News from the Congregation March 6, 2020
“God Joins in Our Fear;” Coronavirus Update from Cathedral Dean; Sunday Programs (10:00 am Bible Study, 10:00 am Pathfinders Sunday School, 12:45 pm Second Sunday Brunch, 12:45 pm Adult Baptism and Confirmation Class # 6), Lenten Retreat, Forgiveness Reading Group - Grace Will Lead Us Home, Harlem Inter-Parish Council Eucharist and Dinner Schedule, YESS Friday Night Sushi Meetup, OPUS Meetup and Questionnaire
Canon Lee
In times of great distress, I have taken solace in church. Gathering with other people, sharing peace with them through a handshake or hug, and receiving the Eucharist--these are the life-giving practices that comfort me when I am afraid or in need.
Perhaps this is also true for you.
So one of the most unsettling things about the COVID-19 virus is how it has infected these life-giving spiritual practices with a menacing aspect and turned them into potential vectors of disease. It is a terrible irony that the sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood has become a source of fear for many of us, in a time when we so desperately need the Eucharist to give us strength and courage.
I share the following excerpt from Ann Ulanov's book Primary Speech, in the hopes that it may provide solace for you, as it has for me. Dr. Ulanov is a retired professor of Religion and Psychiatry at Union Theological Seminary and is a Jungian analyst in private practice.
God does not ever altogether remove our fear. What God does is to join us in it. God is there where we are afraid. That is the way of the cross, of the tree of life. That is the way of the God who enters our life even in the face of death. That is the way of the vow of obedience in religion. It strikes to the heart of our fear. It tells us to be obedient to our love even unto death. It instructs us not to run or attempt to run from the inescapable fact of the contingency of our being.
We cannot protect those we love from suffering. We cannot be sure that we will hold onto our own sanity. We cannot guarantee peace or good will on earth. There is no sure answer to these great fears. There is only one help for them -- to surrender them into God's hands.
We must do all we can and still give them over into God's care. Our fear brings us right to the point where we can accept the fact that we are subject to God's will and not simply to our own. We can do much with our will. Best of all, in prayer, we can move it towards God's will.
Change comes at this point, a change that altogether makes over our fear. Far from being afraid that no one will answer, that nothing will be there, we are now fearfully aware that God is near and will answer. Like that prickling of antennae outdoors on a dark night when we sense an animal nearby, we feel another presence in our prayer. Fear opens us to that presence. And then we thank God, even for our fears.
The Rev. Canon Steven Lee
Canon Pastor and Vicar
A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN AND CATHEDRAL CHAPTER CONCERNING THE CORONAVIRUS
We in the Episcopal Church trust that when we receive Holy Communion, Jesus offers himself to us and joins our lives to his. Jesus’ gift of himself is most fully expressed under the form of Bread and Wine together, but those who receive only Bread or Wine do not in any way lessen the communion they have with Jesus. To those who can consume neither Bread nor Wine but who approach Holy Communion in faith, Jesus still gives himself fully.
Mindful of concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 virus, we offer the following guidelines and suggestions.
Thorough hand washing has been shown to kill COVID-19. All liturgical ministers (and other worshippers) should thoroughly wash with soap and water before services. Hand sanitizer with an alcohol content of 60% has also been shown to be effective against COVID-19, and all the ministers of Holy Communion will use it before the distribution.
At the Peace:
We encourage worshippers not to embrace or clasp hands but to greet one another and acknowledge one another, for example, with a bow. Health care professionals suggest that COVID-19 is most effectively transmitted from people’s hands to their faces, so avoiding hand-to-hand contact is a likely strategy for inhibiting infection.
At the time of the Holy Communion:
Studies by the CDC and other medical authorities have concluded that “the risk for infectious disease transmission by a common communion cup is very low, and appropriate safeguards – that is, wiping the interior and exterior rim between communicants, use of care to rotate the cloth during use, and use of a clean cloth for each service – would further diminish this risk.” At the Cathedral, we will incorporate those safeguards.
Those who nonetheless chose not to receive from the common cup can trust that Jesus’ offering of himself is complete in the Bread.
The practice of intinction, that is, dipping the consecrated Bread into the Wine, runs the risk of inserting fingers into the Wine. We will not allow intinction during the current health crisis.
Similarly, ministers will not distribute Communion on the tongue because of the risk of contaminating the fingers of the minister.
When the threat of a pandemic passes, we will return to our standard practices. In the meantime, we use this unfortunate outbreak as an opportunity to care for one another and to foster the health of the entire human community.
THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 8
2:00 AM - DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS. SET YOUR CLOCKS FORWARD ONE HOUR AHEAD.
