The Season of Creation 2023

A Discussion of Climate Migration

Climate-driven migration is an accelerating global issue, with over 200 million individuals expected to be displaced by 2050 due to climate crises. Currently we are seeing climate migrants in southern Maine escaping the fires of California and the heat of the south. However the majority of African immigrants have come seeking political asylum. Studies in the US have shown that people who need to relocate after a natural disaster move five to eight miles on average.

And currently net migration is into the riskier area than out of them, most likely due to lower costs. It is the wealthier people who can afford to move further away. Up to 2.5 million people could leave Africa’s coastal areas due to sea level rise and other stressors. In the Horn of Africa, climate impacts could force up to 9% of the population – as many as 49 million people – to move in the decades ahead.

 However the vast majority of those will relocate within their country of origin. In the US it may be policy, not weather, that eventually spurs mass climate migration, for example inability to get property insurance. And in Africa and the Middle East, climate-related changes such as droughts can and will cause political instability, which does lead to cross-border migration. In the US eventually large parts of the southwest will no longer have enough water to support the current population, so Maine with its plentiful supply of water and livable temperatures may see increased migration. 

Millions of people living in coastal communities across the country will be displaced and have to move inland. Commercial Street and parts of Bayside in Portland will be underwater by 2100 so Portland will have its own climate exodus. A 2020 scientific study predicts that by 2100, Aroostook, Franklin, Oxford, Piscataquis and Somerset counties will receive climate migrants from counties along the coast. What is certain is that we are facing increasing climate uncertainty, and it is imperative that we prepare for it while at the same time taking whatever measures we can to minimize global temperature rise.

Save the Date:

Season of Creation events



Save the date: Season of Creation events



• Community Harvest Supper Thursday Sept. 21, 5-7PM

(N.B., this is a corrected date and time) (see announcement below)

• Presentation by Curtis Bohlen, Director, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership on the Casco Bay Watershed Sunday Sept. 24, 11:45AM 

• Book discussion group facilitated by St. Alban’s, Cape Elizabeth, September 11-October 30

To learn about additional resources for the Season of Creation visit here

PPEAT To Host Conversation with

Curtis Bohlen on September 24th

The Public Policy and Environmental Action Team is hosting a presentation and discussion with Curtis Bohlen Sunday, September 24 in the Upper Hall following coffee hour at 11:45 AM. All are welcome.

Curtis Bohlen, Director of the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership (CBEP), is an aquatic and wetland biologist with a background in ecology, economics, and public policy. CBEP builds collaborative partnerships with agencies, organizations, and individuals to seek solutions to environmental challenges and improve management of Casco Bay. In recent years, the organization has expanded efforts to help communities prepare for climate change and a changing coastal ocean.

Casco Bay lies at the heart of Maine's most populous region. The Bay (and our other waters ) shape our communities, offer meaning and create memories for residents and visitors alike. Casco Bay has so far proven resilient, in part because of our still largely forested landscape, the Bay's strong tides, and community commitment to, and investments in clean water. But climate change and sea level rise already affect the Bay's ecosystems and pose new challenges for coastal (and inland) communities. In response, CBEP is working to expand the circle of people with whom we work and connect our traditional water quality and habitat work with community needs.

First Community Supper of the Year

The Public Policy and Environmental Action Team is hosting the first Community Supper of the year on Thursday Sept. 21 from 5-7 PM on the theme of sustainable eating.

Please call Sarah Braik at 207-415-6556 or use this form: https://tinyurl.com/mr2f7pw2 to RSVP by Sept. 17 so we know how much food to prepare.

Please also indicate dietary preferences and if you can volunteer to help with cooking, set up/clean up and or bring side dishes/dessert (apple crisp).

We will have vegan and gluten free lasagna and apple crisp.

During dessert we will show a brief video about Good News Gardens and have a conversation about it. As there is no budget for Community Suppers, you will be asked for $5 at the door to cover our costs,  We look forward to seeing you!

Minutes from the Lesser Chapter

To read the most recent minutes of the Lesser Chapter meeting held on September 6th, please click here.

To view all past minutes of the Lesser Chapter and Finance Committee meetings, please visit the Vestry Page of our website here.

Preparing for Inclement Weather

Dear Cathedral community,

with Hurricane Lee predicted to make landfall in Maine, we recognize that this may cause anxiety and difficulty for those traveling to the cathedral for Sunday services. Please use your best discretion and prioritize your safety. Our online service streaming options are always available to you in order to attend remotely.

Coffee Hour

For the time being, Liz Griffin and Gail Kesich are managing the Coffee Hour schedule. If you have any questions or would like to sign up to host, please contact Gail Kesich  or Liz Griffin.

