Open Door April/May 2014

OPEN DOOR April / May 2014

IMAGINING OUR FUTURE Page 2

HOLY WEEK & EASTER Page 6

BENEDICTION Page 25

FAMILY MINISTRIES Page 34

STAFF & VESTRY CLERGY

Highlights

The Very Reverend Peter Eaton Rector and Dean, Ext. 7721 The Reverend Robert Hendrickson Sub-Dean, Ext. 7706

IMAGINING OUR FUTURE

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Holy Week & Easter

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The Reverend Elizabeth Marie Melchionna, Canon, Ext. 7731 The Reverend Jadon Hartsuff Canon, Ext. 7732 The Reverend Charles LaFond Canon Steward, Ext. 7711 The Reverend Elizabeth Costello Curate, Ext. 7704

SENIOR STAFF

RENEWAL WORKS UPDATE

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Kim McPherson Director of Religious Education Ext. 7729 Mike Orr Director of Communications Ext. 7730

DIscernment & The Art of Hosting

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BENEDICTION

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FAMILY MINISTRIES

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Stephen Tappe Organist and Director of Music Ext. 7726 Tara Williams Director of Finance and Administration Ext. 7720

VESTRY Larry Kueter, Senior Warden Kat Challis, Junior Warden Mary Ellen Williams, Treasurer David Abbott, Clerk Class of 2017 David Abbott, Tamra d’Estrée, Jack Denman, Mike McCall Class of 2016 David Ball, Jen Courtney-Keyse, Suni Devitt, Amanda Montague Class of 2015 Susan Chenier, Ned Rule, Mary Laird Stewart, John Van Camp

From the Dean: THE PROMISE OF GOD As we celebrate Holy Week and Easter, we are brought directly into the crucible of life. Here in these few days, the whole mystery of our salvation is played out, and we are drawn in not as observers, or even as actors in a drama, but as those who are witnesses — witnesses for whom this mystery is the gateway to our eternal destiny.

We are created by God out of love, not as playthings for a divine tyrant, but as co-creators with the loving God of that new heaven and new earth of which the Scriptures speak so movingly. God has created us because God wants to live with us, by God’s everpresent Spirit in this earthly life now, and then faceto-face in the age to come. Then all that has separated humanity from God will finally be stripped away, and we shall at last attain that union with God that will restore all to God’s original intention.

The events of Holy Week ground our salvation in the mess of life — the mess that we and other can make of all that we have been given. We can lie and be lied to. We can betray and be betrayed. We can abandon our friends and family and be abandoned in return.

We can deal out evil in exchange for good, just as we can be dealt evil in the face of the good we try to do.

We can kill, in so many ways, just as others can kill us off, bit by bit or all at once.

Our salvation, then, — our restoration to the fullness of life through Jesus’ resurrection — must come out of life as it is really lived in all its fullness. The fullness of glory, and the fullness of grief. Jesus lived the same real life that we do. He did not sail through

the storms of life like a Greek god dressed up like a man. And because Jesus’ resurrection came directly out of the real life he lived and the real death that he died, so shall our resurrection come directly from this life that we live and the death we shall all one day die.

If there is no escaping the difficulty of life and the tragedy of death, there is no denying the promise of God that Jesus will lose nothing of all that the Father has given him, including you and me. Our earthly purpose is an ever closer walk with God even now; our heavenly purpose is such intimacy with God in the love that God has for us that all that we learn about being genuine human beings will be made perfect.

The events and liturgies of Holy Week and Easter are the embrace in which we can take a new step in faithfulness, make a fresh venture in holiness, and try a further attempt at trust. Jesus put himself in the Father’s hands, convinced that, even at the terrible end, God would not abandon him. As someone has said, “At the worst time, Jesus did the best thing.”

This is our calling, too, as followers of Jesus, as those who have chosen to follow him, whatever may be, on the road to the Kingdom of life and light. At the worst time, in the toughest circumstances, when there is no strength left, we are called to be faithful, to continue to love even when the loving seems impossible. For we were created by God in love, and it is in love and by love that we are saved.

May God give us strength and grace in this holy and bright season to follow where He leads the way, for we know that the One who calls us is faithful.

by Father Robert Hendrickson “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

—Ephesians 4:11–13

O

ne question many of us new clergy often

hear goes something like this, “Where do you see the Cathedral going in the next few years?” I usually try to turn the question back to my questioner, for it is her vision that matters more than mine. And so I would ask it of you.

Where do you see the Cathedral going in the next few years?

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It is not a rhetorical question. Where we, together, see the Cathedral going over the coming years is crucial to recommitting ourselves to the shared work of knowing Christ more deeply and making him known more fully, everywhere in our community.

Our goal now is not to define what the next few years look like, but to set the stage and acquire the tools so we can have bold, meaningful conversations for years to come.

Where do you see the Cathedral going in the next few years?

The next few years will focus on developing a model for how we can become what we are called to be: a beloved community of disciples. In this model, we pray, serve, work, and dream together, allowing ourselves to be drawn by the Holy Spirit toward a deeper trust and deeper relationship.

This year we will take the first two steps of this journey.

The first step is now underway. RenewalWorks, the spirituality survey program, is designed to stimulate

conversation among parishioners and between the congregation and its clergy so we can chart a path forward in prayer. We are listening for the longings and hopes of the congregation while working to “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

and how we serve together. How do we do the basic Christian work of loving God and loving our neighbor with all that we are and all that we have?

The Cathedral will look, sound, and feel different in many ways over the coming years. This is, in large part, because the Church and culture around us are How can we connect more deeply changing dramatically We clergy are, ultimately, here for one purpose — to help you in worship, service, mission, and we have the chance connect with God at a deeper to find new and dynamic evangelism, and more? level. Our conversations within ways to engage those the staff are often around shifts. precisely that goal. How can we connect more deeply in worship, service, mission, evangelism, and This is the work of the gathered Body of faithful more? people, and our goal this year is to set the stage for ongoing, parish-wide dialogue about what it means Over the course of the Easter season and the season for each and every one of us to know Christ and to after Pentecost, a team of more than twenty lay make Christ known. partners and the clergy will examine the feedback gathered through Our city is craving a Church that lives RenewalWorks and the call of following Christ. The How do we do the basic Christian into look for ways to Cathedral will truly thrive when we work of loving God and loving our look and sound like the Christ so answer the needs and hopes you have neighbor with all that we are and many too rarely encounter. My hope articulated. That will is that we will throw ourselves into all that we have? bring shifts in our the difficult, challenging, messy, and Christian Formation unsettling work of transformation. programs, pastoral care, small groups, and more.

This is the only kind of Church worth cultivating — one in which Christ’s love is so palpable that each Even more important, RenewalWorks represents the and every member is a partner and a friend in a first talk in an ongoing conversation about the way difficult and sometimes painful striving for faithful we pray and live together. We will not be able to living. guess where the congregation is yearning to go, and we do not expect you to guess where we are praying that God leads us. We will have to be in constant, holy conversation in which we open ourselves to where God is calling us together in years to come.

The next formal step in this holy listening process will take place at our Dream Together Conference on October 11.

We will assemble people from across the Cathedral for the purpose of listening to them share their hopes and longings for the future of the Cathedral and its ministries. This is not a strategic vision process. Too often, strategic plans are developed and then filed in a drawer. This is not about a product but about a way of being together that honors one another’s presence and prayer as we listen for the “still small voice” calling us into new life together. This process is a commitment to long-term dialogue, prayer, growth, support, and engagement.

