Dean Letter: Budget Gap

Dear St. Paul’s family, As we approach our annual meeting and 2019 gets underway, I want to share with you one of the perennial dilemmas that the Chapter faces in our efforts to find the funding for our ministries. As you have probably heard or read, we are celebrating a successful pledge campaign, having reached … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: WATER, SPIRIT, POWER: 3 WORDS IN BAPTISM

A visiting preacher was was testing the acoustics of the cathedral. He fidgeted on the microphone, tapped it a little bit murmured, “There’s something wrong with this microphone.” And the people replied, “And also with you.” Today is the 1st Sunday of the Epiphany and we are celebrating the Baptism of Jesus. There are three … READ MORE…

Dean Letter: Sesquicentennial Update

Dear St. Paul’s Family, As you know, on December 18, 2019 this congregation will complete 150 years of ministry in San Diego. Our sesquicentennial year started last month on Dec 16th with a sumptuous reception in the Great Hall entitled “A Victorian San Diego 1869 Christmas”, following a special organ concert and Evensong. The event attracted … READ MORE…

Dean Letter: Maya and Our Youth Program

Dear St. Paul’s Family, From the Dean: One of our beloved staff members here is Maya Little-Saña. Maya first came to the cathedral when she was in high school and quickly blossomed into a theologian with wisdom beyond her years. Now in her second year at college, Maya serves as our extremely part-time (10 hours … READ MORE…

The Christmas Sermon: the seed of joy

A very Merry Christmas to you all! What does that mean to you? Merry isn’t just a full belly, a bottomless glass, and a few ‘ho, ho, hos.’ Merry comes from Germanic roots that mean ‘short,’ and in Old English it meant pleasant or sweet. Merry is how time flies when you’re having fun – … READ MORE…

The Christmas Eve Sermon: Light, Love, Life

Alleluia. Unto us a child is born. Come let us adore him. Alleluia. Tonight the glory of the Lord shines brightly. We gather with the angels and the shepherds to kneel before the manger, worshipping the child who is God incarnate, love personified, Emmanuel. The light blazes out from the stable, defying the darkness, warming … READ MORE…

Dean Letter: New things for a new year

Dear St. Paul’s family,   We stand on the brink of a new year, and there are some wonderful new things starting to bubble up in our corporate life. I see two main categories of new initiatives: small-group based ministries and the digital mission field. In the small group area, here’s what’s happening:   A … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Rejoice, Anyway

Today, the third Sunday of Advent, is known as “Gaudete” Sunday. That means “Rejoice”. For those who treat Advent as a penitential season of fasting, today is the mid-point when you can take a break, have that glass of wine or piece of chocolate. It’s a companion to the fourth Sunday in Lent, and both … READ MORE…

Dean Letter: Peace and Justice

Dear St. Paul’s family, When I go shopping for Christmas cards, I notice that a lot of beautiful cards carry the message “Peace on Earth”. This speaks to the core of our faith. The angels sang of peace on earth when they brought the good news to the shepherds, and we acclaim Jesus as Prince … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Waiting for the voice

One of the things that has been in my Advent reflections this week is the difficulty I have, maybe we all have, with trust. In our post-modern world, we do not trust news sources without evaluating their bias and point of view. We certainly don’t trust Facebook. I participated in an online conversation yesterday in … READ MORE…