The CATHEDRAL TIMES The weekly newsletter of the Cathedral of St. Philip · Serving Atlanta and the World · May 16, 2021
TRAUMA
By the Very Rev. Sam Candler, Dean of the Cathedral How are we in this pandemic time? Where are we as we begin to contemplate a post-pandemic country (though certainly not a post-pandemic world)? A few writers I respect have provided a useful word to describe our situation. The word is “trauma.” For sure, most of us have never borne the violence that instills severe trauma in our time: war, bombs, shootings, physical and sexual abuse. But this past year has certainly affected us in traumatic ways. A few weeks ago, I joined some clergy colleagues (via Zoom!) in a small gathering to hear the wisdom of Serene Jones, who is the President of Union Theological Seminary, in New York. She finds herself, she says, being named as the mother of “trauma in theology,” following her powerful book of nine years ago, Trauma and Grace. Serene Jones identifies trauma as “an event of overwhelming violence, in which a person experiences themselves (or someone close to them) as threatened with annihilation.” She described several features of traumatic experience; my scribbled notes got them as: 1. A loss of control, 2. A loss of a sense of organizing space (an inability to categorize events), 3. A loss of a sense of order in one’s life, 4. An erratic memory or lack or memory, 5. A loss of a capacity to even find the language to talk about one’s experience, 6. A lost sense of association (loss of relationship), 7. A loss of agency. 8. A final feature of the traumatic experience is the sense that any outside force can be perceived as a threat. Before the pandemic, many of us knew that diagnosis as it pertained to victims of violence. But those of us listening to Serene Jones quickly recognized those sorts of symptoms around all of us these days. The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have affected all of us, throughout the world, with a sense of trauma. Some of us admit that we are forgetting things; we have lost a sense of what day it is, so much that we cannot organize things. Some of us say we are simply too tired, too fatigued, to even talk about what is going on these days. Some of us have lost a sense of space, and a sense of safe and trustworthy space. Some of us have lost a sense of relationship with others. Some of us seem to fear almost anything these days; we are attacked and critiqued from every direction. Another writer, Resmaa Menakem, has written a book titled, My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies, in which he focuses particularly upon bodies, bodies as the places where trauma is inflicted. More particularly, he writes about the trauma that happens to Black bodies, white bodies, and bodies in law enforcement, due to what he calls “white-body supremacy.” He notes that, for the past hundred years, white bodies have become the standard for supremacy, and that, “for white Americans, the most important task in dissolving white-body supremacy involves separating whiteness from supremacy.” Again, whether we are white or Black, he identifies a kind of trauma as our condition. In our meeting the other day, Serene Jones reminded us of a list, a list of the traumas that we have experienced, almost all at once, in the past year. It’s not been just the pandemic itself. It’s been the acute awareness of racialized violence, the realization of deep racial divide, fires in so many places, freezing weather in Texas, political leadership arguments, violence in the United States capital, and the deaths of over 600,000 people. The journal Oneing has devoted an entire recent issue (volume 9, number 1) to trauma and healing, featuring excellent contributions from Richard Rohr, Sallie Howard, and Matthew Fox. With that word, “trauma,” they name our predicament very well. continued on back page...
This SUNDAY
MAY 16, 2021 · The Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year B Acts 1:1-11 · Psalm 47 · Ephesians 1:15-23 · Luke 24:44-53
TO MAINTAIN SAFE SPACING AND ATTENDANCE FOR OUR IN-PERSON SERVICES, WE ARE ASKING WORSHIPPERS TO PRE-REGISTER AT CATHEDRALATL.ORG, ON THE CATHEDRAL APP, OR BY CALLING 404-365-1009, BEGINNING WEDNESDAY AT 10 A.M.
7:45 A.M. OUTDOOR SERVICE OF KOINONIA, WITH HOLY COMMUNION, CLOISTER GARDEN
Celebrant and Preacher: The Rev. Canon George Maxwell
8:45 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST, CATHEDRAL
Celebrant: The Very Rev. Sam Candler Preacher: The Rev. Canon Lauren Holder
11:15 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST, CATHEDRAL
Celebrant: The Very Rev. Sam Candler Preacher: The Rev. Canon Lauren Holder
11:15 A.M. SERVICIO DE KOINONIA, CON LA SANTA EUCARISTIA , CLOISTER GARDEN
Officiant and Preacher: The Rev. Deacon Juan Sandoval
CONTINUE TO WORSHIP WITH THE CATHEDRAL ONLINE AT CATHEDRALATL.ORG/STREAM, ON THE CATHEDRAL APP, AND ON THE CATHEDRAL FACEBOOK PAGE.
