The
Angelus
Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral • Kansas City, Missouri •
Vol. 75 No. 4 • April 2006
Contents
From the Dean
Were you there?
The Playground is Coming!
Wine Tasting Event
Ministry to the house of birth/Friends of MN
Adult Formation
One family’s Lenten journey
The Easter banner
Taizι Prayer Service
The Liturgies of Holy Week and Easter Week
Triduum Sacrum – Three Holy Days
Walking the labyrinth: a ritual of
transformation
Palm Cross Day
Candidates for baptism, confirmation and reception
at the Easter Vigil
Holy Hands: A Poem
Cathedral flowers, an art to serve the liturgy
Walk for Life: Support ‘Heart of the City’ walk
team
The Cathedral’s Financial Status
News from Guild of the Christ Child
Music Notes
With Sympathy
Trinity Institute’s Anatomy of Reconciliation
presented at GHTC
Lenten altar memorials and thanksgivings
Mildred Duer celebrates 100th birthday this month
Weekly Activities
Activities for the Month of April
From the Dean
Right out of seminary, I served as curate in a parish where I was the third priest on staff. My first Lent the rector asked me to lead a study series entitled The Liturgies of Holy Week. With such a stirring title, it was hardly surprising that the table around which we gathered had several empty chairs. Though the 1979 Book of Common Prayer had been in use for several years, this parish was just implementing the full rites of Holy Week.
For the previous three years, these liturgies had been fully celebrated in my seminary chapel, so I found that despite my youth, I actually had more experience with these services than those in the class. Each session as we began our day’s study, I said, “I can virtually guarantee you that if you observe every day of Holy Week, you will be changed.”
That Holy Week, all members of the class worshipped on Palm Sunday. Three members received Eucharist on Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Two of these three experienced the liturgies of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil of Easter. One was the daughter of a bishop, Virginia, for whom this round of Holy Week services was nothing new.
The other was a devout lady, Marie, who had never before observed all of Holy Week nor what are called the Three Holy Days, the Triduum Sacrum, of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. On Easter Day, Marie looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “I have never known such an Easter! And it is because I attended all of the services. You were right – it has changed me.”
Guarantees are easy to promise, and I am one of the first to be skeptical about life-changing claims. But like Marie, I, too, have experienced the transformative power of Holy Week.
Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation of those mighty acts, whereby you have given us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
With these words, the journey of Holy Week begins as palms are blessed. Experiencing holy rituals in community, and literally carrying palms, washing feet, venerating the cross, and gathering around a new fire on the Third Day open for us the mystery of God’s love. We are fed each day of this Great and Holy Week with the Holy Eucharist.
On Maundy Thursday, when Ginny and Marie were ready to leave the prayer vigil around 11 p.m., I walked them to their cars. Every year since, I call them on Maundy Thursday, not to chat but to leave messages on their voice mail, wishing them a blessed Triduum and Easter Day, assuring them of my prayers and asking for theirs. Though separated by distance, we are one as we observe these days and are overwhelmed by the love of Christ.
My friends, I an convinced that observing all the days of Holy Week, and especially the Triduum Sacrum of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, will change you and me in some way. As more of us gather on each of these days, our parish and mission will continue to be transformed by sacrificial love. For ourselves, and for one another, experiencing this Week is important.
“What wondrous love is this, O my soul?” Come and see.
With affection, Terry+
Were you there?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? The lyrics of the well-known Holy Week hymn met me at the door of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Women’s voices – fellow pilgrims perhaps, or maybe an order of Franciscan nuns – I couldn’t tell because I couldn’t see. I had arrived at the basilica before sun-up, having made my way through the twisting, narrow streets of the Old City in near darkness.
Not that it was much brighter inside. As it was, I nearly stumbled and fell as I climbed the steep uneven steps to the Chapel of Golgotha.
Under the altar in the chapel is a round opening, rimmed in silver, which is said to be the place where the cross of Jesus was placed. Pilgrims kneel there and put their hands in the opening, while all around are hundreds of flickering candles. I knelt too and put my hand in the opening. And I wish I could tell you that it was a powerfully spiritual moment.
Unfortunately, what I mostly felt was irritation at some people who were chatting loudly nearby, impatiently waiting for their Kodak moment under the altar.
But to be honest, I probably could have been utterly alone in that over-decorated space and still have felt no particular spiritual thrill traverse my spine. Whatever this chapel was, it bore little resemblance to what the Place of the Skull would have been like in first century Jerusalem.
What is arguably the holiest site in all of Christendom in fact venerates a place of execution, a place frequented by vultures and wild dogs, a place to be shunned and avoided at all cost lest one’s own association with the crucified victim might lead to one’s own cross. Crucifixions were designed by the Roman government as deterrents to insurrection. There were more efficient ways of executing prisoners, but few were more horrifying.
Oh ... sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. The chilly air seemed heavy with the scent of dust and incense. Where was the scorching noonday sun? Where was the stench of death? The silvered, icon-laden, candle-lit chapel bespoke a certain piety, but it was a piety which seemed to carry with it an unmistakable denial of the starkness, the terror, and the ugliness of the crucifixion. Not much to tremble about in that chapel, except perhaps the garishness of the decor.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Dorothy Sayers commented once how odd it seemed to her that the same people who become outraged if a cat kills a backyard sparrow have no difficulty Sunday after Sunday hearing the story of God Incarnate being killed. Perhaps the great familiarity of the story in the Eucharistic prayer inures us to its horror.
Or perhaps, because we are a resurrection people, we choose not to dwell on the death of Christ because it quickly is overturned on Easter morning with the discovery of the empty tomb. Be that as it may, the fact remains that we often do not know how to dwell with suffering. We do not expect to suffer, as a people, and we feel betrayed to some extent when suffering does happen. When we observe it in others, we often try to fix it. But when our efforts to fixing are met with resistance or futility, we are tempted to turn away, to try to escape, to assign blame elsewhere.
