St. Thomas’ proudly celebrates Campus Pride Month alongside Rowan University all April long! Join us as we celebrate diversity, inclusion, and unity throughout the month with engaging formation hours, notable LGBTQ+ spotlights, The Shop supply drive and more!
April’s formation hour will focus on LGBTQ+ families and challenge us to find more ways to ensure our sacred space is welcoming to everyone. All in God’s Family is a program created by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and promoted by the Institute for Welcoming Resources. Each week, we will be exploring this program in a variety of ways – join us!
Week 2 (14 April): View a documentary and discuss.
Week 3 (21 April): Scripture Study & Engagement
Week 4 (28 April): Collaborative Workshop
Join the ECW for our church-wide spring book drive to benefit BookSmiles, a local non-profit that provides books to under-resourced school districts throughout New Jersey and Philadelphia. We will be collecting new and gently used children’s books from April 14 through June 2. Whether fiction or nonfiction, we are looking to collect books from ages infant to high school. If you would like to donate books starting on April 14, please put them in the collection bin in the Parish Hall. If you would like to make a monetary donation for the book drive, please see either Rachael O. or Linda K. or leave a donation in a labelled envelope in the collection plate. To learn more about the type and quality of materials BookSmiles accept, please watch the following video. If you have any questions about the book drive, please see Rachael O.
Wilgefortis
Saint Wilgefortis, also known as Saint Uncumber or Kümmernis, is a legendary figure in Christian writings whose story has roots in medieval Europe. According to the legend, Wilgefortis was a young woman who wished to remain celibate and dedicated to her faith. When her father arranged a marriage for her, she prayed to be delivered from the unwanted union. As a result, she miraculously grew a beard, deterring her suitor and ultimately leading to her martyrdom.
Wilgefortis’ story is considered an example of queer history in religion due to her ambiguous gender presentation and the challenges she faced in conforming to societal norms. Her portrayal as a bearded woman has been seen as a symbol of resistance against traditional gender roles and expectations. Furthermore, her legend has resonated with LGBTQ individuals and scholars who see in her story a reflection of the struggles and resilience of those who transgress societal norms regarding gender and sexuality.
Sources:
https://artuk.org/discover/stories/saint-wilgefortis-a-bearded-woman-with-a-queer-history
Lectionary readings for this week: Acts 4:32-35, 1 John 1:1-2:2, John 20:19-31, Psalm 133
Lectionary readings for next week: Acts 3:12-19, 1 John 3:1-7, Luke 24:36b-48, Psalm 4
Please continue in your daily prayers for: Lou, Bob, Sandy, Joe, Jackie, Chrissy, Harry, Cheryll, Cecilia, Donna, Bud, Andrea
Announcements for the parish email are due via email by noon on Wednesday of each week. You can email them to announcements@stthomasglassboro.org
The church calendar can be seen at https://www.stthomasglassboro.
Are you serving in liturgy? Check the rota!
Prayer requests can be sent to prayer@stthomasglassboro.org
Watch our livestream here Saturdays at 5:30pm and Sundays at 8am & 10:30am!
Full-text of the liturgy is available at https://www.sharedprayers.net
