The life of faith is a lifelong journey of learning and growth in discipleship. This year, give yourself the gift of time to pray, study, and reflect with fellow parishioners, through our formation offerings.
The Sunday Forum
We are changing things up a little this year on Sunday mornings, offering short series with breaks in between, rather than scheduling a different class for every Sunday. Please check the weekly e-news for details and changes. In-person classes will usually take place in the Guild Room.
Forums in January : The Business of the Church
- January 11 at 9 am – Meet the Candidates: Nominees for Chapter and for Lay Delegate to Convention will be introduced, in preparation for the elections on January 25. (Watch for the video of this forum to be available on our YouTube channel.)
- January 18 at 9 am The 2026 Operating Budget. Chapter voted on the operating budget at its January meeting. Financial Controller Erin Sacco Pineda will talk us through the ins and outs.
- January 25 at noon The Cathedral’s Annual Meeting with a festive lunch, elections, reports, and awarding of the Robinson Cross.
- There will be no 9 am forum on January 25 or February 1 or 8.
February 15 – March 22: Seeking the Sacred in Our Day to Day World led by the Rev. Canon Allisyn Thomas
The season of Lent calls upon us to enter into a period of self-examination in which we face, hopefully with honesty and compassion, the nature of our relationship with God and the sacred within our midst. What gives us life? What distracts us? What are we missing as we go about our busy lives, often on autopilot? During this Lenten forum series, utilizing the wisdom found in An Altar in the World, A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor, as well as the wisdom of those present, the Rev. Canon Allisyn Thomas will help guide our exploration to help us understand “no physical act is too earthbound or too humble to become a path to the divine.” While it is not necessary to have a copy of the book, it will help deepen the exploration.
Inquirers’ Class; What is an Episcopalian?
If you are new to the Episcopal Church or would like a refresher, join the cathedral clergy for our Lent series of classes about what it means to be a member of our branch of the Jesus Movement. Classes will be in person from 7:00 to 8:00 pm on Tuesday evenings February 24-March 24. This class will prepare you to come before Bishop Susan for confirmation, or reception into the Episcopal Church, or reaffirmation of your baptism, at the Great Vigil of Easter on April 4. The class will be video-based, so there is no printed text to purchase.
Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape by Lauret E. Savoy.
Through personal journeys and historical inquiry, this PEN Literary Award finalist explores how America’s still unfolding history and ideas of “race” have marked its people and the land. In distinctive and illuminating prose that is attentive to the rhythms of language and landscapes, she weaves together human stories of migration, silence, and displacement, as epic as the continent they survey, with uplifted mountains, braided streams, and eroded canyons. Gifted with this manifold vision, and graced by a scientific and lyrical diligence, she delves through fragmented histories―natural, personal, cultural―to find shadowy outlines of other stories of place in America.
Moderators from across the diocese will lead discussions via Zoom on Thursday nights from 6:30 to 8 pm, February 26-March 26. Sign up here for more information and the Zoom link.
Fingerprints of God – What Science is Learning about the Brain and Spiritual Experience by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
In Fingerprints of God, award-winning journalist Barbara Bradley Hagerty delves into the exciting discoveries science is making in how faith and spirituality affect us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. She probes the work of some of the world’s top scientists, to describe what their groundbreaking research reveals, about spiritual practice and experience. Hagerty, a Christian, offers a provocative challenge to anyone who has ever wondered where faith comes from, and what it can do for, with, and in us. She describes how our religious experiences of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit leave markers [metaphorical Fingerprints of God] that give evidence that we have been transformed – body and soul!
The Rev. Carol Worthing will lead this Lenten book study via Zoom, on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, February 25-March 25. Please email her at carol.worthing@gmail.com to sign up and receive the Zoom link.
Pre-Lenten Quiet Day
Saturday, February 14 from 9:30- 3:30 pm in the Guild Room. Led by the Rev. Robert Bryant.
You are invited to take some time apart to journey from Transfiguration to Resurrection through the experience of Broadway, Hollywood, and Pop. Gathering on St. Valentine’s Day, we’ll contemplate how “Love Changes Everything”; then we’ll set our eyes on the Lenten way of the cross, and “Coming To The Tree”. Finally, we’ll remember that we are all called to Easter joy, and to “Rise Up”.
Three spoken meditations (with music) will set the framework for the day. Each of us will have time between the meditations to pray, read, walk the labyrinth, stroll in Balboa Park, journal, or do whatever settles you down into God’s presence.
Bring a bag lunch; beverages will be provided.
Depolarizing Within Workshop
Saturday February 21, from 9 am to noon in the Guild Room. Led by members of the Braver Angels organization.
“For people of faith, civil discourse begins in recognizing the image of God in our conversation partner. Since we are all children of God, our approach should involve mutual respect. Respect, not agreement, is an essential key for a healthy discussion. This workshop addresses how we may inadvertently be complicit in, or possibly even encourage, polarization. This workshop is free and open to all, but pre-registration is required.
Future Plans
Watch the e-news for information about a movie series in Easter season and short series led by the clergy and academicians of our community, as well as forums focusing on the dean transition process.
