Open Door December January

Life at your Cathedral Parish

THE OPEN DOOR

December 2013 / January 2014

STAFF & VESTRY CLERGY The Very Reverend Peter Eaton Rector and Dean, Ext. 7721 The Reverend Robert Hendrickson Sub-Dean, Ext. 7706 The Reverend Elizabeth Marie Melchionna, Canon, Ext. 7731 The Reverend Jadon Hartsuff Canon, Ext. 7732 The Reverend Charles LaFond Canon Steward, Ext. 7711

CONTENT

The Reverend Elizabeth Costello Curate, Ext. 7704

SENIOR STAFF

Class of 2016 David Ball, Kat Challis, Jen Courtney-Keyse, Amanda Montague Class of 2015 Susan Chenier, Larry Kueter, Ned Rule, John van Camp Class of 2014 David Abbott, Newt Klusmire, Jim East, Mary Ellen Williams

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Authentic Transformation, Young Adults and the Church

This Christmas, How about Real Presence?

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China Mission Pilgrimage

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What I believe

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VESTRY Tom Stoever, Senior Warden Mary Ellen Williams, Treasurer David Abbott, Clerk

Yearning

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

RobeRt HendRickson

Yearning: A New Book

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

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From the Dean: “God’s Life Now” When God became a human being in Jesus Christ, the message was clear: God takes this life seriously, and so should we. We are indeed created for an eternal relationship with God, but within the totality of our existence, this life is of supreme importance – for us, for our fellow human beings, and for all creation.

As we approach our Annual Meeting, we shall have a considerable change in leadership. We shall have two new Wardens, as both our Senior Warden and our Junior Warden will have finished their terms of service. I would like to take this opportunity to thank both Tom Stoever and Frank Scott for the work that they have done to enable this community to live into our vocation as those who take both God’s life and our human life seriously.

Our ministries and effectiveness have grown beyond measure in the years of their leadership and we owe them both a huge debt of gratitude.

The seasons that lie ahead of us over these next two months – Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany – are all about taking this life seriously in the company of Jesus.

He both shows us the way, and walks with us not only as we journey to somewhere else, but as we go from day to day, from task to task, from person to person, figuring out how this life may be more conformed to the life of the age to come.

We shall also welcome new Vestry members (as we always do at our Annual Meeting), and this normal turn-over of leadership is crucial for the vitality of our ministries, as each new group of leaders brings fresh ideas, new enthusiasm, and invaluable commitment.

We are continuing to ensure that our new staff, our continuing staff, our new parish leadership and our continuing leadership are learning and growing into this next chapter of our life together.

In our common life as a Christian community at Saint John’s, this attentiveness to life now expresses itself in many ways, not the least of which is the way in which we are helping each other and those who come to us to see the mystery and glory of God, and the sense of purpose that a relationship with Jesus Christ can bring. We are engaging in a multi-level series of conversations about our ministries, and in 2014 these conversations will take on an even wider purview to embrace us all. Just after our 150th anniversary in 2010, we began to speak about a visioning process called 151+, and while that process in that form was not possible at the time, we shall be beginning a new visioning process very soon.

New life and energy are palpable in every aspect of our life and ministry, and we expect this only to continue as we look to the New Year. The parish leadership is keen to encourage us all to participate in our common life as we can, so that all of us may claim, in some way, both the joy and the excitement of the call of God to take this life seriously, and live it in all its fullness.

God became a human being to show us how important it is to take this life seriously, and to ensure that we do not turn our back on any possible opportunity to live as those who know that in each human life God also lives in equal measure. At the heart of our mission “to know Christ and to make Christ known” is this fundamental sacramental principle. God, as someone has said, does not say it with roses. God comes to us with God’s very own life, and God places God’s own life right at the heart of the work to be done. Just as this parish community has done for over 150 years.

May these seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany be a time when each of us may see again the light that enlightens everyone who comes into the world, so that even in the brightness of the day, we may be witness of the uncreated Light that illumines our hearts to God’s life in this life now.

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Advent Lessons & Carols

Sunday, December 1, 3:30 pm.

Begin your observance of Advent with this service of candlelight, lessons, and music, emphasizing the Advent themes of waiting and watching for the coming of Christ. Nursery available.

Christmas Lessons & Carols

Saturday, December 21 and Sunday, December 22, both at 3:30 pm.

The coming of the Christ Child is told through a series of nine lessons and carols with the Saint John’s Cathedral Choir. The Nursery will be open for those with small children. The services are followed by cider and cookie receptions in Dagwell Hall.

Christmas Eve Family Worship

Tuesday, December 24, 1:00, 3:00, & 5:00 pm.

Christmas Eve Family Eucharists are especially suitable for children and their families, and include children building the Cathedral Crèche. Saint Nicolas and Saint Cecilia Choirs will sing at 3:00 & 5:00 pm. Nursery will be provided for all services.

Christmas Eve Festival Eucharists

Tuesday, December 24, 8:00 & 11:00 pm.

The Cathedral Choirs will be accompanied by brass at these festive Eucharists.

Nursery will be provided for the 8:00 pm service. Eggnog reception follows the 11:00 pm service in Dagwell Hall.

Christmas Day Service

Wednesday, December 25, 10:00 am.

Celebrate Christmas at this festive Eucharist and rejoice as we sing favorite carols together.

The Holy Name of our Savior Jesus Christ – New’s Year’s Day

Wednesday, January 1, 10:00 am.

The Feast of the Epiphany

Sunday, January 5, 8:00, 9:00, 11:15 am, & 6:00 pm the Wilderness.

The Baptism of our Lord

Sunday, January 12. Baptisms at 9:00 and 11:15 am.

Cathedral Breakfast following the 9:00 am service.

Annual Meeting of the Parish

Sunday, January 19. Principal service at 9:00 am, followed by the Annual Meeting.

11:15 am Eucharist in Saint Martin’s Chapel on this day.

Evensong

Sunday, January 19, 3:30 pm. Choral Evensong in the English Cathedral tradition.

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Spiritual Practices in Advent Advent is a time of intentional preparation for the celebration of the birth of the Son of God, and in the midst of everything else that most of us have to do, it can be quite a challenge to do this. But here are some tips.

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A little bit of prayer. A little bit of prayer is better than no prayer at all, and we can find some time each day, perhaps with an Advent calendar, to focus on placing ourselves in God’s way. The Prayer Book has lots of resources for busy people, and you will also find good help on the tract rack outside Dagwell Hall.

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A mid-week service. There are at least three services here every day from Monday to Friday, and many find these brief, quiet services a tremendous help in their spiritual lives.

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A retreat. For those who can get away for a day or two (or more), a quiet day or a retreat is an excellent spiritual practice for renewal. We are fortunate in Colorado to have a large number of excellent retreat centers nearby, and you can explore online. But if you would like, the clergy can also

make recommendations, and help you find a suitable place and plan a helpful retreat.

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Make your confession. The sacrament of reconciliation embodies the reconciliation that we celebrate at Christmas as heaven and earth are reconciled in Jesus’ nativity. Those who use this sacrament find it an invaluable spiritual practice, and often after taking some time to find the courage to begin, use this rite on a regular basis for the rest of their lives.

See one of the clergy if you would like to talk about this.

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Helping others, even for an hour. At this time of the year, many agencies need help, and often you can help without much preparation or training.

There are families who always take their children to help out at an agency at this time of the year so that their children learn to give, as well as receive.

But whatever you do, do something, do it intentionally, and know why you are doing it. Make sure that your actions and your faith have a connection that you can articulate, even if only to yourself.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation before Christmas

In preparation for Christmas, many Christians find the discipline of the Sacrament of Reconciliation to be helpful. The service is in The Book of Common Prayer on page 446.

If you would like to understand more about this sacrament and how it may benefit you in your spiritual life, please speak with one of the clergy. If you would like to make your confession, a priest is always available after the daily 5:30 pm Eucharist, or you may call to make an appointment.

