News from the Congregation June 10, 2022
‘‘ ‘Rev. Canon Patrick Malloy Appointed Acting Dean’ ; ‘Hope in the Midst of Pain’ ” | Aid for Ukraine, Columbarium Access | Sunday Programs: 10:30am Worship Service - In-Person and Online, 7:00pm Compline | Weekday Programs: M-S Morning and Evening Prayer (Zoom)
Canon Lee
With yesterday's announcement by the Bishop of New York that he has appointed Patrick Malloy as the Acting Dean of the Cathedral, effective immediately, all of us at the Cathedral now find ourselves, officially, in a period of transition.
Personally, I find times of transition to be exciting. In his address to the Cathedral staff yesterday, Dean Malloy described his experience in leading two other large institutions through periods of leadership transition: The General Theological Seminary here in New York and St. John's Cathedral in Denver, Colorado.
One of the primary tasks of an interim period, he told us, is to prepare the institution for the arrival of the next leader by identifying and rectifying problems. This process will include speaking to many of the stakeholders of the Cathedral and doing a deep dive into all aspects of its operations. It is lucky for us that Dean Malloy already has over 5 years of experience working here to bring to this transition work. This means the work can begin in earnest without the usual time needed to orient a leader to the Cathedral's complex system.
However, I recognize that times of transition can also produce anxiety. As a first step in addressing any concerns, I have invited Dean Malloy to speak to the Vestry of the Congregation at its June meeting. I am grateful that he has accepted my offer. Most of that meeting will be spent listening to Dean Malloy further describe his vision for this time of transition--which will include the establishment of the Intentional Community--as well as having a conversation about how the Congregation might fit into that larger vision.
A Message from the Wardens
Senior Warden Marsha Ra on Faith and Hope:
There is a fine line between having faith and being a Pollyanna; there is a fine line as well between being realistic and despairing. Our times are painful, difficult and full of chaos. Racism, hate, guns and violence are evident right in our very city. How do we look these evils in the eye and yet retain hope and a sense of joy in the privilege of simply living? But we do!
The prophet Jeremiah wrote in chapter 29 to the exiles in Babylon who had lost everything a message of life and hope:
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Looking at human life over the centuries, we realize that all times have been filled with difficulty, pain and chaos in various degrees and in just about every country on earth. As an example of living in difficult times and yet prevailing in joy, I consider the Renaissance composer Thomas Tallis whose music we hear from time to time at the Cathedral. He lived during a time of great chaos, difficulty and pain yet persevered. Tallis served at court as a composer and performer for Henry VIII,[8] Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.[9] He remained a Roman or “unreformed” Catholic his whole life, while priests and other leaders both Catholic and reformed died for their position on religious issues. William Byrd, another great composer of that age, became entangled in the struggles between Catholics and Protestants during the reign of Elizabeth I, yet he continued to compose beautiful works, especially for Catholic liturgy, which we use today.
I try to imagine what it must have been like to live in France during the revolution. How did one hold onto hope and faith while either starving or being caught up in unspeakable and ugly violence? How did the ancestors of our Black friends survive slavery spiritually intact? We can list the other horrors of history and of our own times and note that we human beings pressed on in hope.
Yes, hope is always there somehow. I used to ask my parents why they decided to have me. My sister was born in 1938 while the Nazi’s were consolidating power in Germany. By the time my turn came to be born, cousins were being systematically murdered in Poland and pretty much all over Europe. Yet my parents conceived me and gave me life. My father told me he would look at us and wonder what kind of world he had brought us into. What if the allies lost the war? What future, if any, would his tiny Jewish babies have? Of course the allies won and we grew up and had wonderful lives, both of us.
