Beloved,
You may have heard me use the word "jubilee" in reference to this, our 50th year worshiping in this modern Cathedral. The concept of a Jubilee Year is a biblical one with origins in the instructions found in the Book of Leviticus:
"You shall count off seven Sabbaths of years, seven times seven years; and there shall be to you the days of seven Sabbaths of years, even forty-nine years....You shall make the fiftieth year holy, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants... It shall be a jubilee to you." (Leviticus 25:8-11)
In this Jubilee Year slaves and prisoners would be freed, debts would be forgiven, and the mercies of God would be particularly manifest. There is a lot to talk about here about the development of the Jubilee Year, its older origins and some of the actual practices of that time and the centuries before, but that is for another time!
We do not, as a Cathedral Parish, have the ability to cancel debts or free prisoners (would that we did!) but we can and should make the love of God manifest in particular ways this year of our Jubilee. One very particular way to manifest the love of God is through our volunteer work - whether within the Cathedral or out in the community.
We (your Vestry and I) are asking you to think about your own volunteer service - to church or school or community; on-line, on the phone, or in-person; routinely or once in a while - and to tell us about it so we can celebrate all the ways in which we, who call this Cathedral home, make our love manifest in the world. Stay tuned to this space for more information and, Happy Jubilee!
Beloved, I love you and God adores you.
Greta+
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Cathedral Church of St. Paul News & Events |
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Survey on the Cultural Make-Up of Our Parish |
Every year around this time, every Episcopal Church completes a report for the National Church. In that report are numbers about our finances, our membership, our activities, our worship, and more. This year, the national church is seeking to gain some understanding about the cultural make-up of our congregations. This information has long been sought by the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) and other "minority" groups.
To facilitate getting this information, the Diocese put together a survey using the categories set forth by the National Church (categories which have some problems, but here we are anyway). The Diocese will collect this information on our behalf and then give us the breakdown for the Cathedral Parish.
Some of you (I did) may bristle at being asked this information but, as we say in Sacred Ground, we need to know the truth before we can move for change. I am asking you, as your priest, to please complete this survey by February 10th. Once we have the results I will share them with you in this space.
I thank you for taking the time to do this. This is an important part of moving ever so slowly toward racial healing. The survey only takes a few seconds to complete, so you might as well click on it right now!
Thank you! - Greta
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We hope you have enjoyed the creative use of colorful amaryllis in the Nave over the past month. In fact, we have enjoyed growing them in our homes to bring their strength and beauty to share each Sunday between Epiphany and Lent. Staggering their planting to see us through can be challenging, but to date it looks as if we are on target.
The season of Lent is bare of flowers, allowing time for Easter and spring planning. We will begin that conversation this Sunday, February 5 following the 11 a.m. service. If you’d like to learn more about what we do, who we are, how we plan and deliver Sunday arrangements, or are just interested in learning how to arrange, please join us in the Lake Room (in the office wind). For the next two weeks, Flower Guild members will be sporting tissue paper flower badges to identify themselves and welcome your questions and comments.
Please know that your interest and time is valued whether it’s joining in a regular rotation of creation or helping on parish wide Easter (Holy Saturday morning transformation) and Christmas collaborations. Or maybe you’d like to help prepare a small floral remembrance for our shut-ins at Christmas and Easter. There are many opportunities. Join our conversational meeting on Sunday to learn how your interest and/or talent might contribute to enhancing the beauty and glory of God’s creations as we share them within CCSP.
Maureen Rees, Chairperson, St. Paul's Flower Guild
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In order to achieve great audio for in-person and online worship, it’s important to have someone controlling the sound system who is physically present during worship.
If you’re comfortable using a touch screen device and are willing to take a few minutes to learn the ropes, we’d be grateful. Please know that this task is simple and not overly technical. Those willing to try it out or learn more can reach out to the Cathedral Office at admin@stpaulscathedralvt.org. |
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Recycling Your Wreath Ring |
As in the past couple years, I’ve suggested to those who purchased a wreath from our Project that they remove the greenery, give me back the ring, which we’ll return to NEK Balsam before the next season. To remove the greenery, start at the hanging loop and unwind over a tub. The greens make good mulch or can be composted. Leave the rings on our front porch or bring to the Sunday Vigil. Last year we returned over 30 rings. If you really can’t handle de-greening your wreath, just put it on my porch and I’ll get around to it.
There’s no hurry. Keep your wreaths up until you are ready to relinquish.
