A MESSAGE FROM DEAN MARY

Dear friends of the Cathedral,

I’m going to speak personally here. The last few weeks have been soul-searing, for me. At times, words have been hard to find. I don’t think I’m alone.

Rest in peace, George Floyd. Your unjust death is pushing the arc of history toward justice. Dreasjon Reed, you haven’t been forgotten. Whatever our new normal will be, it will include reforms to public safety and policing. Your lives mattered. Black lives matter.

God is known through scripture for dramatic reversals. The mighty are brought low; the lowly are lifted up. The hungry are filled with good things and the rich are sent away empty. A choke hold has released a torrent of thousands upon thousands raising heart and voice for change. It’s looking like a God-moment to me.

In Luke’s gospel (6:42), Jesus says to first take the log out of our own eyes so that we may see clearly before taking a speck out of our neighbor’s eye. I remember when the first log fell from my eyes and I saw my white privilege. We pull them out and the next one appears. More logs have been called out of my own eyes by the events of these last few weeks. I don’t think I’m alone. It’s humbling. Maybe the same has happened to you?

Even though the building is still closed (more on that below in this newsletter), the cathedral has been about its mission. We’ve been engaged with partners new and old. Clergy and parishioners have joined Faith in Indiana at demonstrations. Faith Aid and Support Team (FAST, an ecumenical group led by a priest of this diocese) along with a medic team for Indy10 Black Lives Matter, are stationed on our lawn most evenings to care for anyone in need. Indy Iglesias Amigos and CCC held an evening prayer vigil on the lawn. A steady voice of prayer has been raised through our daily Morning and Evening Prayer and mid-day reflections as the various voices respond in real time.

With logs out of our own eyes, we can see that just and merciful future more clearly. The new normal we long for must be a more just, more merciful, more humble, normal, so help us God.

In Christ, Dean Mary