Please see “Discernment and the Art of Hosting” by Father Charles LaFond on page 18 for more information about how we, as a community, are imagining our future together.

The focus this year is on how we pray together

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April 6, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall Interfaith Perspective on Matthew’s Passion

Next week Holy Week begins, and many of our readings come from the Gospel of Matthew. Today our Canon Theologian, Greg Robbins, will take us on a unique exploration of the story of Jesus’ suffering and death as Matthew tells it, so that we can be more attentive in our worship.

April 13, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall Palm Sunday

Join us for time together as we begin our Holy Week pilgrimage. On this day, we are also participating in Doors Open Denver, an annual celebration of Denver’s architecture. This two-day free event invites residents and visitors to tour and appreciate the spectacular, the new, and the historic buildings they see every day but may never have entered. Please welcome our guests and invite them into conversation during our time together in Dagwell Hall.

April 20, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall Easter Day

During the Forum hour there will be an Easter Egg Hunt for our children, and refreshments for adults, as we celebrate the Resurrection.

April 27, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall Easter Breakfast

This Sunday we hold one of our popular Cathedral Breakfasts. Come to Dagwell Hall for a good meal and time together with your fellow parishioners. This event is a great way to get to know others in your church community.

Do you love to cook? Would you like to prepare a part of the meal? Able to help serve? Email CathedralBreakfast@sjcathedral.org! Otherwise, all you need to do is show up and enjoy the fellowship.

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May 4, 10:15 in Dagwell Hall Hopes and Dreams, Part 1

Today Father Charles and others will lead us in a conversation that will prepare us for our parish-wide Dream Together Conference on October 11. Before we gather for our great kick-off in October, however, we have some preparatory work. We encourage all parishioners to be a part of this wide-ranging conversation.

May 11, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall Hopes and Dreams, Part 2

“Discernment” is a popular word in the Church these days, but what exactly does it mean and entail? Father Charles will continue to lead the conversation that we began last week in preparation for the Dream Together Conference in the autumn about how the Christian community tries to be faithful to God’s call to be focused on God’s mission.

May 18, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall Celebration of Christian Formation

Today is our annual celebration of our Christian Formation ministries with our children and youth.

Please join us as we mark another busy and successful year in helping all our young people live and grow in the Christian life.

June 1, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall Special Forum Author Randall Balmer

Scholar, author, and Episcopal priest Randall Balmer will be our preacher today, and he will also hold a special Dean’s Forum in Dagwell Hall after the 10 am Eucharist on his new book Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter. Dr. Balmer teaches at Dartmouth and has previously written other significant books on religion in American life.

Join us in putting our faith into action by volunteering at Metro CareRing. We will meet at Metro CareRing and volunteer from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Volunteers will have the opportunity to serve in a variety of rewarding ways. Children over the age of 10 are invited to serve with their parents.

For more questions contact Mother Liz Costello at Liz@sjcathedral.org.

HoLY WEEK & EaSTER The nursery will be open for all evening services during Holy Week.

Please note that the first service of the day on Palm Sunday and Easter Day is at 7:30 am, not 8:00 am.

Palm Sunday - April 13

7:30 am, 9:00 am, 11:15 am Solemn Eucharist, the Blessing of Palms, and the Proclamation of the Passion No Christian Education classes today.

6:00 pm The Wilderness

Holy Monday - April 14

8:30 am Morning Prayer 5:00 pm Evening Prayer 7:00 pm Eucharist and Address

Holy Tuesday - April 15

8:30 am Morning Prayer 5:00 pm Evening Prayer 7:00 pm Eucharist and Address

Holy Wednesday - April 16

7:00 am Eucharist 8:30 am Morning Prayer 5:00 pm Evening Prayer 5:30 pm Eucharist (Saint Martin’s Chapel) 5:30 pm Holy Week Family Service (Saint Francis Chapel) 7:00 pm Tenebrae

Maundy Thursday - April 17

8:30 am Morning Prayer 5:00 pm Evening Prayer 6:00 pm Parish Soup Supper 7:00 pm The Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper 9:00 pm - 8:00 am (Friday) All-night Watch of the Passion (Prayer Vigil)

Good Friday - April 18

8:30 am Morning Prayer 12:00 noon Good Friday Liturgy 5:00 pm Evening Prayer 7:00 pm Good Friday Liturgy

Holy Saturday - April 19

8:30 am Morning Prayer 5:00 pm Evening Prayer 7:00 pm Easter Vigil, Baptisms and Confirmations, and the First Mass of Easter

Easter Day - April 20

7:30, 9:00, 11:15 am Festival Eucharist of Easter Day No Christian Education classes today.

Easter Egg Hunt for our children after the 9:00 am service.

6:00 pm The Wilderness

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Holy Week Preacher

Our preacher in Holy Week is the Reverend Dr. Ben King, who is Associate Professor of Church History at the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. Trained in the Church of England, Father King completed a PhD at Harvard on John Henry Newman, which he turned into an award-winning book. While completing his doctoral studies, Father King was on the staff of the Church of the Advent in Boston. Father King will be available throughout the week for the sacrament of confession and for spiritual direction. Please contact Annie Croner if you would like to meet with him at annie@sjcathedral.org.

The Sacrament of Confession during Lent and Holy Week

The Cathedral priests are available to hear confessions at any time by appointment, and each day during Holy Week a priest will be available after Evening Prayer in Saint Martin’s Chapel for anyone who simply wants to make a confession this way. The clergy are always ready to administer the sacrament of reconciliation at any time, and you are welcome to contact one of the priests to discuss whether this rite might find a place in your spiritual discipline.

Maundy Thursday Prayer Vigil

April 17, 9:00 pm. Following the Maundy Thursday liturgy, there will be a silent vigil of prayer until 8:30 am on Good Friday in Saint Martin’s Chapel. This commemorates our Lord’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest and trial in the early hours of Good Friday. Every member of the Cathedral family will be prayed for during the Vigil. Please sign up for a period of prayer time on our website at sjcathedral.org or on the sheets available in the Welcome Center or outside Saint Martin’s Chapel.

Maundy Thursday Parish Soup Supper

April 17, 6:00 pm, Dagwell Hall. Come early before the Maundy Thursday Eucharist and share a simple meal and fellowship together. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian soup will be provided.

Memorial Contributions toward Easter flowers

Please visit sjcathedral.org/DonateNow to enter the names of the persons you would like to remember this Easter. Names will be published in the Easter Day service leaflets. You may remember a departed loved one or honor in thanksgiving for a living family member or friend. A contribution of $25 per remembrance (name) is suggested. You may mail your check and request as well.

Please make checks payable to Saint John’s Cathedral and write “Easter Flowers” on the memo line.

Parking for Holy Week services

Please remember that the Morey Middle School parking lot (enter on 13th Ave. between Emerson and Clarkson) will be open for parishioners for the Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Day services. The lot is also available for services each Sunday.

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OuT oF THe ARCHIVeS Life and Death of the First Cathedral

By Robert I. Woodward published May 1990, Open Door

O

ne of the little known treasures of Saint

John’s is the Cathedral’s Archives, a carefully organized treasure of books, manuscripts,

which we only owed $25,000.”

