In this edition: Trinity featured on Accidentally Wes Anderson; OUT@Trinity celebrated All Hallows Eve Eucharist; Chaplaincy Students Visit Trinity; Trinity Recognized for Decarbonization Efforts; Hundreds Attend Interstellar Concert; Choral Memes through the Years; Closed Captioning Added to Livestream; Slice of Life Photos
Signs & Wonders is a new feature telling stories about what’s been happening lately in Trinity’s Ministries. In a large, busy, and growing church like Trinity, there are always new-to-you corners of ministries and programs to explore — so catch up here and learn a bit about our recent work in the church and in the world beyond our walls.
Trinity is a Top Suggestion to Visit From the AWA Community
Accidentally Wes Anderson (AWA) is a photo project that collects real-world places and scenes that look like they came from a Wes Anderson film, which are stylistically symmetrical, quirky, old-fashioned, and whimsical. The project started as a travel inspiration Instagram account, and has expanded to a resource website and a series of books. AWA has evolved into a global crowdsourced archive, featuring submissions from people all over the world, showcasing everything from national landmarks to back alleys.
In mid-August, AWA travelled to Boston with their partners at Shepley Bulfinch and Trinity Church was one of the top suggested locations from the AWA Community to visit. Shepley Bulfinch is the architectural firm that grew out of Trinity architect Henry Hobson Richardson’s practice. AWA reached out to Trinity and a visit was coordinated in mid-August; and a staff member met the AWA’s team of four and took them through the Church and the Parish House, showing stained glass details and symmetrical views. Trinity was mentioned on the AWA Instagram and is now featured with an entry on the AWA website, telling Trinity’s story to Wes Anderson fans everywhere.
Growing OUT@Trinity Ministry Amplifies the Message that LGBTQIA+ People are Beloved Children of God
OUT@Trinity celebrated an All Hallows’ Eve eucharist and shared stories of queer ancestors and saints over dinner. To learn more about this ministry of hospitality and welcome to the LGBTQIA+ community, contact the Rev. Brandon Ashcraft at bashcraft@trinitychurchboston.org.
Students Took a Tour; Met with the Rev. Abi Moon; and Left with Cookies
Trinity Church welcomes visitors all the time — and sometimes from our own denomination and schools! The Rev. Daniel Bell, Episcopal Chaplain at Boston College and Protestant Chaplain at Tufts University, brought students from Tufts, Boston College, and neighboring Hellenic College to join Trinity at the Coleridge Requiem for All Soul’s this past October. They met with the Rev. Abi Moon to talk about ministry; took a private tour with one of Trinity’s Tour Guides; and each left with cookies from our Made with Love ministry! It was wonderful to welcome groups who worship in different contexts — even if we are the same denomination! — and welcome them to our community.
Trinity’s Reported Energy Usage Has Decreased by More Than 30% Compared to 2019
In Boston, building owners are required to report total energy and water use from the previous calendar year to the city through the Building Emissions and Reduction Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO). The law aims to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions generated by large buildings in the city. Trinity’s reported energy usage has decreased from 2019, with our reported greenhouse gasses (GHG) going down by more than 30% from that year. Trinity was recognized at BERDO Fest in October 2025 for this effort. BERDO Fest is a free event dedicated to bringing together the stakeholders driving Boston’s reduction of building emissions.
Trinity achieved these reductions by innovative use of geothermal energy technologies and more accurate reporting of our energy usage data for BERDO. The installation of Trinity’s six geothermal wells — the first ever in Back Bay — in the early 2000s has been a valuable green investment.
App Creates Captions in Real Time
We have added real-time closed captions to the livestream of our 10 am Sunday services. (When you are watching on the website player, click the CC icon at the bottom of the player to toggle the captions on and off.)
Closed captioning is crucial for accessibility and helps all viewers to better understand the content. Closed captions are not only beneficial for those who are deaf or hard of hearing but also for people in noisy environments, language learners, and those with learning disabilities. They enhance comprehension, support language acquisition, and cater to various learning styles.
Our closed captions are generated in real time by a computer app. A few caveats: there will be instances where a spoken word is rendered not quite right. (Our favorite so far is “kitsch” rendered as “Kit.”) You will also see curious capitalization choices and no punctuation. If the app has time, it will erase a mistake and try again. Otherwise, it will plow forward.
Even with those caveats, we are pleasantly surprised by how well the app does. Early reports from our beta testers give it high marks. We hope that you will use this feature as needed and send along any feedback you may have to Sandy Marxen, Manager of Archives and IT.
One Family Flew in From Michigan to Attend Concert
On Fri., Nov. 21, Trinity closed early for tours, and professionals from the Museum of Science worked together with Trinity’s Facilities team in the West Gallery to set up a planetarium projector. This work was in preparation for that evening’s organ concert featuring the music of Interstellar; a collaborative effort between the Museum of Science, Trinity, and organist Roger Sayer. Mr. Sayer is the organist from the movie’s soundtrack, composed by Hans Zimmer. Mr. Sayer was Organist and Director of Music at Rochester Cathedral UK, and currently serves as the organist at Temple Church, London.
The concert began with Richard Strauss’s ‘Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30′ and then Mr. Sayer played a few selections from Holst’s ‘The Planets’. Following these pieces, Director of Music Colin Lynch and Mr. Sayer engaged in a short conversation about playing the organ and Hans Zimmer’s fateful phone call to Mr. Sayer.
Then, the music of Interstellar began. The audience was surrounded by and felt the music of the organ. The Boston Musical Intelligencer reviewed the concert and noted: “We could feel the deepest notes thrumming in the soles of our shoes.” The chancel was illuminated by colorful and dynamic projections from the Museum of Science showing wormholes, geometric and fractal patterns, religious and philosophical symbols, planets, equations, and of course, stars. See photos below!
About 700 people attended the concert, which ranged in ticket price from $0-5. The center of the church was filled and the North and South Galleries were used as well; everyone could see the fantastic projections in the chancel.
After the concert, Mr. Sayer signed autographs and posed for pictures in the Narthex. Quite a few attendees identified themselves as medical or engineering students who had listened to the soundtrack continuously while studying. One woman drove in with her mother and children from Worcester. Another man had convinced his sisters to fly with him from Detroit that morning for the concert, which delighted Mr. Sayer. The man from Detroit had Roger sign his MBTA Charlie Ticket. Finally, another audience member volunteered that he was very excited to hear Mr. Sayer inside Trinity and had booked a flight to London to hear him play again in the near future. You can check out Mr. Sayer’s tour schedule here.
Learn more about Trinity’s pipe organs here. We at Trinity look forward to collaborating again with our friends at the Museum of Science!
‘Bob’s Descant Furniture’ a Hit
Each year, members of the choir receive a packet of music to learn from and refer to for Candlelight Carols. Preparation for the service begins during the summer and the choir begins rehearsing for Candlelight Carols in October. It’s a tradition in the choir to have a cover with a visual joke themed to the season and even directly to Trinity. Below, see the packet covers from 2013 through the present. Many thanks to parishioner Mary Roetzel for sharing these images with us!
Slice of Life is a Friendly Update on People in the Pews
Trinity’s Communications department received two photos from parishioners recently and decided to publish them here to help tell Trinity’s story. If you have photos of life happening at Trinity, please send them in with a short caption to communications@trinitychurchboston.org.