8:45 A.M. AND 11:15 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST, ONLINE Celebrant: The Very Rev. Sam Candler Preacher: Hendricks Anthony, Cathedral youth Music: Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992), Prière du Christ montant vers son Père (from L'Ascension) Hymn 460 stanzas 1, 2, & 4, “Alleluia! sing to Jesus” Hyfrydol William Mathias, Gloria in excelsis S-278 Psalm 47 (Anglican chant: C. Hylton Stewart) Hymn 219, “The Lord ascendeth up on high” Ach Herr, du allerhöchster Gott Pierluigi da Palestrina, O Rex gloriae William Mathias, Sanctus & Benedictus S – 128 Hymn 221 stanzas 1, 2, & 4 “O Lord Most High, eternal King” Gonfalon Royal Hymn 218, “A hymn of glory let us sing” Deo gracias Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992), Transports de Joie (from L’Ascension)
The CATHEDRAL off ST. PHILIP The Very Rev. Samuel G. Candler, Dean
Dale Adelmann, Ph.D., Canon for Music
The Rev. Lauren R. Holder, Canon for Community and Education The Rev. George M. Maxwell, Jr., Vicar
The Rev. Catherine Zappa, Canon for Liturgy and Pastoral Care The Rev. Julia B. Mitchener, Priest Associate
The Rev. Deacon Juan Sandoval, Deacon for Hispanic Ministries The Rev. Theophus “Thee” Smith, Ph.D., Priest Associate Del King, Senior Warden
Samuel T. Wilmoth, Junior Warden
CATHEDRAL TIMES SUBMISSION DEADLINES: FOR THE SUNDAY, MAY 23 ISSUE, THE DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, MAY 12. FOR THE SUNDAY, MAY 30 ISSUE, THE DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, MAY 19. TO RECEIVE THE TIMES BY EMAIL, CONTACT MELANA DICKSON, MDICKSON@CATHEDRALATL.ORG. TO SUBMIT AN ANNOUNCEMENT REQUEST, CONTACT SARA CRAIGGOODELL, SCRAIGGOODELL@CATHEDRALATL.ORG.
404-365-1000 | cathedralATL.org pastoral care emergency line: 404-365-1003
cathedralatl
MUSIC
CONGREGATIONAL Life GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP
SUNDAY AFTERNOON RECITAL THIS WEEK: ZACHARY ZWAHLEN, ORGAN UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH, SEWANEE, TN Judith Bingham, “St. Bride, assisted by angels” Olivier Messiaen, “L’Ascension” STREAMING LIVE AT 3:15 P.M. SUNDAY AT CATHEDRALATL.ORG/RECITALS AND ON FACEBOOK
Beginning Sunday, May 23, the Cathedral will be hosting a grief support group, facilitated by Hospice Atlanta and open to all who are grieving the death of a loved one. The group will meet in the Lanier House on second and fourth Sundays, from 2–3:30 p.m. Feel free to come as you can, and plan to wear a mask. For more information, contact Canon Zappa, czappa@ cathedralATL.org.
Cathedral SCHOLARS APPLY FOR A CATHEDRAL SCHOLARSHIP THIS MONTH The Cathedral Scholars program aims to provide financial,
vocational, communal, and spiritual support to members of the Cathedral of St. Philip's community who seek to further their
educational goals. The Cathedral's community is far-reaching and
includes members of the Cathedral parish, Cathedral staff and their immediate family members, and the larger Cathedral community,
including its many parochial entities. Scholarships are awarded each year depending on funds available and the number of applicants eligible. The deadline for applications is Monday, May 31. The
application can be found at cathedralATL.org/scholarship.
STEWARDSHIP JOIN IN PLEDGING Thanks to everyone who has already responded to the 2021 Stewardship Campaign: Comfort, O Comfort My People. Parishioner pledges are integral to the life of the Cathedral Community. Parishioners of all ages, means, and backgrounds collectively take care of each other by taking care of the church — a transformative act for the giver and the parish. Pledging to the Cathedral is simple: cathedralATL.org/pledge. If you have questions about the campaign, please contact David Rocchio at 404-663-2838 or drocchio@cathedralATL.org.
