February / March 2015

OPEN DOOR

Highlights

11GOING DEEPER WITH THE SAINTS

9DIGGING DEEPER IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS

2NO MATTER WHERE WE GO, THERE WE ARE

14‘PRESENCE’ AS CORE COMPETENCY

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COME & SEE

FAMILY MINISTRIES

STAFF & VESTRY

CLERGY

The Very Reverend Peter Eaton Rector and Dean, Ext. 7721 The Reverend Robert Hendrickson Sub-Dean, Ext. 7706

The Reverend Elizabeth Marie Melchionna, Canon, Ext. 7731

The Reverend Jadon HartsuffCanon, Ext. 7732

The Reverend Charles LaFond Canon Steward, Ext. 7711 The Reverend Elizabeth Costello Curate, Ext. 7704

SENIOR STAFF

Kim McPherson Director of Religious Education Ext. 7729 Mike Orr Director of Communications Ext. 7730 Stephen Tappe Organist and Director of Music Ext. 7726 Tara Williams Director of Finance and Administration Ext. 7720

VESTRY

Larry Kueter, Senior WardenTim Dunbar, Junior Warden Mary Ellen Williams, Treasurer David Abbott, Clerk Class of 2018 Ashley Bracken, Andrew Britton, Jane Schumaker, Ned Rule Class of 2017 David Abbott, Tamra d’Estrée, Jack Denman, Mike McCall Class of 2016 David Ball, Jen Courtney-Keyse,Suni Devitt, Anna Pendleton

Phone: 303.831.7115Email: info@sjcathedral.org

1350 Washington Street Denver, CO 80203

From the Dean: A RICHER LIFE IN GODWhat might it mean for each of us, and for this community of faith, to live more completely the life of Christ?

As we keep the rhythm of our Church calendar at this time of the year, we move from the seasons of Christmas and the Epiphany to Lent, and we

are living the drama of what Christ’s life means for us. All the events we are marking, from Jesus’ birth to his death and resurrection, are not simply memories of long ago. These are events that we re-live in the present moment as we celebrate them anew.

For example, we do not just recall the Nativity as having happened two thousand years ago in a distant land; we are there in the stable with the Holy Family. Or perhaps we can say that the Holy Family and the stable are here with us, in this moment, living and true. We do not just picture in our minds Jesus’ last days on earth with his disciples; we are part of that apostolic band. The life of Jesus becomes embedded in our own lives, as we learn more and more how to live into the mystery of Christ’s life and make his life our own.

Our worship is one striking way in which we make Jesus’ life our own. But we learn to live into the mystery of Christ’s life in many other ways. God was born into our human life so that God may be born in each one of us, “until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).

We live into the mystery of Christ’s life within us by reading the Scriptures, giving ourselves over to

disciplined prayer, participating in regular worship, wrestling with the truths of God and the facts of life—all of this in order to forge not just an intellectual understanding of our faith, but a vibrant relationship with the living God.

We do none of this alone. Even if some of our spiritual practice may be solitary, as Christians our seeking finds its fullest meaning in community. We are all called to embody Christ’s life in our individual lives. But our community too is called to be the image of Christ. The question is not simply, “How am I more like Christ?” but “How are we together the Body of Christ?”

The old English word for baptizing, christening, reminds us that we become Christians, we put on Christ, over a lifetime. The same is true of our lives in community. Our work with RenewalWorks, so ably guided by Father Scott Gunn of Forward Movement, and our own Mother Elizabeth Marie Melchionna and the RenewalWorks team, and our Art of Hosting explorations, have at their heart this one goal: to enable us to live the mystery of Christ’s life in our individual lives and in our congregational life so that together we may make Christ real to those who need to know that the love of God is real and life-changing.

As we move from Christmas and Epiphany to Lent and Holy Week, let us keep this one goal always before us: to grow into the full stature of Christ. Having been born again, we have to grow up again, and no one likes to do that. But we know that there is a richer life in God for us all, a foretaste of heaven that is possible in this earthly life. May the fruitful season before us be a time of fresh discovery, deeper roots, and firmer trust, so that we can hand ourselves over to God for God’s mission.

Highlights

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There is something powerful about new beginnings. I remember a number of years ago, I looked around my apartment and felt hemmed

in by the clutter of the place. I decided to start over. So I went out and rented a moving truck, came home, loaded everything except my bed and a chair into it, and carted it off to Goodwill.

I came home to a barren-looking apartment, but my life had not felt so full in years. I had suddenly, clearly, and with purpose simplified my surroundings and begun the long process of refurnishing my life. Of course, like so many new beginnings, it was less of a new beginning than I had hoped for. Someone once said, “No matter where you go, there you are.” Purging my apartment of stuff was a good start. But I was still there, with more than physical clutter. I had heavy, unwanted furniture residing at the deepest levels of my life.

No matter where we go, there we are.Still, my exercise with the moving truck was not in vain. In my newly spare apartment, I could begin to see more clearly see what was crucial, vital, and true. In the same way, our Christian vocation is not about doing or having more stuff. It is simply about getting out of God’s way as God acts in and through us. This is more simply stated than actualized. Sometimes it takes a moving truck to make room for God.

Holiness is not the stuff of Hallmark cards—of gently rustling wings, gossamer voices, or softly shimmering halos. The work of holiness offers up everything that keeps us from God, and keeps us from being who God calls us to be. So, at Lent and other times, we Christians go deeper, entering the season asking to be stripped of the stuff that keeps us from holiness. This means giving up that which is keeping others from seeing Christ in us. That can mean as many different things being offered up as there are sinners in the world. Each of us has something we are holding on to—some bit

NO MATTER WHERE WE GO,

Sometimes it takes a moving truck to make room for God.

THERE

WE ARE

Father Robert Hendrickson

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of clutter—that is keeping us from seeing and showing forth the love of God.

Much of our turmoil over the course of our lives is rooted in the tension of worrying about the future—about trying to create a future that is somehow secure against past traumas and pain. We look to the insecurity of the world around us and cannot imagine how things get better from here—yet too often our attempt to manage insecurity simply results in a more organized despair.

