News from the Congregation April 16, 2021
‘Saints Historic and Saints Among Us’| Covid Testing at the Cathedral, EfM Open Meetings| Sunday Programs (9:30 am Vicar’s Open Space, 10 am Genesis Bible Study, 11 am Worship Service, 11:45 Vicar and Friends, 12 pm Coffee Half-Hour Conversation with Marie Del Tejo on ACT programs ) |Weekday Programs (M-S Morning and Evening Prayer; Wednesday: 6:30 pm YESS Bible Study, 7:30 pm Bible Study - Paul’s Letter to the Romans, 8:30 pm Compline; Thursday: 6:30 pm EfM Class, Friday: Midday Prayer and Meditation, 12:15 pm Vicar’s Open Space).
Canon Lee
The Wardens' column returns this week, so I invite you to read our Senior Warden's essay on Lent Madness and the saints among us. Please note that this Sunday's guest at coffee hour will be Marie Del Tejo, the Executive Director of the ACT Programs at the Cathedral.
EASTER SEASON: COFFEE HOUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THE VICAR
Conversations begin approximately 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM
Sunday, April 18 - Marie Del Tejo, Executive Director, ACT Program at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
Sunday, April 25 - The Rt. Rev. Allen Shin, Suffragan Bishop of New York; and the Rev. Kyrie Kim, Missioner for Asian Ministries at the Episcopal Diocese of New York
Sunday, May 2 - Abby Ring Nathanson, Managing Director, Episcopal Futures Initiative at the Episcopal Diocese of New York
Marsha and Bob
Marsha and Bob
Our Senior Warden Marsha Ra on "Thinking about Saints"
During Lent the community that regularly says morning prayer together on ZOOM decided to play Lent Madness as a Lenten discipline. Some of us had played it on our own in previous years, but most of the 20 to 25 people who make up the community had never played it before. There was an agreement that it made no sense to “give up” anything this year, as we had all given up a lot over the past year and weren’t fans of masochism. Furthermore, one of our members, Clyde Hicks, had been already expanding our coffee hour by bringing to us information about saints that the Episcopal Church recognizes through its Lesser Feasts and Fasts. So the group knew that learning about various saints was a useful and interesting thing to do together.
Lent Madness is a product of the Forward movement. Here’s how it works: Of the thousands of saints recognized by the various Christian traditions, 32 are selected by the two priests who design the contest and are presented in twos. Information about the saints is shared and then participants vote to determine which will move on to the next bracket. Finally, during Holy Week, the surviving two are considered and one is awarded “the Golden Halo”-- silly, perhaps, but educational and fun. Some of the brackets themselves were amusing. For example Catherine of Genoa and Catherine of Bologna were presented as the contest of the luncheon meats.
There were saints from the very early church up through 20th century. There were saints who were known for caring for the poor, for tending to the sick, for being great administrators, for being humble or for being high achievers. There was one saint who cared for small animals and one who wrote a famous travelogue. And let’s not forget the saints who were known as holy fools or simpletons. As Lent Madness continued it became obvious that our group, as well as the thousands of participants across the Episcopal church, preferred those saints who acted, who cared for the poor, the sick, those in prison—the saints Jesus refers to in the parable of the sheep and goats.
As we moved through the brackets and neared holy week, the contests between the saints became ever harder to decide. In the end the final choice was between Absalom Jones and Benedict the Moor (1526-1589). We were all very familiar with Absalom Jones, but most of us had never heard of Benedict the Moor. Like Jones, Benedict was of African descent and the son of slaves, he was recognized as a great healer and leader in Italy. Absalom Jones was awarded the Golden Halo, but we were all pleased to have learned so much about so many fascinating and lesser known people who had lived out a Christian life and could be models for us all.
As I look forward to returning to a life in face to face community again, I find myself thinking about the saints in our congregation and among the clergy and staff of the Cathedral. We are, of course, all too human, but so were the saints whom we celebrate. If we look at our community carefully, there are so many saints among us. We could run our own Lent madness program. Friends, we are all surrounded by that great cloud of witnesses Paul talks about. There are those who feed the hungry and clothe the naked—those who manage and volunteer at CCC. Those who create delicious meals for our worshipping community so we can enjoy them and build friendships together. There are those who welcome strangers including the staff of Visitor Services during the week as well as our ushers and greeters on Sunday morning. There are the teachers--our clergy who help us understand scripture and grapple with moral and spiritual issues. There are the souls who give generously to support the church and its various ministries. There are those who pray without ceasing, those who visit the sick and call on people who are having a hard time. (Sometimes that word of encouragement or even a good joke can make dealing with illness so much easier.) There are those who fight for justice, care for the environment, and those who are patient or have an enormous capacity to forgive. Do you have a list of saints in your life?
