceseny.org if you are interested.

Raising My Voice Mentor Training

Raising My Voice (RMV) is a 6 week storytelling program designed for and by people who have experienced incarceration. Mentors are needed to support the first RMV cycle on SI. Monday, June 30, at 56 Bay Street, 5 to 8 pm. For more information, contact Linda Steele at linda@circlesofsupport.org.

175th Anniversary 50-50 Raffle

Join us in commemorating our momentous 175th anniversary by participating in our 50/50 raffle! We're halfway to our goal of selling 500 tickets! The lucky winner will be drawn in July, as we conclude our year-long celebration. Don't miss your chance to win big while supporting our historic church. Tickets are available! Contact Sheila Hewitt to secure yours today. Thank you for helping us celebrate this incredible milestone.

WANTED

Coffee Hour Coordinator.  Christ Church is looking for a Coordinator to coordinate the Coffee Hour every Sunday after the 10:00 am service. This Coordinator position has been open since June 1, 2025.
Contact Sheila Hewitt at 718-447-8049 for more information about this position.

SAVE THE DATE

Sunday, June 15, 2025 - Graduation Sunday
Saturday, June 21, 2025 - IPC Ferryhawks Game
Sunday, June 22, 2025 - Pilgrimage Commissioning

Christ Church Parish Prayer List

The following individuals have requested our prayers:
Fred Allen, Ricia Augusty, Betty Babb, Elma Babb, Erma Babb, Marcella Babb, Jenny Badger, Ezekiel Bascombe, Richard Biada, Linda Blanchette, Chris Broderick, Deborah Broome, Frank Cangemi, Irvin Celestine, Eva Charney, David Clark, Wayne Clark, Marcia Clendenen, Sandra Cocks, Lisa Colli-Hogan, Theodore R. Coletti, Carmen Conrado, Barbara Corregan, Laura Craig, Athelridge Cumberbatch, Gaynelle Cumberbatch, The Most Rev. Michael Curry, Wayne Dupuis, Marlene Elia, Garfield Evans, Tabitha Foxx, Julio Gambuto, Marcella Goodridge, Sebastian Gattullo, Sandra Giambalvo, The Most Rev. Drexel Gomez, Melonie Griffiths, Steven Haley, Mary Hamblin, Mary Haugen, Anne Heather, Avion Hernandez-Elcock, Michael Kelly, Chloe Lee, Gloria Levine, The McIntosh Family, Eva McClary, Mary Mcclellan, Michael & Lois Moschella, Louise Nygard, T. Rauch, Ann Reilly, Olivia Rey, Leila Rollock, Willie, Marcus & Dylan Schumaker, Barnett Shepherd, Daphne Smith, Joyce Smith, Thomas Sox, David Lloyd Stephens, Christopher Still, George Sullivan, Fred Tucher, Rob Tucher, Linda Tuell, Deborah Vurckio, Lucille Williams, Roger Williams, Doreen Wood, Marsha Wynter, Jan & Joan Yearwood, Teresa Brown-Zapken, Patrick Zapken, and the people at The Girls & Boys of Heartshare St. Vincent's Services.
Please Note: The Prayer List is intended to uphold and encourage those who need healing prayers. If persons have been fully recovered and no longer need to be lifted up in this way, please let us know so that we can make room for others. This list will be updated every three months unless otherwise notified. If you need a loved one or friend to remain on the list, please call the parish office. Thank you!
We pray for the repose of the souls of Deborah Stuhlman, Frances Smith, and all the faithful departed. May their souls rest in peace.
We pray for all the frontline and essential workers in our parish, and around S.I. and the world.
We pray for the hundreds of asylum seekers in New York City, particularly on Staten Island, and ask God's Holy Spirit to help us as citizens, civic organizations, and religious institutions respond with love and compassion.
We pray for comfort to the families and communities impacted by gun violence, and for the will and determination to enact appropriate gun control legislation and promote a culture of safety.
We pray for an end to armed conflict and lift up the people of Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, Russia, and Sudan in the hopes that they can move towards peace and diplomacy.
We pray for all those negatively impacted by climate, environmental, and naturally occurring disasters.
We pray for those who are suffering from the impacts of systemic racism, and for those who are committed and working towards change, unity, and equality for all peoples.
We give thanks for all those who have graduated and pray for their continued blessing and success.
We give thanks to God for the following individuals who are celebrating their Birthdays this week. Charles McLean III (15), Richard Zayzay (15), Claire James (15), LaFleur King (15), Romeo Zayzay (16), Eleanor Larimer (18), Annabella Colucci (18), Oneka Johns (20), Aaliyah Davis (21).
We give thanks to God for the individuals who are celebrating their wedding anniversaries this week: Roxanne Ingoe & John Gerney (16).
In the Richmond IPC Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Knitting Guild of Christ Church.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Anglican Church of Korea.
In the Diocese of New York, we pray for +Sean, our Presiding Bishop; +Matthew, +Allen, and +Mary, our Bishops; Trevor+, our Rector.

Interparish Council Events

The Episcopal Church on Staten Island is tabling at the Pride Center of Staten Island's Pridefest event at Snug Harbor on May 31. Tabling set-up for that event starts at 10 am, and the event ends by 5:30. We are especially in need of volunteers to close out the day and help take the table down. 

Please reach out to Mo. Kirstin if you would like to help with this event and she will direct you to Diane Gurgone, Table Captain.  Please  be mindful that this is also the day of the celebratory service giving thanks for the faithful leadership of Bishop Mary Glasspool at St. John the Divine at 10:30 AM
The Rev. Kirstin Swanson - (347) 446-4870 (call or text) - kswanson@dioceseny.org

Saturday, June 21
St. Paul's Episcopal Church Summer Luncheon, 12:00 – 3:00 PM,
$35 for Adults, $16 for Children 12 and younger.
Saturday June 21 at 6:30 pm
Join the Richmond Interparish Council for an evening of fun and fireworks!
Faith & Family Night with the FerryHawks!
$10 per person for a ticket and food voucher.
Staten Island University Hospital Community Park,
75 Richmond Terrace Staten Island, NY 10301
June 30 – July 3, 9:00 AM - Noon
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
Church of St. Andrew. Please share with the families in your parish.

Formation opportunities on Staten Island

Church of St. Andrew, Birch Hall, June 24, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Bible Study, Book of Genesis
Pride Month
Join The Episcopal Church on Staten Island as we study. Pride month bible study explores the ways queer interpretation of the bible enlivens the word of God in ways that embrace the LGBTQ+ people. Led by Fr. Hank and Mo. Kirstin.
Wednesdays in June at 7:00 PM via Zoom. June 18 and 25, 2025
The Gospel of Luke in person at All Saints Episcopal Church, 7:00 PM, August 6 & 20, September 10, 17, and 24, 2025

Contact The Rev. Kirstin Swanson, (347) 446-4870 or kswanson@dioceseny.org
Check out the IPC Calendar for ALL upcoming events and FLYERS 

The Rev. Kirstin Swanson