Bishop Spalding viewed the Cathedral as part of his plan for the “Bishop and Chapter of the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist.” The Dean and the Vestry, however, managed to maintain the separate parish of Saint John’s in the Wilderness while becoming the Cathedral of the missionary district (later the diocese) of Colorado. The building of a Cathedral in Denver was a major accomplishment considering it had been less than 25 years since the arrival of the first settlers from the east. Bishop Olmstead, Spalding’s successor, frequently stated that Saint John’s was the third designated Cathedral in the U.S. The dimensions of the building as reported in contemporary newspapers appear to be exaggerated, as was the reported seating capacity of the nave. A “Plan of Pews” found in Dean Hart’s scrapbook indicates that the nave seated about 860 rather than the 1200 reported. This means that its seating capacity was about the same as our present nave before we removed several pews.

photographs, blueprints, microfilm records, and memorabilia. This collection, managed by our longtime archivist Nancy Woodward, not only gathers and preserves the riches of our long history, but also serves as a relevant and often-used source of information, from baptismal, wedding, and funeral records to building plans and vestry minutes. This is part of a series of articles based on information gathered from the Archives and other relevant sources written by present and former members of the Cathedral interested in sharing our rich history.

Life and Death of the First Cathedral The opening service in Saint John’s Cathedral was in November 1881. Many years later, Dean Martyn Hart, the first dean of Saint John’s, wrote, “Now [as] I look back at the building of the Cathedral, it astonishes me how easily it was done. It will be remembered that my predecessor resigned when he found himself unable to secure subscriptions amounting to $10,000, and when we opened the Cathedral within two years of its inception we had spent $120,000, of

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People were crowded in then — just as today — probably with extra chairs and by standing. The vestry minutes of March 26, 1883, report that “over 1200 people had assembled the Sunday previous.” The chancel was 60 feet deep and accommodated a choir of 60. To the south of the chancel was the “lady choir,” which accommodated up to 30 ladies, who augmented the men and boys choir and yet were not in the chancel. Under the chancel was the chapel, and under the nave was the crypt, which was used for Sunday school and meetings.

The stained glass windows (sometimes referred to as Raphaelesque glass) were especially noteworthy; all but one were from the studio of Edward Frampton of London. The most spectacular window was a representation of the Crucifixion, for which the artist went to Antwerp and

copied Van Dyke’s “Christ,” and to which he added a group at the foot of the cross. This window was in memory of Thomas Bayaud, the first senior warden of Saint John’s Church in the Wilderness. The organ was a large and excellent instrument

by Hook & Hastings, which cost $10,000. The wrought iron and brass roodscreen (now in the present cathedral) was added in 1888.

At the annual meeting in 1901, Dean Hart announced his intention to decorate and repair the interior of the Cathedral and put in a reredos (carvings above the altar). He estimated the cost to be $8,000 and stated that “with the work completed as outlined the interior would be the finest in America.” The parish most heartily approved the idea. The interior of the Cathedral was decorated at the suggestion of Frampton in five shades of red, with black pews. The carved oak reredos from Oberammergau (also in the present Cathedral) was added in 1902.

According to Dean Hart: “A miscreant set fire to the Old Cathedral on Friday night, May 15, 1903.”

Apparently a fire had been set in the chapel organ in the crypt. It was supposed that a candle was set to burn down to some flammable material in the organ.

The fire then went up the wind ducts, destroying the great organ immediately above; then up to the roof, which eventually collapsed.

Denver newspapers reported that the interior of the Cathedral was completely destroyed; that all the windows, the rood screen, and the reredos were lost. Despite these reports, all the windows were saved except the great East window, which was the closest to the organ. The baptismal font, the rood screen, and the reredos were also saved, although the latter suffered some fire damage. According to a historical sketch by Dr. Robert L. Stearns in 1927: “the dear old Dean had carried practically all the carvings from the burning building on his own back. He personally directed the fire fighting, and by warning the firemen not to allow any water to get on the hot glass, most of the windows were saved.

As Dean Hart surveyed the ruins of the Cathedral the next morning, his thoughts must have turned to a new and greater Cathedral and to the future home of the windows and reredos that were saved.

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Each week the people of Saint John’s send individuals out from the Eucharist to share communion with parishioners who are not able to attend. This Lay Eucharistic Visitor (LEV) ministry is comprised of lay volunteers, trained and licensed by the diocese, who partner with the Cathedral clergy to care for parishioners who are restricted for a variety of reasons – at home, in the hospital, or in a care facility. For more information, or to talk about serving as a LEV, please contact Mother Liz Costello at liz@sjcathedral.org.

The Order of The Daughters of the King: New Beginnings for the Saint John’s Chapter

by Priscilla Shand

T

he Daughters of the King (DOK) Chapter

is back at Saint John’s Cathedral! Current members are eagerly anticipating this opportunity to introduce this international religious order of Episcopal women to our church. DOK is a wonderful opportunity to enrich your life of prayer and commit yourself to a life of prayer, service, and evangelism.

Margaret J. Franklin organized the Order in New York City on April 4, 1885, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, now Church of the Resurrection. In the years since, thousands of chapters have been formed throughout the world. Today, chapters can also be found in Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and Anglican churches, and in other denominations having the historic episcopate but not in communion with the Episcopal Church. International growth is significant, with chapters in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean Basin.

As each Daughter is inducted into the Order, she undertakes a Rule of Life, which includes prayer, service, and evangelism. This flexible Rule of Life means that one can commit to prayer at any time and in any place — young mothers at home with children, women working outside the home, and those who might be unable to make it to church but can still hold the community in prayer!

Each chapter member has choices of ways to serve within her church, either individually or collectively.

The specific role for each DOK chapter is for its members to pray daily for unity in Christ’s church; for the spread of Christ’s Kingdom; for God’s blessings upon members of its chapter and clergy; for the spiritual growth of our parish; and to pray intercessory prayers for healing and other special needs that arise from within the church family. Intercessory prayer is a beautiful way to grow in love and service to our Lord and God. It can be done anywhere, anytime, in any circumstance, by anyone. It is a blessing beyond measure, as any Daughter who has prayed for others will tell you.

Our Cathedral family is currently participating in the RenewalWorks inventory as we seek to assess our spiritual depth and seek vitality in our spiritual journeys. Women, please take a moment to ask yourself if this opportunity to join us as members of DOK could help you to grow in a new and unexpected way, both personally and as a contributing member of the Saint John’s family.

If you want further information, or to add your name to a contact list for an upcoming meeting about DOK, please contact Priscilla Shand at priscillashand1@ mac.com or Mother Elizabeth Marie Melchionna at elizabethmarie@sjcathedral.org.

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“Our church is the community of the faithful. For that community to be healthy and growing, its individual members must be healthy and growing too.”

RenewalWorks Update

by Andrew Britton Chair, Cathedral Life Committee

O

n behalf of the clergy, the staff, and our

entire Cathedral congregation, I want thank all those at Saint John’s who took time to complete the RenewalWorks survey. This spiritual inventory has captured vital information about what our congregation wants and needs from their church.

You have heard us say it, and it bears repeating: the information collected through this congregational survey is 100 percent anonymous. The RenewalWorks organization tabulates the results and then gives them to the Cathedral. The survey and its tabulation represent Part I of the RenewalWorks program, and it is now concluded.

Part II of the process is just beginning. We have assembled a diverse group of parishioners from the Cathedral Life Committee. This subgroup will meet over the next several months to review the composite portraits of our parish, consider solutions, and make recommendations to our clergy staff and the vestry.

The RenewalWorks program is focused on the overall spiritual vitality of Saint John’s, and it analyzes the survey data in three composites: (1) Saint John’s role as a Cathedral church, (2) the personal spiritual practices of our parishioners, and (3) parishioners’ “faith in action.” Our church is the community of the faithful. For that community to be healthy and growing, its individual members must be healthy and growing too.

