A Message from the Rector on the Passing of Queen Elizabeth II

Dear members of the Trinity family,

Today we join those in the Church of England and many around the world in mourning the passing of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We are grateful for her life of steadfast service to the Church and to her nation, and we remember her deep and abiding faith in God.

In addition to being a head of state, for 70 years Queen Elizabeth served as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, from which The Episcopal Church derives. And while The Episcopal Church is not directly tied to the monarchy, Trinity, of course, is linked through its history.

Some of you may have been present for Her Late Majesty’s visit to Trinity in July 1976 for the observance of the bicentennial of U.S. independence. At that time, she also collected 279 years of back rent from the church, paid in peppercorns, which she received with good humor. In 1997, Trinity’s Vestry traveled to London to return the Queen’s visit and present her with an additional 21 peppercorns that were then due, as well as visit the Archbishop of Canterbury and renew the common bonds of ministry with the Church of England and the Anglican Communion.

Our prayers are with the King, the Royal Family, and all who loved the Late Queen. May she rest in peace.

Blessings,

Phil

The Rev. Phillip A. Jackson
Rector