The Christian life is not one of lamenting things done and left undone—though confession and repentance require some of this reflection. God offers us a new vision of abiding in his Love. He sent his only begotten Son, trusting him to be reared by human parents, to be loved by human hearts, and even to be betrayed by human sin. God did all this to show the fullness of God’s love—and to show us what it means to be fully human.

This perfect love, as Saint John says, drives out fear. In the presence of perfect love, fear is banished. That presence, perfect Love, exposes not only the clutter but also the barrenness of our former lives. The presence of perfect Love establishes a holy beginning. That perfect Love defines who, where, and what we are. More importantly, it defines what we are becoming.

The Christian therefore lives a life of ever-expanding possibilities and ever-narrowing focus. The possibilities expand as we focus ever more completely on the person of Jesus Christ. Any Christian search for self is a search for Christ. Any time we look to find ourselves, we look no further, and no nearer, than Christ.

This focus frames our past and our future. This focus so fills our hearts and minds that we know ourselves free no matter the bonds that hold us. That we know ourselves forgiven no matter our sins. That we know ourselves holy in God’s sight. This focus on Christ enables us to know each other in the same way—as the forgiven, freed, holy people of God.

No matter where we go, there we are. No matter where we go, God wants us there, proclaiming Christ as the missionaries and prophets God has called us to be. We know our whole self is found in the offering of Jesus Christ with whom, Saint Paul says, our true life now lies.

Making our lives holy and living sacrifices unto God means we struggle and strain to live in the Presence of Christ. In this chaotic world, we persevere as we seek to know even what it is to be living. In much of our seeking, however, we position ourselves out of false perceptions as to where and who we are in relation to other perceivable or manageable aspects of creation—we look to the décor when we need to know the builder.

In a culture of blinding noise and deafening brightness, our sense of who we are becomes confused and we are frightened into declaring ourselves one thing or another out of fear of being nothing. Yet this is the beautiful promise of repentance.

In repentance, we turn toward (metanoia, or turning, is the Greek for ‘repentance’) that which is holy even as the world clamors for our attention and tries to claim our identity.

In repentance, we look more deeply at the things we do or the things with which we surround ourselves. In repentance, we plumb the depths of our soul. Most of us spend our days caught in the distraction of spectacle as we look to be entertained and to entertain. We are called away from the distractions, diversions, and divisions of the world, to deeper revelation. It is in God’s ongoing revelation through repentance, prayer, the Sacraments, and in our daily relationships that we find meaning and that our mental fictions are dissolved—that the true and holy in and around us is revealed. This is the defining, and sometimes terrifying, promise of Lent. All that we can see and know is shattered by the Cross and the empty Tomb.

Over the course of our lives, the careful script we have written about how the world should be will unravel. The secure walls we erect around ourselves will fall down and we will be left only with the firm foundation of Christ.

Whenever and however that happens, wherever we go, there we are. We are there in the heart of God. We are there proclaiming peace. We are there in love. We are there to comfort, heal, and bless. We are exactly where God wants us to be.

In much of our seeking, however, we position ourselves out of false perceptions as to where and who we are in relation to other perceivable or manageable aspects of creation —we look to the décor when we need to know the builder.

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Tuesday, February 17Join us for our annual parish-wide dinner celebration before the Season of Lent. A simple meal will be provided in the tradition of using up butter, sugar, and flour before the Lenten Fast. New Orleans jazz will be featured with dancing to the final Alleluias as we celebrate our life together as a Christian Community.

5:30 pm Holy Eucharist in Saint Martin’s Chapel5:30 pm Children’s Teaching in Room 1036:15 pm Burning of the Palms in the White Garth for Adults and Children6:30 pm Mardi Gras Dinner in Dagwell Hall8:00 pm Procession and Burying the Alleluias at All Souls’ Walk

EVENSONGSunday, February 15.

Join us for an extended prelude to Evensong with a concert at 2:30 pm in the Cathedral. Evensong, starting at 3:00 pm, is an uplifting 45 minute service rich in choral music, sung by the Cathedral Choir. Following the service all are invited to fellowship at a reception in Dagwell Hall. Pre-Evensong recital by Lyn Loewi and Margaret Soper Gutierrez, harpsichordist and violinist.

SHROVE TUESDAYTuesday, February 17.

Today we make our final preparations for Lent and enjoy our annual parish Shrove Tuesday Mardi Gras Celebration. Please bring your old palm fronds from previous Palm Sundays, so that they can be burned this evening to provide ashes for our Ash Wednesday liturgies.

5:30 pm, Holy Eucharist in Saint Martin’s Chapel

5:30 pm, Children’s Teaching in Room 103

6:15 pm, Burning of the Palms in the White Garth for Adults and Children

6:30 pm, Mardi Gras Dinner in Dagwell Hall

8:00 pm, Procession and Burying the Alleluias at All Souls’ Walk

ASH WEDNESDAYWednesday, February 18.

Lent begins today with our traditional observance of the Eucharist and the Imposition of Ashes. This is a day of special devotion, on which Christians have traditionally fasted and given special attention to our spiritual lives. It is also a day when the Church asks everyone to make every effort to be at the Eucharist. Cathedral Nite this evening is focused on our Eucharist at 7:00 pm. There is no supper or Compline this evening.

7:00 am, Ash Wednesday Liturgy in Saint Martin’s Chapel

12:00 noon, Ash Wednesday Liturgy in the Cathedral

5:30 pm, Ash Wednesday Service for Families with Children in the Saint Francis Chapel. All ages welcome.

7:00 pm, Ash Wednesday Liturgy in the Cathedral. Nursery provided.

STATIONS OF THE CROSSEvery Friday during Lent after the 5:30 pm Eucharist, we gather in the Cathedral at 6:00 pm for this traditional Lenten devotion in which we focus on Jesus’ journey from his trial before Pilate to his death and burial. This devotion originated in Jerusalem in antiquity, and remains a powerful way for us to enter imaginatively and prayerful into the mystery of our salvation and the depths of God’s love for us.