The Cathedral Life team comprises 25 men and women from diverse backgrounds drawn from

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across our parish. This group will conduct at least four workshops to review the RenewalWorks survey composites. These workshops look not only at the data itself but also at the spiritual journeys of those serving on the workshops, the spiritual life continuum developed out of the materials, and the church’s role in its parishioners’ lives of faith.

The Cathedral Life team will then identify key areas for growth and focus identified in the data. For each opportunity identified, the team will develop specific proposals for clergy staff and the vestry to consider. These specific proposals would recommend programs and practices to deepen the spiritual lives of each one of us at Saint John’s. These presentations to clergy staff and vestry represent Phase III of the process. We’ll be sharing news of our progress with you throughout the process.

The process will take some time, and I ask for your patience. The composite data comes back to us in mid-April. We then expect that our team will take two to three months to consider the material. Please look for an update on our progress in the next Open Door. But the timeline is designed so that solutions are identified, and suitable programs ready, for the start of the program year this fall.

If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me at abritton@swbell.net, or any member of the clergy, as together we work through this trove of vital information so that we may truly know Christ and make Christ known.

Celebrate the Easter season with worship and fellowship. Easter House Masses allow small groups to gather for Eucharist and a potluck meal in hosts’ homes.

To RSVP, please call or email the host of your choice to sign up and indicate what covered dish you plan to bring. The host will be in touch with you directly to provide address and directions to their home. Space is limited, so make your reservation early.

Tuesday, April 22, 6:00 pm

Suni & Andrew Devitt - Cherry Creek RSVP: 720.941.7087. samdevitt@comcast.net

Saturday, April 26, 10:00 am

Lise Barbour - Stapleton This mass is especially for families with children RSVP: 720.412.2745. lise.barbour@gmail.com

Friday, May 2, 6:00 pm

Amy & Kevin Davis - Littleton This mass is especially for families with youth RSVP: 303.904.0299. amywdavis@comcast.net

Saturday, May 10, 10:00 am

Elizabeth Marie Melchionna and Will Roberts - Hale Neighborhood, Denver This mass is especially for 20s & 30s as well as for families with children RSVP: 704.877.4150. elizabethmarie@sjcathedral.org

Tuesday, May 13, 6:00 pm

Brian Rivera - Cherry Creek RSVP: 720.935.4896. BrianSkis.br@gmail.com

Blood pressure is an important part of our overall health. Is it the most important part?

No one piece is more important than another. Every system in our body works in a marvelous synchronicity, often without awareness on our part, to keep us alert and functioning. A blood pressure reading measures how capable our blood vessels are at carrying blood to and from the heart to every organ and part in the body — from the heart to the head to the tips of the toes and back to the heart again.

On the first Sunday of every month after each morning service, registered nurses are in the Wellspring Center to help you check this vital body function. Many of our visitors are already using medications, and whose doctors suggest periodic non-office check-ups.

A change in blood pressure can be a silent symptom of something going awry in the system. If you are over age twenty and not seeing a physician on a regular basis, please stop by at least twice a year. No matter what the reading, we guarantee it will be one of the best few minutes you will give yourself.

Lent Madnes s : Who Will Win the Golden Halo?

Lent Madness began in 2010 as the brainchild of the Reverend Tim Schenck, Rector of the Church of Saint John the Evangelist in Hingham, Massachusetts.

In seeking a fun, engaging way for people to learn about the men and women comprising the Church’s Calendar of Saints, Tim came up with this unique Lenten devotion. Combining his love of sports with his passion for the lives of the saints, Lent Madness was born on his blog, “Clergy Family Confidential.”

The format is straightforward: 32 saints are placed into a tournament-like single-elimination bracket.

Each pairing remains open for a set period of time and people vote for their favorite saint. 16 saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make

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it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo. The first round consists of basic biographical information about each of the 32 saints. Things get a bit more interesting in the subsequent rounds as Lent Madness offers quotes and quirks, explores legends, and even moves into the area of saintly kitsch. Lent Madness allows people to get to know some amazing people who have come before us in the faith and reminds us that there’s no reason for a dreary Lenten discipline.

Father Robert Hendrickson, our Sub-Dean, joins an all-star lineup of Celebrity Bloggers, or, rather, contributors. Visit lentmadness.org to learn more about the lives of the saints and to vote for your favorite.

Bible in a Year Most vibrant and growing churches share a strong commitment to teaching and reading the Bible. There is a vast difference between attending church and listening to a portion of the Bible being read aloud and reading the Bible on your own. Understanding how the entire Word of God coheres and what God is saying to you daily through Holy Scripture is a transformational experience. It also makes worship come even more alive. It is the difference between riding in a car as a passenger and not paying close attention to the route being taken versus driving the car and learning the roads that get you to your destination.

Yearlong participants of Bible in a Year are reminded that we continue to meet in the Library on Sundays at 10:15 am and on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm. Each week, we reflect on what we are reading and how God is speaking to us through the Scriptures. May 14, 2014 will be the last day that the Wednesday night group meets. Participants from the Wednesday night group are invited to join the Sunday group that will continue to meet between services. If you have questions or concerns, contact Mother Liz Costello at Liz@sjcathedral.org.

A Daily Blog by Father Charles La Fond, Canon Steward Every morning, my routine includes feeding Kai, making this long or shorter and will take 1-3 minutes to read. some good, rich coffee, and sitting in the garden to watch They will cover various subjects but will focus on the the sun rise over the trees. I drink deep of this time of stewardship of our lives. Some posts will include a biblical day. My dog, Kai, plays with sticks, wanders the fence verse or a line of poetry. Others will quote and comment line, and then sleeps by my chair until it is time to go on an aphorism from a great thinker while others will simply remind us of things to morning prayer at the we knew but had need of Cathedral. This is a time How are things going? What do I regret from remembering. The photos of deep stillness in which with each blog entry will I can listen for God’s yesterday? What are my hopes for today? What be from area gardens in “still, small voice” and in are my longings? Whom have I wronged? To Denver or from details of which I can be mindful of what am I being called? What do I want? the fabric of the Cathedral my life. How are things going? What do I regret such as a window or a from yesterday? What are my hopes for today? What are carving; and the photos will often be a launching point my longings? Whom have I wronged? To what am I being for the blog. called? What do I want?

Readers can read a bunch on a day off or grab one every With each deep sip of Sumatran Dark Roast coffee with day for a sip of inspiration and encouragement. They heavy cream, I consider my life, those I love, and those I can even search for topics when they need a certain kind of “prescription.” These blogs are a reminder that am trying to love. stewardship is not just about raising money. Stewardship The Daily Sip is a blog on the website of the Cathedral. is about gratitude for the life over which we have each Readers can either go to the blog and read it or they can been appointed a steward. If you are like me, there subscribe to have each daily writing emailed to them. It are days I am full of gratitude and can see life for all its is called The Daily Sip because it is just that – a daily sip wonder. And then there are other days when life seems of spiritual encouragement about the life of a steward of sticky, heavy, obscured by a fog of grief, fear, or boredom.

It is on those days when I especially need a brief pick-mealiveness. up. We hope this blog will provide that daily sip needed Every day from Monday through Friday, a short meditation to move you into a mindful day – aware of God, others, will be posted with a photo. Most readings will be about and the Hope which is our celestial home.