In the Chapel of Golgotha that February morning it seemed to me that the suffering of God was enshrined, perfumed, and decorated because that is the only way that we can bear to look upon it. God the Son hangs upon the cross, and God the Father is silent. Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Most of his disciples were not, at least according to the Gospel accounts.
Grief, bewilderment, disillusionment, and fear -- the human condition -- kept them from the foot of the cross. Lord knows, it is difficult to be present in the midst of suffering, let alone suffering willingly undertaken on behalf of a broken and sinful world.
And yet, that is what we are invited to do on Good Friday -- to contemplate the cross of the Jesus, cross of passion, cross of glory and not to look away.
– by the Rev. Canon Sue Sommer
The Playground is Coming!
“We care about families. We welcome families. We want families to be an integral part of our community.”
These are but three powerful messages that will be shouted from the Cathedral campus when a new playground is built on the north side of Haden Hall. The Vestry, at their March meeting, approved a resolution by the Finance Committee to fund the expected cost of the playground construction (estimated at $114,000) from the Endowment Fund. The Playground Steering Committee is committed to raising at least 25 percent of the total cost, and the Vestry believes that the remainder of the monies will eventually come from other sources as well, thereby enabling the capital to be restored to the Endowment Fund. This decision enables construction to move forward on schedule.
Barring the unforeseen, the Playground Committee, chaired by Kristy Moore, expects that the playground will be blessed and opened in time for the Annual Parish Picnic in early June.
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Kristy Moore is the chair of the Playground Committee. |
The Committee spent considerable time researching options and considering possible locations for the playground before making their initial proposal to the Vestry at the February meeting. The north side of Haden Hall ultimately was selected because of its proximity to the venue for existing Children’s Ministries, lack of drainage problems, the relative ease with which the area can be secured for safety and the visibility that it affords those who drive by on Washington and 13th streets. In addition, the Playground Committee members are committed to assisting in the transplanting of as many flowers, trees and shrubbery in the existing garden as possible to locations elsewhere on the campus, under the direction and supervision of Buildings and Grounds. Can you imagine a nice warm Sunday coffee hour where the children and parents wander out of Founder’s Hall, up to the Haden Hall courtyard for the children to play with their “church friends” in a safe play area designed just for them? What a foundation for a growing church community!
Complete details on the playground, including a 4-color schematic by the contractor, are available for review in the youth room. Also available for review are answers to Frequently Asked Questions, touching on topics ranging from liability to supervision to handicap accessibility to maintenance, and more. Playground Committee members are Brenda Colburn, Bud McDowell, Angela Michka, Kristy Moore and Robin Rusconi.
We need the help of this growing community to build this playground. Watch this space for opportunities to make this dream a reality for our children. For further information contact Kristy Moore at kristybmoore@aol.com or 913-383-2282.
– by Dolly McCarson and the Rev. Canon Susan Sommer
Photo by Chris Morrison
2nd Wine
Tasting Event at
Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral
Friday, May 5
6-9 p.m.
Featuring South American Wines and festive food Matt Vincent from Gomer’s South will answer questions
Tickets: $20 for one/ $35 for two
A portion of the proceeds of this GHTC fundraiser will support The Episcopal Church’s medical mission in Haiti to eradicate infant mortality.
Spring Forward!
Daylight Savings Time begins April 2. Remember to set your clocks forward 1 hour!
Ministry to the house of birth
Friends of MN (Maison de Naissance) meets at the Cathedral on the second Wednesday of odd-numbered months at 6:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose room in Founders’ Hall. The next meeting will be May 10.
Anyone who is interested is invited to be a part of this ministry. Current members include Valerie Johnson, Theresa Yeager, Marnell Sparks, Debbie Marrs, Phyllis Biddle, Vivian Gibbens, Steve and Garrett Coletti, Kevin O’Neill, Jennifer Lowry, Marian Philip and Linda Yeager.
If you are interested in going to Haiti to learn more about MN and to help with the project, please contact the church office (816 474-8260) or talk to any of the group members. The cost to go per person is approximately $2000. We hope to have a group of Cathedral members travel to Haiti later this year.
Friends of MNThe next meeting of Friends of MN (Maison de Naissance) will be Wednesday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room (lower level, Founders’ Hall). Questions? Contact Marian Philip at MPHILIP1976@juno.com or 816-421-5808. |
A special way to help MN is by contributing on Baptism Sundays.
A special collection box is displayed on these Sundays and donations placed in the box will go directly to help pay the expenses at the birthing center. The next Baptism Sunday is April 23. The annual budget for MN is approximately $100,000, all of which comes from donations.
The house of birth, Maison de Naissance, in Torbek, Haiti, is committed to providing excellent care for mothers and babies in extreme poverty in Haiti and is a program of The Healthy Mothers-Healthy Babies Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
– by the Rev. Canon Linda Yeager
Adult Formation
Sundays at 9:15 a.m.
In the Common Room
Judas, Images of the Lost Disciple
(April 2), Led by the Rev. Susan Sommer
There has never been just one Judas, but instead a rich and startling variety of depictions of Judas, both positive and negative, each with its own emphasis, its own meaning, and ultimately, its own validity and importance for our understanding of Judas, Jesus, God, good and evil, human nature, and ourselves.
Join us for four Sundays in Lent, as we explore what Scripture, tradition, literature, and music says (and doesn’t say!) about the man who betrayed Jesus. We will use as our starting point Kim Paffenroth’s text, Judas, Images of the Lost Disciple, which class participants are welcome (but not required) to purchase from the cathedral bookstore. Each class will feature both lecture and discussion.