Happy Easter everyone!
Marsha and Bob
LEARN
Education for Ministry (EfM) Open Meetings 2021
By now we’ve all realized that 2021 is not like other years. EfM with the Congregation is no exception. This year, there will be three evenings when interested folks can zoom in and get a taste of what it is that we do: Thursday, May 20, Thursday, May 27, and Thursday, June 3. We gather at 6:30 and end pretty close to 8:30. It would be helpful to know if you plan to join us but not absolutely essential.
Donna Devlin, Mentor
sarahannb@aol.com
Questions about Realm
Christopher Clowdus and Neil Reilly invite your questions about Realm, the Congregation's giving database, at this email address: stewardship@saintsaviour.org
NEWS FROM THE CATHEDRAL
COVID-19 Testing at the Cathedral
The Cathedral is proud to once again partner with NYC Health + Hospitals for free, confidential, walk-in COVID-19 testing. Testing will be offered in the Cathedral Crossing beginning next Monday, April 12 through Sunday, April 25. The hours for testing are Mondays – Fridays: 9:30 am – 3:00 pm. Saturdays and Sundays: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm.
GIVE/SERVE
CCC - Volunteer Opportunity at Sunday Soup Kitchen
Every Sunday from 8:30 am to about 11:00 am, Cathedral Community Cares needs 3 Congregation volunteers to help with preparing and distributing food, and, staffing St Saviour's own CCC table where clients can pick up winter wear, Bibles, and toiletries. Please CLICK HERE to access the new volunteer sign-up page on St Saviour's website. Shifts are open through the end of May. Thank you to all the volunteers from St. Saviour who have generously given of their time week after week!
THIS SUNDAY, April 18, 2021
9:30 AM - Open Space with the Vicar
Join Vicar Lee and others for 30 minutes of conversation, community, and pastoral support. Come and go as you please!
10:00 AM - In the Beginning: A Study of Genesis
Join the Vicar for a study of the first book of the Bible. Discover Genesis, not as a collection of ancient mythological stories, but as the Word of God addressing our fundamental and deepest needs.
11:00 AM - Watch the Cathedral worship service on Zoom with other members of the Congregation. As a way to maintain a prayerful atmosphere, we will be turning off Zoom chat for the duration of the service.
You can also watch the Cathedral Worship Service
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/StJohnDivineNYC
On the Cathedral website: http://www.stjohndivine.org
11:45 PM - Vicar and Friends
Join the Vicar and occasional guests right after the service for a brief time to say hello and check in with other members of the congregation.
12:00 PM - Digital Coffee Half-Hour
Join us at this week’s Digital Coffee Hour to meet members of the congregation or hear guest speakers, This week the Vicar Lee will speak with: Ms. Marie Del Tejo, Executive Director, ACT Program at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
WEEKLY CATHEDRAL CONGREGATION PROGRAMS
Monday-Saturday | 8:30 AM Morning Prayer | 5:30 PM Evening Prayer
Wednesdays | 6:30 PM - YESS Bible Study
Join the Young Episcopalians of Saint Saviour as they read through the book of Exodus. No preparation needed.
Wednesdays | 7:30 PM - Wednesday Bible Study
Join the Vicar for a study of Paul's Letter to the Romans. The source of so many changed lives and pivotal moments throughout Christian history, Paul's greatest epistle invites us to transformation in our own lives and time.
Wednesdays | 8:30 PM - Congregation Compline
Thursdays | 6:30 PM - Education for Ministry
Education for Ministry is designed for lay people who want to delve more deeply but are not necessarily interested in ordination; EfM classes provide a more formal study of scriptures and the history of the faith. Current Topic: “Living into the Journey with God”
Fridays | 12:00 PM - Midday Prayer and Meditation
The Angelus and 10 minutes of silent meditation.
Fridays | 12:15 PM - Open Space with the Vicar
Join Vicar Lee and others for 30 minutes of conversation, community, and pastoral support. Come and go as you please!