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December 1, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall The Launch of Father Hendrickson’s New Book, Yearning: Authentic Transfiguration, Young Adults and the Church Our Sub-Dean, Father Hendrickson, has written a book about ministry with young adults for our official Episcopal Church publishing house, Church Publishing.

Join us today for a celebratory launch where you will be able to buy a copy of the book and hear Father Hendrickson speak about this work, both in New Haven and here in Denver.

December 8, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall Burrito Sunday and the Heifer Project Join us for delicious breakfast burritos from our young people and for our annual Heifer Project Fair, where you can support a worthy cause by giving gifts to family and friends that support individuals and communities in developing countries.

December 15, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall Lessons from South Africa Our curate, Mother Liz Costello, was recently on a mission trip to South Africa, and she will tell us about the trip and say something of the work of the Church in the Diocese of Matlosane.

December 22, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall Reading the Gospel of Matthew in Year A with Interludes from John Today our Canon Theologian, Greg Robbins, will explore the picture that John paints of Jesus in his Gospel.

Beginning with the first Sunday in Advent 2013, the lectionary cycle has us tracking week by week through the Gospel according to Matthew. However, at important junctures we hear familiar passages from the Gospel of John. How does this double witness supplement and enrich our journey with Jesus during Year A? December 29, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall Celebrating Christmas Together On this Sunday after Christmas, when we enjoy Christmas Lessons and Carols at our services, join us for fellowship at Coffee Hour.

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January 5, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall As we enter a new year, we can spend time together at Coffee Hour between the services.

January 12, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall Baptism Sunday and Cathedral Breakfast Our Cathedral Breakfast is a wonderful opportunity to spend time together over good food prepared by fellow parishioners.

January 19 The Annual Parish Meeting Today our morning schedule is different from other Sundays.

8:00 am – The Holy Eucharist (as usual in the Cathedral) 9:00 am – Annual Meeting Sung Eucharist and Dean’s Address (Cathedral) 10:15 am – Annual Meeting (in the Cathedral) 11:15 am – The Holy Eucharist (Saint Martin’s Chapel) January 26, 10:15 am in Dagwell Hall Praying with Icons Prayer is the business of every Christian, and different ways of praying are useful to different people. At this forum, the Canon Steward will help us to see how icons, an ancient form of Christian devotion, can help us in our prayer life.

“Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war.

It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience.”

Thomas Merton

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omeone recently asked me if I miss living as a monk in a monastery. My response to that question is always the same: ‘Only in Advent.”

The frenetic atmosphere of expectations raised and lists made which Christmas creates in our society is palpable even now in early December. There are parties to throw and parties to attend, gifts to buy, and decorations to set up. The church polishes off its old tried and true music and the whole thing can be something wonderful. But it can also be soul-crushing: the business, the expense, the schedules, the expectations, the advertising. It can be crushing if our decisions are not intentional. The cloister of the monastery protected me from all that. Now I must do that hard work myself.

After Christmas, we will be offering many new classes, one of which will be on the subject of Rule of Life. I will be teaching this course over the entire term to establish what a Rule of Life is and how it is discerned, written, edited, lived, and changed over time.

A Rule of Life is simply a series of hopes, written down, which reflect our hopes for our lives. Rather than a New Year’s Resolution which starts with a flourish and often ends with a trail of neglected self-promises, the Rule of Life is

monastic technology which takes various subjects in life such as food, money, friendship, silence, rest, play, work, illness, study, prayer – and from them creates a good and authentic life. The Rule of Life takes these topics and others and helps us to write out our hopes for each one. We then glance at each page (each hope, each “chapter” of the Rule) as a way to remind ourselves how we had hoped we would live.

At no time in the year is a Rule of Life more valuable than in Advent when the demands on us are at their height. So here are a few hopes from my “chapter” in my Rule of Life called “simplicity in Advent:” 1. My hope for Advent is that I do not overcommit to the many wonderful things which will present themselves.

This means that I will make sure not to have any one week so scheduled that there are not two nights left free to think, and sit, and be still.

2. My budget for Christmas presents will be set before I begin shopping and I will be sure that half of my gifts are made by my own hands.

3. I will not feel guilty about saying no to invitations. I simply cannot attend everything and my wellness and peaceful heart need to be protected so that I am able to

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be the person of God’s hope for me.

4. I will watch Netflix in December so as to avoid commercials. The Netflix subscription is only $8 and it protects me for being inundated by advertising.

5. My shopping for gifts will be done based on a list and not based in wandering malls and shopping centers. I will decide what I buy before the marketing experts have their way with me.

6. I will decide in advance what budget I will apply to self-purchases (those things we buy for ourselves when in fact we are meant to be shopping for others) so that when I hit my limit I remain there.

7. I will commit to spending the night before Christmas in Church.

8. There will be one day off in December set aside as a retreat day in which to think about what God has done by sending Jesus to be among us as the Christ Child. I will use a movie or a reading or some poetry to ground myself in my own attention on the incarnation of God. 9. The money I spend on presents for others, I will match as a gift to the financially poor. What I spend on the one, I will spend on the other.

10. Each Sunday in Advent I will look at my calendar and ask myself what I might be able to simplify so that space for rest and friendship can be opened up in busy schedules.

How we live affects our health, our interactions with others and our ability to be with God. There is a certain irony that God would take such dramatic steps to be with humanity in the stillness and silence of a stable; and that humanity would be so overwhelmed by the demands of Christmas that we risk missing the point.

What is the point? That God wants to be with us.

Peace on earth is hard work in our society. Letting go of the tendency to self-anesthetize our fears and grief with business in Advent is an act of great courage. Like so many other aspects of life, a Rule of Life is a source of great strength and a tool to help us stay on our pathway.

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Sunday, December 1, 3:30 pm Begin your observance of Advent with this service of candlelight, lessons, and music, emphasizing the Advent themes of waiting and watching for the coming of Christ. The choir will be performing works by Boris Ord, Gerre Hancock, Healy Willan, Josef Rheinberger, and John Stainer.

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New Ministry brings forth a New Book

by Father Robert Hendrickson, Sub-Dean

Book launch to be celebrated on December 1

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ne of the joys RobeRt Hend of working Rickson at Christ Church, New Haven, Authentic Transfo was the emphasis we put rmation, Young Adu lts and the Church on ministry with college students and young adults more broadly. It had always been a place of a disciplined spirituality and sacramental devotion expressed in a liturgy of profound beauty, but it recognized that there were opportunities for ministry that were as yet unexplored.

Out of a series of conversations, we developed the idea of creating a community of young adults who would live into the disciplined pattern of prayer, theological reflection, and liturgical participation that had long marked the parish but also serve in the community in a variety of new ways.

We created Saint Hilda’s House (carrying on the name of the house in which an order of deaconesses who had served Christ Church had lived), a place for young adults to come after college to serve and discern how God was calling them to various kinds of ministry. There are now about 20 young adults living in community and serving the city of New Haven.

Yearning

From that community and another community (Ascension House) came lots of reflections on the place of young adults in the life of the Church. We discussed their particular vocation as, in effect, the conscience of the Church – calling us to new life and a reimagined way of being and serving that was rooted in the most ancient of our traditions.

There are few materials in the Episcopal presses about young adult ministry. I went looking for resources and never found anything terribly satisfying. Moreover, as I got to know these young men and women, I became convinced that there should be a place for their voices to be heard more

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widely. They are able to articulate with thoughtfulness and passion just how the Church and society are changing and how we can meet the needs of a changing world. After conversations with some of them, overall themes began to organically emerge and Yearning was born.

