Worship and Sacraments

Trinity celebrates all of the Sacraments of the Episcopal Church and we welcome inquiries about any of them. 

Holy Communion is celebrated every Sunday, Rite I at 8:00 and Rite II at 10:00. It is also celebrated at a healing service every Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. and at other times during the church year. Morning Prayer is celebrated on fifth Sundays and in the chapel at 7:30 a.m. Monday-Friday. 

Baptisms are scheduled at the convenience of the family in consultation with the clergy and are usually performed in the church at the 10:00 service, though other times can be scheduled, either in the chapel or the church. 

Weddings should be discussed with the clergy and can be scheduled at any time that the couple and the clergy agree upon and when there is not another already scheduled. The clergy will work with the couple to arrange pre-marital counseling and arrange all the details of the service. The form for planning a wedding can be downloaded here. 

Funerals, Memorial Services and Burials are scheduled with the clergy at a time convenient for the family and the clergy. Together they plan the service and consult with the organist about the music and about the place of interment. The form for planning a funeral or memorial service can be found here. Information about Trinity’s Memorial Garden can be found here. 

Confirmation and Reception into the Episcopal Church are sacraments arranged with the clergy and following classes and counseling with the Youth Group coordinator and the clergy. The Bishop officiates at these once a year in a church in the Bridgeport Deanery, not always Trinity.

Ordinations have often been celebrated at Trinity, most recently in 2009 when our Curate, the Rev. Dawn Stegelmann, was ordained to the priesthood. It is a time when the entire parish participates and celebrates with the ordinand. 

Anointing the Sick, or Unction:"Unction is the rite of anointing the sick with oil, or the laying on of hands, by which God's grace is given for the healing of spirit, mind, and body."   The Book of Common Prayer, p. 859. This sacrament exists for the purpose of healing -- to restore a person to physical, emotional and spiritual wholeness. When we anoint and pray for people, we ask God to release them from anything that prevents a person from being whole. Christians recognize that there is a difference between being healed and being cured. In the sacrament of Unction, we pray for healing and wholeness, which may or may not include a cure.

Reconciliation of a Penitent, or Penance: "Reconciliation of a Penitent, or Penance, is the rite in which those who repent of their sins may confess them to God in the presence of a priest, and receive the assurance of pardon and the grace of absolution."   The Book of Common Prayer, p. 859
Also known as Confession, this sacrament is perhaps the least understood. Why tell God something that God already knows … in the presence of another person? Because there are times in our lives when things we do (or don't do) block us from growing spiritually. They stand between us and God and we can't get around them. Penance is a way of removing the barriers that our bad behaviors create. Someone once said, "Talking about things makes them real." To do so with a person who is obligated to confidentiality -- and then hear that God loves and forgives us in spite of what we've done -- can be a very healing experience. It is meant to be a regular part of a Christian's spiritual development.
In the Episcopal Church, penance is not mandatory before receiving Eucharist as it is in some denominations. There is a simple rule that applies here: "All can, some should, none must."