Dean Malloy
Dear Friends,
For the first time since 2018, the Cathedral's Saint Francis Day liturgy will include the procession of animals. The fire of 2019 followed by the pandemic made it impossible for us to celebrate in the way that made the liturgy internationally famous. Last year, we were able to gather in the Cathedral, but we were not able to include the procession. The animal rescue agency that brought the "exotic" animals to us did not survive the pandemic. On the bright side, the year without the procession gave us an opportunity to consider the ethics of bringing those great animals into the Cathedral and surrounding them with literally thousands of people and domestic pets. Were we causing them undo stress for our own pleasure?
We have concluded that it is indeed possible to bring animals into the Cathedral in a way that does not harm them. We have also concluded that, while the animals do bring us great pleasure, the real purpose of the procession is not that. It is to recognize and give glory to God, the source of all life, for the wonders of animals great and small and in the spirit of Saint Francis, to let our hearts be moved by their grandeur.
We have found an agency that secures animals mostly for theatrical purposes such as Broadway and films. The people who care for the animals do it as much as an act of love as a means of income. The animals are consistently well cared for, and they are trained to live and thrive in the presence of large groups of people. They are, in a sense professional actors.
In addition, we have invited people to bring animals that work for the good of society, for example, NYPD mounted police horses. The celebration will be an occasion to thank and honor these four-legged public servants.
In the past, the animals came to us at a minimal cost. This year and probably every year to come, their presence will be quite expensive. Because they are professional actors, they deserve a wage that allows them to be well housed and cared for. Public funds do not sustain their life. We ask you, then, to be *generous so that the Cathedral's Saint Francis Day celebration can unfold with the grandeur and wonder that makes it one of the most loved feasts of the year.
The Very Reverend Patrick Malloy
Dean
*Gifts of $300 or more will be thanked with a reserved seat at the service. If you would like to learn more, or honor a loved one, either pet or person, by sponsoring an animal in the procession, please contact Priscilla Bayley at pbayley@stjohndivine.org. You may also give using the QR Code below.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Sunday, Sept 10, 10:30 AM - Annual Homecoming Celebration with Ministry Recognition
11:30 AM - Homecoming Lunch and Ministry Recognition
Sunday, Sept 17, 10:30 AM - The Church of the Heavenly Rest worships at the Cathedral. The Rev. Bob Dannals, Interim Rector, will preach and the choir of Heavenly Rest will join the Cathedral choir.
12:00 PM - Marie Howe, Poet in residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, will discuss her work. Magdalene: Poems.
Sunday, Sept 24, 10:30 AM - Investiture of the first Community at the Crossing. The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend Justin Welby, will preach.
RSVP: Please click Here.
Sunday, Oct 1, 10:30 AM - The Feast of St. Francis with the return of the Procession of Animals
Passes: Please click Here.
Thursday, Oct 12, 6:00 PM - Public Opening of Divine Pathways, a site-specific installation by artist Anne Patterson
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DAILY PRAYER IN COMMUNITY
Morning Prayer
8:00 AM - Online Diocesan service led by Bishop Heyd and Postulants and Candidates for Ordination. Link.
8:00 AM - In-person service led by the Community at the Crossing / Chemin Neuf in the Cathedral. Starting in mid-September.
8:30 AM - Online Cathedral service. Link.
Evening Prayer
5:30 PM - Online Cathedral service. Link.
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CONGREGATION BOOK DISCUSSION ON MARY MAGDALENE
Who was Mary Magdalene?
Little is known about Mary Magdalene. Jesus cast demons out of her, she remained at the cross with two other women as Jesus died and it has been written that she was the first one to whom Jesus appeared after the Resurrection. Was she a prostitute? Was she married to Jesus? Is she the woman who bathed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, and then anointed them with oil? In AD 591, Pope Gregory I preached a sermon in which he proclaimed, “She whom Luke calls the sinful woman, whom John calls Mary, we believe to be the Mary from whom seven devils were ejected according to Mark.” Mary is called the “Apostle to the Apostles.”
Mary Magdalene has been portrayed in many well-known paintings and books, scholarly, fiction and nonfiction have been published about her. Maria Howe, the Poet in Residence at the Cathedral of St. John, has written a book of poetry about her.
The Da Vinci Code, a popular mystery thriller by Dan Brown and published in 2003, considers the possibility that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene conceived a child together.
Join us in a series of Cathedral Conversations
Sunday, September 17
Maria Howe, Poet in residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, will discuss her work. Magdalene: Poems.
Her poetry imagines the biblical figure of Mary Magdalene as a woman who embodies the spiritual and sensual, alive in a contemporary landscape―hailing a cab, raising a child, listening to news on the radio. Between facing the traumas of her past and navigating daily life, the narrator of Magdalene yearns for the guidance of her spiritual teacher, a Christ figure, whose death she continues to grieve. Erotic, spirited, and searching for meaning, she is a woman striving to be the subject of her own life, fully human and alive to the sacred in the mortal world.
Marie Howe is the author of four volumes of poetry including, Magdalene: Poems (W.W. Norton, 2017). From 2012 – 2014 she served as the Poet Laureate of New York State. She is the poet in residence at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine and a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.
Additional sessions on Sunday, October 15 and Sunday, October 29.
Time: Sundays: 12:00 – 1:00 PM
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THIS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
In-Person Community
8:30 AM - Volunteer at the soup kitchen of Cathedral Community Cares
10:00 AM - Cathedral doors open
10:30 AM - Sunday service
11:30 AM - Homecoming Lunch and Lay Ministry Recognition
4:00 PM - Evensong
Online Community
10:30 AM - Live-stream of Sunday service
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Congregation Column
Lay Ministers at the Cathedral
Bob Deming, Warden, writes:
Homecoming is an annual celebration that takes place early in September where we uplift the Congregation. We let people know what ministry opportunities there are; we look ahead to fall events that are getting underway; this year we are also recognizing the vital role of lay ministers in our collective life.
Please join us this Sunday, September 10th as we eat together a catered lunch from West Side Market after the 10:30 AM morning service in the portion of the nave where we ordinarily have our coffee ministry. The desserts are being supplied by Congregation members.
You may remember last year when we had an outdoor celebration for our 30-year anniversary. The Congregation came into existence in 1992. I recently came across this original mission statement of the Congregation of Saint Saviour.
To build and nurture an active Christian community; to support the mission of the Cathedral; to offer opportunities for exploring and expressing spirituality, affirming the diversities that exist among us; above all, through worship, service and example, to bear witness to Christ’s healing and reconciling love to neighbors, pilgrims and visitors.
I think this long-standing mission statement still applies, although of course it can ever change according to changing times.
Allow me to play off one word in the mission statement: pilgrims. As we come home to God, this can be a distinctly individual journey. The beauty of the Congregation is that we can support one another and come together in community to make the pilgrim experience a collective one.
I know church membership is generally diminishing, but I have the distinct experience that my Congregation family at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine is indeed enlarging.
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