In writing this book, I wanted to create a platform for young adults to share their deepest longings for the Church and to tell the story of how each of them had found the Church and what kept them coming back. There are stories of faith and of doubt, loss and joy, challenge and newfound strength. They also share what it means to live in a community that works, prays, and gives together for the spread of God’s Kingdom. My reflections focus on the elements of the Church’s life that seem to have the deepest meaning for young adults – namely authenticity, tradition, service, vulnerability, beauty, and creativity. My hope is that the book offers a window into the spiritual lives of dedicated and faithful young people and helps us understand how that can not only be shaped by the life of the Church but the Church can be shaped, inspired, and led by them.

To purchase Yearning: Authentic Transformation, Young Adults, and the Church, please visit Amazon.com.

“...a book that points the way to new hope for the church.”

The Reverend Susan Brown Snook, Vicar and church planter of The Episcopal Church of the Nativity, Phoenix, Arizona

“...changing the conversation from being about young adults to being with young adults.”

Dante A. Tavolaro, Director of Ministry at St. Peter’s by-theSea, Narragansett, Rhode Island

Advent Quiet Evening A New Event on December 4

This year we are moving our “quiet morning” to a “quiet evening” on Cathedral Nite on Wednesday, December 4. This will be for our entire Cathedral community and a time of focused attention to preparation for the Christmas Feast. Even if you do not ordinarily come to Cathedral Nite, you are welcome to join in this Advent spiritual preparation.

The schedule for the quiet evening is as follows: 5:00 pm

Evening Prayer (Chapel)

5:30 pm

Sung Eucharist (Chapel)

6:15 pm

Supper (Dagwell Hall)

7:00 – 8:20 pm

Advent Spiritual Preparation for all

8:30 pm

Compline and Benediction by candlelight

There will be nursery care this evening as usual.

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Important Feast Days in December and January During Advent, our chief focus is on preparation for Christmas, and there is not much to distract us.

After Christmas, the season of Epiphany points us to a season of the revelation of Jesus to the world.

However, there are some major feasts in addition to Christmas and Epiphany that occur during this time.

Services on these days are at the usual times.

Friday, December 6 Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas was a famous bishop of the early Church who is now associated chiefly with ministry to children and young people.

Monday, December 9 The Conception of the Mother of God

This is one of the great feasts of the Virgin Mary, and focusses us on Mary as we prepare for Christmas.

This day has been transferred from Sunday.

Thursday, December 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron of the Americas, and this is a significant feast especially for our Latin American community, including our Latino Episcopalian sisters and brothers.

Friday, December 27 Saint John the Evangelist

Although we keep Saint John’s Day in September, this is his proper feast day.

Wednesday, January 1 The Most Holy Name of Jesus

The Christian faith has always put a deep emphasis on the name of Jesus, its place in our prayer, and its power to strengthen the believer, especially in hard times. The Eucharist today is at 10:00 am in the Cathedral. There are no other services today.

Friday, January 17 The Eve of the Confession of Saint Peter

This day celebrates Peter’s declaration of faith in Jesus, and begins the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Friday, January 24 The Eve of the Conversion of Saint Paul

This feast recalls Saint Paul’s great conversion on the Damascus Road, and brings the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity to a close.

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This Christmas,

How about Real Presence?

by Mother Elizabeth Marie Melchionna

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he connection first struck me as I was calling out spelling words for our son Liam. We were preparing for a spelling test just before Christmas break and there were lots of homophones – words that sound the same but are spelled differently – on the list. The words presents and presence were both on his list. We talked about Christmas gifts, about presents, as we practiced the words. And with a good dose of clerical nerdiness my example for presence was the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We understand that through our gathered prayers and through the work of the Holy Spirit Jesus Christ is really and truly present in the Eucharist. Liam laughed and said, quite profoundly, shouldn’t we give presence instead of presents at Christmas?

I think the answer is YES. It is our family’s practice to give alternative gifts at Christmas. To give money to an organization that helps to bring God’s hope, God’s presence into the world through education, health and sanitation, or agriculture.

In years past I have given a year of education for a young woman to my mother through Women for Women International, which supports women who are survivors of war throughout the world (http://www.womenforwomen.org/). I have given my grandfather a wheelbarrow and seeds that went to a community in need through Episcopal Relief and Development (https://www. episcopalrelief.org/). I have given my sister a flock of chicks and my father a share of a water buffalo through Heifer Project (http://www.heifer.org/).

In addition to these wonderful organizations, you might also consider supporting some projects of our Episcopal Diocese of Colorado. You could give to the Episcopal Service Corps or to Colorado Flood Relief (checks to the Diocese of Colorado; 1300 Washington Street; Denver, CO 80203 with ESC or flood relief in the memo line).

We shall have an opportunity to purchase an alternative gift from Heifer Project through our youth on Sunday, December 8, during the Dean’s Forum in Dagwell Hall.

This Christmas, I encourage you to think about presents in a different way. How might you gift and expression of God’s love, God’s presence through an alterative gift?

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The People Behind the Presents Knowingly or unknowingly, you have probably helped them. If you have put cash in the collection plate, volunteered with a ministry or purchased a gift for the Giving Trees at Christmas, you have touched their lives.

They are the people behind the presents.

From time to time, your gifts and donations may feel intangible or unrelatable, but they could not be more personal. Behind every present you give is a person.

They have hopes, dreams, families, fears, hurts and smiles, just like you and me. Some may be ill or may have struggled and suffered most of their lives, or maybe they have temporarily fallen on hard times.

Over the last few months, we have introduced you to some of the organizations who serve the people behind the presents, those who benefit from your kindness, compassion, and generosity. While we all prepare for the coming Christmas season, we offer these two agencies as the final installment of our series.

Urban Peak provides services for youth between the ages of 15 and 24 who are experiencing homelessness or are at imminent risk of becoming homeless. The organization provides assistance and support for the youth to become self-sufficient or maintain a safe existence, including street outreach, shelter, education, and mental health evaluations.

According to the 2013 Point-In-Time survey conducted by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI), there are approximately 921 youth between the ages 13 to 24 on the Denver’s streets on any given night. A great misconception is that these youth are rebellious, bad kids who thought it was cool to run away. The truth is that some grew up alone while their parents succumbed to drugs, some were kicked out of their homes for revealing their sexual orientation, some aged out of foster care, and some are victims of human trafficking.

Almost all have had to endure freezing cold, blazing heat, wet rain, and heavy snow while living on the streets.

The Women’s Homeless Initiative began when the faith community around Capitol Hill noticed a chronic shortage of shelter beds for Denver’s women and decided to create a temporary shelter system. Each night of the week, a local church opens its doors to 20 women who have been selected by that evening’s lottery for a bed. On Monday nights, Saint John’s provides a delicious, healthy meal, compassionate conversation, and entertaining activities such as arts and crafts, nail painting, reading, and relaxing. Most importantly, the evening’s guests can sleep on soft cots in the safety and warmth of the church. The next morning, the women receive a breakfast bag and transportation back to the Saint Francis Center.

Women are a high-risk, vulnerable population on the streets, and for the approximately 1,800 homeless women in Denver, there are only about 275 beds available through shelters, churches, and motel vouchers. As one woman says, “We are all sleepwalking.

We’re tired. It’s exhausting.”

This winter, the Giving Trees will once again be created by the Urban & Social Concerns Commission. Many adults, children, and families associated with these agencies and those we have introduced previously, will be the recipients of your generosity. On the First Sunday in Advent, the Giving Trees will be in the Cathedral, the Welcome Center, and in Dagwell Hall — beautifully decorated with the wishes of the people you have become acquainted with this autumn.

USCC represents Saint John’s community outreach ministries, and its work includes the Loaves and Fishes, Habitat for Humanity, and the Giving Tree programs.

If you are interested in information about the USCC agencies, please visit us at sjcathedral.org or email the USCC at USCC@SJCathedral.org.

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The Catechumenate Now through May 14 Leader: Father Peter Eaton

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 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 Bible in a Year

Facilitated by the Cathedral Clergy Most vibrant and growing churches share something in common – they have 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 with others in a group. 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. When we meet each week, we will have the opportunity to reflect on what we are reading and how God is speaking to us through the Scriptures. 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.

