Falling leaves are a sign of renewal at Saint Esprit. Autumn, in French, is called "La Rentrée," for the return of the school year and the routines of daily life after the lazy joys of summer. At Saint Esprit, it marks a return to New York for many of our members, from visits with their families overseas and other adventures. It also completes the cycle of Pentecost, in which we celebrate the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Since our congregation bears the name of the Holy Spirit, it is fitting, then, that this is a time of feasts for us: Oktoberfest, Toussaint (All Saints) and Dieu Donnant (Thanksgiving), which lead us into the joyful expectancy of the Christmas season.

It also marks the return of our free French classes, which Saint Esprit's members have offered to our fellow New Yorkers for more than one hundred years. I always look forward the new and familiar faces I see at these lessons, and am grateful for the skill and dedication of our teachers. While no student is ever asked or expected to stay for church services, many of our members say they first discovered Saint Esprit through these lessons, and the spirit of fellowship they discovered there. A lot of these members are now at the heart of our congregation, and have become leaders and teachers themselves.

I for one believe that Saint Esprit, as a Francophone congregation in an Anglophone city, is able to offer significant advantages to those who choose to worship with us. Whether we think in French or in English, we are obliged to think a lot harder about the way we express ourselves simply because we cannot take language for granted; this can give us a completely new perspective on texts that we thought were so familiar. When we discover those meanings, we are given a new way of looking at the world, and therefore a new way of thinking about God and the work of Jesus Christ. We become more conscious of making an effort to understand others, and to make sure that others understand us in turn.

Our life together brings language alive. It is a constant reminder to us that the Word has become flesh and blood in the One who speaks peace to a world that is too often divided by language, culture, race and religion. Come and experience that unity and that joy afresh at the little French Church of Saint Esprit.

The Rev. Nigel Massey