The Resurrection Narratives in the Four Gospels
(April 23, 30; May 7, 14), Led by The Rev. Michael
Johnston
Each of the four Gospels paints a different picture of Jesus and his community, telling different stories, and often slanting those stories differently when they are repeated from one text to the next. So it is with the resurrection accounts in each of the gospels: Mark’s version is as much about the resurrection of failed discipleship as it is about the resurrection of Jesus; Matthew promises a faithful Jewish teacher who will be with the community of believers to the end of the world. Luke’s resurrection constructs a new kind of discipleship community with Jesus as its Eucharistic center. John simply returns Jesus to the cosmic place with the Father where he began his ministry in the first place. In this series of four classes, we will attempt to look at the four Resurrection Narratives with fresh eyes, asking what they tell us about the Risen Lord and our relationship to him as people of faith.
In the Youth Room, Haden Hall
Lectionary Learners
Each week this group gathers for lectionary study of the day’s readings and fellowship while exploring what the Bible has to say about living a Christian life. This type of study has been described as “building the body through sharing; opening the mind by questioning; and embracing the spirit for Sunday worship.” A deeper understanding of the Bible text brings us all into a closer relationship with Christ and each other.
In the Multipurpose Room, Level 1 of Founders’ Hall
Religious Book Study
(Begins May 7 )
Life of the Beloved is one of the final works penned by Henri Nouwen. Much like some of the other great texts in Christian literature, it began as a request from one friend to another, and is in the form of an open letter to Fred Bratman, a secular journalist and writer.
His friend’s request was for an explanation of the spiritual life in terms that he and his friends could understand, avoiding theology and technical language. This might seem somewhat reminiscent to those who participated in our group last year discussing the C.S. Lewis classic Mere Christianity, but this is a very different work.
Nouwen addresses a variety of questions in this work, pulling from a lifetime of experience including his final years serving as pastor to the mentally disabled of L’Arche Daybreak community in Toronto. This work views spirituality not as something separate from the world, but within the world.
What is our place in the world in God’s eyes? How can we blend service and spiritual worship with the harshness of the everyday world? How can we, imperfect and each broken in our own way, feel beloved by the Almighty?
Come and explore these and other questions in our Religious Book Study, as part of the Christian Formation Program at the Cathedral. Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World by Henri J Nouwen will be available in the Cathedral Bookstore.
There will be no Adult Formation classes on April 9 & 16 (Palm Sunday & Easter).
One family’s Lenten journey
Lent is a time of giving up and taking on! This I learned a long time ago from a family with long Episcopal traditions. Both my mothers’ grandparents were Episcopalians. In fact, my mother’s paternal grandparents were Anglicans in the Bahamas before coming to America and calling themselves Episcopalians. As a child, my family and I were steep in the church’s traditions.
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Jackye Finnie enjoys a long Episcopal heritage. |
The forty days of Lent were special for us. We began its preparation with Shrove Tuesday and great fun at Church. We ate a lot of the foods we loved, especially home baked sweets, finger sandwiches and homemade ice cream hand churned while you watched. We danced, laughed, talked, sang and had a good time. The next day and for the next forty days we would turn a new page. We would focus on what Jesus did for us what we should do for Him.
Every morning at seven, including Sundays, mass was a must. Even though, there was a mass on Sundays at 10:30, young, confirmed people were not allowed to take communion at that service. Communion meant fasting before taking it and only the old or the ill was allowed to commune after taking in food. Daily mass was a part of our taking on. We took on many other things as well.
We took on Stations of the Cross, a one hour service, every Wednesdays at 5 p.m. or Friday at 7 p.m. during Lent. Wednesday’s service was primarily for children and young people. We loved processing around the church. We followed the cross, the priest and the acolytes around the church; stopping at each of the 14 stations located around and together praying the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary and the Gloria, at each one. Friday evening Station of the Cross was the same service, attended mostly by adults.
We were taught to give up a lot during Lent. You gave up those things you loved the most. No sweets, no movies, no dances, no entertainment. Meat was given up on Wednesdays as well as on Fridays and fish was taken on. While Sundays are not counted as days in Lent, Sunday was a part of the sacrifice. Fasting was very strongly encouraged, especially on Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and that meant no solid food during the day or night. Water was the food on those days. You were giving up.
There was a special place for money not spent on things given up. It was a Mite box, a little blue box with an opening to insert money. This money was brought to the church on Easter Sunday and placed at the foot of the altar on Easter. It was used for outreach programs or for the diocesan fund, to help others. This was a taking on.
There were two special Sundays for us during Lent: Passion Sunday and Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday was the most pompous for us because we enjoyed marching and singing in the palm parade around the church block and returning to a closed church and having to knocking to get back into it. I can remember thinking, “Who’s inside to let us in?” We always got back in. This was the Sunday next before Easter and Passion Sunday was the Sunday before it.
During the last week of Lent we took on many other church activities as well. On Maundy Thursday, everyone signed up for and came to church to “watch and pray” for at least one hour during the 24-hour watch service. Good Friday was quite special because the public schools allowed you to leave school to attend the 12:00-3:00, a three hour service. Of course, everyone, even non-Episcopalians attended this service.
The Saturday before Easter was reserved for Confessions which everyone scheduled and made one. This day ended up with polishing the church’s brass instruments and beautifying the church for the Easter celebration.
Then, as now, Easter made all the sacrifices meaningful. It was marked with joy, loud organ music, incense swung during the service and the church community together, greeting each other with “The Lord is risen.”
The church was decked with some of the most beautiful, biggest flowers ever. A new Paschal candle was lit and “Alleluia” bellowed throughout the church. The triumph was felt. Jesus victory over death was felt and shared by everyone. All the giving up and the taking on was celebrated in the response: “The Lord is risen indeed!” What a celebration it was and still is today! What a journey!
