I thought it might be helpful this week to talk about the new paint scheme that has just begun in the church. I’d like you to know the process we’re using in getting the new coloring just right.

First off, what you see in the back of church is an experiment. There is, of course, a general idea as to the color palette to be used (a sky blue for the ceiling, a sage green of sorts for the walls, and various accent colors on the church horizontals).

What follows in the next week will be adjustments to the shades (light and dark) of the palette. This will happen in conversation with the designer and selected parishioners who are skilled themselves in color and décor. (Your comments to me and any staff person are welcome and will be considered in forming the final coloring. But I’m sure you understand that we’ll have to go with our best thought.)

But there’s another matter that the painting of the church surfaces. How do we deal with change? Many of you have come to Holy Trinity for years. You’ve come to know and love this worship space. I have too.

But do you know how it looked before the current painting? It was totally different. Stencils and statues were every- where in the church. As was the fashion back then, “more is better”. Every space was filled with something.

Then came the late 60’s and 70’s. It was then thought that blank canvas walls (white) were the best way to emphasize the windows and the dome. Plain and simple was the philosophy. And so it has been for over 40 years.

Each person has their own taste, their favorite colors, etc. I remember coming to Holy Trinity ten years ago and in my first look at the church (I’ve never told you this before), I thought, “why is it all white?”

But in these years I’ve come to appreciate you and the liturgy that happens here. I’ve gotten used to this space. More than used to . . . I love this space. We get used to things. What seems “different” soon becomes “home”.

So friends, I’m asking you to trust the very good people who are driving this project, the designers, the painters, the parish committee. Yes, it will be different; and not just for difference sake    it will be better. It will serve the generations yet to come.

It will be a beautiful space for weddings, funerals, First Communions, Christmas and Easter and, of course, Sunday Mass.

I promise to be in regular contact with you about the plan as it goes forward. In turn I trust YOU to be constructive and helpful as we beautify this sacred space.

Bless you. Fr. Tim

PS. It’s going to be beautiful.

There are 1.9 billion Catholics in the world today. We are the largest religious community in the world. The Church spans the five continents and its peoples possess over one hundred languages. The number of races, cultures and geographies is mind boggling . Yet we are all “One Body, one Spirit in Christ”.

So how does this huge Church keep it all together? How is the Church leadership guided to find the will of Christ for her in the new millennium? These are changing times with many challenges: a world wide pandemic, the scandal of clergy abuse, mass attendance down in Europe and America, a growing shortage of priests, and an overall anxiety about any government’s ability to create a livable society.

Certainly she has the constant aid of the Holy Spirit. The Pope and bishops are graced in a special way to help steer the ship. But how do they hear the Holy Spirit? Do they possess some crystal ball that let’s them see what the Church should be doing in these difficult times?

No one body within the Catholic Church has all the answers. That is why Pope Francis and the bishops would like your help. They want to know what YOU think. You see, within the Church there are different voices. The bishop and priest preach and teach. Theologians delve deep into the mysteries of the Faith. Missionaries bring Christ to foreign lands. Monks and religious orders live lives of prayer. All have a work, a voice, that adds to the mission of the worldwide Catholic Church.

And you friend, what do you have that moves the Church to become like Christ? You have the gift of Faith that makes you a partner in the work of Christ in the world. The Laity, all together, have what theologians call the “Sensus Fidei” (the sense of Faith).

That means you have an intuition, a “right thinking”, about our Catholic Faith. Like a homing device, the faithful have a “Christ thinking” that can guide the Church in each age.

Soooo . . . Pope Francis and the bishops want to know what you think. He has highlighted 10 issues facing the church and society and asked that you pray and reflect on them. Then the Synod invites your response at parish meetings (to be announced) or written (the HT website will show you how to send your thoughts).

Bishop Matano will receive feedback from all the parishes in the diocese and send them on to Washington and from there, with all the other dioceses in the US, to Rome. This enormous amount of feedback will be distilled into the major findings and presented to a worldwide gathering of bishops in Rome, 2023.

It will provide the feedback of the “Catholic People” to the Pope and bishops (the Magisterium) for their consideration, and guidance. Also, for our new bishop, soon to be appointed, it will be of great help in getting to know the mind of the Faithful in the Diocese of Rochester.

Here at Holy Trinity there will be gatherings of various groups and committees to discuss the issues. Already Parish Council and the Senior Ministry met last week to share their thoughts. Parishioners here at HT will be see- ing the issues to be discussed and times and ways to make your comments known. (In the meantime, you can read more about the Synod and the questions it puts forward on our website).

Wonderful things happen when we come together to speak honestly and to really listen. I hope you will consider being a part of the conversation. Stay tuned.

Bless you.
Fr. Tim

There’s a crab apple tree outside my office window. I’d say it’s some 15 to 20 years old. Each spring it explodes into a wonderful cloud of pink blossoms that last for about 10 days.

It stands naked right now except for several thousand little crab apples arranged throughout its skinny tree limbs. They’ll all be eaten by hungry robins come spring. And here friends, hangs our lesson for the week.

Against the dull gray sky, the tree is all in black silhouette. Each little crab apple hangs at random, like a drop- let along each branch. The whole tree fits exactly in my window as if it were a picture frame.

It’s perfect. And that’s the point. The tree just happened. There wasn’t a care in the world when each apple began to grow on the tree, yet it has a balance and proportion any artist would covet. You could entitle the art of my window view . . . “Crab Apple Against a Winter Sky”.

I’m sure you’ve seen this “effortless beauty” of nature for yourself. Walk through a pine forest. Look down at the random pine needles on the ground. They’re perfectly, beautifully arranged where they’ve fallen. See the perfect curve of the snow drift at the corner of your house (how did the wind get to be such an artist?). I won’t even start with the random beauty of clouds or sun light.

The point is . . . it’s exquisite. And it’s free for any eye that wishes to really look. Listen to the leaves in the wind, waves on the beach, thunder in the storm . . . they’re perfect in a wondrous way. And it all happens with a carelessness that would make any artist jealous for the brilliance it displays.

And guess what? It’s FOR YOU. God made it for you, not for any other creature. Do you think the deer in the forest gives a fig for the brilliant Fall leaves that surround it?

Does the eagle pause in midflight to marvel at the beauty in the valley below? Do the flames dancing in your fire place giving calm and comfort mean anything to your cat?

How little mind we give this gift. Sometimes I imagine the Lord saying, “Look, nobody gets it. I make all this cool stuff and all my creatures just take it for granted. Fish swim in it. Birds fly in it. Buffalo graze on it, but not one “Wow!” Not one, ‘Thanks Lord”. You man, you woman. Can’t I get a little appreciation here?”

When you think about it, we humans are the spokespersons for the rest of creation. We have a voice to speak on behalf of the running stream, the soaring eagle . . . “Thank you Lord.”

Pope Francis has written an encyclical called Laudato Si (“Praise be to You”). In it he points to an appreciation of this created world as a gift of God. He reminds us that the earth is humanity’s common home; it needs our care and protection in the way we use its natural resources. The generations to come have an equal right to drink clean water and breathe clean air.

But back to us humans for a moment. Of all the beauty of God’s creation, (the birds, the flowers, and yes, those little puppies) can you think of anything quite as captivating, and endlessly expressive as the human face? Why is that? Because it is the window to the human spirit . . . which, in case you’d forgotten, is a face that God had. To look on the human face is to see some faint image of God himself.

All this to say, “Oh Lord, how great thou art.” Open your eyes. His glory is everywhere.

Fr. Tim