SERVICES & EVENTS

THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION IN LENTLent is the season in which the Church summons us to take a serious look at our lives and the things about the way we act and live that need real, deep and lasting change if we are to live that “serious and devout” life to which the Gospel calls us.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the principle ways in which Christians have found real strength and encouragement for this work of inner transformation and deeper relationship with God. If you would like to know more about this sacrament and how it can sustain you in your deepening spiritual life, please ask one of the clergy.

This sacrament is always available every day after the 5:30 pm Eucharist, or by appointment with one of the priests.

THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENTSunday, February 22.

The Rite of Enrollment of Catechumens and Candidates.

9:00 & 11:15 am. The Great Litany and Choral Eucharist.

6:00 pm, the Wilderness.

THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTHIASTuesday, February 24.

Daily services as usual.

LENTEN QUIET EVENINGWednesday, February 25.

This Cathedral Nite is devoted to Lenten devotion for all. Join us as we deepen our trust in and relationship with our loving God at the beginning of Lent. 5:00 pm Evening Prayer, 5:30 pm Eucharist, 6:15 pm Supper, 7:00 pm Lenten Quiet Evening Groups and Prayer, 8:30 pm Compline and Benediction.

EVENSONGSunday, March 15.

Join us for an extended prelude to Evensong with a concert at 2:30 pm in the Cathedral. Evensong, starting at 3:00 pm, is an uplifting 45 minute service rich in choral music, sung by the Cathedral Choir. Following the service all are invited to fellowship at a reception in Dagwell Hall. Pre-Evensong recital by Duo Chagall.

THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPHThursday, March 19.

Daily services as usual.

THE FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATIONWednesday, March 25.

Only nine shopping months till Christmas! We keep this great feast with a sung Eucharist in the chapel at 5:30 pm.

Sundays, February 22 and March 110:15 am in the Common Room

A 2-week class for those confirmed in a Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Orthodox Church, who want to join the Episcopal Church and Saint John’s. Join us on Sundays to learn more about the Episcopal Church and prepare to be received by the Bishop at the Easter Vigil on Saturday, April 4 at 7:00 pm.

During the season of Lent, we are invited to take an introspective look at how we as individuals, as a community, and as a society

are and are not living into the fullness of our faith. Part of considering how we are, and are not, living into the fullness of our faith includes reflecting on our relationships. Yes, that is right: our relationships.

Don’t worry. This is not a “Dear Abby” advice column or a Sleepless in Seattle radio talk show call-in. Or maybe it is…

You see, the invitation of Lent is to examine our faith. And our faith is inextricably linked to our relationships. This includes our relationships with God, with ourselves, with other people, and with all creation. According to the Catechism, the very definition of sin can be boiled down to distorted relationships with God, with ourselves, with one another, with creation itself, including our relationship with non-human animals (The Book of Common Prayer, 848). And if you think about it, relationships—in which we relish each

other’s company—are the very reason God became flesh. After all, don’t relationships make life worth living?

By way of contrast, broken human relationships diminish our lives and steal our joy. We do not have to watch “August, Osage County” to know about the pain of damaged relationships. We do not need to flip through Women’s Health magazine or scan Facebook to know how harshly we judge ourselves,

believing that we do not quite measure up. Nor do we have to visit to the Antarctic to watch the icecaps melt to know that we are pretty awful custodians of creation. No, if we are honest with ourselves and with

one another, we know all too well what distorted relationships look and feel like. But our challenge goes beyond coming to this honest self-recognition.

The greater challenge for us, often, is to dig deeper into our thorniest relationships. It is in digging deeper into our most difficult relationships that we are forced

“...if you think about it, relationships—in which we relish each other’s company—are the very reason God became flesh. After all, don’t relationships make life worth living?”

by Mother Liz Costello

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to think differently about our worldview, about ourselves, about humanity, and about even God. These relationships are a means of grace, calling us to deepen our faith. These relationships call us to live fuller, richer, and reconciled lives. For this, as Queen Elizabeth II said in her Christmas Day address, is the mission of the church: reconciliation.

We know from the Catechism that the mission of the church is “to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ” (The Book of Common Prayer, 855). This mission of reconciliation—reconciliation between God and humanity and humanity with God and all of creation—is what the fullness of the faith looks like. And this is precisely why the faith and action ministries have focused on relationship. Our food access ministries deepen our relationships with neighbors hungry for fresh produce. We grow and share a cornucopia of produce with them. Similarly, with the Women’s Homeless Initiative (WHI) we enfold and shelter our neighbors. The focus of Faith and Action has been to restore all people to unity in their relationship with God and with each other. Reconciliation.

In the season of Lent, we are invited to reflect on how we as individuals, as a community, and as a society are and are not living into the fullness of our faith. During this season, we are provided with opportunities to deepen our relationship with God and the world. Whether it is through Christian Formation opportunities, the Lenten Quiet Night, the Sacrament of Confession, or monthly service opportunities; we will have the opportunity to deepen our faith through digging into our relationships. This Lent, may we all delve more deeply into the abundant love of God and grow more deeply into an abundant faith, which is so often experienced through the wholeness of our relationships.

For more information about Saint John’s mission partnerships and work in our community, please visit sjcathedral.org/Serve

This mission of reconciliation—reconciliation between God and humanity and humanity with God and all of creation—is what the fullness of the faith looks like.

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Father Jadon Hartsuff

The practice of honoring and praying to those regarded as saints began within the very first generations of the Church. It was the martyrs

who were first remembered—those whose Christian identity and practice brought them into friction with non-Christians and led to their execution. Fellow Christians erected altars on top of the tombs of these martyrs, where the local Christian community would gather for Eucharist, especially on the anniversary of the martyr’s death. In time, when Christianity became accepted enough that permanent church buildings could be built, these burial places of the martyrs became the foundations for small chapels, and then for larger and larger churches. From the very beginning, Christian worship and prayer were rooted in the memory of those who had given their earthly life for the sake of their belief and the good of the wider Christian community.