Subscribe today at sjcathedral.org/DailySip

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The Ordination of Mother Liz Costello Bishop O’Neill will ordain our curate, Mother Liz Costello, to the Sacred Order of Priests, in the Cathedral on Saturday, June 14, at 10:00 am. Mother Liz will preside at the Eucharist for the first time the next day, on Trinity Sunday, June 15, at 10:00 am. The preacher on this occasion will be the Reverend Canon Rosie Harper, the Vicar Great Missenden and the Chaplain to the Bishop of Buckingham in the Diocese of Oxford. Mother Liz worked with Canon Harper when she lived in the UK. Mother Liz will be the fifth person who will have been ordained to the priesthood while on the staff during the present Dean’s tenure. We are a training parish for young clergy, and it is an honor for us to have this privilege. Our curates have contributed so much to our life, and we have helped to shape a new generation of leaders for the Church.

The Cathedral likes to be generous with our ordination gifts, and we give a chalice and a set of stoles to the new priests on our staff. This is a gift that comes from the entire congregation, and we encourage you to contribute to this gift, as these are things that Mother Liz will use for the rest of her life.

Please send your contribution to the Cathedral (not to Mother Liz personally), and please mark your contribution “Ordination Gift.” Thank you for helping us to be generous to a new priest, and please do not forget to join us for the ordination and for Mother Liz’s first Mass the next day.

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April 29 | 5:30 - 8:30 pm Saint John’s Cathedral

MISSION: To build capacity among those eager to grow and share food, offering people tools for organizing their communities to end hunger locally.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Lynne Butler, Metro CareRing, with “Hunger Through My Lens” project participant, Hunger Free Colorado WORKSHOP LEADERS: Cathedral Co-Operative of Gardeners; Cooking Matters; Denver Yard Harvest; Ekar Farm; Food, Faith, and Family; Grow Local Colorado; Harvest Mountain Farms; Slow Food Denver; The Table, a missional community.

SCHEDULE: 5:30: Exhibit Hall Open 5:30: Potluck Dinner 6:30: Keynote Address, 7:00: Breakout Session 1 7:50: Breakout Session 2 RSVP AND CONTACT: To RSVP, please visit sjcathedral.org/hungerfaithfoodsummit.

Please provide a potluck prepared dish to share and include this information with your RSVP.

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Discernment &the Art of Hosting

by Father Charles LaFond

D

iscernment is a word that is used a lot

in the Church, and I am not sure if many people know what it really means. The word, that is.

Many may well know about discernment as an action, but do not realize that they are doing it. Or that they are not doing it.

The work we are doing together as a congregation over the next few years with the Art of Hosting Meaningful Conversation Committee (the AofH committee, for short) will be a corporate tool of discernment.

After our October 11 parish-wide Dream Together Conference, we will continue gathering as an entire congregation and begin to learn what it means to have conversation that is open, transparent, and vulnerable.

We will, together, break down power structures, level the playing field, and welcome all voices to the table without scolding, scapegoating, or sidelining. We will spend the next seven months inviting every single person in our congregation to pledge their attendance at the October Dream Together Conference. Between now and then, we will teach the congregation how to have meaningful conversations about our longings for this Cathedral parish. And we will learn various techniques to encourage creative thought. Then we will hold the congregation accountable to its own pledge to listen, and then act and plan within that listening.

Discernment is the creative product of the process, which the Art of Hosting Meaningful Conversation Committee will plan and manage over the next three to five years. The Dream Together Conference is a launch for congregational discernment, not a conclusion.

When we discern, we are tapping into a technology for living as old as Saint Ignatius, and even older still.

Discernment is holy decision-making that flows out of a deep spiritual life of prayer and openness to God’s hopes. Discernment is different from decision-making, in that discernment is the prayerful, open process by which we make choices in the context of God’s hopes for our lives, our church, our city, the planet, and the cosmos.

Too often we tend to grasp ideas and choices with white-knuckled anxiety, pretending to offer both hands up to God saying, “Lord, whatever you want is fine with me!” The two possible choices, one in each hand, are extended to God as if we really are OK with

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whatever God wants, whispers to us, nudges us toward as a holy choice of liberation. But in reality only one of our hands is open — if that. The other is clenched around ideas about how things should be, or on what we want, or are certain is right.

The work we do together will support open space in which conversations will migrate from controlled order into chaord, or the creative intersection between order and chaos. Chaord is “where the wild things are” of imagination, creativity, and vision. Discernment is not debate, where I badger and yammer on until I bend you to my will. Discernment is a process of deciding what nutritious kernels are kept and what is tossed in the burn pile, as chaff winnowed out from the autumn harvest. Discernment happens when a group of faithful people decides on a course for their parish — a church they fund (or choose not to fund) with their own money.

An explanation may be in order. Here it is. Over the past ten years, people in the older generations have died without being replaced by people from the newer generations. So we have lost 25% of the membership of the Episcopal Church. It is projected that in the next 10 years 50% of Episcopal churches will close.

Our endowment protects us from these realities, for a while. But it is our job to discern the proper use of our resources because, if pledges dry up, our endowment will keep us open for only a few years. And if young people choose to hike in our mountains rather than pray in our churches on Sundays, then our pledges will eventually cease.

We enter into exciting work. The challenges presented by generational shifts in attitudes toward religion, spirituality, church, and charitable giving have starkly exposed the danger of staying the course while also presenting tremendous opportunities, as we say after the Scriptures are read, to “hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.”

All of us, clergy and laity, are servants together in the mission of the Church, and together we are called to discern our course for the future.

See page 31 for more on using Christian discernment practices in your own life to make more spiritually grounded choices.

2014

DREAM TOGETHER

CONFERENCE

“When my grandchild walks down the aisle in 2073, what will Saint John’s look like?”

The Saint John’s Dream Together Conference.

Plan to attend on October 11, 2014.

The Catechumenate

Now through May 14 Leader: Father Peter Eaton and others The Catechumenate (pronounced “kat-uh-KEWmeh-nut”) is for those who have never been part of a church, those who are returning to church after a long absence, or those who have been members of another tradition. It is the heart of our formation process for adults, an exploration of what it means to be a Christian in the Anglican tradition, and serves as the principal process by which we welcome newcomers to Saint John’s Cathedral, the Episcopal Church, and the Christian faith. Each week, class members gather in the chapel following supper for a brief devotional introducing classic Christian disciplines, then return to Dagwell Hall for a presentation and table conversation. For more information, please contact Michael Koechner at koechnermc@hotmail.com.

The Resurrection: Thinking vs Believing?

April 23 through May 7 Leader: Father Jadon Hartsuff

Every time we gather for worship, we affirm aspects of our faith that make us uniquely Christian. Principal among them is the belief that Jesus, after his death, rose again from the dead.

We recite it in the Nicene and Apostles Creeds.

Christians say they believe in the Resurrection.

But many of us, knowingly or unknowingly, cross our proverbial fingers behind our backs as we say it. Many things seem to get in the way of an unabashed acceptance of the Resurrection, especially our post-Enlightenment ways of thinking about science, history, and truth.

During these sessions we will explore our apprehensions about the Resurrection and look at how scripture, tradition, and reason might encourage us to mean what we say we believe.

The Bible in a Year

Facilitated by the Cathedral Clergy Understanding how the Scriptures cohere and how the Bible can enrich our experience of God is a transformational experience. It also makes worship come even more alive. It is the difference between riding in a car as a passenger and not paying close attention to the route being taken versus driving the car and learning the roads that get you to your destination. We will read the Bible in short daily selections over the course of a year. If you have been wanting to start reading the Bible, this is a great opportunity for you, and if you have read it through and through, this is also an opportunity to delve even more deeply into it with friends. For more information, please contact Mother Liz at Liz@sjcathedral.org.

