Holy Trinity Episcopal Church

JOIN US TOMORROW, SUNDAY, APRIL 11 AT 10:OO A.M. Eastern Time for worship. My sermon is "Leap of Faith: The Journey of the Doubting Thomas." Here's an excerpt: ... Thomas said, Unless, I see the marks of the nails in His hands and put my finger on his pierced side, I would not believe. Jesus appeared and showed his scars and Thomas exclaimed, My Lord and my God! Jesus said, Do you believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. Thomas not only believed but he became a courageous missionary, bearing witness to the risen Christ "from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria and to the ends of the earth." He planted churches as far as India until he was martyred in Madras (now Chennai) in AD 52. This transformation of the doubting Thomas is called a leap of faith. According to Wikipedia, only 23% of Americans are active believers. The second category are nones or unchurched (21%); spiritual but not religious (20%); neither religious nor spiritual (18%); agnostics (4%); and atheists (4%). Some also predicted that due to the current pandemic, church going may decrease between 20-30% from pre-pandemic level, causing more decline of churches. How would the "leap of faith" experience of St. Thomas (Mar Thoma) re-energize the Church and make bold and reasoned appeal to secularized people in North America and beyond? Join us for hybrid worship this coming Sunday, April 11, 2021. In-person at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 130 Jerusalem Avenue, Hicksville, New York. Virtual: By Zoom and Facebook Live at 10:00 AM Eastern Time. We will also pray for Myanmar (peace and freedom); Philippines (and other countries where there is upsurge of COVID cases); and hope to "Stop Asian Hate," and end to the culture of violence and for visible racial healing and harmony in the U.S., God bless.

A Tribute to Dean Henry Kiley (second from right in photo 1). He was my theology professor, the first Filipino Dean of St. Andrew’s Theological Seminary in Quez...on City, Philippines. SATS is one of the legacies of the Episcopal Church of the USA (ECUSA), along with Trinity University of Asia (TUA) and St. Luke’s Medical Center. The sprawling area which houses the three institutions: seminary, university and hospital is known as the "Cathedral Heights" because the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Mary and St. John and the national offices of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP) are there also. As professor, Dean Kiley was known to be always pensive, reflective, strict-looking and many seminarians would neither dare question his teaching nor make any levity. Now, having just graduated Political Science and Journalism from the nearby TUA, I developed certain proclivity to ask hard questions. So when Dean Kiley lectured on John Macquarrie’s Principles of Theology, I felt it was existentially-irrelevant to the questions the Filipino people are asking. At that time, Philippines was under martial law and Filipinos are suffering from political repression and economic hardship. Macquarrie was a Scottish Presbyterian pastor who became Anglican priest and theologian in Oxford, England, his theology is greatly influenced by German existentialist philosopher Martin Heidegger. So trying to be smart, I stood up, raved and ranted about Philippine socio-economic problems and asked, Sir, what does Macquarrie’s quagmire of eschatological expectation got to do with the price of chicken? Dean Kiley, without batting an eyelash, curtly replied, there's the expectation of an egg coming out. The class burst out laughing, I felt embarrassed, and Dean Kiley managed a smile. And I did not question him again, LOL. That was the first time (1974-1978) we saw Dean Kiley smiled. I graduated from seminary, ordained a priest of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente in Manila, traveled and became missionary-priest of the Anglican Church in Singapore, founded Holy Child Episcopal Church in Silicon Valley, California (now Holy Family Parish in San Jose) and became Missioner of Episcopal Asiamerica Ministries (EAM) based in New York City. Meanwhile, Dean Kiley served his term and spent retirement years in the Mountain Province, Philippines. Over 40 years later (2017), in one of the annual gatherings of the EAM Filipino Convocation held at Holy Trinity & St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church in Alhambra, California, hosted by its rector, the Rev. Brent Jr Quines (who is also co-convener of the Convocation), I met Dean Kiley again. At that time, he was visiting his children in Los Angeles. It was a joy to reunite with Dean Kiley and some of his former students who now made it in their career. There's the Rev. Bayani D. Rico, president of the EAM Council and rector of Ascension Episcopal Church in Vallejo, California; there's the Rev. Peter Tagdulang, IFI priest in Los Angeles; the Rev. Gerry Engnan, IFI priest in Van Nuys, California; there's the Rev. Raynald Bonoan, rector of Holy Spirit Church in Florida; the Rev. Randolph Albano, in Honolulu, Hawaii, etc.. As Bayani, Peter and I were posing for picture, I reminded Dean Kiley about the first time I saw him smiled---at my expense! We all laughed and my wife (Angela), snapped this picture of us. Dean Kiley died last March 27, 2021 at age 85 in Baguio City Hospital in the Philippines. Part of his cremains (ashes) will be placed at St. Andrew’s Theological Seminary and another in his hometown, Sagada, which is also the birthplace of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP). He is survived by his wife, Isabel, four children (CarolineJean, Beverly, Paul Henry and Richard) and grandchildren. Dean Kiley will be remembered as the Dean who effectively transitioned St. Andrew’s Theological Seminary from American to Filipino management. Among his former students are the Obispo Maximo Rhee Timbang and former OMs Ephraim Fajutagana, Tomas Millamena and many bishops and priests in the IFI; Prime Bishops Renato Abibico, Edward Malecdan, Joel Pachao and many ECP Bishops and priests. In life, we must always pause to thank those who helped make who and what we are. I owe a lot from Dean Henry Kiley, my Theology professor. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

THE LORD IS RISEN! In my sermon: "Some experts predict that even when services return to 'normal' after pandemic, there will be a decline of churches between 20...-30% from pre-pandemic levels and giving will follow the same trend. But I believe that God works in mysterious ways. After being in lockdown and 'solitary confinement' for so long, people will be so hungry with God and would desire to partake the life-giving and spiritually sustaining Eucharist in communion with God and each other in community. Yes, the Church will rise again!" See more

WELCOME TO WORSHIP: 14 Stations of the Cross, a virtual journey with Jesus Via Dolorosa (the way of suffering). There’s a brief teaching on the meaning of substitutionary sacrifice.@

Let us continue the "revolution of love and compassion" which we have ignited and pray for a nation and a world where "mercy and truth will meet together; righteousness and peace will kiss each other" (Psalm 85:10).

TRANSFIGURATION AND POWER OF VISION

When thru the woods and forest glades I wander... All set for the Seminarians of Color Conference in the awesome Canterbury Center in Oviedo, Florida as the Design Team has come, led by Isaiah Brokenleg of CDSP. Yes, the possibilities are wide open.

"You have no power within you except that which is given from above." Surely we need power to change things, to be free, provided, protected and live our lives ...to the full. Prayer changes things because God changes things. How can we tap of this power? JOIN US TOMORROW SUNDAY WORSHIP: 2/7/21 at 10AM Eastern (7AM Pacific) or 11PM in Philippines. See more

HOLY TRINITY WELCOMES YOU

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