Thank you,
Penny Pillsbury 862-3575 25 University Terrace, Burlington.
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Shrove Tuesday Celebrations at St. Paul's |
We will celebrate Shrove Tuesday on Tuesday, February 21. Historically in the Episcopal Church, Shrove Tuesday was a day of indulging in the rich, fatty foods that were traditionally abstained from during Lent. Making pancakes was a way to use up butter, milk, sugar and eggs before the 40-day fast.
Join our celebration with a hymn sing at 5:15 p.m., followed by the burning of the palms at 6:00 and a pancake supper at 6:30 p.m. Joyfully enjoy some pancakes topped with butter and maple syrup along with bacon, sausage, or veggie sausages. There will also be fruit, juice and decaf coffee.
Stay tuned in the eNews for more details in the coming weeks.
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Ash Wednesday is February 22 |
On Ash Wednesday we will receive ashes, smudged on the forehead in the form of a cross - the ashes of those palms that were blessed last Palm Sunday.
Ashes are a primary, irreducible symbol of our mortality. Furthermore, there is a symmetry to this ritual act: Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent; Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week; what grew up and turned green came own, died, and was burned to ash.
There will be two services on this day, at 12:15 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. all are welcome.
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Discussion Group: The Relationship of the Episcopal Church to the Anglican Communion |
On Wednesday, March 1, from 6:30 to 8:00, Deacon Stan Baker will be hosting the first of several online discussions designed to guide us in preparing a resolution on what action we should take related to the relationship of the Episcopal Church to the Anglican Communion. This resolution will be brought to our Diocese of Vermont convention in the fall, and then presented to General Convention of the Episcopal Church in summer of 2024.
Joining us will be guest Katie Sherrod, Director of Communication for the Diocese of North Texas, and one of the documentarians who filmed Voices of Witness Africa, interviewing queer black Africans talking about their plight in countries where homosexuality is illegal. We will start by watching the video, and then engage in discussion with Katie.
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Episcopal 101 Offered During Lent |
Are you new to St. Paul's or feel like you could use a refresher course on our church? Have you ever wondered what it means to be an Episcopalian? Or, how the Episcopal church is organized?
These and many other questions will be answered in an upcoming gathering entitled Episcopal 101. This class, led by Dean Getlein and Archdeacon Baker, is being convened for any adult interested in learning more about our traditions, and if there is interest in adult confirmation or reception, we can continue the class beyond March 19.
We'll gather on three Sundays in Lent: March 5, March 12, March 19 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in person in the Common Room in the office wing.
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Interested in Holy Baptism? |
There are certain worship services that are especially appropriate for Holy Baptism. One of these is the Easter Vigil which we will celebrate on April 8 this year. All ages are welcome to be baptized in the Episcopal Church.
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1971-1972: St. Paul's Cathedral Will Rise Again |
The Cathedral Church of St. Paul had been the center of religious worship for Vermont Episcopalians since its consecration as St. Paul's Church on November 25, 1832. On Monday, February 15, 1971, the church building was destroyed by a spectacular fire, visible more than 10 miles away.
The 12-member vestry of the Cathedral met shortly afterwards in a 2 1/2 hour long session with Bishop Harvey Butterfield and clergy to consider the direction to be taken by the parish going forward, and decided that St. Paul's had been presented with an opportunity to make the Cathedral a more meaningful part of the community and its people. Cathedral Dean Robert Kerr was quoted, "...we will not be tied to the past. We are embarking on a new and wonderful chapter in the life of St. Paul's, we are pioneers in our generation."
In April, the idea of a land swap between an urban renewal developer and St. Paul's was brought forward - in exchange for the Cathedral's land on St. Paul Street, they were offered the property at the corner of Battery and Pearl streets. A Hilton hotel, which was planned for that site, was moved to Cherry and Battery streets, and the old church land would become part of a retail connector to downtown. In June, 1971, parishioners voted to accept the terms of the land swap, and the trade was completed in May of 1972.
Dean Kerr stated, "The new church will represent the old parish and also a parish poised on the edge of the future. The purpose is not to reconstruct the past structurally and programmatically, but to build a new church to meet the needs of a new Vermont."
Video Resources
For some amazing film footage of this time period, click here to watch Rebirth of a Cathedral, an 11-minute film shot and produced by parishioner Nancy Ellis.
