Brooklyn Heights

St. Ann and the Holy Trinity begins series on food and the environment

February 19, 2013 By Francesca Norsen Tate Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Rev Dr Franklin Vilas_courtesy of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church.jpg
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The Church of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity has begun a “Spirituality and Sustainability” series designed to bring awareness of how to protect the environment and food supply, cook healthy meals and provide nutritious meals to the needy. A keynote speaker for the series is the Rev. Dr. Franklin “Skip” Vilas, a former Rector of the landmark parish who is a founder of GreenFaith.

The series began on the First Sunday in Lent, February 17, with a Bible Study on “The Genesis Stories of Creation.” The study focused on exploring humanity’s responsibilities in the created order and the enduring legacy of biblical visions of creation.


Dr. Vilas is the guest preacher at the 11 a.m. Eucharist. Fr. Vilas is a proponent of the Creation Season faith formation program and helped to found GreenFaith, which seeks to inspire, educate and mobilize people of diverse religious backgrounds for environmental leadership.


“Healthy, Local and Quick” is the theme of a cooking class that St. Ann’s parishioners
Colleen Heemeyer and Syd Farley as they demonstrate how to whip up easy meals using local produce. The cooking begins at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, February 28 in the Parish Hall. The church’s regular 6 p.m. Thursday Eucharist precedes this class.

The focus shifts to the global kitchen on Sunday, March 3, with an outing to the Museum of Natural History following the 11 a.m. Eucharist. The museum’s exhibit, titled “Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture,” explores the complex and intricate food system that brings our food from farm to fork.


Claire West, who works for the Edible Church-yard at Union Theological Seminary, is the guest preacher on Sunday, March 10 at the 11 a.m. Eucharist. The Edible Church-yard is a program that connects farming, food systems, and urban planning with theology.


As part of the series, St. Ann’s regular book club will also focus on a time-honored food staple. The Book Club will discuss
Take This Bread. Author Sara Miles discovers faith centered on hunger, food, and bodies that leads to her collecting groceries at the altar and establishing food pantries in poor communities of her city. The Book Club begins at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 14 in the Parish Hall.

St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church is also holding Sandwich Sundays in conjunction with the programs on “Spirituality and Sustainability.”


During the five Sundays in Lent (starting this past weekend) through March 17, parishioners are invited to bring sandwiches for distribution to the hungry and homeless at The Gathering Place, a drop-in center of the parish’s faith partners at CAMBA in Brownsville/East New York.


Donors should deliver the sandwiches to the St. Ann’s Parish Hall prior to the 11 a.m. liturgy. Those wishing more information on this program may contact the
Rev. Sarah Kooperkamp at [email protected] or by contacting the parish office at 718-875-6960 or [email protected].

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