Dear Cathedral Family and Friends,
In my message to you last Friday, I mentioned that we might soon share the reality of our fellow Episcopal dioceses that have suspended corporate worship in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That time has now come. Our bishop explains this decision and outlines our priorities and way forward in his message below. You will also find below the most recent communication from Presiding Bishop Curry. Until such time as it is safe for us to gather in person here at Christ Church Cathedral, we will be carrying out our mission as the Body of Christ from our various places out in the world. But that does not mean we will stop praying and worshiping and being disciples following the Way of Jesus together.
We plan to live-stream Morning Prayer from the Cathedral on Sunday mornings at our regular worship time of 10:00 a.m. Christopher Powell will be on the bench to provide beautiful music for our worship, and we will sing hymns. I will lead Morning Prayer and offer a sermon. A lay reader will be present to read lessons and Cathedral Prayers.
We will be sending out a bulletin to you all electronically on Thursday, as we usually do. It will be accompanied by a link to our worship service so that you may participate from home if you wish. Please share this information with anyone you know who might like to worship with us. If you are able to help someone who is technologically challenged access the service, please do so. We will also make the service available afterwards on YouTube.
In the weeks ahead, the Cathedral staff and lay leaders will be working to find ways to provide on-line access to formational materials for all ages. We will also be working to find new and creative ways to care for each other and our neighbors. I will be in contact with you on a regular basis to keep us all abreast of developments in our life together.
While all in-person meetings will be suspended, we will be utilizing forms of remote meetings such as Zoom to facilitate the work of our Vestry, Finance Committee, and other groups working to support our life together.
The early Church, observed with great devotion, Lent as a season of penitence and fasting in preparation for our Lord's resurrection. Our refraining from making and receiving Eucharist together during this time of special care will heighten our appreciation of Easter, whenever that may come to us. Still, we pray and worship, together in spirit while not in body, until such time a we may celebrate our Lord's feast together.
Together with lay leadership, I will be exploring new and creative ways to deepen our life of prayer and reflection on scripture. We will find new ways to deepen our experience and understanding of Holy Week and Easter, as well.
In my message last week and in last Sunday's sermon, I reflected on Jesus as the still center of peace and calm in the midst of storms within and without. He is the living water that flows within each of us, filling us with his grace ad peace. My prayer for our Cathedral Family—and for the whole church and our world—is that this present time of challenge and uncertainty may lead us to new and life-giving ways of being the Beloved Community.
Please know that in this time of physical separation, I am holding all of the Cathedral Family close in prayer and working to keep you, as Christ's people, nourished from the riches of his grace. We will stay close in touch, and we will emerge from this time strengthened for the work God has for us to do.
Faithfully,
Beverly+