The
Angelus
Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral • Kansas City, Missouri •
Vol. 75 No. 11 • November 2006
Contents
From the Dean
Struggle in the journey
Live Webcast at GHTC: Investiture of Katharine Jefferts Schori as
26th Presiding Bishop
Adult Formation
Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan honors Scottish heritage
Thanksgiving Day
News from Guild of the Christ Child
Nominations for the Vestry
The Cathedral’s Financial Status
Hats, gloves and socks for KCCK
Children’s Formation: Looking forward to Advent workshop and
pageant
Save Wednesday Evenings in Advent for
Advent Dinner, Art and
Theology
Advent Workshop
Christmas Eve and Day Service Times
Memorials and thanksgivings
Friends of MN
With Sympathy
Blessing of the Animals
All Faithful Departed/All Saints' Day
Report from the choir’s tour of Ireland, Wales and England
Music Notes from Canon Musician John Schaefer
Allegro Community Children’s Choir to perform in December
Celebrating the anniversary of the baptismal font
Book Review
Croquet Gender Challenge Tournament
News for the Trinity Teens
Loving God Back
Weekly Activities
Activities for the Month of November
From the Dean
Not Turkey—Bullwinkle J. Moose!
Growing up some of my friends thought that I was to be pitied above all others because I did not have a real Thanksgiving. For you see, throughout my childhood, when the Whites all gathered at Grandpa and Grandma’s house for the holiday, at the center of the serving table was not a turkey, but platters of deep-fat-fried chicken and catfish.
While the women gathered in the kitchen to dish up cranberries, warm the warm-and-serve rolls, and sprinkle french-fried onions on the green bean and mushroom soup casserole, the males were in the basement, congregating around Grandpa as he fried the chicken and fish. Now you may wax eloquent about the smells of freshly baked bread and the great turkey roasting in the oven, but it is hard to beat the mouth-watering aroma of beer-battered catfish and chicken right out of the fryer.
In the sanctuary of my grandparents’ basement, two essential rituals took place as the fat bubbled away. All the “of age” men drank something called a “high-ball” which required 7-Up soda pop and some sort of brown liquid from an oddly shaped bottle covered by a brown paper bag. I got to drink a “low-ball,” 7-Up on the rocks. The other ritual was feasting on the parts of the chicken for which I had no taste. Grandpa would immerse the morsels first into the batter, and then into the fat. After cooking for a few minutes, gizzards were consumed with great gusto—though they tasted a bit like erasers to me—and then chased with a high-ball. It was a real rite of passage when, having reached the legal drinking age two months before, I was offered a high-ball.
While I enjoyed the atmosphere of the basement, I had my own ritual which required me to kneel before the television. There was one thing absolutely necessary to make Thanksgiving Day official. I had to see the Bullwinkle balloon in the Macy’s parade. I can’t remember why he was so important, but I never, ever missed Bullwinkle. Until ...
... one year, the day before Thanksgiving, a horrible storm swept through our home in southeast Iowa. There was thunder, lightening, driving rain, freezing rain, and high winds. That same storm hit New York City on Thanksgiving Day. The parade went on. Bands marched in the rain, and drill teams drilled. Even the equestrians were not deterred. But the winds were too high, and Bullwinkle along with the other great balloons, was kept out of the parade. I was crushed. “It can’t be so,” I cried, “I’ve got to wait a whole ‘nother year!” No Bullwinkle meant no Thanksgiving.
In the end it didn’t really end up all that poorly. Reassuring words from my mother and an extra piece of Grandma’s pie with extra whipped cream help me get through a Thanksgiving Day without Bullwinkle.
While our head tells us that things must change, our heart finds it hard to accept changes in holiday rituals and celebrations. Life unfolds, relationships change, health is evasive, the kids move away, parents move away, loss is experienced—each of you can add your own reality to this list. We must not deny the impact these changes have on us. Yet, through change, we can still see the blessings of loved ones and friends and our community of faith, and the hope of heaven that God alone gives. And here, too, you can add your own list of blessings.
What will make your Thanksgiving Day “official”? Or to look at this another way: what must you and God together work through and overcome in order for you to be truly thankful on November 23, and every other day?
Thanks to the VCR I never miss Bullwinkle. (I have one parade preserved on tape.) But the Moose is no longer crucial to my holiday now—I’m learned that much. What is crucial is remembering that you and I are so precious to God. God is grateful for you. Knowing this can make any day an official thanksgiving day. A blessed holiday, holy day, and season of giving thanks to us all.
