from the Rev. Canon Cathy Zappa
Grace to you, and peace, on this Wednesday, July 22, in the year 2020. I am Cathy Zappa, Canon for Liturgy and Pastoral Care at the Cathedral Parish of St. Philip, and on behalf of our Dean, I am delivering our Wednesday parish notices this evening.
Many of you are familiar with the banner, as well as the plaque outside our church, which says, “The Cathedral of St. Philip: A House of Prayer for All People.” And that is true, today as much as ever! Even in these strange, hard times, we pray, together. We pray the Holy Eucharist together online on Sunday mornings at 8:45 and 11:15 a.m., and we pray Midday Meditations every weekday at 12:15 p.m. We pray in our guilds and ministries, Bible studies, and classes, meeting online. We continue to pray with and for one another, and for our world.
Though our building is closed to the public, we are open for prayer. You may make arrangements with a staff member to pray in our nave. And you always can pray in the holy outdoor spaces on our campus: the labyrinth, the Memorial Garden, the Point, and many others. Even our Cathedral Bookstore and the Cathedral Farmers’ Market are holy places, and places of prayer and service. And they are open, following health and safety guidelines, of course! Any time you’re in our building, or with others on our campus, we do ask you to wear a mask; that is one of the ways that we continue to care for others.
Speaking of caring for others…. Prayer and service go hand in hand! Another way that we are caring for others, and serving our community, is by partnering with Emmaus House to retire the collective medical debt of people in Peoplestown—about $11.5 million of debt. That sounds like a lot, and it is. But here’s the good news: every dollar we give relieves one hundred dollars of medical debt for our neighbors. And there’s more good news: we’re over halfway there, and we’re still collecting donations! Thank you, thank you!
There is a lot going on, and it can be hard to keep up. So I refer you again to our Cathedral website and to the Cathedral app, where you can find all of this and more. On our website’s homepage, you also can access the Zoom link to our largest adult Sunday-school class, Old Fashioned Sunday School. This Sunday, parishioner Dianne Otwell will be leading it, on “Why a Lifelong Baptist Became an Episcopalian.”
Our celebrant this Sunday will be the Reverend Julia Mitchener, and I will be our preacher. If you missed last week, you’ll notice a new face this week at the end of the service: Caroline Robinson, who joined our staff last week as Associate Organist and Choirmaster. We are glad she is here! And we are glad you are here!
Thank you for praying with the Cathedral of St Philip, and for the Cathedral of St. Philip. We pray for you, as well.