For a slideshow depicting the old St. Paul's, the fire, the construction of the new Cathedral, and a brief history of past Deans, click here to watch Before & After the Fire of 1971, a slideshow produced and narrated by parishioner Bill Wheeler. |
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Justice Speaks: Food Justice |
Where does your food come from? Who helps to bring it to the market? Farmworkers in Florida picking vegetables and fruits have experienced violence, sexual assault in the fields, lack of adequate shade and water, and wage theft. So they organized as the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and developed the Fair Food Campaign in 2011, the first worker-driven social responsibility program in the food industry. Several large food companies have signed on to the Fair Food Campaign, a worker-led, market-enforced approach to the protection of human rights in corporate supply chains.
Migrant Justice staff visited Immokalee workers in Florida to learn about their system, then adapted the worker-driven model to the dairy industry in Vermont, creating Milk with Dignity. That program has made real improvements in living and working conditions at participating farms in Vermont.
Hannaford was invited three years ago to join Milk with Dignity, but their CEO has refused to even talk with MJ leaders. Hannaford continues to reap large profits, makes empty claims of concern, and threatened to arrest peaceful marchers in October in South Burlington.
Stay tuned for more ways to act in solidarity with those who labor to provide our food.
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Pledge Envelopes Available |
Pledge envelopes are on the Narthex table and labelled for those who have requested them.
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From Out of Vermont Kitchens: Recipe of the Week
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Surely everyone already has a lasagna recipe; it's delicious, nutritious, and good for at least a couple of meals, which is why we can always use another take on this perennial favorite. This version skips the tomato sauce in favor of extra greens.
Excerpted from the introduction of the 1990 edition of Out of Vermont Kitchens:
St. Paul's Cathedral published our first cookbook, Out of Vermont Kitchens, in 1939. The world and the small corner of it that is Vermont were very much different then, and yet some things stay the same. The values that first book represents - fresh ingredients cooked with pleasure and creativity for family and friends - are with us still today.
Vermont itself is a blend of old and new, a study in contrasts. It is still a rural state with many small family dairy farms and sugarbushes, but in recent years an influx of new residents from "down country" has brought us new life and richness with their interest organic gardening, sheep raising, and the production of a variety of cheeses and homecooked products now sold far beyond our borders. While treasuring our wonderful maple syrup and dairy products, we also welcome the addition of a broadened range of produce, herbs and spices to our shelves.
Vermont is a place of distinct seasons and sometimes harsh climate, but always of outstanding beauty. Much of our life continues to involve church suppers, town fairs, country auctions, and rigorous outdoor activity, along with a penchant for self-reliance and the homegrown. Our more recent neighbors have often settled here because they too love these simper pastimes and values. Those of us fortunate enough to live here wouldn't be any other place.
So come into our kitchens. Sit down and browse awhile through our recipe files and well-thumbed favorites. Then join us around the table to share a dish that, in the universal spirit of kitchen creativity, you have made your own.
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All children ages four to 11 are welcome to join us for Church School downstairs in the Parish Hall at 10:00 a.m.
Thank you to the adults who have volunteered to help out in the classroom! Church school volunteers can have a major impact on the youth in our congregation.
Click here to download the Sunday Paper for the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. |
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Coffee Hour: What are you Signing up for? |
The Welcome Ministry is a small, but mighty group of volunteers who are responsible for set up and clean up of our weekly get-togethers after both 9 and 11 a.m. services. Coffee Hour is a great way to meet and visit with fellow worshipers in an informal setting. We ask parishioners to sign up on Coffee Hour Sign-up Sheet in the Narthex or in the Parish Hall on the beverage table. When you sign up, you are asked to bring a specific finger food item, such as:
o Baked goods (store bought or homemade)
o Fruits and/or veggies
o Crackers and cheese or dip for either the 9 or 11 a.m. service or both
Food contributions can be dropped off in the kitchen before the service.
If you are available for cleanup after Coffee Hour, we welcome your help. DON’T worry if you forget to sign up, just bring a goodie you like and just show up.
We hope you will join us for Coffee Hour after the services (regardless of any contributions!). Please look for the sign-up sheets in the Narthex or in the Parish Hall on the beverage table. We appreciate your contributions.
The Welcome Ministry: Penny Pillsbury, Sue Simmons, Nadine Carpenter, Debbie Altemus, Shannon Williamson, Richie Amerson, Miriam Burns, David Turner, Nancy Snyder, Cecile Woodbury, Brenda and Bill Kirby.
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Join us for our Worship, in person on via our Live Stream on YouTube.