– by Jackye Finnie
The Easter banner
When we were designing the Easter banner we tried to avoid the
cliche symbols of the season. On an all-over white background we see
the staff with the banner of victory and the sign of the cross
passing through a gold crown embellished with the symbols of our
Savior, his resurrection, plus the three crosses at Calvary.
The first image we see on the crown is the Phoenix. According to one version of the phoenix legend, this bird, which somewhat resembles an eagle, lives to an age of four or five hundred years and is consumed in the fire caused by the fanning of its wings.
Out of the ashes the bird rises again, recreated and young, destined to live another five hundred years.
Next we see a fish, the very ancient symbol of the Savior, since the Greek word meaning “fish,” is composed of five letters. These five letter were used as an acronym meaning “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” The last resurrection symbol in the crown is the Bursting Pomegranate. It is a symbol of the power of our Lord, who was able to burst the tomb on Easter Day and come forth alive. The IHS is an abbreviation of the Greek word for “Jesus Christ.” Mrs. Charles C. Carpenter gave this banner as a memorial to her brotherr Walter L. Crutcher.
– by Richard Fanolio
Taizι Prayer Service
Wednesday, April 5
7 p.m. in the Nave
Taizι Prayer is an ecumenical meditative service which comes from the Christian monastic community of Taizι, located in the heart of the Burgundy region in France.
• Nursery care will be available •
There is no registration for the evening – simply plan to make this part of your Lenten spiritual journey.
The Liturgies of Holy Week and Easter Week
April 9-14 • Labyrinth walk for private meditation in Founders’ Hall
April 9 • The Sunday
of the Passion: Palm Sunday
8 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 5 p.m. • Proper Liturgy of the Day including
the Liturgy of the Palms (procession at 10:15 and 5) and Holy
Eucharist, including reading of the Passion. The Very Rev. Terry
White, preacher
April 10 • Monday in
Holy Week
12:05 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. • Holy Eucharist
April 11 • Tuesday
in Holy Week
12:05 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. • Holy Eucharist
April 12 • Wednesday
in Holy Week
12:05 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. • Holy Eucharist
THE TRIDUUM SACRED (Three Holy
Days)
April 13 • Maundy Thursday
(no service at 12:05 today)
7:00 p.m. • Proper Liturgy of the Day
The Mandatum (footwashing), Institution of the Holy Eucharist,
Stripping of the Altar, Watch at the Altar of Repose until 0 p.m.
The Rt. Rev. Barry Howe, celebrant. The Rev. Canon Linda Yeager,
preacher.
April 14 • Good
Friday
12:05 p.m. • Proper Liturgy of the Day
The Choir sings the Passion, Solemn Collects, Veneration of the
Cross, and Holy Communion from the Reserved Sacrament. Bishop Howe
and Cathedral clergy presiding. The Rev. Canon Susan Sommer,
preacher. (Following the 12:05 liturgy, clergy will remain in the
nave to hear confessions and offer spiritual direction.)
2:30 p.m. • Stations of the Cross
7:00 p.m. • Proper Liturgy of Good Friday
(as at 12:05 p.m. except for hearing confessions – see above)
April 15 • Holy Saturday
10 a.m. • Proper Liturgy of the Day
A brief 10-minute service commemorating our Lord’s Burial. No
Holy Communion. The Rev. Carol Sanford, officiant.
THE RESURRECTION
April 15 • Easter Eve
7:30 p.m. • The Great Vigil of Easter
Lighting of the Paschal Fire with the Roman Catholic Cathedral of
the Immaculate Conception. Bishop Howe and Bishop Finn, presiding at
the fire. Procession to the Cathedral, followed by sharing of the
Paschal flame, Lessons of Redemption, Holy Baptism and Confirmation,
and the First Eucharist of Easter. Bishop Howe, celebrant. The
Bishop and Cathedral clergy offer meditations. The Great Chocolate
Feast follows in Founders’ Hall – please bring a gooey goodie to
share. (Non-chocolate items welcome, too!)
April 16 • Sunday of
the Resurrection: Easter Day
8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. (no 5 p.m. service today)
8 a.m. • Holy Eucharist
Hymns, choir, organ and brass. The Rev. Canon Susan Sommer,
celebrant, The Very Rev. Terry White, preacher.
10:15 a.m. • Solemn Holy Eucharist
Incense, hymns, choir, organ and brass. The Very Rev. Terry
White, celebrant. The Rt. Rev. Barry Howe, preacher.
April 17 • Monday in
Easter Week
The Cathedral is closed. No services.
April 18 - April 21
Tuesday-Friday in Easter Week
Holy Eucharist at 12:05 p.m.
Triduum Sacrum – Three Holy Days
From early times Christians have observed the week before Easter as a time of special devotion. As the pilgrim Egeria recorded in the late fourth century, Jerusalem contained many sacred places that were sites for devotion and liturgy. Numerous pilgrims to the holy city followed the path of Jesus in his last days. They formed processions, worshipped where Christ suffered and died, and venerated relics. From this beginning evolved the rites we observe today on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. These services provide a liturgical experience of the last days of Jesus’ earthly life, as well as the time and events leading up to his resurrection. The Book of Common Prayer provides special liturgies for each of these days. The Eucharistic lectionary also provides proper readings for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in Holy Week. The three holy days, or Triduum Sacrum, of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday are at the heart of the Holy Week observance.
(from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.)
Walking the labyrinth: a ritual of transformation
As April begins, we are getting close to the end of Lent. The period between Ash Wednesday and Easter is a time to look inwardly and focus on our life with God.
One way many people get in touch with their spirituality is by walking the labyrinth. Cathedral members will have a chance to walk the labyrinth during Holy Week, April 9-14.
The labyrinth is an ancient pattern that has been found in many
cultures around the world. The labyrinth pictured here is a replica
of the 800-year old one in the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in
France. They range in size from labyrinths large enough for several
walkers at once to table-top labyrinths you can run your finger
through. A labyrinth is not a maze, with dead ends and other tricks.
