At the annual meeting on Sunday, we saw statistics that indicated there is a direct connection between a healthy, growing parish and the number of families with young children. If you look at our acolyte program, our children’s ministry or our Sunday School program, you will clearly see that we are a healthy, growing parish. To ensure continued growth, we want to remind the parish of all that we offer in the way of children and young Children’s Formation Ministry on Sunday mornings.

Laurie Thakkar and Felicia Bullock have graciously agreed to help coordinate the teams of teachers for the young children – Pre-K through 2^nd grade and elementary-age children – 3^rd grade through 5^th grade. Laurie said recently,

Regarding the younger children, Felicia added, “we are preparing a special Lenten program for the younger children in the Godly Play tradition.”

Please let us know if you feel called to Children’s Formation Ministry or if you need help finding your child’s spot. For those children who are younger than pre-K, we have our beautiful Hakimian Family nursery, well-staffed and ready to care for your children. However, if that is not your preference, little ones are welcome in church to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord!” Our children are an essential part of us as the Body of Christ, and as Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” 

In this Quiet Garden Morning, we will explore the

sacred in relationships. We will notice how God is present in our deepest friendships and in our committed partnerships. Led by the Rev. Dr. Linda Privitera, we will move through the morning in mindful consideration of the challenges and blessings, the realities and longings of uniting with another and how that affects our

spirituality. The morning will conclude with a

contemplative Eucharist. All are welcome to join us.

Dear Cathedral,

Let us pray together for the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. I also want to encourage you to give, in any amount, in response. Episcopal Relief and Development is on the ground over there, and I trust them. Robert Radke spoke here at the Cathedral a few years back, and he is working hard to make every dollar count. Please consider making a donation online, using the link below. Or, if you would prefer to make a general donation to the Cathedral, you can do that here. Please note in the memo line that your donation is to be sent to ERD, we will send it for you.

The disciples asked Jesus to teach them one thing: to pray. He also told them that he was their friend (John 15.15) We will make connections between our desire for intimacy with God and our need for human friendship. We will learn how to use friendship as a model for prayer. Father Eric Kahl will lead this workshop on personal prayer.

We are offering an eight-week class reading, marking and inwardly digesting the book Conversations With Scripture: The Gospel of John by Cynthia Briggs Kittredge. The book is part of a series by Anglican Association of Biblical Scholars Study. The class will be offered in hybrid form, meeting in Busey Conference Room and on Zoom, and it will be led by Joe O’Shields. Please also bring a copy of a Bible of your choice. If you have any questions, please email Owene Courtney at ocourtney@jaxcathedral.org.

The book is available at St. John’s Cathedral Bookstore and Gift Shop and also online through the store’s bookshop site, use the button below to order a copy or contact the bookstore.

Did you know…That a group of people have been meeting since COVID-19 began for Morning Prayer on Zoom at 7 am? Please join us if you are an early riser and would like to start the day with this Daily Office. We use a power point to follow the liturgy and take turns reading if participants would like to. Then we end our time together with an appropriate piece of music. If you have any questions, please email Owene Courtney at ocourtney@jaxcathedral.org. Click the Zoom button below to join.

Under the direction of Julian Bryson, the Jacksonville University Concert Choir will perform pieces from Benjamin Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb. Timothy Tuller will accompany on the organ. The choir is heading to NYC in March to perform this masterwork in St. Patrick's Cathedral.

A reception will follow the concert in Taliaferro Hall.

The Lay Weeder Spring Workday will be on Saturday, February 25, from 8:00 am to 11:00 am, with lunch at 11:00. Lay Weeders will be planting annuals and shrubs, spreading pine straw mulch and doing garden clean-up around the Cathedral. Participants should bring gloves, spades, pruners, rakes, etc. If you are not already on the mailing list, please contact Julia Stark at juliastark@bellsouth.net or 904-563-0349 so we know you are coming and can order a box lunch for you! Help us keep our gardens beautiful for our parishioners and guests!

Please join us February 21 at 6 p.m. for our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter was traditionally a time of fasting and on Shrove Tuesday, Anglo-Saxon Christians went to

confession and were “shriven” (absolved from their sins). A bell would be rung to call people to confession. This came to be called the “Pancake Bell” and is still

rung today.

Taliaferro Hall

Join us on February 22 at 7 a.m. 12 p.m. or 7 p.m. with the Cathedral Choir & Timothy Tuller, Canon for Music. Ash Wednesday is celebrated on Wednesday seven weeks before Easter and the day after Mardi Gras also referred to as Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. This is a Christian observance which represents the first day of Lent and the starting of approximately 6 weeks of fasting and penance.

The Celebration Choir is looking for new members. It is a volunteer choir that rehearses on Thursday evenings from 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. For more information contact Pam Searcy at 356-5507, ext. 106.

If you are interested in joining this wonderful ministry please reach out to Mitzi Bodin at santosdmd@gmail.com. All are invited to join this ministry that feeds so many in more ways than one. 

The Episcopal Parish Network will be hosting a major event March 9-11 at the Hyatt in downtown Jacksonville. Speakers such as Jon Meacham, Bishop Thabo Makgoba of South Africa and our own Mari Huraishi, president of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, will give keynote addresses. There are numerous workshops on church leadership and discipleship.

As the faithful from St. John’s Cathedral, you are welcome to attend. Registration is expensive due to the nature of the speakers recruited to be here, but it is well worth your time and investment. You can view the details of this conference by clicking the information button below. If you have questions about the conference, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Megan Cochran.

We are so grateful for everyone who came out to help paint the crosswalks for the Cathedral District!

Soul Food Fest February 26, 2023, to follow the morning worship. All are asked to participate with a covered dish. "Our tribute to African-American history will be both educational and tasty with a Black History Month meal. Contemporary African-American cuisine, known as soul food, originated from the recipes of the slavery era and adapted as African-Americans’ plights’ changed."