Cathedral Nite is a night for everyone. Even if you have not joined us before, please consider joining us for an enriching time of learning, a time of prayer and reflection, and for a great meal together in fellowship.

Monday, May 5, 6:00 pm in the Library

(Parish House, 2nd Floor)

If you are new to Saint John’s or simply want to reacquaint yourself with the wonderful ministry going on all around, plan to join us for a light wine and cheese reception. Connect to Saint John’s at this welcoming event with clergy, staff and other newcomers.

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Saint John’s Cathedral Music & Worship Friday, April 4, 7:30 pm Stuart Forster, Organist

Stuart Forster is Director of Music and Organist at the Episcopal Church in Harvard Square— Christ Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

He has performed and recorded throughout both hemispheres as soloist, accompanist, and conductor. As a composer, Forster has written orchestral transcriptions for the organ, liturgical music for congregations that includes more than 100 hymn arrangements, and choral anthems.

A dedicated organist and choir trainer, Forster’s passion for leading congregational singing has guided his vocation both in the church and in his teaching. Forster has selected a diverse program for his Denver debut, with works by Basil Harwood, movements from Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”, J.S. Bach Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV 654, and Première Symphonie by Louis Vierne. Freewill offering. This program replaces the Choir of Saint John’s College performance, due to a tour cancellation.

Tuesday, April 8, 12:00 pm Opera Colorado Young Artists – Cathedral

This concert will feature a handful of emerging singers now enrolled in Opera Colorado’s Young Artist Program. These talented young singers will perform arias and ensemble selections from opera and musical theater.

Friday, May 9, 7:30 pm The Colorado Chamber Players

The Music of Derek Bermel. The Colorado Chamber Players presents composer and clarinetist Derek Bermel, in a special program celebrating his music. Bermel’s compositions draw from a rich variety of musical genres; the

program will feature Mulatosh Stomp, Passing Through, A Short History of the Universe, all written

by Bermel, and Brahms’ breathtaking Clarinet Quintet. He is currently Artist-in-Residence at the Institute for Advanced Study and Creative Advisor to the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. He has worked with some of the world’s finest musicians and orchestras, and has various awards and a Grammy nominated to his credit. $20 General Admission in advance, $15 Senior/ Student in advance; $25 General Admission at the door, $18 Senior/Student at the door. Please visit www.coloradochamberplayers.org or call 303355-2224 for tickets and more information.

Tuesday, May 13, 12:00 pm The Polite Jazz Quartet - Dagwell Hall

The Polite Jazz Quartet has delighted audiences of all ages with well-loved standards as well as the occasional rare gem. Light refreshments will be provided for this always-popular spring concert.

This lunchtime getaway will get your toes tapping!

Sunday, May 18, 3:00 pm Evensong and Pre-Evensong Music

Ralph Valentine, organist at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, will perform works by Buxtehude, Charles Callahan, Sowerby, George Thalben-Ball, and Jean Langlais. A past Dean of the New Haven Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, Mr. Valentine also served as Organist and Choirmaster at St. Andrew’s Church in Stamford, St. Andrew’s Church in Meriden, and for thirty-four years as the Organist and Choirmaster at St. John’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford, Connecticut. After the prelude, stay for Evensong to hear the Cathedral Choir perform special works prepared just for this service.

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BENEDICTION

by Father Robert Hendrickson

“The glory of our God is precisely that for our sakes he comes down to the very depths, into human flesh, into the bread, into our heart, our body.” - Martin Luther

I

n conversation about devotion and prayer,

the topic of Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, which we offer after Compline every Wednesday night, has come up. Benediction is, simply, a devotion that gives thanks for the gift of Christ’s Presence in the Eucharist. Benediction is taking a moment simply to dwell in that Presence without worrying about what we are to do next or even if we should or should not be receiving. Benediction is a meditative trusting and giving thanks that God makes himself known in this way. (continued on page 26)

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What would the world look like if we truly lived with the implications of Christ taking the broken pieces of common things and making them holy?

In Benediction, we learn to take Christ at his word— that this is, indeed, his Body. It is an act of adoration and honor and thanks for that Presence, a setting aside a time and a space for us to rest as we listen to the beats of God’s heart, a time and a space in which nothing and everything is going on all around us, and we are given just a glimpse of Christ.

I once read a piece that argued that all of the world’s problems could be solved by greater devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. At first I thought it a silly statement. But the more I contemplate it, the silliness drops away (in Old English, ‘silly’ first meant ‘blessed’: selig) and the more powerful a truth it becomes. What would not be changed if we were able to see within the Sacrament all that we are called to be as members of the Body?

What would the world look like if we trusted that promise—that Christ takes broken bread and makes it his own self?

In such a promise, we can fix our lives’ values such that violating one another or even creation itself becomes unthinkable. Bound up in the Sacrament are all we have been and all we are called to be in the welcoming Body given for us. That fixed and yet ever-expanding reality has the power to undo our false perceptions and blind us with the light of true sight. It may be such devotion — such mystic perception of reality that extends even across traditions and religions — that may hold the key to our earthly dilemmas.

An element of transcendence cuts across traditions and religions. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity offer manifold, cross-cutting theological arguments, yet each possesses a mystical tradition that emphasizes the rooting of all in a transcendent unity. Yet for the Christian, this unity is more than transcendent. For Christ, who is the center of our hope, has been carried in a mother’s arms, borne our sins and sorrows, and risen to new life, opening the way to new life for us as well.

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This transcendence is more than mystic unity — it is Christ’s flesh-and-blood oneness with us. It is oneness made known by water and bread and wine as common things renewed by Christ. Common things are given a new destiny by grace.

Benediction is one additional, extraordinary means for us to adore God and to offer thanks for Jesus’ coming among us. It is a moment, an instant, in which the threads of holy time and the Christian story of the renewal of creation are woven together as chronos time surrenders to kairos time, God’s time. When time surrenders to God through the Benediction, the tapestry of Creation, Incarnation, Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension come together for us to see with hearts filled with awe, thanksgiving, and praise.

What would the world look like if we trusted that promise— that Christ takes broken bread and makes it his own self?

Created elements, consecrated by divine mercy, are held aloft by sinful hands to be adored by loving hearts as the gathered body sees and knows its source and fulfillment. Our healing is held before us, the ultimate sign of hope is made over us, and we lift our eyes and hearts in reverent thanks.

This may all seem overly mystical. In truth, it is a spiritual practice for would-be mystics. Yet at its heart, Benediction practices the hope of faith, which is that the divine and the human are knit together in a way that draws us deeper and further into God’s own self. So in Benediction we are giving thanks and praise that the common can be made holy, we are giving thanks that bread and wine become Body and Blood, and we are resting in the knowledge that God’s grace extends beyond that which we can see and yet gives all that we can see new hope and living purpose.

Join us for Compline and Benediction every Wednesday from September to May at 8:30 pm in Saint Martin’s Chapel.

Library News

For many the years the Cathedral library has served as a place for meditation, research, discussion, and interaction.

This tradition is continued by the usual series of classes, meetings, and informal get-togethers that make this space so valuable.

Parishoners who attend Wednesday Cathedral Nite classes are encouraged to visit the library, upstairs above Dagwell Hall. They will find a variety of resources, on display and available for checkout, to support classes being given. The library is open on Sunday morning before and after services, and also during the week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

We now have over 4,500 books on the shelves, and we are delighted that so many of our parishioners have found the scope and variety of the collection to be helpful, whether they are looking for Biblical studies or for materials on prayer, meditation, social issues, or Church history. All the titles and topics are available on the Saint John’s website— just look under Resources/Library. If you would like to reserve a book, or if you have a book checked out that you are still reading and would like to renew, please call the library at 303.577.7728 or email us at library@sjcathedral.org.

