News from the Congregation May 27, 2022
‘‘ ‘Shout Outs to Putney Cloos, Fred Wherry and Monica Butta’ ; ‘Memorial Day Weekend and the Wrath of God’ ” | May 31 Funeral for Nathaniel Queen, Volunteer at CCC’s Sunday Soup Kitchen, Aid for Ukraine, Columbarium Access | Sunday Programs: 8:30am Genesis Bible Study (Zoom), 10:30am Worship Service - In-Person and Online, 7:00pm Compline | Weekday Programs: M-S Morning and Evening Prayer (Zoom)
Canon Lee
I have two exciting news items to share from the Cathedral Board of Trustees meeting this past Tuesday. First, I am happy to report that two of the new trustees elected to the board have deep connections to the Congregation: Putney Cloos and Fred Wherry.
Putney and her family have been active members of the Congregation for many years. Putney is the Senior Vice President and Head of Global Marketing for Cision, a global leader in public relations and communications technology and intelligence. She graduated from Harvard University, where she was a member of the varsity sailing team. She received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.
Putney and I serve together on a committee of another Episcopal organization, and I speak from experience when I say that she will bring energy, incisive questions, and a strategic vision to the Cathedral board.
Fred Wherry is the Townsend Martin, Class of 1917 Professor of Sociology at Princeton University and Director of the Dignity and Debt Network, a partnership between the Social Science Research Council and Princeton. Author and editor of many books, he was the 2018 President of the Social Science History Association. He currently serves as a Selector for the Luce Scholars Program (Henry Luce Foundation). He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar, his MPA from The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and his PhD in Sociology from Princeton.
In the Congregation, Fred served with distinction as a member of our Vestry, and he did inspiring work as the convener of the Congregation's Reparations and Racial Reconciliation committee. It was a joy and an honor to support Fred's nomination to the board. I know that the trustees will be blessed, among his many gifts, by his wisdom, his deep expertise in matters of economic justice, especially related to debt and consumerism, and his judicious temperament.
The second item of exciting news is that our Development department, under the outstanding leadership of Monica Butta, the Cathedral's Vice President of Development, has raised more than 3 million dollars for this fiscal year. This is a highest amount ever raised in the Cathedral's history, and the result reflects the transformation of that department under Monica's leadership and vision.
Our Cathedral is truly blessed to have such exceptional leaders!
A Message from the Wardens
Senior Warden Marsha Ra on "Memorial Day weekend and The Wrath of God"
I came to Bible study this morning very angry and very tired-- yet another mass shooting, yet another violent act with guns. Once again we hear beautiful words of prayer and consolation from clergy of all denominations, especially our own Episcopal church where the language is always always the loveliest. For me today, lovely is not helpful at all. These are attempts to comfort, when comfort is not called for. No, anger is called for! Righteous anger! And action! But what action can we take? To see a picture of just one of the dead children, a beautiful young Latino boy of eight, who had just won an award at his school and now has had his life snuffed out and to imagine what his family is going through and times that by hundreds, already killed this year—this enrages me. I am disgusted. Yet I feel so intensely my own impotence in the face of this national sin.
Scripture has a lot to say about what is going on right now in our country. Wednesday evening Bible Study has focused on Paul’s letter to the Romans. We dealt for weeks, it seems, on the Wrath of God. How appropriate for these days of unending violence! “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. “ (Romans 1:18) Then, this morning at Morning Prayer the very raw words of Leviticus were read:
“But if, despite this, you disobey me, and continue hostile to me, I will continue hostile to you in fury: I in turn will punish you myself sevenfold for your sins. You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters…I will heap your carcasses on the carcasses of your idols. I will abhor you…” Lev. 26: 27-31. True to His word, I believe, we are seeing this played out with our own eyes. The bodies of dead children heaped up in an elementary school because of our collective sin—our failure to act.
During Intercessions this morning many prayers were offered for the dead children and for the seeming inability of our nation to change. I turned off my video so that no one could see me sobbing. After the Office was complete, we had a conversation about the situation. It was clear that everyone was upset. It was Justin Dehnert who put his finger on perhaps the most important aspect of the problem: idol worship! There is not a country in the world that doesn’t have violence, injustice, and evil acts in its history. Yes, our ancestors had slaves and pushed out the native population--- but so did every other country in the Western hemisphere. So did just about every country in the world if you study history going back a few thousand years. Every other country in the world has mentally ill people and young men with a violent streak--every country. But no other country has more guns floating around than people. There are over 300 million people and 400 million guns. And everyone has a “right” to bear arms. It says so, right there in that document we worship… the Constitution! Will we ever step back and see the folly of this? If killing people in church doesn’t change things; if shooting strangers on a train-from a tower- or from a hotel room doesn’t; if slaughtering beautiful young children so that the parents can only identify them from their DNA doesn’t change hearts, will anything? I despair—a sin I know. But yes I despair.
Each occasion for egregious human violence prints an image in my brain. From the Vietnam War it is two photos: One of a Viet Cong soldier just as he is executed and the other of a naked little girl running down the road, having been burned by napalm. From the Second World War it is the photo of a Jewish mother in Ukraine holding her baby just as the two of them are executed that I can’t forget. For the current war in Ukraine it will probably be the newsreel of a woman writhing in labor on a stretcher outside a maternity hospital that had just been bombed by the Russians. Both she and the baby died we are told. And for the latest mass shooting in Texas it will probably be that photograph of a beautiful 8 year old boy who had just won a prize in school. We are told he was blasted beyond recognition by a young man who had bought two assault rifles on his 18th birthday, legally.
If we are the hands and feet of Jesus in the world, my prayer to God is that God show us how we can change the gun culture in this country and rid ourselves and our children of this one evil, sick, aspect of being American. As we observe Memorial Day and remember the thousands of soldiers who died in the violence of war, let us not forget the victims whose dead bodies are lying on the altar of the Second Amendment.
NEWS FROM THE CATHEDRAL - Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (stjohndivine.org)
GOODBYE TO DEAN DANIELS
Sunday, May 29: The Dean's final Sunday service
The Bishop of New York will preach.
Tuesday, May 31 10:30 am Funeral for Nathaniel Queen
A Requiem Eucharist for Nathaniel Queen, long-time member of the Congregation, will be held on Tuesday, May 31st at 10:30 AM in the Chapel of St. James.
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, May 29, 2022
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