St. Luke's New Hearing Assistance Devices

St. Luke’s has 10 new headsets for those who need hearing assistance and most people who use them find them very helpful. Each week, five will be out on benches in the nave near our two entrances. The headsets will already be turned on and the volume turned up to about 70%. The only adjustment that may be necessary is for volume which can be raised and lowered using two silver buttons on the front of the unit. After using the devices, please return them to one of the benches near the exits.

If you need assistance, please ask one of the ushers. For additional information, please ask Senior Warden Sam Allen.

St Elizabeth’s Essentials Drive in September

St E’s serves 280+ neighbors Tuesday mornings from 8:30 to 11 am. Essential items include toilet paper, bars of soap, feminine products, etc. Diapers, tooth paste, blankets, towels and sheets, and pots, pans and cookware are provided monthly.  

We are having an Essentials Drive throughout September to help with rising costs and an increasing number of neighbors being served. You can participate by contributing bars of soap, rolls of toilet paper, packages of diapers, donating cash or by writing a check payable to "St. Elizabeth's Jubilee Center".

All essential items will be blessed during the service on September 24th and then delivered to St Elizabeth’s. Any contribution that you can make is very much appreciated.

St. Luke's Food Pantry in Need of Contributions

The Food Pantry welcomes your contributions of oil, flour, and dried beans!

These continue to be the most wanted items and and the most difficult for us to keep in stock.

Donations can be dropped off at any service or at the Cathedral's rear entrance. Thank you! Both neighbors and volunteers are grateful for your support!

With any questions please contact Mary Brighthaupt.

St. Luke's Zoom Book Group

Saint Luke’s Monday Zoom Book Group will resume on Monday, September 18 by reading Why Religion Matters by Huston Smith, the author of the classic bestseller The World’s Religions.

In it he delivers a passionate, timely message: the human spirit is being suffocated by the dominant materialistic worldview of our times. Smith champions a society in which religion is once again treasured and authentically practiced as the vital source of human wisdom. The group meets first and third Mondays from 6-7. You can attend by following this link.

For the first meeting we’ll read the the introduction, preface and Chapter 1. For more information, contact Linda Carleton.

Volunteers Needed for This Year's Holiday Fair

Although it is only August, the preparation for the St. Luke’s Holiday Fair has begun! We are pleased to announce that the date of this year’s holiday fair will be Saturday, November 11th in the Cathedral Nave.



If you are interested in volunteering for this year’s fair please contact the parish office.

Help the Cathedral With Recycling

With the Season of Creation upon us we are looking for easy ways to help reduce waste and be better stewards of the earth. As Portland does not pick-up recycling for businesses we are looking for volunteers to take home the paper we gather in blue bins and add them to parishioner's recycling bins at their homes (We do however recycle cardboard and compost both of which have been a very successful campaigns). If you would like to help please contact Sarah Braik or Tim Wilkins. Thanks for your help.

The Healing Team

The Healing Team Schedule for Sundays in September

September 17, 2023   Mary Strnad, Sara Schmalz

September 24, 2023   Elise Magnuson, Peter Carleton

October 1, 2023      Gail Kesich, Oscar Mokeme

Healing Team members offer prayers until the end of the Postlude for anyone including service leaders, Choir members, Altar Guild et al. If you have any questions, please contact Judd Hume at either (207) 773 - 5611 or by email.

What to Expect from the Healing Team: If you’ve never come to the chapel for prayers from the Healing Team maybe you are wondering, what does that mean, exactly? Why do people go? What will happen?

People come for prayers for many reasons. For themselves, or for others. For help with something painful or difficult, such as illness, sadness, loss, or death. Or, to offer thanks or gratitude. 

When you come into the chapel you will find two members of our team. We will ask your name (if we don’t know you), and what brings you in. We will ask if it’s all right to lay on our hands during prayer and to anoint you with oil. With our hands on your shoulders (if okay), we will then say a few words, asking God to be with us as we pray, and then (if okay) anoint you with oil. 

Please know that our intention is to “hold the space” while you are with us. Afterward, we will not discuss with you what brought you in for prayer. We will not discuss you with anyone else in the congregation. We will not discuss you among ourselves, though we often continue to keep you in our own, individual prayers. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to speak to any of us on the Healing Team:

Betsey Deleuse, Elise Magnuson, Gail Kesich, Judd Hume, Mary Strnad, Oscar Mokeme, Peter Carleton, Ruth Roemer, Sara Schmalz.

Choral Library in Need of Shelving

We are reorganizing the Cathedral Choral library, and are looking for a few sturdy bookcases, preferably 5-6 shelves high, 30-36” wide.

If you could, please send Christian (Canon for Liturgy & Music) dimensions and/or a photo via email. Thank you!

“The September 24 discussion with Linda Carleton about her book ALL GOD, IF GOD THERE BE has been cancelled due to a schedule conflict.”

