Dear Cathedral Family and Friends,
Under “normal” circumstances, this Sunday would be our 15th annual Cathedral Celebration. We would give thanks for the ministry entrusted to us by our diocese for the last fifteen years, and we would celebrate that ministry through the presence of our bishop, who would baptize, confirm and receive people into the Church. Then we would enjoy a meal and fellowship together, ideally outside in our courtyard.
Obviously, this year we won’t be able to do all of those things this Sunday, but we will do a couple of them. Bishop Russell will be at Christ Church Cathedral this Sunday to preach and celebrate, although he will be baptizing, confirming and receiving at a later date. (It’s hard to do those things “virtually”!) We will still give thanks in our prayers for the cathedral ministry we enjoy, although we won’t be celebrating together after the service. We will be together, just not in the same place.
As we continue to discover our way forward into our new life together while apart, Bishop Russell’s presence with us is an important reminder that we are part of a much larger Body of Christ in the Church. We know that we love each other in our parish family and that we care for each other. Days like this Sunday remind us that we are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses,” whose prayers and hopes and witness strengthen us. We serve God and our neighbor on a much larger stage than the one we usually imagine.
I hope that you are continuing to be nourished by the Word every day and that you are finding peace and hope in a regular time of prayer. I miss being with you, and I continue to pray for the day we will be together again, in the same place.
Faithfully,
Beverly+