St. Bart's eNews: Lenten Retreat Day, Julie Ross at The Forum, Holy Week at St. Bart's and More

MARCH 21, 2025 · 325 PARK AVENUE · STBARTS.ORG

by the Reverend Zack Nyein, Senior Associate Rector and Pastor of Imagine Worship

Contrary to popular understanding, the point of Lent is not to feel sad or shameful. It’s true, Lent is meant to be a time of repentance (turning back towards God), as well as a time of renewed spiritual disciplines, of prayer, fasting, and reflecting on scripture.

Such increased acts of devotion — especially fasting — may prove quite challenging and require great endurance. And yet the point is not to prove ourselves. The invitation of Lent is ultimately to grow closer to God as we are renewed, reformed, and refueled by the Holy Spirit. There is nothing more joyful than that!

The Third Sunday in Lent

Sunday, March 23

Join us in person at 8 am, 9 am, 11 am, or 5 pm.

The Reverend Meredith E. Ward, Senior Associate Rector, will preach at 9 am and 11 am. The Reverend Peter D. Thompson, Vicar and Interim Rector, will preach at 8 am, and the Reverend Deacon John Wirenius will preach at 5 pm.

Join us online at 11 am. Download our service leaflet to follow along as we livestream from the church on our website, Facebook, and YouTube.

The Forum

Sunday, March 23 at 10 am

Change Is Great! (You Go First.)

Julie Ross, Executive Director of Parenting Horizons and author of How to Hug a Porcupine: Negotiating the Prickly Points of the Tween Years, draws on over three decades of experience working with children and families to offer insights about the process of change.

Please post your questions in the comments section on Facebook or YouTube, or email the Reverend Peter Thompson at pthompson@stbarts.org.

Pathfinders: Taking the Next Step in Christian Community

Sundays, March 9 - May 18 in-person at 12:30 pm

Wednesdays, March 12 - May 21, online via Zoom at 7 pm ET

Led by St. Bart’s clergy, we’ll explore the Bible, prayer, church history, the liturgical calendar, and the sacraments. Participants may be formally confirmed or received into the wider Episcopal Church by the Bishop of New York on Sunday, June 1. Learn more and sign up.

Invest in our Future

As we embark on a period of transition for our parish, we invite you to invest in the future that—with God’s help—we are building together. To make a gift or a pledge in support of the next phase of our ministry, visit stbarts.org/investinourfuture.

Click here for a complete list of Community Groups and activities after church this Sunday.

Forgiveness: A Lenten Retreat Day

Saturday, March 22, 9 am - 4 pm in the chapel

Reflect on the power and importance of forgiveness during this day-long retreat led by the Reverend Meredith Ward and the Reverend Peter Thompson, which will include a viewing of the documentary "Forgiveness: A Time to Love and A Time to Hate" by filmmaker and St. Bart's parishioner Helen Whitney. Register here.

The Liturgies of Holy Week - A Transatlantic Conversation

Saturday, March 29 at 3 pm via Zoom

Have you ever wondered why we wash each other’s feet on Maundy Thursday? Or why there is so much silence during the three-hour service on Good Friday? Or what the Great Vigil on the night before Easter Sunday is all about? Send your questions via email to mward@stbarts.org or place them in the Holy Week Question Box in church on Sunday. Then join us to explore these topics and more as we anticipate these sacred days on the journey to the Crucifixion and beyond. Find the Zoom link here.

A Choral Feast

Sunday, March 30 at 11 am

The fourth Sunday in Lent is often a day that breaks the penitential pattern of these forty days of preparation and includes some celebration and rejoicing. In that spirit, St. Bartholomew's Choir and chamber orchestra will offer Mozart’s Missa Brevis in F, K. 192, as well as the “Laudate Pueri” movement from his Solemn Vespers. The Mass is a tuneful and uplifting work composed when the 18-year-old Mozart was employed as a church musician by the ruler of Salzburg, Prince-Archbishop Hieronymous Colloredo.

Concert: New Hampshire Meets New York

Sunday, March 30 at 2:30 pm in the chapel

The Apple Hill String Quartet, ensemble-in-residence at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music in Nelson, NH, performs works by Tribeca artist Meredith Monk and the New York premiere of a string quartet by Monadnock Area composer Miriam Sharrock. Flutist Gretchen Pusch joins for a quintet by Amy Beach, native of Henniker, NH, and longtime St. Bartholomew’s parishioner in the early 20th century. Purchase tickets here.

Retirement: Transition and Purpose

Sunday, March 30 at 10 am

Retirement: Transition and Purpose

Bob Kiely, Ray Vandenberg, and the Reverend Meredith Ward, co-leaders of the St. Bart’s retirement group, discuss retirement as a major life transition.

Holy Week and Easter at St. Bart's

Sunday, April 13 through April 20 at 10 am

See our complete schedule for Holy Week, which begins Palm Sunday, April 13. The Passion of Christ resides at the center of our lives as Christians and we invite all to join us in these transcendent liturgies.

Easter Vigil Reception

Do you like to share your home-baked goods with friends and family? Do you know just the right place to shop for savory treats? Whether you’re a whiz in the kitchen, or a savvy foodie, we’d be grateful for your contribution to the annual Easter Vigil Festive Reception, immediately following the 7 pm Easter Vigil on Saturday, April 19. Please contact Veronica Shea at vshea@stbarts.org to learn how you can help!

Make a Gift of Easter Music & Flowers

At Easter, we remember loved ones and express gratitude for special people and blessings through gifts of flowers and music to the church. Our Easter Vigil and Easter Day service leaflets will include a listing of these tributes—those remembered, honored, or celebrated in gratitude. To ensure inclusion in the leaflets, please submit your gifts by midnight ET on Sunday, April 6. Visit stbarts.org/easter-gift to give online.

Retirement: Transition and Purpose

First Wednesday of every month at 4 pm

Led by the Reverend Meredith E. Ward, this group is for people who have retired or are entering retirement and are seeking to learn and share their experiences with others. Grounded in prayer, the group is a safe and confidential space to help navigate the changes and challenges that come with retirement. Retirement: Transition and Purpose does not provide legal or financial advice. Instead, we gather for conversation to find support, direction, and fulfillment in our post-retirement lives. Learn more and register.

Imagine Worship NYC

Thursdays at 7 pm in the chapel

Imagine Worship NYC continues on Thursday

nights in the chapel. Join us for a casual,

contemporary service of Holy Communion with

soulful original music led by artist-in-residence Mark

Miller, followed by food and hospitality. Learn more.

LGBTQ+ Film Series

Friday, March 28 at 6 pm

The LGBTQ+ Film Series continues with The Wedding Banquet, (1993) a comedy by Ang Lee. Simon and Wei-Tung are a gay couple living together in Manhattan. Simon suggests a marriage of convenience between Wei-Tung and Wei-Wei, an immigrant in need of a green card, and Wei-Tung’s parents insist on a lavish wedding banquet. Please enter through the Community House, 109 East 50th Street.

Saturday Mornings @ St. Bart’s: The Universal Christ

Beginning Saturday, March 15,10 - 11 am via Zoom

The Saturday Morning group discusses Richard Rohr’s The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe. Newcomers welcome. Register here.

"Awakened to the Mystery" 2025 Lenten Devotional

Under the leadership of parishioner Kate DiTullio, members of the Imagine Worship community have compiled a 2025 Lenten Devotion Guide for personal use. For each week of Lent, a Gospel passage is provided, together with an original meditation, prayer, spiritual practice, and art for reflection. It is accessible online and in a downloadable PDF.