My Soul Magnifies the Lord: Hearing the Blessed Mother Today December 11 & 18 Leader: Mother Liz Costello

Dorothy Day once said, “Advent begins with Mary who presents to us the infant Christ.”

Come reflect on what Mary’s life might teach us about the Christian life. Mary, who followed Christ from cradle, to grave, to empty tomb, is commonly considered the first follower of Jesus.

Historically, the Church has viewed her life as the pattern for grace and hope in Christ – a model for discipleship. To learn more about Mary’s life and what we might learn from it, we will look at the Magnificat in depth, with some reference to “Mary Grace and Hope in Christ,” an agreed statement produced by The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC).

For more information about Cathedral Nite, please visit sjcathedral.org/CathedralNite.

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Did you know we have an active group of folks in the 20s and 30s at Saint John’s? What do we look like? Single, partnered, married, divorced. No children, one, two, three, four kids. What are we doing? First job after college, graduate school, unemployed and seeking work, staying home with children, actively working. Long time Saint John’s parishioners and folks who are brand new to the Christian tradition. The answer, in a word, is diverse. We find ourselves in lots of different places. But all of us look like people who are seeking community, fellowship, and God.

Please join us! We meet the second Thursday of the month at the Irish Snug from 6:00 to 8:00 pm for Happy Hour (we might be downstairs).

We also gather to serve in our Denver community.

Please mark Saturday morning December 7 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm when we shall be helping stock the pantry shelves at Metro CareRing to help them prepare for the busy holiday season.

“Like” us and keep up with all the happenings at Saint John’s. By “liking” us on Facebook, you have the opportunity to engage in a whole new way with other parishioners and encounter daily meditations and tidbits of what is going on in the greater Episcopal Church.

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On November 23, parishioners currently engaged or interested in Outreach ministry gathered for a time of prayer, reflection, and fellowship at the Summit Outreach Retreat. The focus of the retreat was on relationship as a way of social engagement – how as a faith community we can primarily be in relationship with those whom we serve before doing anything for/with/alongside them.

Using the work of the Reverend Dr. Samuel Wells and the summit as a metaphor, the retreat concluded with participants reflecting on how they could inhabit new ways of being with one another and God– their mountaintop – as they go out into the world serving Christ in one another.

In the hopes of creating structures and habits that hold space for being together, the Outreach ministry will enter into a time of discernment and visioning this Advent. In keeping with the season of Advent, one marked with pregnant anticipation and hopeful expectation, the Chapter will hold a visioning session for Outreach. The goal of this visioning session will be to both provide space for participants to share their hopes for outreach, and to begin to imagine structures and habits that will enact these hopes.

Join Mother Liz and several Chapter members, as we enter into this time of discernment, seeking to be with one another and with those in our broader Denver community as God came to be with us. The visioning session will be on Thursday, December 5, 2014. We will begin with a meal together at 6:00 pm in Dagwell Hall and transition to a visioning session from 6:45 to 7:30 pm.

Please RSVP at sjcathedral.org/OutreachVisioning. Childcare provided.

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China Mission Pilgrimage June 2-20, 2014 This June, our Sub-Dean, Father Robert Hendrickson, will lead a mission-pilgrimage to mainland China in partnership with the Amity Foundation, an organization of Chinese Christians historically affiliated with the Episcopal Church.

We will emphasize Christian service, and encourage participants to bear witness to their faith through their work and through participation with Chinese churches, as we visit Nanjing (staying at Nanjing Seminary) and Beijing (where Father Robert previously lived).

It is impossible to say how many Christians there are in China today, but no-one denies the numbers are exploding. The government says 25 million, 18 million Protestants and 6 million Roman Catholics. Independent estimates all agree this is a vast underestimate.

A conservative figure is 60 million. There are already more people in church on a Sunday in China than in the whole of Europe.

The new converts can be found from peasants in the remote rural villages to the sophisticated young middle class in the booming cities.

We will focus our efforts in Nanjing serving with the

Homeless Children Project (Dongzhou Children’s Home).

The Dongzhou Children’s Home allows homeless children, whose parents are in prison, executed, or are unable to take care of them, access to all basic living needs, including food, clothing, shelter, social insurance, education and entertainment for free. The children are fostered and educated in a way that ensures a brighter future. We will have a chance to tutor the kids in English, have a great time getting to know them, and to see how the church is changing their future.

In Beijing we will tour local cathedrals and churches as well as having a chance to visit significant local sights such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven.

Cost Per Person (airfare, meals, and lodging included): $3,000. For more information, please contact Mary Beth Doubet at marybeth@sjcathedral.org.

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Saint John’s Cathedral Music & Worship Sunday, December 1, 3:30 pm – Advent Lessons and Carols

Join in singing seasonal hymns and carols with the Saint John’s Cathedral Choir. The Choir will also be performing works by Boris Ord, Gerre Hancock, Healy Willan, Josef Rheinberger, and John Stainer.

Saturday, December 14, and Sunday, December 15, 7:30 pm – Handel’s Messiah

Whatever your spiritual tradition or path, we invite you to step away from the hectic preparations for Christmas.

Come spend an evening in the soaring setting of the Cathedral, absorbed in the uplifting music of Handel’s Messiah performed by the Saint John’s Cathedral Choir and Orchestra and soloists. Tickets available online at sjcathedral.org/Music and at the door on concert night.

Saturday, December 21 and Sunday, December 22, 3:30 pm – Christmas Lessons and Carols

We need your festive voices! Sing along with your neighbor in these joyous Christmas carols. These services will also feature music by Carl Schalk, John Rutter, Herbert Howells, and Robin Wells.

Tuesday, January 14 – Music at Noon

Cellist Judith McIntyre, a member of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, will be performing a wide array of compositions during the lunch hour in Dagwell Hall. McIntyre has performed as a soloist with the orchestras of Detroit, Michigan, Windsor, Ontario, and University of Toronto as well as with the Colorado Symphony. In Denver she performs regularly with the Front Range Chamber Players, the Colorado Chamber Players, and the Zephyr Ensemble.

Sunday, January 19, 3:30 pm – Evensong

Get the New Year started off in the right direction through quiet reflection in the music of Henry Purcell, David Briggs, and Gerre Hancock. A 25 minute musical prelude precedes Evensong at 3:00 pm.

Friday, January 31, 7:30 pm – Pro Musica Colorado Chamber Orchestra

Cynthia Katsarelis, Music Director and Conductor Mozart Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550 Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G, Op. 58, Hsing-Ay Hsu, pianist A program of the most sublime symphonic masterpieces by Mozart and Beethoven, played by an ensemble deemed “unrivaled” for consistent excellence. OpusColorado reviewed last year’s appearance at Saint John’s Cathedral, calling it an “ultimate performance.” Please visit promusicacolorado.org or call 720.443.0565 for tickets and more information. Pre-Concert talk at 6:30 pm with conductor Cynthia Katsarelis.

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Sunday, January 19, 2014

The Holy Eucharist at 9:00 am, Cathedral The annual meeting will follow at 10:15 - 11:15 am

All members are cordially invited to attend the 153rd Annual Meeting of Saint John’s Cathedral. Vestry ballots are sent to members on December 10. If you do not receive a ballot and are a member of Saint John’s Cathedral, please contact MikeO@sjcathedral.org. Please return your ballot by 5:00 pm (MST) on Friday, January 17, 2014. If, however, you are unable to attend the meeting and would like to cast your vote by proxy, please fill out the proxy form located on your ballot.

All children will be cared for during the Annual Meeting by Youth Groups and Leaders. All will gather in Saint Francis Chapel following the 9:00 am service for a “Taste of Cathedral Camp!”

