On Wednesday, October 9, 2019, at 6 p.m., we will celebrate the installation of Father Howie Sasser as the 22nd Rector of our beloved Parish. A reception will follow in the Great Hall. Please mark this important event on your calendar and plan to join us at St. Thomas’s Church to welcome our new Rector.
The language of the church can sometimes be strange, and the term “installation ceremony” when used for welcoming a new priest is certainly one completely inadequate to describe the deeply personal and spiritual festival that involves all members of the church, some with “key” roles as they come one by one to present
the candidate with the tools of his work. The tools presented included a Bible, water, a stole, a Prayer Book, oil, a symbolic key to the church, the Canons and Constitution, and bread and wine.
The Celebration of New Ministry service is a cherished tradition of our church. The liturgy is from our Book of Common Prayer and other liturgical supplements. It is a time when the parish stands as a united community before the bishop to request that the new Rector be installed.
Fr. Howie has been with us for a short while now, but let us gather together at this blessing as we make it official. In the short time that he has been here, there has already been so much excitement: new educational programs and religious offerings, a push towards utilizing social media, literally pounding the pavement (in a race between services!) reaching out to our larger community, and of course his incredible sermons, that are now available on YouTube. Let’s make this an evening to remember.