The CATHEDRAL TIMES
The weekly newsletter of the Cathedral of St. Philip · Serving Atlanta and the World · September 1, 2024
STARTING SCHOOL, STARTING WORK, RENEWING COMMUNITY
By the Rev. Dr. The Smith, Priest Associate
One of my favorite poets reminds me how alike we all are. Many of us are young people starting new school terms this time of year. Many of us also start jobs or enter new environments. All in all, we face similar challenges and feel some of the same joys. Considering our shared challenges, how may our youth find more joy in school even as they experience something like the poem, “Childhood?” (Rainer Maria Rilke, trans. M.D. Herter Norton)
The long anxiety and time of school runs on with waiting, with nothing but dull things.
O solitude, o heavy spending of time . . .
Then out: the streets are ringing and asparkle, and in the squares the fountains leaping,
and in the gardens the world becomes so wide.— And to go through it all in one’s small suit, quite differently than others go and used to go—: O wonderful strange time, o spending of time, o solitude . . .
“To go through it all in one’s small suit” always grabs my attention. It reminds me of the ways we can all feel so small when starting something new; so alone, at risk or vulnerable. Hardened vulnerability, I insist, is acquired; not inevitable. In childhood we attempt again and again to survive trauma, to burst through and surmount vulnerabilities. Children naturally persist in trying new things, regularly and joyfully. The world presents so much newness; so many alluring opportunities to encounter exciting novelties. Resilient we are by nature. When newly alive in the world, we venture beyond the times of hurt and disappointment. If allowed resources for healing, enough to safely rage or grieve, we recover from those hurts and resume welcoming the world anew.
Otherwise our accumulated challenges become too weighty as our resources for healing get compromised. Our natural resilience may buckle or snap. We may grow watchful of new things; some of us more shy or wary as we age, some more brittle or rigid. Now self-protective or defended, less eagerly we “through it all in one’s small suit.” With such “heavy spending of time,” days become fraught “with nothing but dull things”— or worse.
But what if? What if we find communities and organizations transformative enough to take account of this social armor we acquire? What if our group’s everyday practices, procedures and policies are skilled for outmaneuvering our assorted defenses? I believe that’s the kind of community we foster here at St. Philip’s and in churches across the land. Here’s a related profile.
To an extent we ourselves are only beginning to appreciate, most people at work, even in high-performing organizations, divert considerable energy every day to a second job that no one has hired them to do: preserving their reputations, putting their best selves forward, and hiding their inadequacies from others and themselves.
We believe this is the single biggest cause of wasted resources in nearly every company today. What would happen if people felt no need to do this second job? What if, instead of hiding their weaknesses, they were comfortable acknowledging and learning from them?
What if companies made this possible by creating a culture in which people could see their mistakes not as vulnerabilities but as prime opportunities for personal growth? For this approach to succeed employees must be willing to reveal their inadequacies at work —not just their business-as-usual, got-itall-together selves—and the organization must create a trustworthy and reliable community to make such exposure safe.
That’s the goal of the book, An Everyone Culture : Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization (Kegan and Lahey, 2016): to ‘recast human and organizational potential’ and ‘transform how we think about work and workplace culture’. How convergent with our goals as a Christ-like people! This fall, each day, let’s reinvest our ‘time, talent, and treasure’ in resources for starting school, work, and church that way. With increased safety to reclaim joy, let’s continue to renew our brand of beloved community.
This SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 1, 2024 · The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 17, Year A Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 • Psalm 15 • James 1:17-27 • Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
8:45 AND 11:15 A.M.: IN-PERSON AND ONLINE
CATHEDRALATL.ORG / THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. PHILIP APP / FACEBOOK / YOUTUBE
7:45 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST, MIKELL CHAPEL
Celebrant and Preacher: The Rev. George Maxwell
8:45 A.M. AND 11:15 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST, CATHEDRAL
Celebrant: The Rev. Salmoon Bashir
Preacher: The Rev. Canon George Maxwell
Cantoris (Cathedral Singers):
Herbert Howells (1892-1983), Jubilate Deo (Collegium Regale)
Craig Phillips (b. 1961), Teach me, my God and King
11:15 A.M. LA SANTA EUCARISTÍA, MIKELL CHAPEL
Officiant and Preacher: The Rev. Deacon Iñaki Guevara Cuence
OUTREACH
LAAMISTAD SNACKS NEEDED
We need snacks for the almost 30 young LaAmistad students who will be coming to the Cathedral four days a week for afterschool tutoring and enrichment activities again this year. It’s so easy to help! Simply bring any of the following to the special table in the atrium Sunday, September 8–Sunday, September 29:
• Bags of small apples
• Bags of clementines
• Bags of baby carrots
• Pretzels
• Small packages of hummus
• Individually packaged cheese and crackers
• String cheese
• Yogurt tubes
• Individually packed gummy fruit snacks
• Individually packaged Rice Krispies treats
• Cookies (no nuts, please)
• Bags of popcorn (the prepopped kind)
• Protein, granola, or cereal bars
Thank you in advance for your generosity! For more information about LaAmistad and how you can get involved, please contact the Rev. Canon Julia Mitchener, julia.mitchener@cathedralATL.org.