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Beyond the Birdbath:

Following Francis as Francis Followed Christ

by Joseph Wolyniak

B

y the early 1200s, Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone had begun to share his vision for the world in a way that caught people’s attention. Not only did he talk about his vision for a radically simple and simply radical way of life, he lived it. Folks took notice. They wanted to follow him, be like him. He, in turn, suggested it would be best for them not in his footsteps, but in Christ’s. With a blessing from Pope Innocent III in 1209, he accordingly drafted a Rule of Life (replete with Bible verses) by which others could “follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and walk in his footsteps.” So began the Order of Friars Minor, known to us as the Franciscans… begun by a relative nobody, known to us as St. Francis of Assisi.

After establishing a religious order for men (which came to be know as the ‘first order’), Francis was approached by woman named Chiara Offreduccio who wanted to establish a religious order for women. With Francis’s blessing, the woman (known to us as St. Clare) drafted a Rule of Life that established the ‘second order’ (the Order of San Damiano, later known as the ‘Poor Clares’) in 1211 – the first monastic Rule known to have been written by a woman.

The witness of Francis and Clare inspired many who wanted to follow the Franciscan way of life.

But not everyone could commit themselves to life in community marked by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. There were single and married folks, people with kids, jobs – responsibilities they could not just up and leave.

So, enlisting the help of his friend Cardinal Ugolino (later Pope Gregory IX), Francis drafted another Rule to establish a ‘third order’ around 1221. It was a religious order of sorts, but one in which members did not seek to withdraw from the world but instead remained within it – living

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out their everyday lives as ‘secular Franciscans’ committed to humility, simplicity, penance, prayer, and work among the poor, sick, outcast, and excluded.

These three orders, established by Francis, continue today – with over a half-million Franciscans across the world. In the Anglican Communion alone there are First, Second, and Third Order Franciscans throughout Europe (UK, Italy), Asia (Sri Lanka, South Korea), Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands), Africa (Zimbabwe), and the Americas (US, Brazil). Here in the US, the Third Order of the Society of St. Francis (TSSF) offers all Episcopalians – women and men, single and partnered, lay and ordained – an opportunity to pursue a life dedicated to service, prayer, study, and work in the spirit of Francis and Clare.

For me, being a member of the TSSF offers a way of striving after Franciscan ideals in everyday life.

To live a life structured around prayer and service, based on a Rule of Life and with accountability to my fellow ‘Tertiary’ Franciscans. To be inspired by the faith and witness of other Tertiaries, like Archbishop Desmond Tutu. And to be in fellowship with Franciscans throughout the world, from friars and contemplatives throughout the Anglican Communion to fellow Tertiaries right here in the Diocese of Colorado.

Might you be called to follow Francis as Francis followed Christ? Go to tssf.org to learn more, or feel free to write me at joseph.wolyniak@du.edu.

For more, check out the recent video produced by the Society of St. Francis about ‘the Anglican Franciscan Way’ (http://bit.ly/19ZnWGS); the ‘Anglican Franciscan’ site (with links to communities throughout the world: http://bit.ly/4ZHQZ); and the Anglican Franciscan communities in The Episcopal Church (the Society of St. Francis: http://www.s-s-f. org/; the Community of St. Francis: http://www. communitystfrancis.org/; and the Third Order of the Society of St. Francis: http://tssf.org).

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SOA

AR

SOAR 2013 Fall Trip

By Bruce Haefner

SOAR, the seniors group at Saint John’s Cathedral, lived up to its name – Seniors on a Rampage – when forty-three went on the recent fall trip to the Upper Arkansas Valley in Colorado, led by SOAR Committee Chairman, Basil Carpenter. Father Robert Hendrickson and Mother Liz Costello began each day with a prayer for our safe travels.

We left Denver on a cool Friday morning. Our first stop was Leadville, and after a box lunch in Ice Palace Park and a bus tour past the buildings in this historic mining town, we visited Saint George’s Episcopal Church. The Reverend Ali Lufkin told us about the church and its ministry, which includes sharing meals with the community. A group of high school students was hard at work peeling potatoes while we were there.

Our next stop was Buena Vista, where we heard the history of Grace Episcopal and Methodist Church in the beautifully restored church shared by the two denominations. We were treated to a reception with coffee, juice, cheese and crackers, delicious pastries and fresh fruit.

Our departure from Buena Vista was briefly delayed by a mechanical problem, but with prayer and a hammer, we were soon on our way.

We arrived in Salida in the late afternoon and checked into the Hampton Inn. We had dinner at the Country Bounty Restaurant, where we were joined by Basil’s sister and brotherin-law, Donna and Roy Coupland, who live in Salida.

Saturday was a glorious day, fitting for the day before the autumn equinox. We traveled down the rugged canyon of the Arkansas River, called Big Horn Sheep Canyon here because of the sure-footed sheep seen clamoring up the steep, rocky canyon walls. Basil grew up in the canyon, attending school and church in the town of Cotopaxi, while his family worked a ranch in the valley and community of Texas Creek.

We stopped for lunch at the Iron Horse Ranch on Texas Creek, about five miles above the Arkansas River Canyon. Basil’s brother Rod Carpenter still works the ranch, and he and his

wife Nancy cooked up a delicious chuckwagon lunch for us. A caboose and a depot building have been relocated to the railroad grade on the ranch, and we were free to climb on and wander through both. Rod also gave hay rides so our group could see more of the ranch. We had enough leisure time after lunch to talk, hike, read and nap.

After a tour of the carefully restored Beckwith Ranch in the Wet Mountain Valley, our final stop for the day was Saint Luke’s Episcopal Mission in Westcliffe. After Mother Liz Costello led us in Evening Prayer, the members of the church made a hearty lasagna supper for us. They also described the fascinating history of the church building, which was moved twice during silver booms and busts, until it arrived at its present location. Thanks to Marci Gregg for setting up our visit and to all the Saint Luke’s members who welcomed us with open arms!

Sunday was a rainy day, but all of our activities were in Salida so it did not dampen our spirits.

The Eucharist was celebrated by the Reverend Courtney Shucker at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension. Dick and Ann Fisher received a special blessing to honor their fifty-second wedding anniversary that very day. Following a reception, parish members invited us into the older sanctuary to describe its history and restoration.

The last day of the trip included a drive down Big Horn Sheep Canyon to Canon City, a gourmet Oktoberfest lunch in the Vistadome of the Royal Gorge Route train, a stop at the Holy Cross Abbey Winery, and the return to Denver.

We are grateful to Saint John’s Cathedral for supporting our community of seniors, and we give special thanks to the members of the Cathedral Chapter and their spouses who made the trip: Father Robert Hendrickson and his wife Karrie; and Mother Liz Costello and her husband Joe Wolyniak. We also express our sincere appreciation to Mick McPhee, for his impeccable driving skills and his unplanned expertise as bus mechanic. Finally we thank Basil Carpenter for his masterful trip-planning. Do you know where we are going next year? (Here’s a hint: the reading assignment is Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop.)

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Q& A with Father Jadon Hartsuff about the Wilderness The Open Door sat down with Father Hartsuff to ask some questions about one of the areas of the Cathedral’s ministry that he is working with . . .

Q: What exactly is “the Wilderness”?

A: The name of our Sunday evening worshiping community is the Wilderness. In many ways it is very similar to Sunday morning worship and in many ways it is different. Instead of an organ and choir there is a small instrumental ensemble and cantor. The Cathedral is darker, incense is used liberally every week, and there tend to be lots of candles. Some people think it feels a little more relaxed. The preaching is often conversational.

The language is modern; and the whole design of the service changes throughout the year and attempts to engage biblical and theological themes differently from our Sunday morning.

Q: We’ve heard there are “prayer stations.” What are they?

A: During the time of the Prayers of the People, the Wilderness offers extended time for worshippers to journey around the Cathedral to various places to engage in various and changing ways to draw nearer to God in prayer. There is always the opportunity to light candles for specific prayer intentions, but there are also invitations to pray in other ways. For example, the last season included

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praying with icons and images, praying with scented oils, and using origami prayerfully.

