Written by Sarah Louise Woodford, Canon for Communications & Media

On June 7, 2024, the rich, dark wood sanctuary of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in New Haven, CT, was dimly lit and in each of its vibrant stained-glass windows, there was a candle, neatly placed upon the windowsill. The candles were glowing reminders of those parishioners who had been a part of the church’s nearly two centuries of ministry and the Candlelight Vigil was both a powerful symbol of their memory and a poignant way to mark the church’s year-long celebration of 180 years of ministry.

Those present stood and collectively said the following collect: “We gather at this 180th Anniversary Celebration to honor those on whose shoulders we stand—those who have paved the way; those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom and existence…May we always remember our ancestors with reverence and love as we give thanks for all they have taught us and all they have done to open these doors for us. May they continue to share with us their great wisdom and strength as we seek to preserve and continue the heritage they have left us.”

From St. Luke’s Candlelight Vigil.

There truly is a rich heritage St. Luke’s seeks to preserve and continue. The church, located at 111 Whaley Avenue, began its ministry in New Haven, CT, on June 7, 1844, through the African American parishioners of Trinity on the Green. It is the third oldest Episcopal Church in the country with a predominately African American congregation. Many from the Caribbean have found their parish home here and its award-winning Steel Band often plays both locally and nationally. Its parishioners have included founding member Alexander DuBois, grandfather of W.E.B. DuBois; Bishop James T. Holly, the church’s second rector who later became the first Episcopal Bishop of Haiti; and Constance Baker Motley, an important figure in the Civil Rights movement who worked closely with the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund and Thurgood Marshall. She would go on to be the first African American woman to sit on the Federal bench of New York’s U.S. District Court. Constance Baker Motley is also the great aunt of 180^th Anniversary Executive Board member, Michelle Royster-Clark and the cousin of another executive board member, Morgan Esdaile. St. Luke’s is ready to celebrate her and many more parishioners and memories throughout the year.

The year’s theme is taken from Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” A Bible verse given to those planning the anniversary events by a parishioner. Events for the anniversary began in April with Friends and Family Sunday. Following June’s Candlelight Vigil, there were events over the summer, including a picnic in July. St. Luke’s celebrated its third annual Community Day on August 24, with its main focus on the 180^th Anniversary. Run by the church’s Hospitality Chair Donna Johnson and a team of faithful parishioners, the day was full of bookbag giveaways, food, and face painting and games for children. Twenty local vendors participated in the event.

From St. Luke’s summer picnic.

The bulk of events are yet to come and will be celebrated starting this fall, beginning with a series of Spirit Sundays, which will start with Homecoming Sunday on September 8, 2024. Parishioners are encouraged to wear something that connects with the theme of the day and participate in an activity after church. Some of the themes of the Spirit Sundays include Homecoming Sunday, when folks are asked to wear St. Luke’s colors (red, black, or gold); and Legacy Sunday on February 9, 2025, where folks are asked to wear their 180^th Anniversary t-shirts with church-related table games following the service. A concert showcasing St. Luke’s Steel band is also being planned for the fall. All of this will culminate with a picnic and a gala next summer.

These events come from the imagination and planning of the 180^th Anniversary Executive Board, co-chaired by Jocelyn Freeman and Danisha Collins. I was able to speak to a few members of the executive board over Zoom earlier this August, including sisters Danisha Collins and Vickie Daniel, Michelle Royster-Clark, and Morgan Esdaile. During our hour-long conversation, the executive board members spoke fondly about St. Luke’s and how being part of the executive board allowed them to give back to, and celebrate, the heritage of a church family that helped them not only grow as women of faith, but also as leaders in the church. “St. Luke’s made me who I am,” said Co-Chair Danisha Collins, “I got my first taste of leadership as a girl when I was asked to read the lessons during the service.” Her sister Vickie chimed in, “St. Luke’s is the place that got me my first summer job. When I needed community service hours for my college application, I was able to do it through St. Luke’s.” The group also spoke about how much they enjoyed being acolytes and participating in the church’s liturgical dance program.

Other members of the 180^th Anniversary Executive Board noted that through their planning, they came across a few surprises from the stories older members of the congregation told them as they planned events for the year. “We once had a basketball team!” they said with a lot of laughter. All of them also participated in a church-wide fashion show as children, a memory they had forgotten. “I wanted to bring the fashion show back,” said Morgan. On the Spirit Sunday entitled “Denim Sunday” (April 6, 2025), there will be a fashion show after the service. There are also plans to include a fashion show in the gala.

Michelle also spoke about how anniversary planning reminded her of the programs at St. Luke’s that were impactful to her—like the Girls’ Friendly Society, a worldwide Anglican organization for girls. Girls’ Friendly began a chapter at St. Luke’s early in the 20^th Century. “I was deeply influenced by the Girls’ Friendly,” she said, “and I want my daughters to have a chance to be part of it, too.” Michelle hopes that after this year, she will be able to continue St. Luke’s involvement in Girls’ Friendly for not only her three girls, but for other young women at the church.  

We ended our conversation with talk of the gala, coming the summer of 2025. The gala, whose theme is “Rejoice in Hope” is open to all in ECCT and will be an evening full of celebration and fun. The executive board is working on a fashion show as well as awards that will be named in honor of St. Luke’s parishioners who have died.