PARISH Life
COFFEE AND CONVERSATIONS
Save the date: Saturday, September 21 Come enjoy fellowship, coffee and conversations with members of our LGBTQ+ parish community and allies! All God's Children, the Cathedral's community of LGBTQ+ members, families and friends, exists to welcome all people into the body of Christ, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The Cathedral of St. Philip, the Diocese of Atlanta, and the Episcopal Church are welcoming faith communities, affirming that all people - including our LGBTQ+ parishioners - are made in the image of God. Interested persons, who want to participate with All God's Children, are not required to identify as an LGBTQ+ individual. The only conditional requirement is a loving heart. Stay tuned for more details and a link to RSVP.
SIGN UP TO JOIN A FOYERS GROUP
The Cathedral Foyers offers small group dinner opportunities for adults. Members of each group take turns hosting/providing food for get-togethers throughout the session. This is a great way to get to know a handful of people without feeling overwhelmed. Groups are intentionally intergenerational and eclectic. The Super Foyers dinner – where all groups convene to kick off the fall/winter session – will be Sunday, September 15 at 6 p.m. in Child Hall. To sign up for a Foyers group, please go to cathedralATL.org/foyers by Tuesday, September 3.
PRAYER List
FOR THOSE WHO ARE ILL OR RECOVERING: Steve Baker
LONG TERM PRAYERS: R. Huntley Allen • Lucy Baker • Ann and Frank Blackistone, Jr. • Emma Duke Bleke • Cheryl Bryant • The Bryant Family • Heather Clark • Elizabeth Coil • The Crossley Family • Rita Daly • Jerri Darnell • Terry Dornbush • Darrell and Jill Dyas • Ramon Echols, Jr. • Deborah Ellington • Paul Fekete • Phoebe Forio • Tom Frolik • Ken Griffiths • Jenny Ham • Tory Hartness • Gena Inman • Bobby Johnston • Jane Jones • Norie Kawahara • Randi King • Liza Lanier • Olivia Leon • Ralph Lewis • Robert Lewis • Stewart Long, Jr. • Betsy Loyless • Lisa Krysiak • Jill Mahaffey • Camille Martin • Tommy Mason • Sally Menning • Graham Mulling • Susan Myers • Jim Myrick • Charlie Neal • Lori Hegwood Owens • Marian Palmore • Nancy Qarmout • Buddy and Sue Redd • Rubye Reid • Lorraine Reynolds • Barbara and Joel Rice • Bob Riggins • Agnes Elizabeth Robertson • Lisa Rowe • Kay Sanders • Nancy Sanders • Vernon Skiles • Louis "Skip" Schueddig • Bill and Julie Sutton • Tommy Truesdale • Ginny Wolf •
Jonathan Wright
FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Josephine Rose Adams • Bettina Bass • Ray and Pat Bell • Liza Bentley • Jason Borland • Scott Bouchillon • Jason Brady • Trip Bray • Darnell Brown • Chaz Brownfield • Lila Jo Callaway • Mika Chorey • Anna Clifford • Michael Cohen • Ava Corroon • Eliza Darland • Marty Dunn • Veta Durman • William Erb • Sam Fender • Kyle Garcia • Ann George • Melinda Miller Greenough • Kerry Gresham • Larry Hamilton • Christine Hanson • Carole Ann Harris • Gayle Higley • Keith Hinze • Lisa Hoybach • Sarnia Hayes Hoyt • Jane Hunnicutt • Beth Ingle • William Irwin • Kathy Johnson • Pat Jones • Neal Littlejohn • Pete Livezey • Hilda Lukwago • Carolyn R. Lusk • Lauren Makhlouf • Lisa Reeves Martin • Elaine Metcalf • Marion Hickman Meythaler • William Morris • Sam Muttiah • Rick Nelson • Fred Neuschel • Linus Nickel • Rosemary Palmer • Alfredo Paniagua • Stephen Pararo • Kimbrooke Pavlich • David Raj • Peggy Reese • Terri Robertson • Patrick Romett • Jean Rudolph • Einar Sagstuen • Joe Salas • James Sands • Skip Saunders • Patricia Schooley • Alan Smith • Don Smith • Christopher Smithers • Michael and Kathryn Snider • Esther Rose Spade • Izzy Straus • Brandon Streets • John and Cleary Tanner • Timothy Tew • Pierson Thames • Leopildo Velita • Pat Volpicella • Suzette Walling • Curt Weaver • Jay Whitten • Bob Willoughby • Christie Woodfin • Karen Woodward • Whit A. Wright • Hollis Youngner
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED: Jimmy Morris • Charles "Chris" Taylor
The CATHEDRAL of ST. PHILIP
The Very Rev. Samuel G. Candler, Dean
Dale Adelmann, Ph.D., Canon for Music
The Rev. George M. Maxwell, Jr., Vicar
The Rev. Canon Julia B. Mitchener, Canon for Mission
The Rev. Salmoon Bashir, Curate for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations
The Rev. Deacon Linda Rosengren
The Rev. Deacon Juan Sandoval, Deacon for Hispanic Ministries and Pastoral Care
The Rev. Theophus “Thee” Smith, Ph.D., Priest Associate Geoff DeLong, Senior Warden
Melody Palmore, Junior Warden
CATHEDRAL TIMES SUBMISSION DEADLINES: FOR THE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 ISSUE, THE DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28. FOR THE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 ISSUE, THE DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4.