We understand that it often takes quite a while to “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” a good book, and we want to give you plenty of time to do so.

Cathedral Book Club

The Cathedral Book Club meets on the second Sunday of the month at 10:15 am in the Wellspring Center. Our objective is to read books that enrich our spiritual lives.

April: The Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, by Reza Aslan, a New York Times bestseller with “a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever told.”

May: The Lowland, by Jhumpa Lahiri, “Water, sky, and earth are integral parts of this remarkably profound novel about the complex emotional adaptation to the ramifications of a family saga tragedy.”

June: Dear Life, by Alice Munro (who just won the Nobel Prize for Beggar Maid). Exalted by Munro’s clarity of vision and unparalleled gift for storytelling, Dear Life shows how strange, perilous, and extraordinary life can be.

We invite you to join us. Please contact Susan Montgomery at whiston_17@hotmal.com if you would like to be added to our email list.

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Outreach Visioning Continues

by Mother Liz Costello

O

utreach, as it is understood at Saint John’s,

continues to benefit from a visioning process.

To invite and include the wider community’s hopes and dreams, this process will extend into the Dream Together Conference to take place on October 11, 2014. Until then, our outreach ministries (including the Urban & Social Concerns Committee) will continue in their present course.

So what’s next for Outreach? Leading up to the Dream Together Conference, and in order to continue the work started at the Outreach Summit and the Visioning Session, we are undertaking three initiatives.

The first initiative is a Cathedral-wide monthly day of service alongside our community partners (for example, the Saint Francis Center). Our hope is that this initiative will give parishioners opportunities not only to serve but also to discern how they might deepen their relationships with the agencies we support through grants and with those they serve.

A second initiative will be led by a rebranding group charged with articulating Saint John’s work in the world. This group hopes to craft better ways to communicate what we mean when we say “outreach.”

Feedback from our visioning workshops revealed that most parishioners felt that outreach did not adequately convey the relational, two-directional, and

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transformational aspects of Christ’s love. In listening to parishioners, we heard that in their sharing Christ’s love with others through service or self-giving, that they found, and were transformed by, Jesus in those whom they served.

A third initiative will begin in April through two selfdirected small groups. The small groups will focus on housing and hunger through the Benedictine model of study, prayer, and work. In realizing that most of Saint John’s Outreach Ministry relates to housing (homelessness) and food access (hunger), our hope for these groups is to continue to discern how Saint John’s might be called to respond to these needs in our community.

You can get involved in the continued work of visioning and discernment for Outreach Ministry by signing up for a Day of Service or joining a small group.

To sign up for a Day of Service, simply go online to sjcathedral.org. To be part of one of the small groups, email Mother Liz at liz@sjcathedral.org.

Special thanks to the USCC and the other Outreach Ministry leaders who continue to co-lead in this process.

Volunteer Dinner May 21 at 6:00 pm We are blessed to have so many great volunteers and servants who give their time, talent, and treasure to the ministry of Saint John’s Cathedral.

Please join us for a night of appreciation and reflection over this past year as Saint John’s has grown and served our community because of your care.

Please RSVP at sjcathedral.org!

Discernment as Spiritual Practice

by Father Charles LaFond

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The ancients say that once upon a time a disciple asked the elder, “Holy One, is there anything I can do to make myself Enlightened?”

And the Holy One answered, “As little as you can do to make the sun rise in the morning.”

“Then of what use,” the surprised disciple asked, “are the spiritual exercises you prescribe?”

“To make sure,” the elder said, “that you are not asleep when the sun begins to rise.”

F

or centuries, Christians have used discernment as a spiritual practice, employing a series of welldesigned tools to help us make decisions in the context of our lives of faith. Discernment helps us to see what we need to see. Ironically, Saint Ignatius did such a good job outlining the practice that its core values are now being used in corporations to make solid, if not very spiritual, choices.

When we are faced with a decision — whether about what job to take next or what direction the church should take — discernment is about Holy Listening.

Discernment is learning to identify and then to trust our longings in the context of our prayer lives. We listen in the presence of God and each other.

Here are ten steps to good discernment for individuals, families, and groups: 1. We must trust that God exists, that God communicates with us in various forms of the Word and of words, and that God wants our abundance and our joy (but not at the cost of that of others!).

2. Then we must build time into our lives for listening, and for wordless prayer so we can see what good honey and what sewer-y sludge is deep down inside us.

we are holding on to so tightly when we know life is so full of change. We need to let go and allow God to be doing a new thing even if we disagree with it. We need to let go of the grip we have on status, form, money, being right — of having things the way they have always been. Only when we loosen our grip can God take needless things away, replace them with needful things, and do so in a gentle, loving, and inviting way.

6. We must increase our tolerance for impermanence and life’s ambiguity. And we must give up our fear of commitment.

7. The core work of discernment is to be so centered and so spiritually well that we can sense consolation and desolation. Consolation happens when we notice joy or peace approaching us after a decision. Desolation occurs when we notice a gut emotion saying no — or the more visceral ick.

8. When discerning, we are not just deciding for or against one thing. We are listing the pros and cons of doing one thing and the pros and cons of doing another other thing. This means we have four lists and not just two. We highlight the great items, red-line the silly ones, and then pray over the lists.

3. We need to believe that we are co-creators with God; and though God does not have one sacred plan (outside of which fire and brimstone threaten us), God does have hopes for our joy and our peace.

9. Discernment takes time. Decision-making is fast.

Some best-selling authors say it happens in a Blink! But decisions made in a blink often grow from fear and anxiety, or out of longings that do not fit with the Gospel. In discernment, decisions are made from a place of disciplined calm and prayer.

4. We need to see nostalgia and fantasy in our lives for what they are. They are the un-truth. Truth is an important issue. It was what Jesus focused on in front of Pontius Pilate. Facing the truth in our lives is an essential and courageous act. Nostalgia is the lies (untruth) of the past. Fantasy is the lies (untruth) of the present and the future.

10.

Discernment is best done in open, honest, transparent conversation among people you know to be spiritually grounded, deeply centered, emotionally stable, and well-prayed. We listen.

But we also invite others to listen with us — holding us accountable to places in our imaginations where nostalgia and fantasy creep in.

5. We need to let go of our attachments, those things

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A prayer for discernment by Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me Nor do I really know myself, And the fact that I think I am following Your will Does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please You Does in fact please You. And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this, You will lead me by the right road Though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust You always though, I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for You are ever with me, And You will never leave me to face my struggles alone.

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Amen.

Palm Sunday, April 13

There will be Children’s Chapel on Palm Sunday; children will gather on the East Lawn, process behind the choir, and then proceed to Saint Francis Chapel, returning to the Cathedral in time for Communion.

Holy Week Service for Families, April 16

Saint Francis Chapel, 5:30 pm This service will take us on a journey through Holy Week, including Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples, the Footwashing (in which all are invited to participate), and ending with Good Friday and the promise of Easter. This service is a Eucharist, and all are invited to a silent prayer time following.

Easter Day, April 20

Easter Activities Room, 8:00 am Children (3 & up), please gather in Room 103 for Easter activities prior to the 9:00 am service.

Parents, please sign in and take a Seat Saved sign for each child. Volunteers are needed for this hour.

You will get a Seat Saved sign as well! Please call Kim at 303.577.7729 to volunteer.

