Beloved,
This Sunday we will gather for worship and for our Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting is not only a time to conduct the business of the Church - electing Vestry members, convention delegates, reviewing the budget - it is also, and perhaps primarily, a time for giving thanks to God and to one another. This year we will not be able to gather in person, and so the giving of thanks will feel different, but will be no less heartfelt!
I want to take this space, today, to give particular thanks to all of you. 2020 was not an easy year, and while that part of the calendar is behind us, the pandemic still rages on and our lives do not yet feel as they once did - what we have come to call "normal". Yet we have developed a certain normalcy in our virtual life together; coming together each morning, on Sundays, and Sunday evenings for times of prayer and conversation. I have come to treasure these gatherings and am so very grateful for all of you who have hung on while we sorted out technology, settled into a rhythm of daily worship, and learned to speak from our hearts through a computer screen, trusting that our hearts are always connected, even when we are physically apart.
2021 is upon us and there is a distant light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. Vaccines have begun, Vermont's rate of infection and death is beginning to decline, again, and winter weather has helped us to stay a bit hunkered down, helping to drive down the infection rate. Thanks be to God.
As we begin to move through 2021, we can allow ourselves to imagine being together, again, in our beloved Cathedral. Yet we also know that there will be a "new normal" to our common life, that the pandemic will make a permanent mark on us, that nothing will ever be exactly as it was. I hope to spend some time with you this spring and summer in small groups exploring how we have changed, what we have learned in our understanding of church, and how that might impact our new life together. We have an opportunity to explore everything about church and our common life, and to ask questions about those things - what did we miss; what didn't we miss; what does that mean?
Beloved, I pray that each of you knows how very precious you are to this community, to me, and, most of all, to God.
In the love of Christ,
Greta+
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Cathedral Church of St. Paul Events |
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St. Paul's Annual Meeting |
This Sunday, January 24, St. Paul's will hold its Annual Meeting as part of our 10:00 a.m. virtual worship service. Included in the proceedings will be service of thanksgiving, an election for official parish positions, a review of the activities of the Cathedral over the past year, and recognition, thanks, and celebrations for the contributions of everyone here at the Cathedral.
Check out our 2020 Annual Report, featuring an agenda for this year's annual meeting, more information about our Vestry nominees, and summaries of our activities over the past year.
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Congratulations Vestry Nominees |
Congratulations and thanks to our Vestry nominees for the class of 2024!
Betsy Beaulieu joined the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in 2014, and has participated in Cathedral life as a lector, a facilitator of the Adult Forum, and a member of the Ministry Discernment Committee. She was trained as a scholar in African American women's literature, and has spent her career working as a faculty member and administrator in higher education. In her free time, she's a passionate home baker and chocoholic.
Buffy Caflisch joined St. Paul's in 2016, having heard great things from her exercise partner Sarah Howe. She is deeply grateful to be part of a church community in which the respect and gratitude of members of the church for each other, their shared faith, continued spiritual searching, and active outreach to support the needs of the broader community are all so central to the church's mission. She was received in 2019, and has participated in the wreath project for the last several years. She also connects with parishioners by participating in the pastoral care outreach team.
Maureen Ramos has been a member of the vestry since 2017, and has generously agreed to sign up for another three years. Maureen grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire, one of 13 children in a large Irish Catholic family. She and her husband relocated to Burlington 27 years ago. Maureen has two children and four grandchildren, two of whom, Tyler and Robert, live with her and her husband. When Robert's piano teacher to Maureen about the choir program here at the Cathedral, she brought Tyler to join the program. Little did she know that she would fall in love with the Cathedral, too! She was received by the Bishop at the Easter Vigil in 2017. Tyler continues to be part of the youth choir, and Maureen has offered her support to the program as a choir parent.
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Third Meeting of Youth Confirmation Group: This Sunday |
Our Cathedral Youth Confirmation Group will be meeting for the third time this Sunday, January 24, from 2:30 to 4:00 by Zoom.
The co-facilitators of this group are Deacon Stan Baker and Rose Bacon.
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Household Goods and Furniture Needed |
Part of our support of Milk with Dignity is supporting the families who work on Vermont’s diary farms. We have received word that a migrant dairy worker family is moving into Burlington. Household good and furniture are needed. The family includes the parents, three children, and one on the way. Household goods can be brought to the Vigil, and Stan will move them to a storage space. Please contact Stan if you have furniture to donate, so he can coordinate delivery. |
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Adult Forum Resumes in February |
The St. Paul's Adult Forum will resume gathering for four Sundays in February as we discuss Angie Thomas' book The Hate U Give.
All are welcome to join in the conversation - copies of the book are still available for pickup at the Cathedral. We will gather online or by phone via Zoom Sunday, February 7, 14, 21, and 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:45. Keep an eye out in next week's eNews for details on how to join!
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Check out the Children's Corner each week for the latest edition of the Sunday Paper, and any other information relevant to young people and families.
We are in the season of Epiphany! Click here to view or download the Sunday Paper for the third Sunday after the Epiphany.
