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…
Dear St. Paul’s family, Last Sunday we began a new liturgical year. If you’ve been attending an Episcopal or Roman Catholic church for a few years you’ll be familiar with the annual cycle that starts four Sundays before Christmas. The Advent (from the Latin for “arrival” or “coming”) season gives us an opportunity to prepare … READ MORE…
Dear St. Paul’s family, As we begin the beautiful season of Advent, it’s especially timely to hear about the ministry of our sub-organist and assistant choirmaster, Gabriel Arregui. Gabriel first discovered St. Paul’s some 40 years ago and it has been his spiritual home ever since, regardless of where his musical vocation has taken him. … READ MORE…
Dear St. Paul’s family, In our continuing series about our staff, I want to tell you about David Tremaine, our Director of Formation. He used to be Director of Formation and Outreach, but he has successfully transitioned full leadership of our outreach ministries to volunteers, notably Jen Jow who has taken on oversight of the … READ MORE…
Dear St. Paul’s family, As you know, the Cathedral employs a number of professionals to help us “equip the saints for the work of ministry.” Over the course of the next few weeks I want to share with you a sense of what some of our wonderful staff offer us. To begin, I asked Wayne … READ MORE…
Dear St. Paul’s family, Well, another election day has come and gone, and we are still here, continuing our ministry to one another and to the community around us. Whatever happens in the halls of government, we continue to Love Christ, Serve Others, and Welcome All. It’s been a brutal and even violent political season: … READ MORE…
Dear St. Paul’s family, Next Tuesday the mid-term elections will take place across the nation. Traditionally voter turnout has been low for the mid-terms, and I want to encourage you to cast your vote. It’s one thing that all Americans do together, and goodness knows we need moments of national unity in these divided times. … READ MORE…
Dear St. Paul’s family, St Paul’s has a distinguished history of speaking up for causes important to our community. In the “summer of love” in 2008, same-sex couples from our congregation and all over California were able to join in legal marriage for the first time in our state’s history. When opponents introduced a proposition … READ MORE…
Dear St. Paul’s family, On Sunday October 21 I am leading a conversation about the anatomy of the Eucharistic Prayer. The Eucharistic Prayer, also known as the Great Thanksgiving, is the long prayer which starts after the Peace with “The Lord be with you!” and ends with the Great Amen before the Lord’s Prayer. Regardless … READ MORE…
Dear St. Paul’s family, A couple of weeks ago I took on a small project of writing thank-you notes to the 127 members of our Legacy Society, that is, those people who made it known to us that the Cathedral is included in their estate planning. It didn’t take long to write one note, but … READ MORE…