Q: Why is it important for the Cathedral to offer this very different kind of worship service?

A: Lots of reasons! Perhaps the most important reason is that not everyone looking for a church that offers the theological perspective we do is attracted to “traditional” Sunday morning worship.

So the Wilderness gives us the opportunity to put the best of our Anglican worship heritage to work in a different way – while also allowing us an opportunity to mine the riches of other ancient/ modern worship practices. There are also many people for whom Sunday morning is a difficult or impossible time to worship - because of work, or travel, or family engagements. The Wilderness also gives us an opportunity both to “try out” newer language for worship developed elsewhere as well as the opportunity to contribute new language we write ourselves. All of this is done with permission of our Bishop, of course. So the Wilderness offers opportunities for trial and creativity that can inform our broader practice here at the Cathedral and also contribute to liturgical development around the church and world. Whether it’s the time, the ancient style, or the modern creativity, perhaps the most fundamental reason for the Wilderness is that it attracts some who would not come to church without it – making the Wilderness an important offering of inclusion and evangelism.

The Clarkson Community Project Exploring the Cathedral’s mission of service

Wartburg students and Saint John’s parishioners

For many years, the Cathedral community has imagFor most of our history, the community of Saint ined how we might make a significant contribution to John’s Cathedral has been committed to the wellthe housing security of low-income families and sebeing of all in our city, and especially to those secniors in Capital Hill. In 2011, the Vestry appointed the tions of our population in special need. Issues of Clarkson Community Task Force to undertake a feapoverty, education, civil rights, war, homelessness, sibility study to explore available options to address immigration, and health care are only a few of the this pressing need by developing Cathedral Square concerns about which the Cathedral community has North. In the course of this work the Task Force has esmade a contribution to the common good. Both in tablished relationships with community partners and terms of our speaking and our acting we have tried worked with several to be faithful to the demands professionals, many of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as of whom have donatwe have received it and come Homelessness is on the rise in Denver. One ed their time and exto understand it. The Gospel is in four homeless individuals is employed pertise. Among these not simply to shape our inner full- or part-time, one in four homeless inpartners are Wartlives; it is also to have real and dividuals is a child, and the fastest growing burg College and the obvious consequences for the homeless group is families with children.

Sewall Child Developwork that we do as individuals One in five Colorado households cannot ment Center. And the and as a Christian community afford to make ends meet and neither can renewal of Dominick in making the world a better, 54% of single mothers in our state.

One in Park as an attractive safer, more nurturing life for four of surveyed individuals who are homepublic space serves as everyone without distinction. a reminder of the poless are newly homeless (this is their first tential of this entire time experiencing homelessness).

Of the many challenges that project. face our city, the lack of affordable housing for low income inThe Task Force has been learning many things, not the dividuals – and the related homelessness – are high least of which are the importance of intentional interon everyone’s radar. When he was mayor, Governor generational communities as well as the necessity for Hickenlooper placed the eradication of homelessthe Cathedral to work alongside those whom we are ness through affordable housing at the top of his seeking to serve. The fundamental guiding principle agenda, and that work continues under the adminis about more than just ministry to those in need. It is istration of Mayor Hancock. As Christians we know about living life with them. The goal of the Task Force that for as long as there are those who are poor, none will be to make a report of all its findings and reflecof us is truly rich, either with respect to our souls or tions to the Vestry as part of the parish-wide visioning to our possessions. We also know that we have the process that we shall be engaged in during 2014. resources actually to make a real difference.

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What I Believe

by Father Charles LaFond, Canon Steward

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A

s I batten down the hatches in preparation for Winter, I am aware that my home is very much one of the statements my life is making about what I believe.

I have a small refrigerator magnet which says “The best sermons are lived, not preached.” And it is there both because I believe that it is very true and because I need to see it often in order to be reminded that being human is an intentional act and makes a statement every day, which is louder and more convincing than what we say.

It applies especially well to we who are clergy and who go around preaching at people on Sundays.

One of my favorite radio programs on NPR is “This I believe.” It is a revival of an old radio show and yet the topic never seems to go out of fashion. What we believe shapes what we do and how we do it. What we believe shapes what we say and the choices we make – the small ones and the very big ones.

One night, I sat with a close friend drinking inexpensive port and eating Saga Blue cheese on gingersnaps (the dark, stormy, gingery ones, not the tan ones that taste just barely of ginger!)* This is my favorite dessert. My friend asked me a question which impressed me. He asked “What do you believe?” The fire was roaring and the meal recently eaten was nestling into my gut. I could suddenly feel my scalp. Every nerve ending seemed to be alive – waiting in anticipation of what I was about to say.

I tried to stall by saying rather priestly-like: “I believe a lot of things!” I silently hoped that was a good answer. It was deemed by my guest unacceptable with a small smirk and a look out the tops of his eyes. “Dang!” I thought.

I took another long drag on my cheap port and went over to my desk. It occurred to me that whatever I say was going to be either shallow or pious, stilted or pock-marked with false humility. Nothing I could think of saying told the story of what I believe. I could quote the Scriptures but I was sitting with a theologian whose knowledge was greater than mine. I could draw on the church mothers and fathers but that would be so sanctimonious that my old friend would just giggle. It was “check” and my next move would decide if the conversation was also “mate.”

I drew a small book from the desk and sat down again. He said “Well….So …what do you believe?”

at me. He seemed interested. He had this bone-eating grin on his face. One eyebrow was up. It was annoying. He added to the pressure.

I said “I love God and I love my friends and the people I know and meet and serve. At least I try to, every day.”

And that is true. I do love people and I do love God. I then placed my check-book on the table. He did not pick it up. He did not look in it at the register of checks I had written that month. He could have, but he did not.

We both understood what I was saying. We both knew that the proof of what I believe is in my check book. As one looks at my checks, one can see that I give a chunk of money to the church and another big chunk I spent on food for the many friends who come to my home for dinner. One can also see that I buy a lot of clay and chemicals for glazes, and gas for the pottery kiln.

My check-book is the theological statement in my life which states what I believe. It never lies. My speech can lie but my checkbook never does.

As the stewardship campaign comes to a close we have all made our statement about what we consider to be important in life. Pledges are in. We have each made a statement about where God’s mission through our church falls in the hierarchy of our lives. And as we continue this conversation, it is my hope that our conversation reflects our conversion, slowly but surely.

There will be some of us who can and will make a yearend gift to the mission of Saint John’s – a gift which helps their tax situation and which serves the ministry of the Cathedral. But most of us will simply brace ourselves for Christmas and its many choices. My prayer is that we can all celebrate how hard we worked to fund the mission of the Cathedral through a stunning stewardship campaign and rejoice in the theological statements we have made through our pledges.

And as winter comes, the fire roars and the heavy wool blankets drape over the chairs, I will nestle in the warmth of a home in which I pray and to which I invite many friends. And there will be Saga Blue cheese, port, and “dark & stormy” ginger snaps.

* Recipe for Charles’ Dark & Stormy Ginger Snaps on page 32.

Kai, my black lab, had awoken from his snooze and looked

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Charles’ Dark & Stormy Ginger Snaps Ingredients

Directions

•

1 cup butter

•

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

•

1 egg

•

1/4 cup molasses

•

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt; stir into the molasses mixture using a wooden spoon. Mix in the fresh and crystallized gingers. Cover, and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

•

2 teaspoons ground ginger

•

2 teaspoons baking soda

•

1/2 teaspoon salt

•

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root

•

3/4 cup finely-chopped crystallized ginger

2.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, and place about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Then press the balls down to form a cookie shape – this flattened shape will make the cookie crisper and therefore better to hold the spread of Blue Saga Cheese or the mixture of blue cheese and softened sweet butter later.

3.

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. If they are still too chewy, bake them for a bit longer to evaporate the moisture.

