Palm Sunday: The Liturgical Roller Coaster

Palm Sunday is the one Sunday of the liturgical year that is a complete roller coaster ride. We begin with hosannas and pageantry and triumph, and we end with complete and stark silence and sadness. The so-called Messiah we proclaim at the beginning of our liturgy turns out to be nothing like what we expected him to be, and by the end of the liturgy, we, along with his disciples, abandon him.

The irony of the spiritual life is this: We almost always expect God to be and to do one thing, and God almost always turns out to be something completely different. This Holy Week, I invite us to enter a time of sacred disorientation. If we are truly present during this time, and if we are open to letting our old expectations of God go, then we will see and experience the new that God is always offering us.

May God bless us in this week of adventure and disorientation, and may God give us new eyes to see the hope and joy of the Resurrection that is coming into plain sight.

–The Very Reverend Gray Lesesne, D.Min.

Resuming Use of the Common Cup

On March 29, Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows ended the Diocesan prohibition on receiving from the common cup. For two long years, we have participated in communion with bread only, and we are very pleased that we may once again offer communion in both kinds (bread and wine) to anyone who wishes to receive it.

TOMORROW: Support for Ukraine Rally

SATURDAY, APRIL 9, AT 3PM

As our community comes together to rally for the people of Ukraine and protest the war of Russian aggression, we will use our place on Monument Circle to offer water and a blessing station. Be with us as we serve our neighbors and pray for the people of Ukraine. Contact Canon for the Circle Mariann Scott with questions at marianns@cccindy.org.

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Parish Discussion of the Ukrainian Crisis

TUESDAY, APRIL 19, AT 7PM

On Tuesday, April 19, from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom, Christ Church members Perry Mihalakos and Paul Valliere will lead a discussion of the Ukrainian crisis focusing on the impact of the conflict on church relations in the Orthodox Christian world and in the West. If you would like to reflect on the current crisis together with others in the CCC community, please join Perry and Paul for this conversation. Canon Mariann Scott will moderate.

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Holy Week and Easter at CCC

APRIL 10-17

We begin Holy Week with the joyful celebration of Palm Sunday then quickly turn our thoughts to Jesus’ persecution and passion upon the cross. Be with us throughout the week as we journey in prayer and contemplation throughout the week leading up to the Great Vigil of Easter and the triumphant return of Christ on Easter Day.

Decorate Easter Eggs and Learn About Pysanky

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 10AM TO NOON

Families, youth, and adults are invited to help decorate Easter eggs for the children’s egg hunt on Easter Sunday. Youth and adults also have the opportunity to learn about the Ukrainian wax-method of egg dyeing called “Pysanky.”

Trip to Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Holocaust Museum in Cincinnati

SATURDAY, JUNE 25, FROM 8AM-6:30PM

CCC will take a day trip to Cincinnati to explore the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Through permanent and traveling exhibits, the NURFC shares the stories of Freedom’s heroes, from the era of the Underground Railroad to contemporary times, challenging and inspiring us all. After lunch together at a local restaurant, we tour the Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center. We will take a hired ADA coach to Cincinnati and back and the cost to attend is $20 (includes both museums and lunch). We will leave Christ Church Cathedral at 8 a.m. and return around 6:30 p.m. Dinner is not included. Registration is limited to 50 participants.

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Racial Equity Workshop: A Groundwater Presentation

SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 9AM TO NOON

In this virtual webinar hosted by CCC, organizers from the Racial Equity Institute will use stories and data to present a perspective that racism is fundamentally structural in nature. The Groundwater metaphor is designed to help participants at all levels internalize the reality that we live in a racially structured society, and that that is what causes racial inequity. The metaphor is based on three observations:

racial inequity looks the same across systems,
socio-economic difference does not explain the racial inequity; and,
inequities are caused by systems, regardless of people’s culture or behavior.

Embracing these truths helps leaders confront the reality that all our systems, institutions, and outcomes emanate from the racial hierarchy, on which the United States was built. In other words, we have a “groundwater” problem, and we need “groundwater” solutions. Starting from there, we begin to unlock transformative change.

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CCC Concerts: Tonos del Sur performs Santiago and Friends: Music from the Americas

SATURDAY, APRIL 30, AT 6:30PM

Santiago Billoni’s music, recently rediscovered in the archives of the Durango Cathedral, Mexico, expresses virtuosity and beauty through unique musical language. Join Tonos del Sur, a historically-informed ensemble led by baroque violinist Sarah Cranor, as they share an evening of Billoni’s music and that of his contemporaries, including cantatas in indigenous languages, instrumental, and religious music, all exploring rich musical soundscapes from across Latin America during the mid 1700s.

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Joyful Noise Registration Is Open, Volunteers Needed!

MAY 25-31 AND JUNE 1-3

Do you know a child who enjoys music, art and making new friends? Consider our week-long FREE Joyful Noise summer day camp for kids in grades 3 through 8 (as of fall 2023)!

Campers will make new friends in an inclusive Christian community, develop new musical and artistic skills and take daily field trips. Campers receive breakfast, lunch and snacks.

Adult volunteers are also needed to help us create a safe and fun environment for our campers. Volunteers assist with camp activities and field trips, and ensure camper safety. We are in high need of your time and talent in this way!

Interested? Contact Stephany Cohen at lscohen.music@gmail.com or Christopher Caruso-Lynch at chrisl@cccindy.org