In time, others were honored as well. Throughout these early centuries, there were confessors, who publicly testified to their faith but were not killed but instead tortured, jailed, or exiled for their beliefs. After their deaths they came to be honored alongside the first martyrs. There were also ascetics and mystics who withdrew into the deserts to live holy lives in solitude. By the end of the fourth century, they too joined the ranks of martyrs and confessors and were also venerated as saints.

Prior to the fifth century, saints were typically remembered and honored only in their own regions, in the cities or villages where they had lived and died. But in the fifth century, churches began to ‘borrow’ saints from churches of other regions. They would share the stories of their saints with each other, learning and spreading the early history of the Church as they did, honoring saints from other regions whose lives and sacrifices inspired greater faithfulness. As the stories of the lives of these saints spread, they naturally became the focus of prayer and devotion. Many began to include the saints in nine-day periods of prayer called novenas. These periods of prayerful hope and expectation were modeled on the nine days the Twelve Apostles spent prayerfully waiting

Going Deeper with the Saints

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for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:12-2:5). Christians praying novenas understood their prayerful acts to be in union with those prayers of the apostles (themselves all martyrs). They were praying with the first saints, in continuation. The desire to join one’s prayers to the prayers of the saints transcended the boundaries of a well-defined novena and became part of Christian prayer practices more generally. Carrying an image of a favorite beloved saint became common throughout the Middle Ages and remains so today for many Christians. Carrying a holy card, a pocket piece or coin, or wearing a medal with an image of a saint are ways to remind oneself constantly to emulate the saint’s life and to pray.

While Protestant reformers ultimately attacked what had, by their time, become a misuse of the devotion to the saints, even they did not abandon the saints altogether. The foundational documents of the Reformation churches honor the saints by giving thanks to God for the exemplary grace at work in their lives, by encouraging Christians to imitate their faith and other virtues, and by “loving them as brothers,” and desiring to “share eternal salvation with them, to dwell eternally with them in the presence of God, and to rejoice with them in Christ.”

Landing firmly in the middle, we Anglicans retain a deep corporate appreciation of the saints. We continue to name our children and our churches for them, to celebrate their feast days, and to include them in our prayers. Our prayer books have never omitted the saints from our structure of worship and belief, and our hymnals include large sections of hymns dedicated to their honor (see hymns 231-293). Like most of our practices beyond the two great sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, revering and praying to the saints falls under the category of the Anglican aphorism that “all may, none must, some should.” Our appreciation of the saints continues to link us to our Orthodox and Roman Catholic brothers and sisters.

The word “venerate” derives from the Latin verb venerare, which simply means “to regard with reverence and respect.” Veneration is not worship. Worship is what we offer to one we can never be. Veneration and reverence, on the other hand, are what we offer those who serve for us as models. In Christian tradition we call these people “saints.” Paul, himself a martyr and great saint, encourages the church at Ephesus to “keep alert with perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18). As Christians praise God in the majesty of the heavens and of the earth, so too may we offer

Lent Madness began in 2010 as the brainchild of Father Tim Schenck, rector of Saint John the Evangelist in Hingham, Massachusetts. In seeking a fun, engaging way for people to learn about the men and women comprising the Church’s Calendar of Saints, Tim came up with this unique Lenten devotion. Combining Father Tim’s love of sports with his passion for the lives of the saints, Lent Madness was born on his blog “Clergy Family Confidential,” which has subsequently become the more streamlined “Clergy Confidential.”

The format is straightforward: 32 saints are placed into a tournament-like single-elimination bracket. Each pairing remains open for a set period of time, and people vote for their favorite saint. Sixteen saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo. The first round provides basic biographical information about all 32 saints. Things get a bit more interesting in the subsequent rounds as Lent Madness offers quotes and quirks, explores legends, and even moves into the area of saintly kitsch.

Beginning in 2010, Lent Madness invited several celebrity bloggers to serve as writers. Our Sub-Dean, Father Robert Hendrickson, has served as one of these writers. He is returning in 2015 to provide biographies as well as reflections on the lives of those saints selected for the brackets this year. We hope you will follow the bracket posted in the hallway near the Welcome Center. And please also follow the contest online at lentmadness.org so you can learn about these great and holy men and women whom we ask to pray for us even as they inspire us.

praise by honoring all God’s saints, who are the work of God’s hands and whose exemplary deeds were possible only by God’s grace.

May we all be so inspired.

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Pro Musica Colorado Chamber OrchestraFriday, February 6, 7:30 pm Known for its adventurous programming, Pro Musica Colorado Chamber Orchestra performs a program of towering works by Philip Glass, Vaughan Williams, and Shostakovich. Yumi Hwang-Williams solos in Glass’s Violin Concerto No. 2. Tickets at promusicacolorado.org

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber ChoirFriday, February 27, 7:30 pmThe GRAMMY®-winning Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, perhaps the finest professional choir in the world today, makes its debut in the stained glass and stone surroundings of Saint John’s Cathedral. Tickets at sjcathedral.org/Concerts

Voices of Light Silent Film with Orchestra Friday, March 13, 7:30 pmPro Music Colorado Chamber Orchestra Cynthia Katsarelis, conductorSaint John’s Cathedral Choir Stephen Tappe, choral director

Voices of Light merges the legendary silent film masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc with a live performance of a ravishing score by award-winning composer Richard Einhorn. Carl Theodor Dreyer’s film about the trial of Joan of Arc is deeply moving and unforgettable. Tickets at promusicacolorado.org

Richard Robertson, organistFriday, March 20, 7:30 pm A former organist at Saint John’s Cathedral, Richard Robertson has held church positions in New York City, Atlanta, Georgia, and Clearwater, Florida. Robertson now serves as the organist at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Denver. Freewill offering.

Stephanie Ball, sopranoTuesday, February 10Ms. Ball began her journey into the opera world when she sang the roles of Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro and Adele in Die Fledermaus. Ms. Ball’s program will feature a collection of African American spirituals in celebration of Black History Month.