PRAYER List FOR THOSE WHO ARE ILL OR RECOVERING: LONG TERM PRAYERS: R. Huntley Allen • Penny Barnett • Edgar and Judith Beach • Perry Benton • Virginia Bicksler • Heather
Clark • Sharon Crews • Lynne D’Huyvetter • Terry Dornbush • Sarah duBignon • Deborah Ellington • Dan Elson • Ruth Fuqua • Jane Jones • Louise Kan • Lisa Krysiak • Sandy Land • Jill Mahaffey • Carol McDonald • Kay McPherson • Glenn Miller • Ashley Minear • Royce Mitchell • Laura Moore • Susan Myers • Charlie Neal • Linus Nickel • Marion Palmore • Beth Pitzer • Joann Lewis Pobst • Garry Pryor • Rowland Radford • Rubye and Wayne Reid • Lorraine Reynolds • Agnes Elizabeth Robertson • Louis “Skip” Schueddig • Leticia Justo Serrano • Linda Stallcup • Julie Sutton • Sarah Szymke • Tommy Truesdale • Ron Wallace • Elleanor Wilson • Faye Van Winkle
FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Bettina Bass • Bella Bond • David Bond • Kerrigan Casey • Andrew Clark • Vickie and Bob Coffman • Marie
Corrigan • Ava Corroon • The Darmon Family • Marg Denny • Bob Deysher • Renea Dunn • David Elmore • Carleton Fuller • Patricia Plummer Glowatsky • Robert Hoder • Cadel Ingraham • Lilliana Isola • Stephen Jones • Robin Kemp • Grace Lawson • Pete Livezey • Lauren Makhlouf • Pat Martin • Marge Massey • Michelle Maxwell • Katie McRae • Betsy Moore • Mary Nelson • Steven Norman • Bella Emerson Plummer • Francis Powers • Courtney Rosenthal • Carol Russell • Einar Sagstuen • James Sands • Cindy Snell • Paul Sturtz • Caroline Southerland • Tina Susco • Yvonne Tate • Pierson Thames • Wayne Thurman • Roger Traylor • Whit A. Wright • Karen Young • Hollis Youngner
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED: Susan Greenfield
...continued from front page Noting that the word, “trauma” comes from the word, “wound,” or “cut,” Rohr names trauma as a “sacred wound.” He asks: “Could this be what mythology means by “the sacred wound” and the church describes as “original sin,” which was not something we did, but the effects of something that was done to us? I believe it is.” “If religion cannot find a meaning for human suffering, humanity is in major trouble. All healthy religion shows us what to do with our pain. Great religion shows us what to do with the absurd, the tragic, the traumatic, the nonsensical, the unjust. If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it.” (Rohr repeats these words in his recent newsletter at the Center For Action and Contemplation.) Is there healing? Is there a medicine for trauma? Like Richard Rohr, I admit that I am no specialist in dealing with trauma. I suppose that only a few of us are. But, as a priest, I do lift up a particular source of healing. It is the local parish, the local community of faith, the place that is supposed to provide us a sense of holy space and holy time. The world, all of us who are scarred with the sacred wound, needs a place for that original wound to experience safe and healthy redemption. I realize that no parish is perfect, and no community of faith is perfected. We all struggle, with sin and with our imperfections. But, note how a healthy community of faith addresses each of those features of trauma that I noted above! For instance, at our best, abiding communities of faith help us to re-order our time, to remember stories of redemption, to re-order our association with sacred story, to re-find our healthy traditions, and to experience what is truly safe space. We need those safe spaces. Finally, a healthy community of faith enables us to find our agency again, to find our voice, to find our confidence, to be able to act willfully and joyfully again. In healthy community, we re-engage. Everybody I speak with, who knows anything about trauma, admits that healing takes a lot of time. There is no magic medicine, no automatic healing of the wounds, no quick return to the way we were before. It takes time. It takes time to renew our lives, while incorporating and redeeming the pains we have known in the past year. I believe we will need local communities of faith, parishes, re-gathered and renewed; we will need them more than ever. Join one! Join us!
The Very Rev. Sam Candler
Dean of the Cathedral of St. Philip
POSTMASTER: Dated Material. Please deliver by May 15, 2021 POSTMASTER Send address changes to: The Cathedral of St. Philip 2744 Peachtree Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2920 404-365-1000
CATHEDRAL TIMES (USPS-093440) is published weekly by The Cathedral of St. Philip 2744 Peachtree Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2920 Periodicals Postage Paid at Atlanta, GA
This Sunday, May 16, we celebrate Youth Sunday. Our Cathedral youth will serve at our 8:45 and 11:15 services as lectors, intercessors, and one of our seniors will be preaching for our online service. We will honor the many contributions of our young people to our faith community - especially recognizing our graduating seniors. Additionally, at a reception between services, we will thank our many adult volunteers, teachers, and mentors for their dedication and love of our Cathedral youth.
SPIRITUALITY SPRING LABYRINTH WALK The Cathedral outdoor Labyrinth will be open for a facilitated walk to celebrate the hope of this Easter season in the midst of COVID-19 on Sunday, May 16, from 6 – 7 p.m. The meditative walk to the center allows our minds to empty and help us experience silence, joy, and celebration; or grieving the loss of a loved one or those affected by COVID-19. All walkers must follow COVID-19 guidelines and wear a mask.
Cathedral BOOK STORE