In this edition: Trinity Church Hosted 3 High School Interns; Parishioner Earns Eagle Scout Ranking; Choir Banquet Held; TEEP Explores Back Bay with Creation Care Ministry; Altar Guild Brunches Together; and more news.
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.
Interns Explored a Variety of Ministries in May
Over the month of May, Trinity Church had the joy of hosting three high school seniors—Ginna, Oliver, and Maggie—for their senior projects. During their time with us, they shadowed and supported staff members across a variety of ministries, gaining a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run a large and historic parish.
One senior reflected, “This has been one of the most influential and interesting months of my life.” The other seniors shared that the opportunity to experience the “daily inner workings of the church” and learn from “all the incredible people who hold Trinity together” “helped [them] understand the love, care, and time it takes to run a church the scale of Trinity.”
We’re so grateful for their time, energy, and curiosity and we hope to offer this experience to many more students in the future!
Ceremony Held at Trinity
Eagle Scout is the final rank in Boy Scouts of America. It represents the achievement of 21 merit badges, teaching fellow scouts leadership, and other skills such as treating serious wounds and building fires in the rain. A key requirement for earning the Eagle Scout rank is completing a service project benefiting others.
Trinity’s own youth and choir member, Henry Diver received his Eagle Scout rank this past June after completing all of the requirements. Henry asked Trinity Church to be his partner in his Eagle Scout project, resulting in the free exterior audio tour for all who pass by outside of the Trinity walls. Since the free tour’s launch in April 2025, the webpage has been visited more than 1,800 times, and is in the top five most visited pages on trinitychurchboston.org for that time period.
Henry is a member of Troop 1812. Founded by Trinitarians, Duxbury’s Troop 1812 is led by Scoutmaster Eric Arcese. Several members of Trinity’s parish are active in the troop. Collectively, Eagle Scout projects have contributed more than 100 million hours of service to local communities in the US. Congratulations Henry!
Scavenger Hunt Explores the Natural History of the Back Bay
Although some Trinity ministries slow down a bit in summer, Trinity Boston Connects heats up with TEEP, Trinity Education for Excellence Program. On Mon., Jul. 7, the Creation Care ministry led middle and high school students on a scavenger hunt exploring the natural history of the Back Bay. Mary Sherman, inveterate city walker, shared her deep knowledge of Trinity’s immediate environment. On Commonwealth Avenue some 40 students and staff paused to learn that 150 years ago, just as Trinity Church itself was being built on Copley Square, where they were standing would have been marshy, polluted tidal flats.
Then on to the river and the Esplanade, where students were asked to look for cattails as well as maple, oak, hawthorn, and serviceberry trees, and to think about the vast changes—good and bad—to our corner of God’s world. Global warming was not in dispute that sweltering afternoon! Nevertheless, it was “cool,” or as Morgan Beckford, TEEP director and alto choir soloist,said,
“an absolute blast, seeing the students find moments of joy and discovery was really heartwarming. Bridging TBC’s work and the Trinity community is one of our goals and I’m so glad you were able to walk that bridge with us today.”
TEEP continues until early August, focusing on STEM, civic engagement, finance, and the arts, before resuming Trinity Boston Connects’ school-year mission supporting youth of color in Boston
Congratulations to Graduating Seniors
On May 22, the choir celebrated another year of music ministry with their annual choir banquet. In addition to recognizing several milestones and chorister achievements, six graduating seniors gave speeches about their time in the choir, many of whom began at age 8.
In related news, Chorister Marc H. has advanced to a bronze ribbon, and Chorister Henry D. has advanced to a silver ribbon. Congratulations!
A group that uniquely appreciates the graces of a good table setting, members of Trinity’s Altar Guild ministry recently gathered for an early summer brunch. Altar guild members usually serve one person per worship service and most often work behind the scenes in the sacristy; sharing a meal was a wonderful opportunity to tell stories, deepen relationships, and delight in the blessings of a shared ministry.
For more information on the Altar Guild and other ministries of the Worship cohort of Trinity’s Ministry Council, click here.
On Wed., June 11, the staff of Trinity Church gathered at a surprise party to celebrate our colleague Brenda Rufo, who recently marked her 20th year as a member of Trinity’s staff. CFO Rob Hess offered a slideshow highlighting Brenda’s tenure, which included this quote from one of Brenda’s daughters:
At six years old my mom took my cousin and I to her work. I had been there a few times before but this was my cousin Jena’s first time! My cousin Jena was in awe of her office. She was convinced she worked in a castle. My mom took us on a tour and explained that many years ago people used to live in the building. My cousin and I then spent the rest of the day planning where everyone would live in the office. We then presented our plan to my mom when she was done working.
Trinity Church and Trinity Boston Connects staff gathered for a staff lunch in early May to socialize and get together! The lunch was planned by a mix of TBC and TC staff with the goals of learning more about everyone, both in their roles and outside of work. The lunch was a success, with delicious food, plenty of fun facts, and smiles all around!