Boulder Bassoon QuartetTuesday, March 10Bassoons? Quartet? With repertoire from Brahms to the Beatles, you can’t help but have fun when listening to the Boulder Bassoon Quartet. Be surprised!

These free Pre-Evensong programs run 2:30 to 2:55 pm on the third Sunday of the month, from September to May. These concerts are a prelude to Evensong, a 45-minute service in the English Cathedral tradition, rich in choral music, sung by the Cathedral Choir.

Lyn Loewi, harpsichordist and Margaret Soper Gutierrez, violinistSunday, February 15Lyn Loewi, assistant organist at Saint John’s Cathedral, performs on harpsichord in an early Baroque music program of J.S. Bach and William Byrd with violinist Margaret Soper Gutierrez.

Duo ChagallSunday, March 15Boulder-based Duo Chagall features guitarist Nicolo Spera and violinist Jenny Diaz with an eclectic program.

M U S I C A T N O O N

E V E N S O N G

M U S I C A T S A I N T J O H N ’ S

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PRESENCEAS CORE COMPETENCY

PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

“Presence” is the theme of these winter seasons of the church year. In Advent, we anticipate God’s presence. At Christmas,

we celebrate God present among us. In Epiphany, the Three Kings journey to be present to the Christ Child so that they are changed. They are sent home “a different way.” And now we move into a deeper presence, into the silences of Lent, joining Jesus on the way to the Cross.

The icon of the Crucifixion (left) represents a scene from John’s Gospel. In it, Mary and John stand with Jesus at the moment of the story’s deepest unfolding. In John’s telling, Mary and John make no speeches. They demand no justice. We do not know that they spoke at all. We know only that they stood at the foot of the Cross.

Being present to others, listening for God’s still, small voice, is the holy work of discernment. It requires patience, faith, and the courage to stay in the hardest places. We invite you to consider training for this work in early March. The Participative Leadership Training will convene March 5–7. Register at sjcathedral.org/PLT.

Together, we will go deeper into our story, into that narrative arc that holds the future. We will learn and practice skills and perspectives—chief among them presence and shared decision-making. These core competencies can be used at the Cathedral on committees and task forces, but also with our families, at our jobs working on teams, and on boards of directors.

“Core competency” is a term typically used in business settings. But most of us know it means an essential, or core, skill that is central to accomplishing a stated purpose. Kneading dough is a core competency in the great enterprise of bread-baking. Core competencies help us get things done.

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by Charles LaFond, Canon Steward with Tenneson Woolf, Art of Hosting Consultant

Here at the Cathedral, at this time, presence is a core competency in our spiritual lives, in the Eucharist, in community. Presence is a gift we bring to our friendships and our work. We aspire to be present in our congregational life. We sit together. We walk together. We have coffee together.

Presence shifts us from watch-glancing, frantic beings to a commitment that says “I-see-you-and-have-all-the-time-in-the-world-for-this-conversation.” Presence is essential not only in moments with friends and close colleagues, but also in our daily solitary spiritual practice as we prepare, in the moment, for the future.

We have an additional premise: despite our best intentions, we humans get stuck. We get stuck in our thoughts. We get stuck in our confining and limiting beliefs. We dial things back, reflexively, with the “Yeah, but this” and “Yeah, but that,” default responses. “This is a good dream,” we concede. Then we kill a good dream with “But it can never happen here.”

This resistance to a mere idea represents more than reflexive opposition. Default resistance is withdrawal from engagement. It is the end of presence. The Participative Leadership Training has solutions as we move deeper into the practice of presence.

Engagement and exchange matter, with old friends and new. With strangers. Everyone can contribute to a half-articulated dream or to a dream that needs to be revisited.

The leadership we teach is spiritual practice. It is conversational and inquiring. It involves storytelling. Christians tell stories, particularly during times of reform. Sometimes we share stories about the known. Sometimes we describe the edges of the

known because we know it somehow connects us to our future. But we have to show up. And, once there, we must be present. Only then can God can speak to us and through us.

We will learn, laugh, and say “Aha!” Ideas and experiments will build on our identity. This is the work of our faith community, in the city of Denver, now.

But our presence underpins the entire endeavor. We join Jesus on his way to the Cross. We are present at the foot of the Cross. Through our presence we will discern what we long for as individual believers and

what we might accomplish collectively—what God would have us do together. More than events, or flavors of the month, these practices will carry us forward to that deliberately dreamed and desirable future we can only glimpse today.

The Art of Hosting trains us to hold space for ourselves as we figure life out. People at church. People at home. People in city hall. Everyone.

When Mary and John stand with Jesus they are heartbroken, together. They could go home. But they stay in the hardest places for the work of salvation. They do not know that God will raise Jesus three days later. Mary and John would have to wait for that startling news. As we engage in Art of Hosting this year, we too will wait, not knowing how things will turn out. But if the Cross and Resurrection are about anything, they are about our being faithful. They are about our letting God do God’s work as we pray, trust, wait, and stand together, waiting for God’s love to unfold into our lives.

Again, we invite you to train for this work. The Participative Leadership Training will convene March 5–7. Register at sjcathedral.org/PLT.

Being present to others, listening for God’s still, small voice, is the holy work of discernment. It requires patience, faith, and the courage to stay in the hardest places.

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2015 Women’s RetreatMarch 6 - 8, Cathedral Ridge in Woodland Park, COThis spring, the women of Saint John’s will once again have the opportunity to gather for a time of spiritual retreat and fellowship.

Our retreat facilitators include Mother Liz Costello and Mother Elizabeth Marie Melchionna. There will be space for large group formation, small group discussion, and focus on our own artistic responses to the incarnation. The image that will serve as the framework and inspiration as we consider the incarnation is “The Word Made Flesh,” the frontispiece of the Gospel of John. Join us for formation and fellowship!

Register online at sjcathedral.org today!