With gratitude for you, and with my love in Christ,
– The Very Rev. Terry White, Dean
Struggle in the journey
So it’s oh-dark-thirty on a Monday morning, and I am seated at shoulder press machine in the weight room of the local YMCA. I loathe the shoulder press. I loathe it with the white hot heat of a thousand suns because it is difficult. It’s difficult because I’ve neglected strength training in my upper body for a couple of years. It’s difficult because my left shoulder never quite bounced back (odd image) from a rotator cuff injury. It’s difficult because the machine, I’m quite sure, was designed by the Spawn of Satan.
Okay, so I exaggerate a little. In reality, the first eight repetitions are not so bad. It’s the next seven that just about kill me every other day.
So why do it? Don’t think I don’t ask myself that during repetitions 9-15 every other day. I do it because I value the outcome of increased strength and flexibility. I value taking care of the only body I’m ever going to have this side of the Resurrection. I value the endorphins that flood my brain when I’m done. And I value the metaphors that the process of strength training gives me as I think about other aspects of our life, as individuals and as members of a Christian community.
Think of the things with which we humans struggle in our journey in faith: making sense of suffering in light of faith in a loving, merciful God for example, or struggling for greater self-understanding, or seeking to change old patterns of behavior, or striving to find a semblance of calm in an ocean of seeming chaos.
Think the ways in which we experience God calling us to something new: to ever greater devotion, to a more integrated sense of stewardship and fidelity to the challenges of the gospel, to discover anew that we are beloved children of God even if few of the messages in our childhoods may have supported that truth.
Now think about weight training. We push against a weight, and the weight pushes back. It’s not as easy as it looks. You have to concentrate and you have to remember to breathe. It’s tempting, especially some days, to give in, to chuck the whole thing, to walk away. It’s harder to internalize the reality that the benefit comes through engaging the challenge faithfully and repeatedly.
I’m reminded of a quip that my favorite curmudgeonly cynic G.K. Chesterton made once, “It isn’t that Christianity has been tried and found wanting. It’s been found difficult, and left untried.” I’m not the curmudgeon (yet!) that Chesterton was, but I think he was on to something. How often we expect our Christian journey to be somehow effortless! How surprised we get from time to time when we smack up against the spiritual equivalent of the (shudder) shoulder press.
Please understand: I am not for a moment suggesting that a way to a deeper Christian walk is through masochism of any sort. My northern-European gene pool notwithstanding, I don’t buy into the spiritual equivalent of No Pain No Gain. I do, however, believe in the benefit of engaging the journey and of leaning into the weights, such as we find them, along the way. And I believe in the benefit of this because I believe in the goodness of what God is calling forth from me, from you, from all of us.
Throughout October and into November, we’ve been hearing the Stewardship theme, Loving God Back. The theme reminds us that all that we have – our lives, our health, our resources, our blessings—are gifts from God. We love God back when we steward these gifts carefully. We love God back when we put those gifts to work.
And we know from practice that loving is not an effortless process. Those of us who are married or in committed relationships know that these relationships require effort. Those of us who are parents know that loving our children requires intentionality and structure as well as unconditional love. Those of us who practice financial stewardship know that it requires thoughtful decisions daily.
Not everything is as difficult as the shoulder press is for me, but there’s probably at least one thing in your life that is. In that one thing, I’m re-discovering, that we gotta show up, breathe, count, and celebrate when we get to 15.
Oh yeah, and enjoy those endorphins!
– by the Rev. Canon Sue Sommer
Live Webcast at GHTC:
Investiture of Katharine Jefferts Schori as 26th Presiding Bishop
On Saturday, November 4 at 10 a.m. (CST), at Washington National Cathedral, the Episcopal Church will welcome Katharine Jefferts Schori as its 26th Presiding Bishop. Jefferts Schori’s Investiture as 26th Presiding Bishop will occur in the context of a Eucharistic celebration.
This event will be webcast live in Founders’ Hall for anyone who would like to communally witness this historical event in our church history. We’ll save you a front row seat! Please RSVP to the Cathedral office at (816) 474-8260 or contact vjohnson@ghtc-kc.org.
During the Investiture, Jefferts Schori will receive symbols of office, including the primatial staff to be presented by the 25th Presiding Bishop, Frank T. Griswold, whose nine-year tenure concludes as Jefferts Schori’s begins on November 1.
