The First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday

From the Rector

Ora Labora
What about your work is prayerful? If you answer 'absolutely nothing' you would be in good company. 
The Latin phrase 'Ora Labora' comes to us from Benedictine tradition. It is a wonderful piece of circular Latin grammar that means 'to work is to pray and to pray is to work.'

In the Benedictine monastic tradition those dedicating their lives to a religious community would go to the chapel to pray 7 times a day, and between their prayers they would engage in work. Their work may be academic study, writing, chores around the monastery, cooking for the community or spiritual direction for members of the local community or visiting pilgrims. 

When I used to visit the community in Elmore in England, a Benedictine community in the countryside, I was impressed by the architecture of their chapel. It was designed to look like a barn. This was the place of prayer for the community: designed to look like a place of work in most farms.

This community, and all Benedictines, believed that prayer should be approached in a workmanlike manner. It is their main task after all. But the flip side of that is that their work should be approached in a prayerful manner.

The underlying idea is that our work is really just an extension of prayer. When we are working, if we are being the people that God truly created us to be, our work should be a manifestation of who we are, and therefore - when we do it with our whole hearts we are praying.

So people who are good with numbers can become accountants, lawyerly people become lawyers, those who are delighted to explain things become teachers and so on.

It does not always feel like that!

What would life be like if it did? This week, as you work, think about how being fully engaged can feel prayerful. This week, when you don't feel like praying just book it into your calendar like a work appointment and then get on with it. Tell me how the experiment goes.
​
Love,
Matthew+

News & Announcements

Youth Confirmation Sessions continue
Today, May 22, 9-12 is the last session of the Youth Confirmation program.  Youth will be invited to participate in the General Confirmation at Grace Cathedral on June 4th and we will be celebrating with participants, mentors and leaders the next morning at Transfiguration. 

A Farewell Message from Coleen Travers

My sisters and brothers in faith,
I'm writing with a full and grateful heart to say goodbye, as I've recently moved from San Mateo to a place of my own in Sunnyvale.
Having been a member of this warm, welcoming community for eight years, I wanted to bid you a fond farewell rather than have you wonder, "Whatever happened to Coleen?," as can easily happen in a vibrant region such as ours. 
I continue to work for Stanford Health Care, in its clinic for employees with chronic illness, where I just celebrated my fourth work anniversary (and, I might add, a job I was "prayed into" by my loving friends within Transfig). I live about the same distance by train as I used to, it's just south of Palo Alto. 
You are a precious community, and I shall cherish the time I was with you. 
Warmly,  
Coleen

Evensong Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Bishop Marc
All are invited to join in the celebration of Bishop Marc's 10th Anniversary as Bishop of California.  This Thursday, May 26th at Grace Cathedral including 5:15pm Evensong and a reception following.

Reading Together Through the Generations
It's more fun to read books together. Let's do a monthly book club this summer and discuss it together over tea and snacks on the last weekend of June, July and August. The idea is to select 3 heart warming books that young readers to young adults to young grandparents would enjoy reading. Some suggestions include: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery, and A Matter-of-Fact Magic Book: No Such Thing as a Witch (A Stepping Stone Book by Ruth Chew), and Wonderstruck, by Brian Selznick. And there is SO much more to choose from. If you are interested in participating, please speak to Michele Charles to nominate your favorite book and your preference for meeting time on a Saturday or a Sunday afternoon on the last weekend of each month.

St. Margaret's Guild - May Ingathering
St. Margaret's Guild ingathering continues for the Teen Van and Teen Homeless Shelter: a program run by Packard Hospital for Children at Stanford, providing for needs of homeless youth in the Peninsula and South Bay. We can support the efforts of this program with donations of the following:
*$20 Target gift cards            *movie passes  
(PLEASE NOTE: THESE SHOULD BE HANDED TO A GUILD MEMBER OR LEFT AT THE OFFICE.)
*New Underwear     *Brushes and combs       
*New Socks       *Toothbrushes and toothpaste
*Sample sized shampoos, deodorants, soaps & other toiletries (hotel packs are great!)
*Small toiletries bags (important for keeping their "gear" together in their backpacks) 
Place items in the basket in the Narthex, except as noted above.  For more information on this program, please contact Nancy Burnett.

Happy Birthday:  
Kaitlyn O'Keefe today, Jane Booth on Monday, Sophia Philipp on Thursday, Elin Fransen on Saturday.
Happy Anniversary:
John and Wendy Garrish on Friday.

This Week
Sunday, May 22
The First Sunday after Pentecost:
Trinity Sunday
8:00am         Traditional Eucharist
9am-noon    Youth Confirmation Session
9:30am         Joyful Noise Eucharist
10:30am        Musical Eucharist
Monday, May 23
3:15pm          Snake Dragon Club storytime (classrooms)
7pm               FA Meeting (Parish Hall)
Tuesday, May 24
9am               Morning Prayer(Good Shepherd, Belmont)
6:30pm         New Millennium Chamber Orchestra rehearsal (Church)
7pm               AA Meeting  (Parish Hall)
Wednesday, May 25
9am               Morning Prayer (Chapel)
10:30am       Gospel Preview (Parish Hall)
4-5:30pm     Looking Glass -Dance class (Parish Hall)
7pm               Zen Meditation Group (Chapel)
7pm               FA Meeting (Parish Hall)
Thursday, May 26
9am              Morning Prayer (Chapel)
10am            Transfig Fireflies (Parish Hall)
2pm              Staff Meeting (Parish Hall)
5pm              Evensong in Celebration of Bishop Marc Andrus' 10th Anniversary 
                       as Bishop of CA, at Grace Cathedral
7pm              Transfig Choir Rehearsal (Church)
7:15pm         Penin. Young People's AA (Parish Hall)
Friday, May 27

Saturday, May 28

Sunday, May 29
The Second Sunday after Pentecost
 8:00am       Traditional Eucharist
9:30am        Joyful Noise Eucharist
10:30am      Musical Eucharist

Monday, May 30
Memorial Day Holiday
Parish Offices Closed