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Holy WeekMarch 29 - April 5

Mother Elizabeth Marie Melchionna

Holy Week, holiest days of the Christian year, begins in our tradition with Palm Sunday, when we mark Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Palms will be blessed as our worship begins, and we wave them to remember those who marked Jesus’ arrival as a new kind of king into the city of Jerusalem; into a kingship inaugurated with his crucifixion. On Monday and Tuesday evenings, we celebrate quiet Eucharists and hear reflections on these momentous events. On Wednesday, we celebrate Tenebrae, a service of darkness and shadows in which we are reminded that the light of Christ will ultimately be triumphant. On Maundy Thursday, we remember Christ’s final meal held with his beloved disciples, his washing of their feet prefiguring his self-offering on the cross. On Good Friday, we enter into liturgically the emptiness, the desolation of Christ’s death, the brief absence of God’s presence among us. At the Easter Vigil, we begin by kindling and blessing a new fire, symbolizing Christ’s light among us in the resurrection. This new light enters the darkness of the nave and spreads as we hear the words of the Scriptures, baptize and confirm new members in the body of Christ, and celebrate the first mass of Easter. This year our Holy Week preacher and Everding Lecturer is the Right Reverend John Pritchard, retired Bishop of Oxford.

The repeated actions of Holy Week, year after year, do not just draw us in flat circle, over and over. Holy Week and its repeated liturgical actions are like an augur, the circular motion of the years drawing us deeper, closer to the heart and mystery of God. With the presence of The Saint John’s Bible, we have a new companion this year on our Holy Week journey, meeting anew the text and illuminations that filter new light into the crevices of our encounter with the Crucified Christ met on Good Friday and the new earth met in Christ Resurrected at Easter.

Please note that the first service of the day on Palm Sunday and Easter Day is at 7:30 am, not 8:00 am.

PALM SUNDAY - MARCH 29 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 11:15 am Solemn Eucharist, the Blessing of Palms, and the Proclamation of the Passion No Christian Education classes today. 6:00 pm The Wilderness

HOLY MONDAY - MARCH 308:30 am Morning Prayer 5:00 pm Evening Prayer 7:00 pm Eucharist and Address

HOLY TUESDAY - MARCH 318:30 am Morning Prayer 5:00 pm Evening Prayer 7:00 pm Eucharist and Address

HOLY WEDNESDAY - APRIL 17:00 am Eucharist 8:30 am Morning Prayer 5:00 pm Evening Prayer 5:30 pm Eucharist (Saint Martin’s Chapel) 5:30 pm Holy Week Family Service, Saint Francis Chapel 7:00 pm Tenebrae

MAUNDY THURSDAY - APRIL 28:30 am Morning Prayer 5:00 pm Evening Prayer 6:00 pm Parish Soup Supper7:00 pm The Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper9:00 pm - 8:00 am, Friday, All-night Watch of the Passion (Prayer Vigil)

GOOD FRIDAY - APRIL 38:30 am Morning Prayer 12:00 noon Good Friday Liturgy 5:00 pm Evening Prayer 5:30 pm Family Eucharist (Saint Martin’s Chapel) 7:00 pm Good Friday Liturgy

HOLY SATURDAY - APRIL 48:30 am Morning Prayer 5:00 pm Evening Prayer 7:00 pm Easter Vigil, Baptisms and Confirmations, and the First Mass of Easter

EASTER DAY - APRIL 57:30, 9:00, 11:15 am Festival Eucharist of Easter Day No Christian Education classes today. Easter Egg Hunt for our children after the 9:00 am service. 6:00 pm The Wilderness

The Nursery will be open for all evening services during Holy Week.

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SOARseniors on a rampage

SOAR is an active ministry at Saint John’s for seniors. We meet on the second Thursday each month for field trips, fun, fellowship, learning, and meals, all while caring from one another. All are welcome; SOAR is not for seniors only!

Valentine’s Day CelebrationThursday, February 12, 1:00 to 3:00 pm, Room 107We will celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day with sweet treats and activities. We invite you to help decorate valentines and/or meal sacks for Project Angel Heart’s clients (people with life threatening illnesses). Cost: $5 per person; pay at the door. Reservations required: Call Joan Jarboe at 303.424.7095 by February 6.

Saint Patrick’s LuncheonThursday, March 12, Noon to 3:00 pm, Dagwell HallThis party will include a traditional corned beef and cabbage lunch with Irish entertainment. Cost: $12 per person; beer is also available for $2.00 per bottle. Reservations required: Call Joan Jarboe at 303.424.7095 by March 6. For more information about SOAR, please contact Basil Carpenter at 303.399.4189.

Everding Lecture, Holy Week The Everding Lectureship in Anglican and Inter-Religious Studies is a gift to the community from Professor H. Edward and Lee Palmer Everding. Through a cooperative partnership between Saint John’s Cathedral, the Iliff School of Theology, and The Denver Foundation, administrator of the Lee Palmer Everding Fund, the Everding Lectureship seeks to promote the study of Anglicanism and interfaith dialogue. Our Everding lecturer this year is the Right Reverend John Pritchard, the recently retired Bishop of Oxford. Our lectureship this year will take a sustained format as Bishop Pritchard will join us as our Holy Week preacher, beginning on Palm Sunday and concluding with the Great Vigil of Easter.

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Daily Worship at the CathedralDo not forget that there is worship every day at the Cathedral, and you are welcome to make this worship an occasional or regular part of your spiritual life.

From Monday to Friday, there is Morning Prayer at 8:30 am, a 25-minute service of psalms, readings from the Scriptures, and prayer.

From Monday to Friday there is also Evening Prayer at 5:00 pm, a slightly shorter service that usually also includes a reading from a spiritual classic.

From Monday to Friday, we celebrate the Eucharist at 5:30 pm. This service usually lasts about 25 minutes. In addition, on Wednesdays there is an early morning Eucharist at 7:00 am, followed by Bible Study. During the program year, the 5:30 pm Eucharist on Wednesday is a sung service with hymns. On Thursdays, the Eucharist includes the Laying on of Hands and Anointing of the Sick.

