Weekly Update from Fr. van Dooren 8.29.25
Dear sisters and brothers of our beloved church family,
We come to the Labor Day weekend with the knowledge that our calm summer Sundays are soon coming to a close. How dear are our volunteer choir, the many visitors that have blessed us, and the sweet visits before and after mass in our lush church garden. And yes, we also have loved the beautiful parables and passages from our Bible lectionary that have nourished our souls throughout the summer!
And on this weekend honoring the American labor movement and the countless contributions of laborers that have so enriched our country, we are given a most poignant Gospel and sermon text, the Parable of the Chief Seats (Luke 14: 1, 7-14). The parable describes an all too human scene of the elbowing and maneuvering of social ambition, and our Lord uses it, in the most loving of ways, to prod us to something better. He wishes for us the joy and experience of humility for which the human soul is so wonderfully suited. See you on Sunday!
And on Labor Day, may we join as a parish family in praying this prayer from our beloved Book of Common Prayer:
Almighty God, who hast so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return for our own labor, make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of other workers, and arouse our concern for those who are out of work; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Join us on Sunday, September 7 at 6 pm for the first concert in A Celebration Year of Esmeralda, honoring our newly donated 1888 Steinway piano “Esmeralda” now at home in the Houghton Hall Arts Community. This special cabaret evening features performers from the Church of the Transfiguration and the Houghton Hall Arts Community, sharing songs and stories inspired by New York City. An elegant night of music, memory, and celebration. Get your tickets here. Tickets are $5 Advance, $10 at the door. The cabaret will be held in the Fred and Adele Astaire Ballroom in Houghton Hall Arts Community (enter at 22 East 30th Street).
On Saturday, September 20 at 10:30 am, our dear seminarian intern Danelie Millien will be ordained to the sacred order of priests at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. All are invited to attend in person or through livestream on the Cathedral’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
Do you love to sing? Do you miss singing with a choir? Are you looking to improve your voice and/or your sight reading skills? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then think about joining the summer choir here at Transfiguration Church! We sing for three more Sundays at the 11am service. We rehearse prior to that in the church from 9:30 to 11:00am. For some special feast day services we have a Saturday morning rehearsal. Please contact Claudia Dumschat at cdumschat@littlechurch.org for more information.
The Holy Rosary will be prayed in the Family chapel at 9:30am this Sunday. We will pray the Joyful mysteries.
We continue to live-stream each Sunday’s mass at 11:00am, and a link is sent out each Sunday morning at 8:00am. We live-stream on Facebook and YouTube. Email parishoffice@littlechurch.org if you would like to pray the morning and evening offices with us by Zoom.
Thank you for your continued faith, support, and love for the parish.
Fides Opera
With loving wishes,
Fr. van Dooren