In fact, the labyrinth is meant to be easy to traverse. Labyrinths
have only one path to the center. You walk in by a winding path and
exit the same way.
Everyone uses the labyrinth differently, and there is no right or wrong way to walk it. Deacon Bruce Hall of the Cathedral uses a labyrinth at a juvenile justice facility as part of treatment work with troubled youth. Deacon Hall says the teens are given little direction about how to approach the labyrinth, which encourages them to find their own lessons.
The labyrinth “encourages them to project any number of internal anxieties, fears, ambitions and hopes onto the painted canvas beneath them,” Deacon Hall said. “The different ways the youth have interpreted their walk through the labyrinth has been remarkable.”
Hall says the young people he works with benefit from the direct experience of the labyrinth, and that it can be better for them than “talk therapy.”
“Alone and sometimes with others, these young people found this exercise to be a useful tool for reflecting on life, choice, aloneness, the value of friendship, the importance of separateness, and the importance of others in negotiating and making sense of life’s many, many journeys. Some walk and for others it’s a race. Some slip in their stocking feet while one young girl did careful pirouettes. They meet each other going in and going out and all have something to say about their time in the labyrinth.”
Of course, the labyrinth means something different to everybody who walks it. Lauren Artress, the founder of the world-wide labyrinth development project called Veriditas, says walking naturally quiets the mind. “The important thing is to find and honor your own natural pace,” she said. “When you walk the labyrinth, you allow things to clear away.”
Many people walk the labyrinth quickly at first as an exercise in getting to the middle and then back out again. After going through it several times, walkers often discover that they begin to focus on prayer. Some walkers use the bends and U-turns in the labyrinth to symbolize similar points in their own lives. Others find that the cyclic paths foster an atmosphere of quiet reflection.
“People will walk into it and they feel like they have come home,” she says. “Other people get the sense that they’re in a long, long line of people having walked the labyrinth. Labyrinths offer to us something that we desperately need now: a quiet mind, a sense of peace, a place to reflect.”
The Cathedral labyrinth will be available from Palm Sunday through Good Friday, April 9-14, in Founders’ Hall. The Cathedral Bookstore offers table-top labyrinths for sale.
–by Chris Morrison
Palm Cross Day
Thursday, April 6 • 9 a.m.
Join us to make crosses out of palm leaves in the Common Room.
Lunch will be served for all participants.
Please bring scissors and a salad or dessert.
Candidates for baptism, confirmation and reception at the Easter Vigil
Jason Bozarth
Sandra Carter
Sara Copeland
Zan Crum
Krissy Freyaldehoven
Jim Halling
Clint Humphrey
Cristalle Johnson
Richmond Jones
Michael Legg
Brian Marrs
Jacob Reeves
Jo Stueve
John Stueve
George Verschelden
Joselyn Verschelden
Randy Watson
Holy Hands
Blessed is the Hour
When our prayers have
Been offered
And our mornings are
Made welcome
By the touch of Holy Hands.
Blessed is the Rainbow
That comes to us as a table
Blooming with the fruits
Of God’s Creation.
And blessed is our day
As we pour ourselves into
A quiet cup of coffee ...
And our spirits grow warm
As they float with the cream
Which rises to the top
Of our meditations.
e.c. binford
to Janeece Buckner and Jodie Kavanaugh
Cathedral flowers, an art to serve the liturgy
Were you awed by the beauty of the Cathedral, arrayed in its festive flowers and greenery last Christmas? Did you realize that the jewel colors and gold in the “sunburst” altar frontal and vestments used at Christmas and Easter, provided the inspiration for color choices in the floral designs?
Did you realize that careful liturgical thought went into every part of the design, and that the presentation was the culmination of six months’ planning?
A few Sundays later, did you note the boughs of Forsythia raised like suppliant arms to Heaven? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then thank Bob Trapp and his staff, who are responsible for the flowers in the Cathedral.
Working closely with the clergy and the altar guild, Bob insists that every art form offered in the service must serve the liturgy itself, and contribute to the spiritual experience the individual parishioner takes away from the Eucharist.
Born in Russell, Kan., and entranced by the multi-hued blossoms and subtle perfumes of his grandmother’s beautiful and bountiful garden, Bob realized his interest in floral arts at the age of 11. He took a job sweeping the floor of the local florist shop.
Taking the rejected flowers, he learned to make up the designs he saw in the shop, and tried some of his own. Eventually he bought that shop in Russell.
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Bob Trapp insists that the floral arrangements each week must
serve the liturgy and contribute to the spiritual experience. |
But the paths of business rarely run smoothly. On return from his first market trip to buy stock for the new store, he found his draft notice waiting in the mail.
Unable to find a relative or friend to run the store while he was away, he sold the shop and embraced his military career. Ending up at Fort Carson, Colo., he got a part time job in the base flower store, and continued with his design work. Later, he did the interior design for an officers’ club on another base.
Kansas City has been his home for the last 44 years. Upon buying his current business, Bob set out, in true entrepreneurial spirit, to develop departments of floral arts, interior design, gifts and fragrances, each headed by a vice president.
He currently runs the company, going to market regularly to select suppliers for the store, but spends a lot of time in the interior design department. He doesn’t plan to retire, but has made plans for the succession for ownership of the store by his senior staff.
“I have been blessed,” he says, “by having highly qualified, long term associates among our staff.” A few years ago, Bob adopted Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral as his spiritual home, and became a member.
Next time you see the flowers at the Eucharist, think of the careful planning and multiple original contributions from the members of the Trapp team, led by Bob, that produced what you see.
Look for some interesting floral symbolism during Lent and Easter, and other design innovations during the rest of the liturgical year.
