Christ Church Cathedral An Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas
The kindled fire
Several weeks ago I was privileged to spend part of a Saturday morning with the Cathedral’s adult lay worship servers at their annual training session. My remarks to the group centered on the ways in which Celtic spirituality (one of my passions) pertains to our Anglican form of worThe Very Rev. ship. Barkley As I prepared my talk, Thompson I re-read many of the stories of the Irish saints. Of all those colorful tales, my favorite is the very first one about St. Patrick: When Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary bishop in the mid-400s after having fled years before as a runaway slave, his first stop was to a hill within view of Tara, the home of the Irish high king. There, on the eve of Easter, Patrick lit the Easter Vigil fire. The pagan Irish king saw the fire from Tara and called his druid priest to him, inquiring what it was. “Oh king, may you live forever,” the druid replied, “This fire will never be put out unless it is put out this very night. He who has kindled it will overpower us and you. It will spread over the whole country and will reign forever and ever!” And so it did. Beginning with Patrick, a long line of holy men and women evangelized Ireland with a form of Christianity that was equally potent and gracious. Rather than antagonize the locals, Celtic Christianity embraced and incorporated those spiritual beliefs and practices already present in Ireland that were good and true. Rather than declaring men and women unequal, Celtic Christianity uplifted both on their spiritual merits, granting holy (and female) St. Brigid the authority of a bishop. (The Pope in Rome was obviously unaware!) Rather than wall itself away from the
Fire, back cover
June 2013 christchurchcathedral.org
Gifts of love, made by hand
Of all the ministries at the Cathedral, few can claim to be as comforting in the most literal sense as the Prayer Shawl Ministry. Knitters at the Cathedral have poured time, love and prayer into beautiful shawls and blankets, bringing cozy consolation to those in pain or transition. “The prayer shawl ministry is one of the warmest ministries at Christ Church Cathedral,” said knitter Roni Coulson. “You literally wrap yourself in love.” Several years ago, when parishioner Norma Jones was ill, she received a prayer shawl from another church. Ramona Bomar heard about this and suggested to Dean Joe Reynolds that the Cathedral start its own prayer shawl group, and she inadvertently became
the founder of a new ministry. Over the years, the ministry has produced countless prayer shawls, which have been sent all over the country and as far away as South Africa. “I think this is evidence of caring,” Bomar said. “And you would be amazed at the feedback.” The group keeps a scrapbook filled with letters, emails, photos and thank-you notes. People with all kinds of ailments or unfortunate circumstances fill the pages, wearing their shawls draped around their shoulders and contented smiles upon their faces. In February, the Cathedral received an email message from Mary Ann McKinney, a
Shawls, inside
Mary Arciniega knits a prayer shawl, which will be blessed and given to those in pain or transition.
Keep ear open for Vestry “comfort call-a-thon” Whenever his limousine stopped at a traffic light, former New York City mayor Ed Koch would roll down his window and ask the person in the car alongside him, “How am I doing?” Mayor Koch claimed that these conversations were the best gauge of the health and vibrancy of the city he served, and he always took to heart the feedback received from his fellow drivers. This summer at Christ Church Cathedral, your vestry wants to check in with you and
ask “How are we doing?” From your perspective, how are things going at Christ Church? What excites you about the Cathedral? What pastoral concerns do you have, and what hopes might you share? During June, July and August, your Vestry will be calling every parishioner on the membership roll. These are not stewardship calls, but rather they are your opportunity to make your voice heard. We hope you’ll answer the phone and share your thoughts with your lay leadership.