4 January 2008 

Dear Friends and Members of the St. Thomas More Society,

You recently received the Society calendar for January 2008.  You will note that all the Christian education classes resume beginning this week.  In particular that means that First Holy Communion Class will meet at 8:30AM this Sunday January 6, and the Adult Confirmation Class will meet at 11:30AM. 

However, this note is primarily a reminder to you of the St. Thomas More Society Christmas celebration this Sunday evening.  At 5PM this Sunday, January 6^th the Society will offer its first Solemn Evensong and Benediction at St. Anthony of Padua Church.  At this service the members of the newly formed Altar Guild will be blessed, as will the Altar Servers, recently trained and in receipt of new cassocks and surplices.  Also, several gifts to the Society will be blessed, including our beautiful Processional Crucifix and the new red, white, and green Eucharistic vestments.   

Following our worship Sunday night we will retire to the undercroft at 6PM to enjoy our annual Three Kings Celebration.  Going back several years we have celebrated Epiphany, the Lord’s Revelation to the Gentiles, thusly: first, we eat, so bring along a dish to share with others; second, we have dessert, at which three people discover a dime under their piece of cake; third, these ‘three kings’ are crowned, receive a gift from me, and then offer the gift of song to those gathered for the celebration.  That’s right, the ‘three kings’ have to sing one verse of one very well- known Epiphany hymn.  So bring your voice – to sing at Evensong and, perhaps, at the conclusion of our festivities. 

Altar Servers and Altar Guild Members – be there at 4:30PM to prepare! 

I’ll have more news to share in a letter I’ll send later this month.  For now, I’ll simply look forward to seeing all of you this Sunday when we close out the Christmas season with grateful hearts for the many blessings bestowed upon us in 2007.