10:00 AM - Sunday Morning Bible Study | St. James Chapel
Our Congregation's wonderful bible study/discussion group are a great opportunity to explore the lectionary in a little more depth, learn from each other, and get to know others in the congregation. This week's Bible Study is led by Sub Dean Malloy and will meet in St. James Chapel.
10:00 AM - Pathfinders Sunday School | Cathedral Nave
Little Pilgrims and the Next Step will meet as separate classes led by Donna Devlin and Jennifer Allen. For more information, please contact, Donna Devlin, Director of Christian Education.
12:45 PM - Second Sunday Brunch | Cathedral House Conference and Dining Rooms
This month's Second Sunday brunch is sponsored by Phyllis Murray in honor of Hal Weiner's 85th birthday! All are invited to join in a hearty meal in order to wish happy birthday to one of our Congregation's dedicated Harlem Inter-Parish Council representatives, our resident photographer, and a formidable and funny raconteur.
As a way to practice good hygiene, we ask all who come to the Second Sunday brunch to do the following:
Sanitize their hands before getting their plates and serving themselves.
A sanitizer dispenser is available on the first floor of Cathedral House by the water fountain. You may also sanitize your hands with soap and water in the bathrooms on the first floor.
Not re-use plates or plastic wear if they go for seconds and to re-sanitize their hands before they take a new plate.
12:45 PM - Adult Baptism and Confirmation Class: Session 6 - Eucharist | Chapel of St. Saviour
The adult baptism and confirmation class meets this week in the Chapel of St. Saviour. This week's topic is the sacrament of the Eucharist.
LENT WITH THE CATHEDRAL CONGREGATION
Lenten Retreat with the Cathedral Congregation at Holy Cross Monastery - March 27 to 29
There are now just 5 spaces left, so let us know if you would like to come. Click here for more information.
Lenten Bible Study with Cathedral Clergy - Sundays, March 1 to March 29 | 10:00 AM | Cathedral Nave
The Cathedral clergy will lead the Congregation's bible study/discussion group for the Sundays in Lent.
March 1: Canon Welch
March 8: Sub Dean Malloy
March 15: Dean Daniel
March 22: No Class - Stewardship Thank You Brunch
March 29: Canon Lee
Forgiveness Reading Group - Every Other Tuesday, February 25 to April 7 | 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM | Cathedral House Dining Room
How do we understand forgiveness and grace? During Lent the Cathedral Congregation of Saint Saviour will be reading Grace Will Lead Us Home, The Charleston Church Massacre and the Hard, Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness by Jennifer Berry Hawes. This informal reading group will meet on every other Tuesday starting 25 February (March 10; March 24; April 7). The group will be led by Elizabeth Howard, the Madeleine L’Engle Fellow at the Cathedral. If you are interested in attending, please contact Hope Chang.
Harlem Inter-Parish Council Eucharist and Dinner - Wednesdays in Lent | 7:00 PM
March 4 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | 2 E. 90th St
March 11 | Church of the Crucifixion | Convent Ave and 149th St
March 18 | Holyrood/Santa Cruz Church | 715 W. 179th St.
March 25 | St. Mary’s Manhattanville | 521 W. 126th St.
April 1 | All Souls’ Church | 88 St. Nicholas Ave.
OPUS (Old People Up to Something) - Next Meeting on Sunday, April 19 (Note change to original plans!)
Seniors and retired members of the Cathedral Congregation community are invited to a joint brunch with the Young Adult group on Sunday, April 19 after the 11am service.
YESS - Friday Evenings in Lent - Sushi Dinner with the Young Adults Network
Join other young Episcopalians around the Diocese for a short evening service (15-30 minutes) followed by sushi dinner on Fridays during Lent. (Click to enlarge schedule)
CONNECT
YESS and OPUS - Sunday, April 19 | 12:45 PM | Location: TBA
The Young Episcopalians of Saint Saviour (YESS) and the members of OPUS (Old People Up to Something) will meet for bunch, conversation and fun after the 11am service.
OPUS Questionnaire
If you are a senior or retired member of the Cathedral Congregation, we would like to hear from you! Please fill out this survey created by OPUS co-chairs Sonia Omulepu and Muriel Kneeshaw. Completed surveys can be returned to the Welcome Table on Sundays or emailed to Hope Chang. Blank surveys will also be available at the Welcome Table.
EXPLORE
Saturday Morning Meditation - Every Saturday | 11:00 AM | Cathedral House Conference Room (note location!)
Join members of the Congregation and public for an hour of quiet meditation every Saturday morning. This week, the group meets in Cathedral House.
Adult Baptism and Confirmation Class - Sundays, February 2 to March 29 | 12:45 PM to 2:15 PM
All adults interested in baptism or confirmation at the Easter Vigil are welcome to this 9-week class designed as an introduction to the Christian faith in the Episcopal tradition. To register, contact Canon Lee at slee@stjohndivine.org.