After WWII there was the fear of the bomb. All children in school had their blood drawn and we were given plastic tags to wear which gave our name, our religion (C,P,J) and our blood type! We regularly had air-raid drills and our beautiful Olmstead park, Belle Isle, was the site of Nike missiles. It was not a good time. It was, like today, a time of fear. Yet, my father planted flowers and vegetables in the back yard, took us fishing and camping, and he was full of fun and laughter. We visited the Detroit Institute of Arts frequently as well as the public library. We went swimming and played with the other kids in the neighborhood as though no one was aiming a nuclear bomb in our direction. I can’t remember when we stopped wearing the chains with our blood type and religion around our neck. I do remember that each terrible threat was eventually replaced by a new and just as terrible one. Usually we saw the evidence of violence on the news and it was happening to someone else. Sometimes, the violence was on our doorstep. The 1967 riots in Detroit happened right in our neighborhood. We were the only white family on our street at that time. My parents were openly threatened if they ventured out of the house during those weeks. Yet, neighbors did their shopping for my parents so they were relatively safe. Human love is always there, even in terrible times. Tallis and Byrd composed beautiful liturgical pieces and the Davis’s next door brought my parents milk and eggs until things died down and it was safe again.
This hope in the middle of chaos and pain is, I believe, quite universal and has nothing to do with being a Christian. Yet for us Christians, it is shaped a little differently. Some Christians believe that God protects us. I am not one of those Christians. If God protects me but didn’t protect the children of Uvalde, or their parents who have to suffer this unspeakable loss for the rest of their lives-- I wonder what kind of god that might be and why I would owe him the time I take to worship him. No, I don’t believe God protects any of us. What I do believe, and what gives me hope and joy without becoming a Pollyanna, is that God is most definitely with us in the pain, the chaos and the suffering. In part, that’s what Jesus is about. If the agony in the garden hadn’t happened, if Jesus of Nazareth had simply said okay, let’s go! I would assume he wasn’t God at all, but probably delusional. Yet we know that, like us, he suffered that agony of fear, the pain of the torture and the seeming finality of death. This is how God showed us that He is with us in our fear, suffering and our own individual agonies. When things are scary, I can say with the spiritual: “Precious Lord, take my hand” and I can be confident that He does!
NEWS FROM THE CATHEDRAL - Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (stjohndivine.org)
Columbarium Visits - Please Schedule in Advance
Due to cleaning and ongoing construction at the Cathedral, some areas may occasionally be inaccessible. Anyone wishing to visit a loved one in the Columbarium is strongly encouraged to schedule their visit in advance via this Columbarium Visit Registration form.
HUMANITARIAN RELIEF FOR UKRAINE
Episcopal Relief & Development is supporting Action by Churches Together (ACT Alliance) as it provides critical assistance to support people affected by violence in Ukraine. Working through ACT member Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) and other local organizations, ACT Alliance is providing emergency assistance such as food, shelter, water and basic supplies to refugees and people displaced within Ukraine. Donations to Episcopal Relief & Development’s Ukraine Crisis Response Fund will help the organization and its partners continue to provide assistance to people displaced by the crisis in Ukraine.
NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE Home - Episcopal Diocese of New York (dioceseny.org)
NEWS FROM THE COMMUNITY
NEWS FROM THE VESTRY
GIVE/SERVE
Questions about Realm, the Congregation’s Online Hub for Giving, Volunteering, and Reaching Out to One Another
The Admin team would love to hear from you. Whether you need help making the shift to online donations, setting up your account, or just want to know what Realm can do for you, please contact Laura and Bob at this email address: info@saintsaviour.org
CCC - Volunteer Opportunity at Sunday Soup Kitchen
Join us at CCC's Sunday Soup Kitchen (8:30 am - 11:00 am) to help prepare and distribute food.. Please CLICK HERE to sign up! Shifts are open through the second week in June. Thank you so much for volunteering!
THIS SUNDAY
In-Person Worship at the Cathedral
10:00 am - Doors to Cathedral open.
10:30 am - Eucharist Service (apprx. 1 hour)
11:30 am - All are Welcome Coffee Hour
7:00 pm - Choral Compline
The Cathedral requires those entering its buildings to show proof of vaccination and to wear a mask.
You can also watch a Livestream of the Cathedral Worship Service
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/StJohnDivineNYC
On the Cathedral website: http://www.stjohndivine.org
WEEKLY CATHEDRAL CONGREGATION PROGRAMS
Monday-Saturday | 8:30 AM Morning Prayer | 5:30 PM Evening Prayer
Wednesday 7:30 pm Bible Study | Paul’s Letter to the Romans | Congregation Zoom Link (On summer break, returns in September)
Sunday 8:30 am Bible Study | Genesis| Congregation Zoom Link (On summer break, returns in September)