– by Geoff Logan
Walk for Life: Support ‘Heart of the City’ walk team
This was the name of the original AIDS Walk Kansas City. In that walk, attendance was minimal, and a total of $1,000 was raised.
That was 18 years ago. I don’t know what you were doing in 1988,
but a lot has changed over the years, including this event. Last
April, approximately 3,500 people walked, and $325,000 was raised.
The Cathedral was one of the top ten walk teams in terms of funds
earned.
Some of the demographics of the disease have also changed. For example, we are no seeing an increase in young people and women suffering from it.
However, some things have not changed. The need of individuals
suffering from HIV/AIDS has certainly not decreased. The struggle
for the basic requirements of life continues today – food, clothing,
shelter, and basic medical care. And it is this area of need, which
relies primarily on individual giving, that the AIDS Walk Kansas
City addresses.
This year, the walk will be Saturday, April 22, and we have adopted the name “Heart of the City” for the Cathedral walk team. There are three ways that you can become involved:
First, you may wish to become a walker. These individuals join the walk – really a casual stroll – after having raised donations through pledging. You may become a walker by contacting one of our Team Captains: Sandra Hornbeck, Greg Morgan, or Vangie Rich. Or, sign up during one of the coffee hours at the Cathedral on Sunday. Or email us with your interest at sandra.hornbeck@sbcglobal.net.
Second, you may donate to one of our walkers. You may do this by pledging and providing a donation to any of the walkers on our Walk Team. A list of walkers will change regularly at our web site at www.firstgiving.com/CathedralAIDSWalk – plus I have a feeling that a few of them may be tapping you on the shoulder themselves.
Third, you may use your credit card to donate directly to the
Walk Team as a whole rather than an individual walker by going to
the same web site listed above and clicking on “Donate.”
We welcome all to join us, in whatever way you can, to provide assistance to this group of individuals in our surrounding community who are very much in need.
– by John Hornbeck
The Cathedral’s Financial Status
February saw expenses at the Cathedral exceed income by approximately $6,000. The staff has done an excellent job so far this year in containing expenses. Income in February was approximately $21,000 under budget because even though pledges are up from last year they are short of the amount needed to balance the budget.
2006 will be a good year for mission and ministry at the Cathedral. Support this ministry by pledging if you haven’t yet done so and, if you have pledged, prayerfully consider increasing your pledge.
– by Doyle White, treasurer
| FEBRUARY MTD | BUDGETED MTD | ACTUAL MTD |
| INCOME | $ 158,681 | $ 137,182 |
| EXPENSES | $ 151,575 | $ 143,555 |
| VARIANCE | $ 7,106 | $ (6,373) |
| FEBRUARY YTD | BUDGETED YTD | ACTUAL YTD |
| INCOME | $ 282,868 | $ 257,731 |
| EXPENSES | $ 286,030 | $ 271,022 |
| VARIANCE | $ (3,162) | $ (13,291) |
Shop the Cathedral Bookstore for gifts, art, books and more!
Sundays • after both morning services
Wednesdays • 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
First Sunday of each month • after 5:00 p.m. service
News from Guild of the Christ Child
Just a note of thanks to Social Outreach for a terrific Chili Cook-off this year. Well done! Our Chocolate Chili didn’t receive an award but if there had been a M&M category we would have swept the field. Thank you to Linda Yeager and Jennifer Lowery for their hard work on short notice.
Our thanks to all those who have so generously donated individually wrapped candy for the Easter Egg Hunt. There is still time to bring your candy in and place in the basket in the tower. We will join the Mom’s Bible Study group in stuffing eggs April 14 from 9:30 until 11 a.m. Please join us, we have a great time of fellowship surrounded by chocolate, it doesn’t get any better than that! Childcare will be provided.
As always, we hope to see all our families at the Egg Hunt after the 10:15 service Easter Sunday. Over 1000 eggs and toys will be left for children, through age 13, to fill their Easter bags with. It is always a delight to participate or just to watch as the Easter finery makes it mad dash onto to lawn. Please join the Guild in a fun extension of our ministry.
Thanks to Valerie Johnson in Adult Education for inviting the Guild to prepare a meal for Lenten Academy. We had a wonderful time planning, serving and having fun together. Thanks also to the moms who shopped, chopped and cooked; it was delicious.
Our next Baptism will be April 23. If you are interested in Baptism please contact Deacon Linda Yeager at (816) 474-8260. Our next Guild meeting will be April 18 at 6:15 p.m. in the Youth Room.
– by Jeanette Coletti
Music Notes
from Canon Musician John Schaefer
| April 7 Recital, Adam Duncan at Park University
April 11 April 20 April 23 April 29 April 30 |
Some have asked about the status of the Trinity Choir’s tour fun and the fund-raising efforts. I am happy to tell you that we know where we will be and when and that all our housing and transportation have been secured.
We will fly from KCI after worship July 23 and expect to arrive in Dublin early on July 24. We sing Evensong at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on July 25. Then we will travel to sing Evensong at St. David’s Cathedral in Wales on July 27 and will remain at St. David’s the next day. We travel to Birmingham on July 29 and will sing Evensong there on Saturday and Eucharist and Evensong on Sunday.
On Monday, July 31, we will travel to Oxford, stopping in Coventry and Warwick. We begin our residence at Christ Church Cathedral August 1 and will sing one service daily during the week and three on Sunday. Most of us will return to the United States on Monday, August 7.
Twenty-one Cathedral musicians will be singing; a number of guest singers who are well acquainted with our choir will also sing with us. Seventeen others are intending to go along as the “fan club.”
From 2001 to 2005, the tour fund grew to $21,300, the amount of the deposits sent by Jane Flynn, our travel consultant, to agencies in Ireland, Wales and England. I am considering that each of our 21 musicians has a credit of a little more than $1000 to his or her name; future fund-raising efforts should cause that figure to grow so that our musicians will not need to pay the $3500 that the tour costs, but, rather, a good bit less.