The Nursery is extra full on holidays.–Parents who use the nursery regularly (and are Safeguarding God’s Children trained) are asked to help out as needed. Please check with Kim McPherson.

Easter Egg Hunt, 10:30 am Eggs stuffed with candy, and plenty of friends to share the fun! Children will gather on the East Lawn following the 9:00 am service for our Annual Easter Egg Hunt. Wee ones (Ages 0-3) will hunt in the Nursery Play Garden (enter through the nursery, or the gate on Clarkson Street). Children (4 & up) will gather just outside Memorial Hall for instructions so that the hunt begins when all are gathered.

No 10:15 am Christian Ed classes on Palm Sunday or Easter Day! The Nursery will be open for all evening services during Holy Week, Monday - Saturday.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: Nursery open for the 7:00 pm services Wednesday: Nursery open for the 5:30 pm Families Service Saturday: Nursery open from 4:00 pm through Easter Vigil.

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Welcome to Family Ministries at Saint John’s Children come to us full of wonder and joy, and already knowing something about God. Our task is to nourish the seeds of God’s love that have already been sown, and to help our children find ways to strengthen their relationship with God throughout their lives. We do this through the stories of the Bible and our Church, by encouraging their wonder and helping them discover their deep joy, by welcoming them fully into the Saint John’s community and by involving them in all that we do. Our children are full members of Saint John’s Cathedral, and we cherish their presence here.

The goal of our youth program is to help our young people journey into adulthood experiencing the care of this community as they learn how to be the hands of Christ in the world. As they grow up, they also grow into ways of being involved, offering themselves to help others within and beyond this Cathedral and creating a circle of trust for one another.

Family Life eNewsletter

Please check the weekly Family Life eNewsletter for information about upcoming events and information about our programs for children, youth, and parents. If you are not receiving this important email on Mondays each week, please contact communications@ sjcathedral.org with your correct email address.

Cathedral Under the Stars All Parish Weekend Save the Date! August 1-3, 2014, at Cathedral Ridge

Your Chance to Help!

We need volunteers to love children in our classrooms on Sundays and during the week for a variety of projects. If you would like to get involved in any way, please call Kim McPherson at 303.577.7729.

Thank you!

27: Flowering Cross Sunday

Children are invited to take a flower to plant at home, to remind them of God’s love and to follow in the beautiful way of Jesus.

4: Burrito Sunday. Enjoy a delicious burrito (sausage or veggie) handcrafted by our youth and know that you are helping them buy the ingredients to make sandwiches every Sunday for hungry people in Denver.

19: Recognition Sunday. We will celebrate those who give so much to the Church: our teachers, leaders and youth choir members at the 9:00 am service, followed by a reception in Dagwell Hall at 10:15 am.

19: Summer Schedule Begins.

Morning Services will be held at 8:00 at 10:00 am.

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Nursery Picnic. Join us in the Nursery Play Garden on June 2, following the 10:00 am service.

1: Summer Children’s Chapel begins.

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Nursery Open Sundays from 8:30 am – 12:45 pm and 5:30 – 7:30 pm for the Wilderness through May 18. Beginning May 25, Summer Hours are 9:30 – 11:30 am and 5:30 – 7:30 pm for the Wilderness. Wednesdays from 4:00 – 9:00 pm. The Nursery is also open during special services and events throughout the year. Our Nursery is a cheerful, safe and welcoming environment for our very youngest members.

Sunday Mornings 9:00 am - Children’s Chapel (Ages 3 & up), St. Francis Chapel, 2nd floor Children are engaged during the first part of the service (the Liturgy of the Word) in very child-friendly fashion, including lesson, prayers, confession and music. Parents may drop off children or remain in Chapel with them. Please sign in and make a nametag for each child. Chapel goers join their families in the Cathedral in time for Communion, and enter the front of the Cathedral on the East side. Children are invited to come forward at Communion to sit on the carpet and stairs.

10:15 am - Godly Play (Ages 3 - 3rd Grade) In Godly Play, we create a safe and beautiful space where children are deeply respected as they see, hear, and wonder about stories from the Bible or another part of our Episcopal tradition. Using hands-on materials and “wondering questions” to reflect on the story together, children then choose from a variety of materials—story materials, art supplies, building materials, books, silence materials—to make their own creative responses, and to help make the stories truly their own.

Prayers and a feast (snack) round out the session.

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3-4 year olds: Preschool Godly Play, Room 101

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K-1st Grades: Godly Play Class, Room 103

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2nd-3rd Grades: Godly Play for Older Kids, Room 107

10:15 am - SOWhAT (4th - 5th Grade), Room 204 SOWhAT stands for: Stories, Outreach, Wonder, Arts & Theology. At this age, children are ready for more…more insight, more activities, and more sophisticated art projects. This 2-year class first explores the creation story in great depth, and exposes children to a variety of activities to help them find meaning, comfort, and joy in God’s beautiful creation.

Wednesday Evening Godly Play 4:15 – 5:10 pm, Room 103, for Ages 4 - 9. If you missed Sunday’s class, or if your child is a chorister and would like to come on Wednesdays, this time slot is perfect for you! Our Director of Religious Education, Kim McPherson, shares stories, wonders with the children, and invites them to respond to the stories of our tradition through play, art, and other experiences. (Younger children may stay in the nursery, and older children may be signed in to the nursery in advance by parents who wish to attend yoga classes. Choir members will be escorted to rehearsal following class.) Wednesday Godly Play will end on May 14.

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Sundays Middle School – 10:15am, Room 300 Middle School youth (6th-8th grades) gather in room 300 for refreshments and time together to play games, chat, and make sandwiches for the feeding ministry. A lesson follows; we encourage questions and conversation in a trusting atmosphere, and will intersperse the year with a variety of spiritual practices both during Sunday mornings and on seasonal retreats and lock-ins throughout the year.

High School – 10:15am, Common Room Senior Youth (9-12th grades) gather for weekly teaching and conversation with Fr. Jadon. This is an opportunity for older youth to learn fundamental aspects of Anglican theology in an atmosphere that encourages them to confirm both what they believe and what they struggle with as they encounter the challenges of living as Christian teens. The weekly meetings complement a number of seasonal “away days” that allow for even greater depth of community and spiritual growth.

Serving in Worship

Our youth are ushers, acolytes, readers, and chapel greeters. Contacts to get involved: Acolytes: Liz Costello, liz@sjcathedral.org Ushers: Deanna White, deanna_white1500@hotmail.com Readers: Billy Baker, billyb@sjcathedral.org Chapel: Kim McPherson, kim@sjcathedral.org

Burrito Sunday

May 4. We need 8 dedicated workers! Sign up to help at http://www.doodle.com/p6nasawhd43fzxvt

Cathedral Camp, June 15 - 21 at Cathedral Ridge, Woodland Park For girls & boys ages 8-14. Cathedral Camp is a whole week’s worth of sleepovers! Make new friends and reunite with old ones. Play all day! Have a carnival, slide down the water slide, pray, hike, do crafts, sing, laugh and watch the stars at night.

Camp is the best! Don’t miss out.

Register online at sjcathedral.org!

Camp fee: $475. Early registration (by May 1) $450. Scholarships are available; please contact Father Jadon Hartsuff.

We need counselors (Age 16+) and gappers (Age 15)! Please contact Kim McPherson for counselor and gapper applications.

Commitment forms are due by May 1.

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1350 Washington Street Denver, Colorado 80203 sjcathedral.org

info@sjcathedral.org 303.831.7115