From the Dean
The above all share at least one thing in common: they are manifestations of the foundational values of All Souls Cathedral.
A Roof
When recently interviewed about our roof work, I said it represented many things. It covers a space which gathers and welcomes people for respite and renewal. It marks a tangible and spiritual intersection of this community with the wider community. As well, its beauty evokes something in the souls of all who see it and take it in. In these it gathers us one to another, gathers us to ourselves, and gathers us to something beyond ourselves, to the sacred.
This past month the Vestry voted to pursue a capital campaign in the next year to help with the costs of the roof and other work at All Souls. You will hear more about this in the coming days.
An Ordination
On December 11 at 3 p.m. we will ordain Thomas Murphy a priest in the Episcopal Church. In the past decade All Souls has worked to raise up ten persons in their process of being ordained to either the diaconate or priesthood.
In addition to celebrating these ministries we continue to hold up the reality that ministry is not simply done by the ordained. In baptism all of us take vows to proclaim good news, to serve Christ and to seek justice. In baptism we are all raised up to be sent out for ministry.
We understand these vows are lived out in our jobs, in our neighborhoods, and in our welcoming of folks to this community in everything from serving liturgically to answering phones. As well there are countless folks here who serve on boards and do hands-on work with many non-profits and other agencies who work to enhance lives in our community, to restore those who have been separated from families, jobs, communities, and who advocate for the dignity of all persons. The ordination in December is symbolic of a basic value, a basic way of life in this community: raising up all the baptized to send them out into the world.
Center for Spiritual Resources
If there was any theme present at our recent diocesan convention it was connection and collaboration. Again and again we heard examples of and a need for continued connection and collaboration among our congregations. As what it means to be church in our time continues to evolve, the need for connection, the need for shared life and resources continues to grow. The Center provides just that.
As I think about the Center two metaphors come to mind: It has evolved into a kind of general store or a kind of Google search engine for the diocese. Whether connecting people to tools for study, to groups doing works of compassion and justice or to persons adept at incorporating technology into ministry, the Center connects members of the diocese to a collective of resources beyond our individual capacities. Like our building in the village, the Center is becoming a hub for life in our diocese and beyond.
A Cathedral
We have been a Cathedral for fifteen years. For many years we have wrestled with what this calling meant. In all of the above we are finding the answer. As a Cathedral we are a place of gathering which incites spiritual hunger and passion here and in the greater community; we are a place that raises all people up for ministry within and beyond our walls; we are a place of connection for our diocese which engenders a deepened life with God, with one another and with all in our region.
We are the beneficiaries of the hungers and passions of those who have gone before us. We are the fortunate ones who step into that heritage and live into our calling in this time.
Peace,
Todd