We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to our efforts, by supporting the Fall Festival, by buying note cards, by attending Evensongs and by outright gifts. We certainly welcome any kind of contributions, large or small. Every little, or big, bit helps.
I might mention that Arlen Clarke, a long-time friend and colleague, is a composer of considerable talent. He has invited the Trinity Choir to make a compact disc of a sizable corpus of his music, some of which he composed for the Cathedral choirs, so that he can have really good performances of his music. He has committed $3000 to the project, some of which will go for production expenses. So, when you see that we are singing a lot of Arlen’s music, you will know why.
With Sympathy
We ask that you remember the following families in your prayers:
• Augusta Brous, mother of Tom Brous
• J.O. Biggs, husband of Marilyn Biggs, father of Melissa Folger
Trinity Institute’s Anatomy of Reconciliation presented at GHTC
Thirty-five clergy and laity from the Diocese of West Missouri participated in a two-day conference broadcast over via a live webcast. The Cathedral was one of hundreds of downlinks that were participated in the webcast using both group and individual participation.
This year’s keynote speakers were outstanding scholars, theologians and advocates who explored the conference theme “The Anatomy of Reconciliation- from violence to healing.”
Their presentations “drew upon biblical and personal narratives,
encouraging participants to reflect and act on a subject both
timeless and immediate.”
We need only to remember those 128 candles in our nave, one for each murder victim, to realize how important this message of reconciliation is for all of us.
The preacher at the opening Eucharist was The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, Bishop of North Carolina. He said he is not a theologian, just an ordinary country preacher. But as one participant said “Now that was what I would call a really good Amen sermon.”
Comments from the speakers: “Does our faith offer abundant inspiration for reconciliation? Reconciliation – why is it so hard?”
“Can we separate the doer from the deed? Without inclusiveness there is no reconciliation.”
Our act of forgiveness is an action of God in us. These were only some questions and observations addressed by the seminar speakers and the small group discussions that followed each speaker’s presentation.
The conference speakers were James Alison, a Catholic theologian, priest, author; Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons, assistant professor of religion University of Florida; Miroslav Volf, author, professor, Yale Divinity School; and Sister Helen Prejean author, activist, nominated for the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Dead Man Walking.
Visit Trinity’s website, trinitywallstreet.org/institute, to view seminar presentations and additional references on reconciliation.
Recently published books by some of the presenters include James Alison’s The Joy of Being Wrong: Original Sin through Easter Eyes; Helen Prejean’s The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions; Miroslav Volf’s Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace.
Our Cathedral will continue to participate as a regional partner in future Trinity theological conferences.
– by Jan Frizzle
Lenten altar memorials and thanksgivings
March 5 • The arrangements at the altar are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Robert Nodler by George, Kay, Scout and Marjorie; and in thanksgiving for the birthdays of Sophia Marrs, Sharon Emery and Deborah Marrs by Miriam Marrs. At the chapel altar, arrangements are given in memory of Nancy Finley Garrett by Kathy, Kirkland, Garrett, Will and Finley Gates; and in thanksgiving for Bob Ryder by Alan and Phyllis Ryder.
March 12 • The arrangements at the altar are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Allan F.Blackman by his wife Jean and children Anne and Don.
Other flower giftsFlowers were also given in thanksgiving for Deacon Linda Yeager, the Cathedral Caregivers, for hospital visits, Alpine North Rehab Center and the prayers for me, physicians, nurses, etc. since foot surgery in April 2005 by etc. since foot surgery in April 2005 by Dick Druckenmiller. In the pew racks at the Cathedral, you’ll find another way to donate toward the flowers you see each week at the front of the church. Place your gift, in any amount, in the “Flower Offering” envelope and then place it in the offering plate. There’s a place on the envelope to indicate if your gift is in thanksgiving or memory of someone. These will be listed each month here in The Angelus. |
March 19 • The arrangements at the altar are given to the glory of God and in memory of Marie and John Allaman by the Larry L. McMullen Family; and in loving and blessed memory of Lillian and John Cozzi by their granddaughter, Tricia Pellet Lyddon. At the chapel altar, arrangements are given in thanksgiving for the anniversary of Bob and Ann Ryder and in thanksgiving for the birthday of Lisa Ryder by Alan and Phyllis Ryder.
March 26 • The arrangements at the altar are given to the glory of God and in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Harold E. Purdy and Mr. Peter M. Purdy by Mr. and Mrs. Buford Roney.
Remember your family and friends by giving flowers
Let your family and friends know that they are being remembered by your gift of flowers or candles at the Cathedral.
• Celebrate a baptism, confirmation or the birth of a child
• Honor the accomplishments of someone you admire
• Note a special birthday, wedding or anniversary
• Memorialize a friend or loved one.
All gifts are listed in the Sunday bulletin and in The Angelus as a record of your thoughtfulness. If you are interested in giving flowers, please contact Mary Byrne at mbyrne2457@sbcglobal.net or 816-531-8944.
Prices for the flowers vary depending on where you would like the flowers: $75 Tower door wreath; $40 Altar; $30 Chapel; $25 Baptismal Font; $10 Candle.
Mildred Duer celebrates 100th birthday this month
Dr. Mildred Duer, a long-time Cathedral member, will soon be celebrating her one hundredth birthday. She was born April 16, 1906 in San Francisco. She received her medical degree from Women’s Medical College of Philadelphia and joined the Jackson County Medical Society in 1936. She maintained a private pediatric practice on the Country Club Plaza for 40 years, until 1975.
|
Cathedral members Mildred Duer and Betsy Bowers at Millie’s
Bean Lake Cottage during an Interparochial Guild Meeting in 1988. |
After closing her office, she continued as examining physician in 18 well baby clinics for many years after that. In a review of her work that she gave in 1993, she said she examined babies and children for the Albert Benjamin Dispensary, Della C. Lamb Neighborhood House, Minute Circle Friendly House, Junior League, Jackson and Clay County Health Department for their Well Child Clinics in Raytown, Blue Springs, Oak Grove, Lee’s Summit, Independence, Gladstone, Avondale, North Kansas City, Englewood, Pleasant Valley – and the list goes on and on.
