Feast of St. Michael and All Angels
September 29, 2020

Dear friends of Christ Church Cathedral,

One of the things I’ve always appreciated about the cathedral is her commitment to prayer. When we were in the building, that regular rhythm of Morning Prayer, Eucharist, Evening Prayer, five days a week, to me, pushed back against powers and principalities that can so easily separate us from the love of God. Our open doors invited friend, traveler, and stranger alike, to sit down and be embraced in the love of God in beautiful sacred space. I look forward to when the doors can be open again, safely.
When we had to close the doors due to coronavirus, we moved Morning and Evening Prayer to Facebook Live and have continued that prayerful rhythm of readings and prayers according to the discipline of our faith. We’ve only missed a few times all these months. More people join in this devotion since we’ve gone digital! When I officiate in the evening, just before closing, I like to invite everyone within my hearing, to look over their day. Where did you find Beauty or Love or Compassion today? Where did you encounter Jesus? Where did you see even a whisp of movement toward Love? Then, give thanks to God. Knowing that God is in this moment, we can sustain our hope. Even if love was hard to find today, keep looking. Even with the chances and changes of this life, even if Love’s hard to find and see, we can sustain our hope in the changelessness of our loving God.
Gratitude seeks expression. Love seeks to be shared. An offering and commitment to Christ Church Cathedral in the form of a pledge is a way to express gratitude.
Those pledges become an expression of love that will be shared in our community. Together, we can do what we cannot do individually. I know these are hard times. Life seems surreal sometimes. Still, I encourage and invite you to look for Beauty, Love and Compassion. Look into the face of someone different from you and see the face of Jesus. Take note of the loving and compassionate acts that are happening quietly around us. And, give thanks. Lastly, thank you. Thank you for your faithfulness this year. Thank you for your resilience. Thank you for the unseen acts of love and compassion you have done. Thank you for the offerings and commitments you will make through pledge to Christ Church Cathedral for this next year.

Gratefully,

The Very Rev. Mary Slenski
Dean & Rector (ai)