A Love Letter to the People of St. Paul’s Cathedral
“It takes a village to raise a nun.” … READ MORE…
religious orders
24 Hours in Convocation: A postulant’s story
24 Hours in Convocation with the Companions of St. Luke, a Dispersed Benedictine Community within The Episcopal Church Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ – John 6:29 It is just about 8:15pm. Compline has been sung and the Community processes out of the … READ MORE…
Episcopalians and the Religious Life
470 years ago, give or take a bit, Henry VIII dissolved the vast majority the monasteries, friaries, priories, and convents in England which, seemingly, brought an end to vowed Religious Life in England. One might assume, then, that the Church of England and its daughters such as the Episcopal Church would be missing monks, nuns, … READ MORE…
A Benedictine Retreat
Dear Friends at St. Paul’s, I just came back from a retreat in Healdsburg, CA – a Benedictine Experience! Thought I’d tell a story about it … Visiting my spiritual director last year, I scampered around her bookshelves, peering at titles of tomes. A small, slender volume squeaked from the shelf, its title faded, “Seeking … READ MORE…
That First Day
On July 1, 1958, Gresham Oregon was a small farming community of 5,000 people about twelve miles east of Portland, Oregon. That morning, at age twenty, I became a novice in the Society of St. Paul at our first Mass at St. Luke the Physician Episcopal Church in the town where the founder of our … READ MORE…
The Chapter and Vestry
Recently St. Paul’s People’s Warden, Carol Walsh, gave a report on the work of our Chapter, the governing body of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Ever wondered why our Cathedral board of directors is called a “Chapter” and not a “Vestry”, which is the name given such groups in most Episcopal parishes? In medieval Europe and England … READ MORE…