How the Cathedral Gave to Others in 2013 • As an essential element of our ministry to our city, the Cathedral community gives grants to the following agencies through our Urban and Social Concerns Committee: 32nd Avenue Jubilee Center, Adam’s Camp, Caring Association for Native Americans, CHARG, Colorado Youth at Risk, the Conflict Center, The Delores Project, Earthlinks, Family HomeStead, The Center, Maria Droste Counseling Center, Metro CareRing, Project Angel Heart, Project PAVE, Safehouse Denver, Saint Francis Center, Urban Peak, and Work Options for Women.

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• Over the past year, our children and youth helped prepare over 5,340 sandwiches which were given to those in need as part of a nearby food ministry.

• Our children and young people raised $2,675 for Episcopal Relief and Development, Denver’s Road Home, and for other grants from the Urban and Social Concerns Committee.

• 10 volunteers from our congregation worked on homes for Habitat for Humanity.

• On Loaves and Fishes Sunday, we gave 2,717 pounds of food to Metro CareRing for hunger relief.

Dominick Park, Labyrinth & All Souls’ Requiem, November 3

Memo from Wartburg College West Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Kin at Saint John’s, We have finished our first full semester in residence at Saint John’s, and the feedback from students is very positive. They greatly appreciate the comfort and convenience of their housing at the Kimberly apartments across 14th Avenue, and love being so close to everything downtown.

Students also appreciate the hospitality of the congregation at Saint John’s. Perhaps you have met some of them enjoying that hospitality during the Wednesday evening Cathedral Nite suppers.

On November 3, Wartburg students spnsored a candlelight labyrinth walk in Dominick Park as an All Souls’ commemoration.

For us as the Wartburg West program directors, it has also been a good experience. We can easily walk from our home in Five Points to our offices or classroom at the Cathedral, and it is great to be making connections with the Cathedral clergy and staff.

We shall be welcoming our Winter Term group just before New Year’s Day, so celebrating that holiday Denver-style will be one of their first experiences in the city.

Speaking of holidays, we want to wish all the folks at Saint John’s a very healthy, happy, and spiritually fulfilling holiday season.

The Reverends Nelson and Bonita Bock, ELCA Co-Directors, Wartburg West

Read more at sjcathedral.org/LoverGiverCreator

• We continued our support of the Saint Francis Center at their annual fund-raising Gala in October both by a financial gift and the presence of about 40 parishioners.

• Our Cathedral Camp welcomed 72 campers, and over 25 counselors and staff participated. This year for the first time, our Cathedral Camp was extended for a second week to open up this experience to campers from other parishes in our diocese.

• More than 175 people give both time and talent to our Music Program, which includes both music for worship and a range of concerts and other music.

One particular parishioner gave over 600 hours this past year year (the equivalent of 75 working days) in invaluable service.

• We welcomed more than 6,200 people to the audiences of our music program. In keeping with our long-standing tradition, many of these concerts were free.

• The Martyn Hart Legacy Society has a membership of over 200 people who have remembered the Cathedral in their estate plans, and so they ensure the future well-being of our ministries.

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Children’s Stewardship at Saint John’s What do you love about Saint John’s Cathedral? As we all look forward to celebrating our mission for 2014 as a Christian community, the answers to this question are as varied as our experiences with this remarkable place. Our children and youth are an integral part of our life at Saint John’s and their thoughts are worth sharing as they too think about stewardship, about all that God has given them.”

“I love to walk down the hall and have young and old smile at me.”

“I love to sing in the choir.”

“I love the retreats where you get to think in a deeper way and meet new people.”

“We love camp (Cathedral Camp).”

“I love being with my friends, petting Kai, singing, making sandwiches and knowing I am helping someone…”

by Pamela Kniss

As always during the stewardship season, we work to raise awareness of the theology that is the foundation of what it means to own and what it means to give ourselves away, whether that be money, a smile, a kind word, time making and selling burritos to support the sandwich ministry, or time devoted to the choir.

We have shifted the focus of our stewardship campaign for the children and youth from giving to a charity to giving to the life and ministry of the Cathedral. They will be supporting all that they love. The children have been bringing home pages that make a coloring book with cartoons drawn to illustrate what they love about Saint John’s and also reflect the topics the adults have heard in the Ministry Minutes. Lessons about giving have been woven into the Christian Education classes and into Children’s Chapel. A new pledge card has been designed. Your children will definitely recognize the black lab pictured on the card as the loving, licking, and gentle dog that embodies the meaning of giving and attends Children’s Chapel with them. His name is Kai. Once in a while, ask one of the children or youth what they love about Saint John’s. You will share a smile as they give you the gift of their thoughts. And perhaps you can share what you love as well.

Year End Giving to the Mission of the Cathedral in 2013 Some people find that at the end of the year, they would like to give a special gift to the mission of the Cathedral. For some it is celebration of having … well… lived another great year! For others there was a year-end bonus to share and for still others it simply makes sense to give a little extra money away simply because they can – and enjoy doing so. Some want to make a gift of stock.

And for some, using a planned giving tool such as a charitable remainder trust makes it possible to make a large gift while also benefiting from the tax and living advantages of various planned gift mechanisms.

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The Cathedral gratefully receives year-end gifts including stock over and above your 2013 completed pledges. Some whose income is based on annual sales have been conservative about their 2013 pledge and have been waiting to make a year-end gift when they had a better picture of their financial situation.

We have had to tighten the belt of the budget significantly this year, and it is our hope that $200,000 in various additional gifts and special contributions will assist the mission and ministry of the Cathedral.

If you have money you would like to give to fund more fully the mission and ministry of the Cathedral at the year-end (before December 31, 2013), or if you would like to honor a loved one, celebrate an event, or give thanks for a blessing, please contact the Canon Steward, Father Charles LaFond, for assistance at Charles@sjcathedral.org.

Communion Teaching for Families Children and parents are invited to come for this time to learn more about the Eucharist together. While giving children an understanding of this sacrament, it can also help parents to answer questions. We will use Godly Play stories, have a hands-on time with questions, and make special bread ‘In Remembrance of Him.’ • Communion is a reminder of the love that Jesus demonstrates for each of us.

• Communion is a time when our gifts are blessed and shared along with Christ’s.

• Communion is a time when we receive a Body and Blood that change who we are.

• Communion is a time to gather as a holy, loved, and loving Body.

• Communion is a time for those who have committed themselves by Baptism (or had parents make the promises for them) to walk the Way of Christ to share in his new life and for others to see something in us that draws them to Christ.

Here at Saint John’s,

we get very excited when we see parents and children growing and learning about Jesus together.

It is our passion to partner with parents and provide you with as many tools as we can to help you lead your family and teach your children about a relationship with God. We believe that it is important for you to be involved in every aspect of your child’s experience at church, including in our Family Ministries programs.

We realize you may have questions and we would be glad to help you. Please join us for this time of learning and fun together!

Please join us January 12 at 4:00 pm in Saint Francis Chapel. To register, visit us online at sjcathedral.org/CTFF.

For more teaching resources for parents,

visit us online at sjcathedral.org/parents! There you’ll find helpful family tools for reflecting together on the stories your child is experiencing each Sunday.

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Special Events For Children & Families Mark your calendars for upcoming events!

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8:

10:15 am. Looking for the perfect gift? Come to Dagwell Hall to purchase alternative Christmas gifts at the Christmas Gift Market: Heifer Project, original greeting cards to support Cathedral Camp, and gifts prepared by our Youth, all to help make life better for someone in the world.

8:

Burrito Sunday, following the 8:00 and 9:00 am services. $3 for a delicious breakfast burrito that feeds other people, too! Proceeds finance our sandwich ministry. Our SOWhAT class and youth prepare sandwiches each Sunday to be given to a feeding ministry on Monday morning.

