News from the Congregation September 30, 2022

Oct 1

Written By Steven Lee; Marsha Ra & Joan Adams

‘‘‘ Candidates for Bishop Announced’ ; ‘St. Francis Day Reflection’ ” | Other Dates to Remember| Sunday Programs: Saint Francis Day Service10:30am Worship Service In-Person and Online 12:00pm Blessing of the Animals, 4:00pm Evensong | Weekday Programs: Wed Bible Study on Paul’s Letter to the Romans, M-S Morning and Evening Prayer (Zoom)

Canon Lee

This past week, the Committee for the Election of a Bishop for The Episcopal Diocese of New York announced the candidates for the 17th Bishop of New York. You can read about them here. Petition candidates may be nominated in the next few weeks, so the final slate may include others. On Wednesday, November 16, churches in Manhattan will have a chance to meet the bishop candidates at St. Andrew's Church in Harlem. On Saturday, December 3, the Electing Convention will be held at the Cathedral. Joan Adams will be the Congregation's lay delegate to the Electing Convention, and I will be your clergy delegate.

This moment is important for our Congregation. Unlike many parishes in the diocese, which may get an episcopal visitation once a year (or even once every three years), we see bishops regularly at the Cathedral. The Bishop of New York indelibly shapes the culture of our Congregation. I hope you will read the candidate profiles, attend the meet and greet on November 16, and think deeply about the person you want leading our diocese. Before the election, the vestry will discuss the candidates. We welcome your input. Please seek us out during coffee hour or email us. (You can find our information in the Realm membership directory.)

Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for this Diocese, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I am also so proud of the Congregation for its commitment to ministering to our local community.

A Message from the Wardens

Senior Warden Marsha Ra on Saint Francis Day:

For the earth forever turning; for the skies, for ev’ry sea;
for our lives, for all we cherish, sing we our joyful song of peace.

For the mountains, hills, and pastures in their silent majesty;
for the stars, for all the heavens, sing we our joyful song of peace.

For the sun, for rain and thunder, for the seasons’ harmony,
for our lives, for all creation, sing we our joyful praise to Thee.

For the world we raise our voices, for the home that gives us birth; in our joy we sing returning home to our bluegreen hills of earth.

“The bluegreen hills of earth” has a special meaning for me this year. This summer, I experienced the richness of the green plants around me more fully than in many years. I don’t know if the trees and shrubs in Riverside and Central Park were greener or lusher this year, but it felt that way to me. So much so, that for once I am not looking forward to the glorious colors of autumn. I want that lush green to continue forever.

We share this beautiful world with all types of creatures. We tend to care most about what we call “sentient beings,” but the more we learn about what goes on in the lives of trees and mushrooms, the more difficult it is to divide creation up that way. Some species have a type of awareness that is completely foreign to our ways of knowing. We understand that our companion animals have senses we either don’t have or are much more acute than ours. We know that many insects can see color that we cannot even imagine. We will probably never understand how trees communicate, but we’ve recently learned that they do. God’s creation is more wondrous than we can imagine and fills us with awe. Yet we awe-filled creatures are the most destructive of this majestic earth. As individuals we can do very little to change the impact we have on all the other species that share the earth with us. But we know that as a collective body, through political will, through our governments and corporations we can make an enormous difference and perhaps, just perhaps, save the planet for future generations of human beings and other creatures as well. This is what I will be thinking about as we celebrate Saint Francis and his love of nature this year.

NEWS FROM THE CATHEDRAL - Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (stjohndivine.org)

Dates to Remember
Oct 2 | Saint Francis day. Blessing of the animals on the Cathedral Close. There will have a Congregation table outside to greet the many people coming with dogs, cats, birds, etc.
Oct 9 | Bishop Shin's episcopal visitation to the Congregation. He will preach and preside at the 10:30 AM service before meeting with the vestry.
Oct 12 | Installation of the Head of the Cathedral School
Oct 19 | Evensong Commemoration for Queen Elizabeth II
Oct 28-30 |Congregation of Saint Saviour retreat at Holy Cross Monastery led by Brother Ephrem on Community.
Nov 1| All Saints Day Service
Nov 2 | All Souls Day Commemoration

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 CONGREGATION

The Weekly Sunday Hospitality continues.

Research shows that the more you give the more you get. The more you help, the more invested you become in your church and the more it feeds you. Isn’t that amazing? Do you enjoy the coffee and the treats--the time together every week for conversation and welcoming of visitors? To keep this ministry going we need to expand the number of people involved. If you are on the list of helpers and providers of snacks, THANK YOU! If you haven’t volunteered yet— why not join the team? There is nothing exclusive about it. All are welcome to help out. If you can come once a month or every 6 -8 weeks to set up before the service and clean-up after the coffee hour, please contact Marsha Ra or Sue Sobolewski. Or talk to us on any Sunday. We will get you started on this ministry.

NEWS FROM THE VESTRY

The Vestry voted to donate $15,000 over 3 years ($5,000 per year) to the Proposed New York Episcopal Federal Credit Union. an independent, federally accredited credit union to serve the communities within the Diocese of New York. The Credit Union will open banking services to the underserved, while providing low-cost emergency loans and financial counseling. From Staten Island to Poughkeepsie, traditional banks exclude our people through financial requirements and unreasonable fees. The lack of access to basic banking tools disproportionately impacts people of color and New York’s most vulnerable, from formerly incarcerated individuals to survivors of domestic violence. The chartering process is almost complete. The very last step is to gather the final $350,000 in donation pledge commitments from across the Diocese as required start-up capital.

If you would like to make an individual pledge to this diocesan-wide fundraising effort, please email Canon Lee.

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

THIS SUNDAY - St. Francis Day

In-Person Worship at the Cathedral

10:00 am - Doors to Cathedral open.
10:30 am - Eucharist Service (apprx. 1 hour)
12:00 pm - Blessing of the Animals
11:30 am - All Are Welcome Coffee Hour
4:00 pm - Evensong

The Cathedral requires those entering its buildings 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