“It’s time for us to take stock of what we’ve done and celebrate St. Luke’s,” said Danisha. “It’s time for us to put the joy at the forefront.”

A note on the 180^th T-Shirt Design: The t-shirts, which are being sold to support the gala, were designed by St. Luke’s 180^th Anniversary Executive Board. The color scheme, which is of the pan-African flag, speaks to St. Luke’s African American and Caribbean heritage as the pan-African flag represents the diaspora as a whole. St. Luke’s official colors, gold and red, are also part of the color scheme. A glowing Episcopal shield is also present, representing the church’s traditional ties to the denomination’s ministry. The back of the shirt includes the year’s theme from Romans 12:12.

Please follow St. Luke’s on their Facebook Page for updates throughout the year.

Written, Filmed, and Photographed By: Caela Collins, Digital Storyteller

I don’t believe in coincidences. As a curious person with an insatiable hunger for random side quests and a love for spontaneous adventures, my mind-body connection is deeply in tune with impromptu micro-moments of joy. These micro-moments, called “glimmers,” are the antithesis of triggers. Glimmers ground your nervous system into a rest and digest state through feelings of peace, safety, and joy, whereas triggers prompt your body to enter a state of fight or flight, often through survival or trauma response. As a child, I was always taught and told that God speaks to us, but no one ever explained how. I knew the Bible stories and miraculous love of God were ever-present, but for a long time, it felt like someone somewhere clicked the mute button. How could I know God is speaking to me when everything is silent? It’s unlikely that an angel will appear before me in aisle seven of the grocery store, proclaiming “Do not be afraid,” as the startled version of me drops a carton of eggs on the floor. In the age of social media, it’s not ideal to stumble upon a burning bush on a neatly town-landscaped island crying out “Caela! Caela!” in the parking lot of Trader Joes. Next thing you know, I become a meme, or my verbal response becomes a viral reel & TikTok SoundBite, or I become an instant spectacle with a barrage of phone cameras pointed in my direction. But that’s where coincidences come in; they’re the subtleties I desperately needed to tune into God’s voice. Coincidences are those micro-moments when God decides to remain anonymous.

As the saying goes, the streets are talking, and whether it’s Madam VP Kamala Harris’ infamous and facetious quote from a speech given in May 2023, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” turned into musical memes and skits, ‘brat summer’ this, or ‘brat summer’ that inspired by singer-songwriter Charlie XCX’s most recent album, what seems to be among the hottest topics right now on social media are the Olympics, particularly how diversity is America’s greatest asset for medal-wins. A long time ago, an interviewer asked pre-college-grad me: If I were a brand, what brand would I be, and why? I answered, “The Olympics… because it brings people together from all around the world, showcasing different ethnicities, religions, and talents; I love the beauty of diversity and believe that our differences empower one another.” Post-college-grad Caela still feels that way, and speaking of hearing God’s voice in silence through divine coincidences, aka a glimmer, is the reason I spontaneously drafted this story.

Did you know there was a connection between the 81^st General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Olympics? The Olympics, simply put, are a celebration of human diversity, and if I had to sum up my experience of the 2024 General Convention, that was my exact experience. The Episcopal Church, as we know, is large, but as I physically stood in spaces where people from multiple continents congregated for God’s mission, I felt just how large the worldly presence of The Episcopal Church truly was.

If you’ve ever visited The Commons and seen my desk, which is difficult to miss, I have a creative barrage of art, quotes, trinkets, and stickers. As I sat here today, I couldn’t shake the thought of Muhammed Ali, who is from Louisville, Kentucky, and for whom the Olympics created a mini-documentary special. I then glanced over at my stickers, one saying, “Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous” and the other saying, “Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.” Then, in the silence, I realized that it wasn’t a coincidence and that I needed to share this story of the Olympics and religion.

During my time at the 81^st General Convention, I had the opportunity to visit the Muhammed Ali Center (Museum) and experience an unforgettable glimmer. This micro-moment of joy specifically overcame me when I entered the “Seeing the Other” exhibit. This exhibit was a collaboration between the Muhammed Ali Center and the “Portraits in Faith” project, which aims to unite individuals from diverse faiths and cultures. The “Portraits in Faith” project provided a space for individuals to view and interact with portraits through sacred listening and viewing, with the aim of fostering conversations about how humanity perceives one another. Ironically, this micro-moment did not allow me to rest because something subconsciously and spiritually ached to share this glimmer out loud.

When I walked into the exhibit, something beautiful resonated with my spirit as I scanned every black-and-white portrait. It’s not every day that you get an opportunity to have an exhibit all to yourself; in the silence, it was just me and a gallery of God’s masterpieces, humanity in all its diverse forms. There were 500 people from 29 countries, as well as over 50 religions and spiritual groups. Every face had a story to tell, and every story was significant—pre-college grad Caela, who used the Olympics to represent herself, was savoring and soaking in this magnificent glimmer. Having said that, I’d like to pose the same questions that were posed to me as I exited the exhibit:
1. How well do you listen to others’ stories?
2. What can you do to dismantle your misperceptions of others?
3. How can you foster greater unity within humanity?