Great Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving as a national holiday is still a month away. Yet the heart of our worship this coming Sunday, as every Sunday, is the Great Thanksgiving. That’s what the Book of Common Prayer calls the entire second half of the Holy Eucharist, the communion service—the Greek root eucharistia meaning, literally, “thanksgiving.”

Thanksgiving flows into and radiates from our worship. It’s at the heart of Christian living, energizing us to live as faithful stewards of all we’ve been given. And that meaning comes into focus especially through these weeks leading up to All Saints’ Sunday, Nov. 7, when we’ll gather pledges—yours and mine—to support our cathedral ministries. And especially, to further our outreach to the many in need in our local community and beyond.

We are an endowed congregation, meaning that the generous giving of our forebears has freed us from many of the usual constraints of institutional maintenance. Now we can give to realize the dream of Psalm 126, appointed for this Sunday—to give not for our own subsistence or enrichment, but to “restore the fortunes” of the unfortunate, to bring some measure of joy to those whose lot is “sowed with tears.”

Join us in worship as we celebrate that “the Lord has done great things for us.” Join us in giving so that others also may “reap with songs of joy.”

Grateful Together, Giving Together, Growing Together: Exodus Refugee Immigration leads Forum

SUNDAY, OCT. 24 AT 11:30AM

We invite you to learn what a difference your pledges and gifts make to our community as we reflect with gratitude on the many blessings of our lives. This Sunday, Oct. 24, we’re delighted to welcome Rachel Van Tyle from Exodus Refugee Immigration as our guest speaker. Rachel will be with us at our 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. liturgies to share briefly about the work of Exodus Refugee, and she will offer an extended 45-minute presentation at 11:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall during our Forum hour.

We’re also sharing stories of our impact throughout the week on our Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to highlight community organizations who transform our collective gifts into life-giving programs and services.

Your pledge dollars in 2021 supported Exodus’ mission to protect human rights by serving the resettlement needs of refugees and other displaced people fleeing persecution, injustice, and war by welcoming them to Indiana.

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Preparing for All Saints’ Procession

SUNDAY, OCT. 24 AT 11:30AM

Have you chosen your saint yet? There’s still time! CCC’s annual All Saints procession honors the everyday saints who have been instruments of God through a tumultuous year. This Sunday, we’ll rehearse in the Nave at 11:30 a.m. for the actual All Saints processions on Sunday, Nov. 7, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. All are welcome! Choose a saint meaningful to you, or contact Anne Tordai for suggestions.

EMAIL ANNE

Vestry Meets This Week

TUESDAY, OCT. 26 AT 6:30PM

Christ Church Cathedral’s Vestry (governing board) meets at 6:30 pm on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Our meetings are open to the congregation and all are welcome to attend.

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Blessing of the Blue Jackets

OCT. 27-29 AT 12:30PM

The Future Farmers of America will flood downtown Indianapolis Oct. 27-30 for their annual convention. If you’re in the area, you’ll see their distinctive blue jackets everywhere. To welcome these hard-working high school students from around the country, CCC will offer blessings (and bottles of water) from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday on our front lawn.

Spookensong Returns

THURSDAY, OCT. 28 AT 5:30PM

Join in for the return of Spookensong— Choral Evensong with a spoOOOooky twist! Featuring the eeriest and most hair-raising passages from the Bible and mysterious, musical melodies, we welcome you to join in the fun! Costumes strongly encouraged.

Halloween Costumes Welcome!

SUNDAY, OCT. 31

Happy Halloween! Children are welcome to wear costumes to any worship service on Halloween! We will have treat bags for all our trick-or-treaters, whether they are disguised as angels or demons —or if they’re angels or demons disguised as children!

Día de los Muertos at CCC

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a rich spiritual experience where CCC comes together to collectively thank God for the lives of those before us and to hold space for each other as we process the loss of our dearly departed. While this tradition has been a part of our multicultural congregational practices for many years, the loss and grief that have coincided with nearly two years of pandemic life have added a sense of heaviness to these celebrations.

From Friday, Oct. 29, through Sunday, Nov. 7, CCC offers many ways for members and visitors to engage with this joyous and healing experience.

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Commemoration of All Faithful Departed

SUNDAY, NOV. 7 AT 6PM

Since the 10th Century, the church has set aside a day to commemorate the departed: not those Saints with names we pass down through the ages, but the everyday saints in our parishes, in our families, and in our lives. Join us to pray for and remember all the faithful departed. We will pray by name for members of the parish who have died, and for your loved ones, whether they died this year or 20 years ago. We invite you to submit names through the link below. This service will be sung by the Cathedral Choir and will feature music by Spanish-Renaissance composer Tomás Luis de Victoria, among others.

SUBMIT NAMES OF THE DEPARTED

Situational Awareness and Self-Defense:
Cathedral Women Dinner & General Meeting—All Are Welcome!

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 3, 6 TO 8PM

The Cathedral Women welcome back IMPD Community Relations Officer Jeffrey Patterson, who will facilitate a course centered around situational awareness, verbal de-escalation, and self-defense. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. in the Parish Hall, and the meeting will start promptly at 6:30 p.m.. Officer Patterson will begin his program at 7 p.m.  All are welcome! Please RSVP to April Culbertson at 317-730-2642 or april.culbertson@gmail.com.

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Be Anxious for Nothing: Loss and Joy in Unexpected Change

MONDAY, NOV. 8 AT 7PM

What do the Bible, the Torah, the Qur’an, and Sacred Music say about change? How do we hold space for grief and still find opportunities for joy and growth?

In CCC’s event as part of the Spirit and Place Festival, we’re partnering with the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, Progressive Baptist Church, and Masjid al-Mumineen to explore how sacred storytelling and music bring us through the pain and joy of unexpected change.

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*NEW* Racial Justice Ministry Team

TUESDAY, NOV. 9 AT 7PM

CCC’s Vestry is taking the call to racial justice seriously, and at their September meeting they officially established a Racial Justice Ministry Team. Your help, input and insights are needed to make this team a success.

Michael Landon, the chair of the team, invites each of you to consider how you can work towards justice for all people. The first meeting will be held via Zoom on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.

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GOOD WORD SUBMISSION FORM

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