In 1940 she assumed the responsibility for the Child Health Center (better known as the Well Baby Station) here at the Cathedral, a position she held until the Center closed in 1956. This Well Baby Station was started a year or two after World War I at the suggestion of Bishop Robert Nelson Spencer, then Rector of this church.
It was in operation for about 36 years in the west and northwest rooms of the Parish House, which now houses the Cathedral offices. It served the many children of the surrounding community. She talks about working in many rooms heated by wood stoves and in one room where her examining table was an ironing board.
Mildred came to the Cathedral as a member in December of 1951.
She was a member of St. George’s parish. She and her roommate Betty
Bowers (known as Betsy) were active members
of the Interparochial Guild and every summer hosted the guild
members at their home on Bean Lake. We all looked forward to that
outing. Unfortunately this property, which had been in her family
since 1924, was flooded in 1993 and those visits ended. Betsy, a
retired social worker, developed Parkinson’s Disease and moved to
Bishop Spencer Place and then with a family member to Florida where
she died a few years ago.
Mildred still lives in her house on 69th Terrace, with a caregiver. She has had a long and productive life and has been an asset to our Cathedral, and to the children of this city.
– by Mary Byrne
photos from the Cathedral archives
Dr. Mildred Duer ran the Well Baby Station at the Cathedral from 1940-1956. The clinic was operated for 36 years in the west and northwest rooms of the Parish House. She joined the Cathedral during that time and has been an active member.
Weekly Activities
SUNDAY
8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
9:15 a.m. Christian Education
10:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist -- Children’s Chapel
5:00 p.m. Order for Evening & Eucharist
MONDAY
12:05 p.m. Holy Eucharist
TUESDAY
12:05 p.m. Holy Eucharist
1:30 p.m. Women’s Bible Study
WEDNESDAY
12:05 p.m. Holy Eucharist
5:45 p.m. The Tallis Singers
6:00 p.m. Grace Choraliers
7:00 p.m. Trinity Teens
THURSDAY
7:00 a.m. Men’s Bible Study
9:30 a.m. Cathedral Outreach Program
12:05 p.m. Holy Eucharist
5:45 p.m. Cathedral Bell Ringers
6:30 p.m. EFM
7:00 p.m. Choir Small Group
7:30 p.m. Trinity Choir
FRIDAY
9:30 a.m. Moms’ Bible Study
12:05 p.m. Holy Eucharist
Activities for the Month of April
Please verify times and dates of the events listed with the appropriate person(s) or by contacting the Cathedral Office.
1 • SATURDAY
9:00 a.m. Catechumenate Retreat
2 • SUNDAY
Daylight Savings Time Begins -- Move your clocks forward 1 hour!
11:45 a.m. Music Committee
3:30 p.m. Centering Prayer Group
4 • TUESDAY
7:00 p.m. The Angelus Small Group
5 • WEDNESDAY
7:00 p.m. Taizι Service
6 • THURSDAY
9:00 a.m. Palm Cross Day
9 • PALM SUNDAY
12:00 p.m. Social Action Committee
10 • MONDAY
4:30 p.m. Buildings and Grounds Comittee
5:00 p.m. Stewardship Committee
6:00 p.m. Robbery Victims Support Group
11 • TUESDAY
6:15 p.m. Cancer Support Group
15 • SATURDAY
9:00 a.m. Altar Guild Cleanup
17 • MONDAY
Cathedral offices and buildings closed.
18 • TUESDAY
6:15 p.m. Guild of the Christ Child
19 • WEDNESDAY
7:00 a.m. Finance Committee
6:30 p.m. Couples’ Bible Study
22 • SATURDAY
9:00 a.m. Trinity Choir Treasures Sale
23 • SUNDAY
12:00 p.m. People Caring for Friends and Family Small Group
3:30 p.m. Centering Prayer Group
24 • MONDAY
6:00 p.m. Robbery Victims Support Group
26 • WEDNESDAY
6:30 p.m. Reel People
27 • THURSDAY
5:00 p.m. Vestry
6:30 p.m. Thursday Evening Bible Study
29 • SATURDAY
8:30 a.m. Via Media Training
The Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri
P.O. Box 412048
Kansas City, Missouri 64141
Telephone: (816) 474-8260
Facsimile: (816) 474-5856
Website: www.ghtc-kc.org
E-mail: office@ghtc-kc.org
The Right Rev. Barry R. Howe
Bishop of West Missouri
The Very Rev. Terry White
Dean
The Rev. Susan Sommer
Canon Pastor and Subdean
The Rev. Carol Sanford
Curate
The Rev. Canon Linda Yeager
Deacon
The Rev. Bryan England
Deacon
The Rev. Bruce Hall
Deacon
Mr. John L. Schaefer
Canon Musician
The Very Rev. J. Earl Cavanaugh
Dean Emeritus and Pastoral Adjunct
The Angelus
A laypersons’ newspaper published in the interest of Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral.
THE ANGELUS SMALL GROUP CONTRIBUTORS:
Emily Akins
Tom Atkin
Mary Byrne
Rachel Chambers
Jan Frizzle
John Hornbeck
Geoff Logan
Sergio C. Moreno
Chris Morrison
Cynthia Newman
Julie Toma, Editor
Submissions from parishioners and small groups are welcome and encouraged. All entries are requested by the 15th day of the month prior to publication via fax: (816) 474-5856 or e-mail: communications@ghtc-kc.org