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No Wednesday Godly Play class

29:

No Chapel and no Christian Education classes

1:

No Godly Play class

5:

No Chapel and no Christian Education classes

12:

Sunday classes resume

12:

Families Communion Teaching, 4:00 to 6:00 pm: Children and parents are invited to come for this time to learn more about the Eucharist together. While giving children an understanding of this sacrament, it can also help parents to answer questions. Using Godly Play stories, hands-on time (with questions) and making special bread ‘In Remembrance of Him,’ we will also spend time with clergy in the Chapel. Please register online at sjcathedral.org/CTFF.

19:

All children will be cared for during the Annual Meeting by Youth Groups and Leaders, getting a taste of Cathedral Camp! Please gather in Saint Francis Chapel following the 9:00 am service.

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Pajama Sunday! Wear your silliest PJ’s to the 9:00 am service, and support Denver’s Road Home! All money collected in the Arks at the Offertory will be given to Denver’s Road Home.

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Godly Play Core Training at Saint John’s Cathedral for anyone who wants to be a teacher in Godly Play or to deepen your experience as a current teacher. Registration includes dinner Thursday night, and lunch on Friday and Saturday. For more information, please talk to Kim McPherson or contact On-Site Host Meg Stern at meglette63@yahoo.com or 720.454.4103. Register at http://www.godlyplayfoundation.org/ newsite/pdf/DENVER-02-14-CORE.pdf.

Wednesday Godly Play

4:15 – 5:10 pm, Room 103. If you missed Sunday’s class, or if your child is in the children’s choir and you would like to come on Wednesdays for Christian formation, this time slot is perfect for you! Director of Religious Education, Kim McPherson, will share stories, wonder with the children and invite 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 attending choir may be signed in to the nursery in advance by parents who wish to attend yoga classes from 5:30 - 6:45 pm. Choir members will be escorted to rehearsal following class.

Sundays: 9:00 am - Children’s Chapel (Ages 3 & up), St. Francis Chapel, 2nd floor

Our Children’s Chapel is a very kid-friendly “Liturgy of the Word.” Parents may drop children off or remain in Chapel. When you visit us, please sign in and make a nametag for each child. (Chapel goers come to the Cathedral at the Peace, in time for Communion.)

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, and each child says good bye to the storyteller.

• 3-4 year olds: Preschool Godly Play, Room 101 • K-1st Grades: Godly Play Class, Room 103 • 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- (the ‘h’ is to help pronounce it, and also for the Holy Spirit!) Godly Play has given our children the core stories so that at this age, they can begin to delve more deeply into their meaning, and to learn ways to respond that are more sophisticated. This is exactly why we created the SOWhAT class!

This year, we’ll work with the creation story, delving into the mystery and meaning contained in each of the “days.” From creating pinhole viewers to a meditation on thirst, from experimenting with the art of Andy Goldsworthy to exploring the stars, this class will deeply engage in wondering, and in reaching out to people in need.

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Sundays:

10:15 am, Room 300. We provide a loving, trusting, and fun community in which youth can engage their faith in relevant ways. After the 9:00 am service, all youth gather in Room 300 for refreshments and some play time. Then they gather for consideration of a topic, and separate into middle and high school groups in Rooms 208 & 209 for deeper, age appropriate conversation. We encourage questions and conversation in a trusting atmosphere, and will intersperse the year with a variety of spiritual practices. Youth are always encouraged to invite friends and to ‘welcome the stranger.’ We also offer retreats and lock-ins during the year.

Youth Confirmation for Grades 9 - 12

Sundays, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, November 17, January 26, February 9, February 16, February 23, March 9, & March 16.

Retreat dates TBD. Our preparation helps youth consider our history and tradition, our sacred stories, prayer and spiritual practices, and theology. We do this in the context of a community of trust and openness, filled with questions and wonder!

Confirmation for Saint John’s Cathedral is at the Easter Vigil on April 19. Please contact Kim McPherson to sign up for confirmation or for more info at kim@sjcathedral.org or 303.577.7729.

Youth Special Events

December 8: Burrito Sunday and Christmas Gift Market. Burrito prep starts at 7:30 am; Christmas Gift Market at 9:00 am.

Volunteer at http://www.doodle.com/2degi77sbtzi4ye8. After the Gift Market we’ll head downtown for a movie. Bring $$!

January 19: Annual Meeting: Children will have fun as our youth give them a ‘taste of Cathedral Camp’ with games, activities, and yummy treats.

February 1: Ski Day. Look for details in the Family Life eNewsletter.

February 28 - March 2: “Looking for What?” Youth Retreat at Cathedral Ridge. Middle and High School Youth are all invited!

What are you looking for? How do you discover what you need? Want? Come to dig for the answers together and to have fun! Again, we’re planning this with Saint Michael’s in Colorado Springs, and we’ll invite others, too, so sign up now at sjcathedral.org/LookingForWhat. $125 per person (scholarships available). Meet at Saint John’s at 5:30 pm on Friday and we’ll return Sunday afternoon at 2:30 pm. Parents, we need drivers!

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.

Yoga for Every Body

Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:45 – 7:00 pm in Room 200. Registered Yoga Teacher Jan Bernstein offers a Wednesday yoga class to the Saint John’s community. Come to stretch, breathe, relieve tension and enjoy relaxation. Children are welcome in the nursery. This class is offered through the Christian Ed Dept.; a donation basket will gratefully receive gifts.

Suggested donation is $5 per session. All are welcome! No class on December 23, 25, January 1, or 20.

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Saturdays, 8:30 - 9:45 am in Room 101. Using the Anusara Yoga universal principles of alignment, Jan will guide you through a restorative asana (yoga poses) and pranayama (breathing) practice followed by a luxurious 10 minute savasana (relaxation), and meditation. The fee for this class is $5 minimum (pay what you can). No class on December 28.

Your Chance to Help!

We need volunteers for a variety of projects. If you can help plan an event, do copying, folding, sorting, answering the phone, or would like to get involved in any way, please call Kim McPherson at 303.577.7729. Thank you!

Advent is here!

Advent is a time when things change, as we get ready to come close to the mystery of Christmas. The color is purple and is rose on the third Sunday. Each Sunday of Advent (December 1, 8, 15, & 22), a child will carry the candle to place on the Advent wreath and light it at the 9:00 am service. Please sign up in Children’s Chapel.

In Advent at the 9:00 am services, children will gather in the Narthex (14th Street entrance to the Cathedral) to join the Procession and witness the lighting of the Advent wreath candle. Then, they will process to Saint Francis Chapel, returning to the Cathedral at the Peace.

Christmas Eve Services: December 24

Services at 1:00, 3:00, & 5:00 pm are especially tailored for families with children. The story unfolds as the children literally bring the story to us, all interspersed with hymns. Some children will carry forward the figures to build the Nativity scene and all children will receive a glittering star to give as their gift to the Christ child. The story is told in child-friendly fashion, sprinkled with glitter and Christmas hymns. An Activities Time for children beginning 45 minutes prior to the 3:00 and 5:00 pm services will be held in Room 103. Children: Bring your baby Jesus from home to be blessed.

Christmas Eve Service Rehearsals

We need children and adult helpers to rehearse and take part!

1:00 pm Service Rehearsal: Monday, December 16 from 6:00 - 7:00 pm 3:00 pm Service Rehearsal: Wednesday, December 18 from 6:00 - 7:00 pm 5:00 pm Service Rehearsal: Thursday, December 19 from 6:00 - 7:00 pm Please sign up at http://www.doodle.com/k2mg8ttfp93sx4xm.

Rehearsal will be in the Cathedral. We also need help with our Activities Room prior to the 3:00 & 5:00 pm services (“Save This Seat” signs will be provided for all who help!) Adults, please sign up at http://www.doodle.com/afzry3zze8hms78z.

Alternatively, you may sign up in your regular Sunday classrooms, both for children to participate and for parents to help, or call Kim at 303.577.7729.

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1350 Washington Street Denver, Colorado 80203 sjcathedral.org

info@sjcathedral.org 303.831.7115