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The Sunday Paper [Junior], to which The Cathedral Church of St. Paul has a paid subscription, is posted here with permission of the author/illustrator, Gretchen Wolff Pritchard. © Gretchen Wolff Pritchard, The Sunday Paper, 19 Colony Road, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, www.the-sunday-paper.com. All rights reserved. This is copyright material and should not be further forwarded or distributed.
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Cathedral Continues Hosting Silent Witness and Prayer Vigil in Response to Racism |
The Cathedral's weekly Silent Witness and Prayerful Vigil continues this Sunday, January 24, at 1:00 p.m., in response to racism in our nation, state, and community.
Please note that in order to comply with the Governor's most recent safety regulations we are asking that participants arrive as close to 1:00 p.m. as possible, to disperse immediately at the end of the vigil, and not to congregate with those from other households.
In the event of really bad weather, we will send out a notification by Facebook (please use your own discretion as the weather gets colder). Be sure to bring a face mask and, if you can, a non-perishable food item - a volunteer will deliver all the donations gathered at the vigil to the Food Shelf. If you have a sign you would like to hold, bring it! This event is open to the community.
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Join Us for Worship: Sunday, January 24 at 10:00 a.m. |
Join us for any or all of our upcoming worship services via Zoom, either online or by phone:
Sunday, January 24 at 10:00 a.m., Service of Thanksgiving and Annual Meeting
To join us online, use the link here. To dial in by phone, call 1-646-558-8656, enter the Meeting ID#: 848 0522 8551
then the Password: 1973
View or download the order of worship here.
Other Regular Services
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For Our Prayers This Week |
We pray for blessings, joy, and peace for those who have birthdays this week: Alice Van Buren.
Let us name before God those for whom we offer our prayers: Dick Donnelly; Rachel Kauppila; Staff and residents of Elderwood in Burlington; Gene Grinnell, John Rouleau; Elizabeth Webster; Danielle O'Hallisey; David, Carol and Samantha Simmons; Pat Barra, Leo Harrigan, Rick Watts, Margot (Lisa Schnell's sister), David Glendinning, Debbie Altemus, Vaughn Altemus, Marion Montross, Naomi Hodgett, Helen McGrath, and Mary Carter. For those impacted by the increase in domestic violence. For all those suffering from COVID-19 in our country or around the world, and especially those from our own faith family who have loved ones at risk or are themselves at risk. For those who have died from COVID-19 and for the grief of those who loved them.
We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died: Richard Lang.
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"So, then, let us pursue the things for making peace and the things that are upbuilding for one another."
--St. Paul the Apostle
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Lessons for January 24, The Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle, Transferred |
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O God, by the preaching of your apostle Paul you have caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world: Grant, we pray, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show ourselves thankful to you by following his holy teaching; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Submission Deadline for St. Paul's eNews |
This weekly e-newsletter is circulated on Fridays. Please have your pieces submitted to Jennifer Sumner at admin@stpaulscathedralvt.org by noon on Wednesday. Thank you. |
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Shaping Beloved Community Here on Earth
Bishop Shannon on the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Bishop Shannon was interviewed by WCAX's Don Amato.
"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is so inspiring as a faith leader because of the ways that he centered the teachings and life of Jesus in shaping a beloved community here on earth," she said. "And this is particularly important right now when Christianity is so often being misused to create division and exclusion or misused to justify violence."
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Bishop Ely to Become Bishop Provisional of North Dakota |
On January 4, Bishop Thomas Ely became the part-time provisional bishop of North Dakota as the diocese seeks a new path.
"I’m a person who tries to be open to the working of the Holy Spirit, even when she confuses me with
unexpected invitations,” said Bishop Tom of his decision to take on this role. “As I prayed about this and talked with members of the interview team, my discernment became clear.”
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Showing Love for JUMP: Online Auction February 1-12 |
The Joint Urban Ministry Project (JUMP) is holding an online auction February 1 - 12.
- View items up for bid (check back frequently as items are being added daily)
- Set up your account so you will be already to start bidding on February 1st
- Donate an item for the auction or become a sponsor
Low-income Vermont households need the help that JUMP can provide with utility payments, transportation, and support to purchase essentials like groceries, toiletries, cleaning supplies.
Join us in this fundraising event and show your love for JUMP. You will be doing your part in responding to the need that is out there by supporting a local organization that assists Vermont households in need
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Everyone Eats Voucher Program Offers Free Meals at Participating Restaurants |
Vermonters affected by COVID-19 can sign up for Everyone Eats voucher program and redeem free meals at participating restaurants across the state. Restaurants are paid to provide the meals, with at least 10% of ingredients made by VT producers. https://everyoneeatsvt.com/
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Contacts:
The Right Rev. Shannon MacVean-Brown, Bishop of Vermont
The Very Rev. Greta Getlein, Dean and Rector
The Rev. J. Stannard Baker, Deacon
Mark A. DeW. Howe, Canon Precentor and Director of Music
Jennifer C. Sumner, Office Administrator
Barbara F. Comeau, Financial Administrator
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