TO RECEIVE THE TIMES BY EMAIL: CONTACT LIZ AULL, LAULL@CATHEDRALATL.ORG.
TO SUBMIT AN ANNOUNCEMENT REQUEST: CONTACT SARA CRAIG-GOODELL, SCRAIGGOODELL@CATHEDRALATL.ORG.
404-365-1000 | cathedral ATL .org
pastoral care emergency line: 404-365-1003
Please note: adult, youth and children's Sunday school classes resume next Sunday, September 8. After The Chosen begins Wednesday, September 4, at 5 p.m. in the Gould Room. Please visit cathedralATL.org/education for more information.
THANK YOU, KATE!
We give thanks for the ministry of Kate Zappa as our summer intern! She helped staff and parishioners with a variety of administrative and outreach initiatives. Read her reflections on her internship below:
How could the Cathedral use artificial intelligence? David Rocchio tasked me with answering this very topical question early into my internship this summer. As a young MIT student, I would surely be the one to know. Yet, unsurprisingly, it turned out to be a dead-end. Originally, my sights were set on an engineering industry internship to bolster my resume after my first year of college. But, as my job prospects became slimmer and it began to look like I’d be spending the summer on the couch, an opportunity arose to work at the Cathedral.
While I wouldn’t have imagined spending three months here, I’ve been around the Cathedral for most of my life. This is not a testament to my personal spirituality but a testament to my mom, Cathy Zappa. Of course, I joined the staff at a weird time. She announced her leaving only two weeks after I started. Since, I’ve been able to witness her impact on this community and her own emotional reaction to leaving in a way I wouldn’t have at home.
The staff, both long-standing and new, have been exceedingly welcoming and kind. The clergy, who I’ve grown up thinking about as a parent’s coworkers more so than priests, have been consistently thoughtful and encouraging. It’s a unique work atmosphere of friendship, laughter, support, and care.
They do incredible work behind the scenes of every event, publication, and service. I was impressed by their attention to detail and goodwill across the board, and the communication and patience they practice every day (especially with middle school kids).
Working at a church has been an eclectic and unexpected internship filled with a myriad of great people and office skills. Now, I’m taking this experience with me as I return to MIT and my family leaves the Cathedral.
—Kate Zappa
POSTMASTER: Dated Material. Please deliver by August 31, 2024
POSTMASTER
Send address changes to:
The Cathedral of St. Philip 2744 Peachtree Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2920
404-365-1000
CATHEDRAL TIMES
(USPS-093440) is published weekly by
The Cathedral of St. Philip 2744 Peachtree Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2920
Periodicals Postage Paid at Atlanta, GA
GOING THERE: CONTEMPLATING DEATH TO INVIGORATE LIFE
Join Cathedral member and Conscious Dying Coach, Susan Patterson, in this small group course beginning Monday, September 16.
Over the course of six two-hour sessions, the group will focus on five contemplation topics, participate in grounding exercises, and share personal insights in order to increase our comfort level with dying and death; increase our ability to envision the experiences and connections that bring deep meaning to our lives, and, create action steps to share our thoughts, wishes and plans with others.
A fee of $150 covers all materials and Susan’s leadership. Please direct questions to Canon George Maxwell, gmaxwell@cathedralATL.org. Please register at cathedralATL.org/goingthere.