On Wednesday evenings at 8:30 pm, during the program year, there is the ancient and beautiful service of Compline, followed by Benediction.

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Father Charles LaFond

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As the uncle, great-uncle, and godfather of many children, I have the great pleasure of visits. These wonderful relations live their

lives, rough-and-tumble as they are, apart from mine. So we spend our visits catching up on each other’s lives. For my part, I issue an invitation: “Come and see,” I say to my nieces, nephews, and godchildren. “Come and see,” they respond. See what we have been doing, how we have been growing, where we have been. Come and see the pie I have baked. Come and meet my new girlfriend. Come and see our new home. Come and see the garden at its zenith. They take me by the hand and lead me around their world and lives, excited to share the wonders.

When they visit me in Denver, I grab their hands and take them to the mountains, to my pottery studio, and to the Cathedral. “Come and see!” Come and see the world I have found, the place I call home. Come and see the excitement of this vibrant community on Capitol Hill. Come and see how God is working in and through us.

The incarnation of God, in Jesus, is God coming and seeing what life on this planet is like, what it means to be human. The incarnation is God with us, Emmanuel, choosing to face human joys and sorrows, life and death; God “came to see” for himself.

This spring we will be asking our friends, family, and colleagues to “Come and See” the Christian community that is Saint John’s for themselves.

“Come and see” was a first-century watchword among the disciples. It is used repeatedly by the writers of John’s Gospel. Jesus is repeatedly saying “Come and see.” His disciples, too, repeatedly say to those who ask, “Come and see.”

“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathaniel asks his friend (John 1:46). Come and see, Andrew replies. The disciples did not proselytize. They did not say “come and join us” or “come and sign a contract” or “come and promise your life to our work.” They simply shared what they knew, which was their excitement about Jesus, the fulfillment of prophetic hopes. “Come and see,” they said, who Jesus is—and what we are about.

Saint John’s Cathedral is a hive of activity, engagement, and caring. Much like the Saint John’s bees, hard at work on the Cathedral roof making honey, we work alongside each other to bring God and his love and light to each other and to our community. A community of friends, we do the work of being in

the world together. In order to continue that work, we need to share our light and share the teaching Christ has given us of love and forgiveness. Like our honeybees, we must harvest the joy like pollen from our gardens, sharing with others and magnifying God’s great bounty.

This spring we are inaugurating the first annual “Come and See” campaign. It will be an annual spring event at Saint John’s. In spirit, it is closely tied to, and follows on, our annual fall stewardship campaign as a way to create continual forward movement at the Cathedral. In the fall we raise money. In the spring we raise people. Together, our spring and fall programs will help us to establish both the financial and the human capacity to support our city in the way that only Cathedrals can. These programs will hone the tools we will need to reach out and help others while we tell about the love God has shown us and taught us and inspires us to share in love.

The campaign is disarmingly simple with a few measurable objectives:

1. Together, we will spend late winter learning how to talk openly and gently about our church to others.

2. Together, we will each choose one human being to invite to “Come and See” our church.

3. Together, we will commit ourselves to inviting that person to “Come and See” our church.

4. Together, we will accompany our friend as they come and see Saint John’s, showing them the bathrooms, introducing them to our friends, answering their questions, etc.

5. Together, we will examine the metrics of our work:

How many people agreed to ask a friend to come and see Saint John’s?

How many people came and saw our church or ministry?

How many people have chosen to return to explore the church more deeply?

How many people have come, seen, and chosen to remain as new members?

Our work to maintain the strength and vitality of our congregation is simple. We will do what disciples big and small have done throughout the history of Christianity: we will grab someone’s hand, invite those we love to come and see a church we love. We will then let God do the rest.

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In June 2015, our Sub-Dean, Father Robert Hendrickson, will lead a mission-pilgrimage to mainland China in partnership with the Amity Foundation, an organization of Chinese Christians historically affiliated with the Episcopal Church.

We will emphasize Christian service, encouraging participants to bear witness to their faith through their work together with Chinese churches, as we visit Nanjing, staying at Nanjing Seminary, and Beijing, where Father Robert lived for two and a half years.

It is impossible to say how many Christians live in China today, but no one denies the numbers are exploding. The government says 25 million—18 million Protestants and 6 million Roman Catholics. Independent appraisals all agree this is a vast underestimate, with conservative figures approaching 60 million. More Christians are in church in China on a Sunday than in all of Europe.

The new converts include peasants in remote rural villages to the sophisticated young members of the middle class in China’s booming cities.

Our hosts, in Nanjing, will introduce us to the range of services they provide, from housing for orphans, schools for the differently-abled, sustainable agriculture projects, and the largest Bible printing press in the world. They will also help us understand the complex history of this former imperial capital which also served as the capital during World War II.

In Beijing, we will tour ancient cathedrals and vibrant church communities as well as have a chance to visit significant local sights such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven.

Cost per person (all-inclusive: airfare, meals, attractions, local transport, and lodging included): $4,000. For more information, please contact Annie Croner at Annie@sjcathedral.org.

China Mission Pilgrimage

June 8-21, 2015

FAMILY PROMISESaturday, February 28, 5:30 to 7:30 pm Our Savior’s Lutheran Church at 915 E. 9th Ave., Denver

Join Mother Liz and fellow parishioners to prepare and share a meal with a family struggling with homelessness. This family-friendly volunteer opportunity is in partnership with Family Promise, a local agency that empowers homeless families to find housing by providing temporary housing (through host-church sites) and case management. Volunteers at this day of service will prepare dinner for a family and then deliver it to the host-church site (Our Savior’s Lutheran Church at 915 E. 9th Ave., Denver, 80218). Volunteers are encouraged not only to prepare the meal and serve it to the family but to also share the meal with the family. Join us in this day of service by signing up online at sjcathedral.org/DayofService.

