The Secret to Sainthood

This Sunday, we will celebrate the Feast of All Saints. Here’s the secret to sainthood: being a saint is not about being successful. Instead, being a saint is all about being faithful, about persevering even in the face of struggle, hardship, and challenge. This is a hard lesson to learn because everything in our culture and almost everyone in our lives pushes us to be a success. From the moment we take our first steps, we are taught to achieve, to meet and exceed other people’s expectations, and to perform at school or at work. We even make this mistake in the church, sometimes trying to run the church like a business rather than being the group of “unsuccessful” radicals God calls us to be.

Jesus, frankly, doesn’t expect or even want success from his saints. In Luke’s Gospel this Sunday, Jesus will tell us, in fact, that we are blessed if we are poor, mourning, meek, merciful, pure, peacemakers, persecuted, or reviled. (Try putting any one of those adjectives on a resume!) As saints, our call is to love our enemies, to give our time, talent, and treasure away to others, to reach out to those whom everyone else has written off, and we do this all expecting absolutely nothing in return from anyone. What God asks of us as saints is that we are faithful. Faithful doesn’t mean we will always do everything “right.” Faithful doesn’t mean we will never have moments of doubt or struggle. Faithful means that we keep the course, even in the grimmest of times and darkest of moments. Faithful means that we keep showing up, with and for each other and for our world, no matter what or how unsuccessful it all looks, to offer God’s hope, peace, and shalom to all.

—The Very Reverend Gray Lesesne, D.Min.
Dean and Rector

Deeper Roots

SUNDAY, NOV. 6

Don’t forget to bring your pledge card on the last day of our stewardship season! During each service we will place our pledge cards at the altar so that our collective giving may be blessed. After each service, we’ll also share in a meal together in celebration and gratitude for our ever-deepening roots!

Fall Back!

SUNDAY, NOV. 6

Just a reminder that this Sunday marks the end of Daylight Saving Time in the wee hours of the morning. Be sure to reset your clocks when you go to bed on Saturday!

TONIGHT! Between Society and Self: A Spirit & Place Event

FRIDAY, NOV. 4, AT 6:30PM

CCC’s entry in the city-wide Spirit & Place Festival will explore our multicultural identity through the arts in an evening of performances and exhibitions. From spoken word and music to folk dance and painting, experience how our many cultures enrich us. This is a bilingual event in English & Spanish.

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All Souls’ Requiem

SUNDAY, NOV. 6, AT 4PM

This annual service provides space for all who grieve. During the service, we will read names of those we love but no longer see. Service music will be Maurice Duruflé’s moving Requiem setting, sung by the Cathedral Choir.

First Sunday Recital

SUNDAY, NOV. 6, AT 3:30PM

Be with us this afternoon for our First Sunday Recital performed by cellist Kevin Flynn, followed by our annual requiem service providing space for all who grieve.

Concerts at CCC: Fisk Jubilee Singers

SATURDAY, NOV. 12, AT 6:30PM

The Fisk Jubilee Singers are vocal artists and students at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., who sing and travel worldwide. The original Fisk Jubilee Singers introduced songs of the enslaved to the world in 1871 and were instrumental in preserving this unique American musical tradition known today as Negro spirituals. Winner of a 2021 Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album, the Fisk Jubilee Singers’ performance in Indianapolis will be a highlight of the concert season! Tickets to this concert are $30 each.

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Transgender Day of Remembrance

SUNDAY, NOV. 20, AT 4PM

On Sunday, November 20, communities around the globe will pause to recognize Transgender Day of Remembrance.

In solidarity with this solemn tradition, Roberts Park United Methodist and Christ Church Cathedral are coming together for a memorial service to honor the lives lost last year as a result of their gender identity. All are invited to join this special day of remembrance at Roberts Park United Methodist Church at the corner of Vermont and Delaware Streets (401 N. Delaware St.) at 4pm.

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Newcomer Luncheon

SUNDAY, NOV. 13, AT 11:30AM

Do you have questions about Christ Church Cathedral? Do you want to learn more about who we are, what we believe, and how we live out our faith? Let’s do brunch. We’ll meet at the church and walk to Nada (11 W. Maryland St.) together. New and familiar faces are welcome!

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Special Volunteer Opportunity

NOV. 21 AND 22

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, thousands of people will visit Monument Circle to enjoy the annual Circle of Lights. Downtown Indy, Inc., invites us to help beautify the area. Volunteer shifts are available Monday, Nov. 21, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and on Tuesday, Nov. 22, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Meet on Monument Circle. Tools and gloves will be provided, and volunteers will be entered into a chance for holiday giveaways!