Sunday, February 5, 9:00 a.m. in person, 11 a.m. in person and live streamed.
Other Regular Services
All are welcome to join us for our weekday services:
Morning Prayer, Monday - Friday at 8:30 a.m. on Zoom.
Tuesday - Friday at 8:30 a.m. in person.
Compline, Sundays and Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. on Zoom.
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For Our Prayers This Week |
We pray for blessings and joy for those who celebrate birthdays this week: Katherine Verman, Vieva Grenier, Noma Anderson.
Let us name before God those for whom we offer our prayers: Neil Stout; Colin MacDonald; Clair Viens; Mari Richards; Devin Starlanyl; Karin Davis; Laura Macke; Jay Slobodzian; Thomas McGrade; Ashton Christy; Robert Libbert; Scholar's House; James Booze; Jennifer Jenkins; Michael Fay; Henry Maciejewski; P.J.; John; Lindsey Fay; The Anthony Family in Moscow, Russia; Nancy Bishop; Marie Cole; Kim Martin; Helene; Karen Lewis; Sandy Nicholson; Cole; Nancy Johnson; Ella Baskett; Mary Magot; Jean Erno; Jackie; Lillian Robinson; Emily Harwood; Peter Adams; Elizabeth Webster; Pat Barra; David Glendinning; Debbie Altemus; Vaughn Altemus; Naomi Hodgett; Helen McGrath; and Mary Carter. For all those suffering from COVID-19 in our country or around the world. For those who have died from COVID-19 and for the grief of those who loved them. For Ukraine and those fleeing its borders and for the people of Russia. For all victims of gun violence.
We pray for those who are in the discernment process, our seminarian, Susan McMillan; for Trinity Fellow, The Revd Nitano Muller.
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"May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out."
--J.R.R. Tolkien
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Lessons for February 5: The Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany |
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Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Starting on February 1, 2023, the Joint Urban Ministry Project (JUMP) is auctioning off a number of fun and unique items to bid on to raise money for the organization.
Place Your Bid: Whether you're looking for something unique for yourself, a tasty treat, searching for a gift for a special someone, or looking to add a little adventure to your life, you're sure to find something in our auction. Every bid helps support JUMP and the vital services it provides.
Tell Your Friends: The success of this online auction depends on spreading the word to as many people as possible. We need your help. Please Refer a Friend and encourage them to participate so they don't miss a single moment of the fun and excitement.
Matching Gift: This year, we are excited to announce an eager JUMP supporter has offered a matching gift dollar for dollar challenge, depending on what we raise. Our anonymous challenger shared, “I think JUMP is wonderful organization that does a lot with relatively little.” Equally eager, we invite you to please “Show your love for JUMP” and help us reach this year’s goal of $6000 along with the matching gift dollar for dollar challenge…together we can once again turn a little into a lot.
The auction closes February 10 at 8 p.m. Thank you in advance for "Showing Love for JUMP!"
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Elmwood Community Shelter Opening Soon |
The Elmwood Community Shelter will provide specialized support services to people experiencing homelessness who may have other challenges with accessing traditional shelter options. We will be offering a wide variety of housing and support services to navigate next steps in securing permanent housing. The Shelter will work to break the cycles of chronic homelessness, long-term instability, ongoing substance use, and disconnection from community resources. This will be only possible through intervening within a high tolerance and supportive environment. It is our goal to rebuild trust between guests and the systems in place to serve them.
The Shelter is set to open in early February, and we would like to provide guests with essential items to help ensure a welcoming, comfortable and safe stay.
Please see the Amazon wish list the Champlain Housing Trust has developed and consider contributing!
To learn more about the Elmwood Community Shelter, click here. |
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Submission Deadline for St. Paul's eNews |
This weekly e-newsletter is circulated on Fridays. Please send your submissions to Jennifer Sumner at admin@stpaulscathedralvt.org by noon on Wednesday. Thank you. |
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Contacts:
The Right Rev. Shannon MacVean-Brown, Bishop of Vermont
The Very Rev. Greta Getlein, Dean and Rector
The Ven. J. Stannard Baker, Cathedral Deacon and Diocesan Archdeacon
Mark A. DeW. Howe, Canon Precentor and Director of Music
Jennifer C. Sumner, Office Administrator
Barbara F. Comeau, Financial Administrator
Katie Gonyaw, Children's Formation Coordinator
Grace Jack, A/V and Social Media Coordinator
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