Dean’s Letter: Planning for our Future

Hello St. Paul’s, You may already know that nearly 10% of the operating income of St. Paul’s Cathedral comes from invested funds, rather than from current pledges and gifts. The vast bulk of those funds have come to us through the planned giving of parishioners in past times: they remembered the Cathedral in their estate … READ MORE…

Dean’s Letter: Summer Socials

Hello St. Paul’s, Arriving at the summer season this year merits a great big sigh of relief. We have moved into the new building; we are well on the way to completing the Chancel work; the COVID pandemic, while it continues to be a factor, no longer feels as terrifying as it did two years … READ MORE…

Dean’s Letter: Preaching the Word

Hello St. Paul’s, Last Sunday we welcomed a distinguished guest preacher, the Rev. Dr. Mark Andrew Jefferson. Mark teaches preaching at Virginia Theological Seminary and is known across the world as an outstanding preacher. We were not disappointed on Sunday! He preached two entirely different sermons at 8:00 and 10:30 – you can find recordings … READ MORE…

Dean’s Letter: New Doors

Hello St. Paul’s, After twenty plus years of dreams, plans, and hard work, we have arrived at a Kairos moment to relaunch our identity as the Cathedral for the City, offering new doors to walk through and new opportunities for the community around us to share in our life and benefit from our facility. We … READ MORE…

Dean’s Letter: The Shape of our Liturgy

Hello St Paul’s, Anyone who attends an Episcopal Sunday service more than once or twice knows that we have a certain structure to our worship services. The Book of Common Prayer is a great treasure, not least because it provides this structure, so that clergy don’t have to invent the service from whole cloth each … READ MORE…

Dean’s Letter: Episcopal History

Hello St. Paul’s, The history and identity of our church, the Episcopal Church, is complicated. Like most Christian denominations we are the product of a historic split; our name, Episcopal, is used by several denominations; and as part of the Anglican Communion we are part of a particular ethnic tradition. I want to say a … READ MORE…

Dean’s Letter: Reproductive Choice

Hello St. Paul’s, In light of last week’s leaked draft of a US Supreme Court opinion about Roe vs Wade, a number of people have asked me what the Episcopal Church’s position is on a woman’s right to choose. You may already know that the Episcopal Church tends towards nuanced positions: as the self-appointed guardians … READ MORE…

Dean’s Letter: Mixed Feelings

Hello St. Paul’s, You already know that there’s a lot going on here at the cathedral. We are seeing the completion of the new building, the chancel work is beginning, we have a new outreach and music partnership with Voices of our City, and we are restoring beloved traditions like the St. George’s Day celebration. … READ MORE…

Dean’s Letter: Holy Week Part 2

Hello St. Paul’s, By now we are well into Holy Week, the center of our year and our faith. We have celebrated the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and we have meditated deeply on the mystery of his Passion, as recounted by St. Luke. Now we turn to the Triduum, the three holiest days. … READ MORE…

Dean’s Letter: Holy Week Part 1

Hello St. Paul’s, On Sunday we will enter Holy Week, the center of the church year. The week before Easter is a time when we focus on the tragedy of the Cross and the paradox that this tragedy, the judicial murder of an innocent man, is the greatest gift that we have ever received. While … READ MORE…