Access Your Realm Profile

The Cathedral’s new online database, Realm, is a useful tool for parishioners to manage their contact and pledging information.

Realm helps our community by improving our record keeping in a more streamlined fashion. 

When joining Realm you can sign-up to be a part of the online directory in the database.

To activate your Realm profile please contact our financial administrator Nina Andersen.

Nina will assist you with the few steps necessary to access your profile.

We look forward to sharing this exciting new technology with you!

Donate to the Dean's Discretionary Fund

With the arrival of The Rev. George Stevens, our St. Luke's financial team invites you to make a donation to the Dean's discretionary fund if you are able.

This will ensure that the Rev. Stevens has access to a sufficient amount of funds for neighbors needing assistance.

Donations are able to be made online on Realm and by selecting (The Dean's Discretionary Fund) on the drop-down menu or by mail to P.O. Box 4141, Portland, ME 04101.

Thank you!

Availability of the St. Luke’s Community Kitchen

We are completing a 2023-2024 school year calendar (Sept. - June) for the Community Kitchen and Lower Hall. These two calendars when completed will be posted downstairs on the door to the Lower Hall, and the door to the Community Kitchen.

Any St. Luke's parishioner or ministry interested in scheduling time in the Community Kitchen, or the Community Kitchen and Lower Hall should contact Dawn Brennan-Daly.

Dawn will contact you to schedule a brief meeting and training, and place your event, date and time (recurring or one-time) on the Community Kitchen and Lower Hall Google Calendars (part of the cathedral Google calendar.) Scheduling is based on availability.

St. Luke's Welcomes the Southern Maine New Horizons Band 

The Southern Maine New Horizons Band is a Portland based concert band founded by our Finance Administrator, Nina Andersen, in 2017. They welcome musicians at all levels that are interested in playing music together in an educational and supportive setting.  

Their mission is to provide an entry point to instrumental music making for adults with no musical experience at all or who have been inactive for a long period and want a fun and supportive place to start over again. Our motto is - "It's Never Too Late!" and "Your Best is Good Enough!"

The band has been rehearsing at St Ansgar's Lutheran Church for the past 5 years until this spring when that congregation closed its doors. They are very happy to be able to use the Lower Hall at St Luke's for its weekly rehearsals and thank everyone involved for making this possible.

Members of St Luke's are invited to join the group if they are interested. A discount on the membership fee is available to St Luke members.  

You can visit their website to find out more about them Southern Maine New Horizons Band Website

Email Nina Andersen or call 207-415-0880 if you want more information.

The band meets every Wednesday afternoon starting September 6th. Beginner group is 3:15 to 4 pm and the Full Concert Band is 4:15 to 5:45 pm.

New members can join at any time.

Join the Young and The Restless

We are St. Luke’s 20s-30s-year-old ministry. We are an active group at the cathedral which also gets together outside of the church.

 Join us as we go hiking, ice skating, play trivia, or just enjoy each other’s company! If you are new to us, welcome! We meet the second Tuesday of each month at Rising Tide, 6-8 PM in Portland. Other events happen sporadically throughout the month, however second Tuesdays at Rising Tide is a great place to meet us if you’re joining us for the first time. Contact Shana Rose to stay up to date with group activities and information.

Clynk Bags Available in the Nave and around the Cathedral

Contact: Tim Wilkins

 St. Luke’s participation in the Clynk Initiative Program helps to support our Flower Guild.



Additional bags have been made available at both entrances of Nave with barcodes that correspond to the Cathedral’s account.

Anyone is welcome to take a bag and are encouraged to bring it to a local redemption center or grocery store that accepts Clynk. Thank you for your support!

Join Luke's Garden

LGBTQIA+ Group

Luke's Garden is the cathedral's LGBTQIA+ group which meets every 2nd Sunday of the month following coffee hour.

All are welcome!

For additional information contact Orion Williams

The Kneeler Guild and

Prayer Shawl Knitters

Tuesday

2:30PM

The Upper Hall.

For additional information contact Jeri Edgar 207-303-8447 or Nancy MaWhinney 207-775-7500

Everyone is welcome, whether you are curious or want to begin. Kneeler kits cost $75, which include directions, yarn, needles & canvas. Novices are welcome; we will teach you as needed. Prayer Shawls: 20” x 60”; select your yarn & needles. Coffee & Tea available.

Weekly Ministries

• St. Elizabeth's Jubilee Center is offered every Tuesday from 8:30 am to 11 am.

• The Food Pantry is open from 8 am to 11 am every Thursday.
• The Tuesday 12:10 Eucharist is offered every week in Emmanuel Chapel in-person and on Zoom.
• Noon prayer is offered every Wednesday via Zoom.
• Compline is offered weekly on Friday from 8-8:30pm on Zoom. For additional details contact Ray Murdoch Curry