SAINT FRANCIS CENTERSaturday, March 21, 8:30 am to 12:00 pm 2323 Curtis Street, Denver

Join us as we put our faith into action. We will meet at the Saint Francis Center and learn about homelessness in Denver and how this drop-in day center has responded to homelessness. We will do laundry, organize donations, staff the mail center, and spend time with those struggling with homelessness. Volunteers spots are limited to six people, so sign up now at sjcathedral.org/DayofService.

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7: Safeguarding God’s Children. 9:00 am to 12:30 pm in Dagwell Hall. More information at dioco.org.

8: Communion Teaching. A great time of learning during Children’s Chapel and Godly Play.

15: Communion Teaching. A great time of learning during Children’s Chapel and Godly Play.

17: Shrove Tuesday Dinner. Begins at 5:30 pm in Room 103.

18: Ash Wednesday Family Service. 5:30 pm in Saint Francis Chapel.

22: Communion Teaching. Parents are invited to attend with their children in Saint Francis Chapel at 10:15 as Mother Liz helps children learn about the Eucharist.

29: Palm Sunday. Children’s Chapel begins on All Souls’ Walk to join the Procession.

3: Good Friday Family Service. 5:30 pm in Saint Martin’s Chapel.

5: Easter Day. Egg Hunt at 10:30 am.

10-12: Youth Retreat Weekend at Frontier Ranch. Save the Date!

Welcome to Family Ministries at Saint John’sChildren come to us full of wonder and joy, and already knowing something about God. Our task is to nourish the seeds of God’s love that have already been sown, and to help our children find ways to strengthen their relationship with God throughout their lives. We do this through the stories of the Bible and our Church, by encouraging their wonder and helping them discover their deep joy, by welcoming them and involving them fully in the Saint John’s community.

Family Life eNewsletterIf you are new to Saint John’s, or if perhaps just haven’t found your way ‘in’ just yet, please do check the Family Life Newsletter for invitations that we hope will help you to connect! Register at sjcathedral.org/eNewsletters.

Serving in WorshipOur children & youth are part of worship, too! Contacts to get involved:Acolytes (4th-12th Grade): David Barr, DavidLBarr@msn.comYouth Ushers: Deanna White, Deanna_white1500@hotmail.comYouth Readers: Billy Baker, BillyB@sjcathedral.orgYouth Chapel Greeters: Kim McPherson, Kim@sjcathedral.org

Cathedral CampJune 21-27 at Cathedral Ridge, Woodland Park. For girls and boys, ages 8-14. $475 registration cost. Make new friends and reunite with old ones. Have a carnival, slide down the water slide, hike, do crafts, sing, laugh, and watch the stars at night.

Nursery CareOur nursery is a cheerful, safe and welcoming environment for our very youngest members, staffed by professional caregivers as well as volunteers. All are trained to ensure your child’s stay is safe in every way. Please check the website for more information or contact Kim McPherson at Kim@sjcathedral.org.

Sundays 8:30 am - 12:45 pm, ages 0-3 5:30 - 7:30 pm for The Wilderness, any age

Wednesdays 4:00 am - 9:00 pm, all ages

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Sunday Christian Formation for Children Sundays at 9:00 am, Ages 3 & up, Saint Francis Chapel, 2nd FloorChildren are engaged during the first part of the service (the Liturgy of the Word) in very child-friendly fashion, including lesson, prayers, confession and music. Parents may drop off children or remain in Chapel with them. Chapel-goers join their families in the Cathedral in time for Communion, and enter the front of the Cathedral on the East side. Children are invited to come forward at Communion to sit on the carpet and stairs.

Sundays at 10:15 am, Ages 3 - 3rd GradeIn Godly Play, we create a safe and beautiful space where children are deeply respected as they see, hear, and wonder about stories from the Bible or another part of our Episcopal tradition. Using hands-on materials and “wondering questions” to reflect on the story together, children then choose from a variety of materials—story materials, art supplies, building materials, books, silence materials—to make their own creative responses, and to help make the stories truly their own. Prayers and a feast (snack) round out the session.

• 3-4 year olds: Preschool Godly Play, Room 101• K-1st Grades: Godly Play Class, Room 103• 2nd-3rd Grades: Godly Play for Older Kids, Room 202

Sundays at 10:15 am, 4th - 5th Grade, Room 204, 2nd FloorSOWhAT stands for: Stories, Outreach, Wonder, Arts, & Theology. At this age, children are ready for more…more insight, more activities, and more sophisticated art projects. In this year two, as the Saint John’s Illuminated Bible resides with us, these children will have a rare opportunity to explore what sacred space means, and how our own journeys are illuminated by the arts and our faith.

Wednesday Christian Formation for Children4:15 – 5:10 pm, Room 103, for Ages 4 - 9. If you missed Sunday’s class, or if your child is a chorister and would like to come on Wednesdays, this time slot is perfect for you! Our Director of Religious Education, Kim McPherson, shares stories, wonders with the children, and invites them to respond to the stories of our tradition through play, art, and other experiences.

Sunday Formation for Youth

Sundays at 10:15 amOur mission is to help our youth build a community of love and trust. This is a place where teens can engage their faith in relevant ways, find ways to be the hands of Christ in the world, and have fun doing it together! After the 9:00 am service, Middle School Youth (grades 6-8) gather in Room 300 for refreshments, conversation, and activities all built around the theme of creating a ‘rule of life’ for themselves — ways to live the very best life possible. We encourage questions and conversation in a trusting atmosphere, and we offer other extended-time faith-building opportunities too: retreats, mission trips, and Cathedral Camp.

Sundays at 10:15 amSenior Youth (9-12th grades) gather for weekly teaching and conversation with Father Jadon. This is an opportunity for older youth to learn fundamental aspects of Anglican theology in an atmosphere that encourages them to confirm both what they believe and what they struggle with as they encounter the challenges of living as Christian teens. The weekly meetings complement a number of seasonal “away days” that allow for even greater depth of community and spiritual growth.

Chapel

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1350 Washington Street Denver, Colorado 80203

sjcathedral.org info@sjcathedral.org 303.831.7115