If you are unable to attend the live webcast in Founders’ Hall, you may also view the service by logging on to http://www.episcopalchurch.org.
Katharine Jefferts Schori
...to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor..[Isaiah 61]
“Shalom” – peacemaking defined by the Prophet Isaiah and reiterated by Jesus in Luke’s gospel – is a ministry priority for Katharine Jefferts Schori, who takes office November 1, 2006, as 26th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church.
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ENS Photo by Bob Williams Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts Schori |
Bishop Jefferts Schori was elected to this office on June 18, 2006 by vote of the 75th General Convention, meeting in Columbus, Ohio. Another of the Convention’s principal legislative actions was to set as the Episcopal Church’s top mission priority the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals – seven objectives for the eradication of poverty, hunger and disease, for the affirmation of gender equality and universal primary education for girls as well as boys, and for environmental sustainability. In her full endorsement of these goals, Bishop Jefferts Schori calls upon Episcopalians and the wider global community to work together for their implementation.
Bishop Jefferts Schori’s career as an oceanographer preceded her studies for the priesthood, to which she was ordained in 1994. She remains an active, instrument-rated pilot – a skill she applied when traveling between the congregations of the statewide-plus Diocese of Nevada, where she was elected bishop in 2000 and ordained to the episcopate February 24, 2001. At the time of her election as bishop of Nevada, she was assistant rector of the Church of the Good Samaritan in Corvallis, Oregon.
Bishop Jefferts Schori, 52, holds a B.S. degree in biology from Stanford University (1974), an M.S. in oceanography from Oregon State University (1977), a Ph.D. from Oregon State University (1983), an M.Div. from Church Divinity School of the Pacific (1994), and an honorary D.D. (2001) also from CDSP.
Bishop Jefferts Schori was born March 26, 1954, in Pensacola, Florida. She grew up in the Seattle area and later moved with her family to New Jersey. Bishop Jefferts Schori and her husband, Richard Miles Schori, a retired theoretical mathematician (topologist), were married in 1979. They have one daughter, Katharine Johanna, 25, who is a first lieutenant and pilot in the U. S. Air Force.
The Episcopal Church includes 2.4 million members in 16 countries and 110 dioceses (plus the similar Convocation of American Churches in Europe). A member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the Episcopal Church prizes its spiritual tradition of the “via media,” offering a uniting, reconciling middle way between polarities.
Bishop Jefferts Schori brings to her ministry emphases on baptismal ministry and adult education. As Presiding Bishop, she will serve as chief pastor to the Episcopal Church’s 2.4 million members in 16 countries and 110 dioceses (plus the Convocation of American Churches in Europe. As Primate, Bishop Jefferts Schori will join in consultation with other principal bishops of the 38 member Provinces of the worldwide Anglican Communion, seeking to make common cause for global good and reconciliation.
– Episcopal News Service
Adult Formation
Common Room • Sundays at 9:15 a.m.
November 5, 12, 19
Ash Wednesday and Choruses from “The Rock:” Eliot’s Prologue to Four
Quartets
Tom Brous, GHTC member
Beginning with his conversion to Anglicanism in 1927, T.S. Eliot began a spiritual journey which culminated in his four poems known as “Four Quartets.”
Eliot describes his spiritual journey (his Divine Comedy) not in one, integrated literary work but in a series of poems beginning with “Ash Wednesday,” which has been described as Eliot’s conversion poem. Four years afterward, Eliot wrote his first dramatic work which was performed—“The Rock”—which considers the role and place of the church in English life as of 1934. This class will look at these early works in terms of Eliot’s conversion in 1927 and consider how these poems are a prologue to the highly mystical poetry which Eliot wrote later (1935-1942) in Four Quartets. Materials for the course will be provided.
November 26-December 17
Advent Study
Together, we will discover new light in traditional texts and seasonal themes. Fresh perspectives can be found here on the journey through Advent.
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
Jan Frizzle
John Hornbeck
Geoff Logan
Chris Morrison, Small Group Facilitator
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
Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan honors Scottish heritage
The sounds of bagpipes and drums and the colorful plaids of Scotland will again adorn the Cathedral for the annual Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan Sunday, November 12.
The Cathedral has celebrated the Kirkin’ for 30 years, with the St. Andrew Pipes and Drums Ltd. and members of the St. Andrew Society. Many members of the Society, as well as several Cathedral members, dress in Scottish regalia for the celebration, and many bring their clans’ banners for a modern-day blessing of ancestral tartans.
The Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan is a tradition that dates to the 18th Century. After the English defeated the Scots in the Battle of Culloden in 1745, the display of anything denoting Scottish heritage was forbidden.
Kilts, shoulder plaids and all other plaids were banned, as was the playing of bagpipes, the bearing of arms and even the use of the Gaelic language. After that time, the residents would take small pieces of clan tartan to their Kirk (kirk is Scots’ Gaelic for church) and at a specific time during the service, when the minister pronounced a blessing on all tartans, each Scot secretly pledged his loyalty and respect for his country’s heritage and traditions. The ban was lifted after 35 years.
In the United States, the ceremony known as the “Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan” dates back to 1941, when it was instituted by the Scottish-born Rev. Peter Marshall, Minister of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., and Chaplain of the United States Senate, to rally support for America’s British allies during World War II.
Since 1954, a Kirkin’ has been held at the Washington National Cathedral and is now practiced in all of the United States and Canada. The Kirkin’ is often held near the feast day of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. In modern times, the Kirkin’ also commemorates the consecration of Samuel Seabury, the first American bishop. He was ordained as a bishop in the Scottish Episcopal Church in 1784.
Cathedral members are encouraged to don their Scottish attire and celebrate after the service by sharing in a special coffee hour after each service.
Also, don’t miss the Trumpet-Organ Recital with Keith Benjamin of Clan Cameron and Melody Steed at 3 p.m.
–by Chris Morrison
Calling all bakers
Cathedral Shortbread 5 cups of flour 1 cup of sugar 1 lb. of cold butter This can be made in a food processor, in two batches. Process cold butter with sugar and add flour. Do not overprocess or it will get too hot. Pat it into an 11 x 17 ungreased jellyroll pan. You can use a smaller pan and it will just be thicker. Prick all over with the tines of a fork. Sprinkle sugar on top and bake on lower oven shelf for 40-45 minutes at 300 to 325 degrees. As soon as it begins to brown, take it out because it will continue browning after it comes out of the oven. Cut into whatever shapes you want while it is hot. You can leave it on the counter in the pan overnight and it pops right out in the morning. |
Coffee hour after all services November 12 will feature an array
of Scottish shortbread. We need lots of shortbread to serve the
parish and our special guests this festive day. One recipe is listed
below but feel free to use your favorite.Thanksgiving Day
Sung Eucharist at 10:15 a.m.
Thanksgiving Day is a major holy day in the Episcopal Church. A sung celebration of the Holy Eucharist will begin at 10:15 a.m. We gather at the Lord’s Table to give thanks for the fruits of the earth, and ask God to make us faithful stewards of God’s bounty for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of God’s Name. The liturgy will include hymns, a homily and a Litany of Thanksgiving.
Come ye Thankful People,
Come Raise the Song of Harvest
(The Cathedral offices and buildings will be closed on Friday, November 24.)
News from Guild of the Christ Child
The Cathedral Outreach Program operates weekly to give assistance with rent/mortgage and essential utilities for people in the Kansas City community. Many times adults come with their children and during the time that adults meet with staff, the children may be left in the waiting area with nothing to keep them occupied.
The Guild of the Christ Child would like to help these children
by providing an area of activities for them. We have plans to
dedicate the area under the stairs to the Multipurpose Room in
Founder’s Hall to these children and their families.
The area will include chalkboard and whiteboard areas as well as books, plastic toys, a play kitchen, and a removable mat floor.
We are planning on a workday to paint and set up the furniture and toys in order to complete this project before Christmas. We are excited about showing our commitment to all children and families who enter Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. We believe that this small gesture will bring smiles to the children who play in the area and knowledge of our support for the parents who desperately need our help.
– by Connie Kurtz
Nominations for the Vestry
At January’s Annual Meeting, new members of the Vestry will be elected. Nominations are now being received through November 26. Please have the permission of the person you are nominating and contact the Nominating Committee (not the Dean!) either by a letter sent to the Cathedral office addressed “Vestry Nomination” or via email to vestry@ghtc-kc.org.
The following should be taken into account before placing a name in nomination:
An ideal Vestry member is
• Keenly interested in the well-being of Grace and Holy Trinity
Cathedral:
- the congregation
- the clergy and staff
- the buildings and grounds
- the greater church
- the community.
• Regularly attends services and various events.
• Spiritually attuned.
• “Known to the treasurer,” giving substantially to the work of the
parish.
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Vestry nominations are now being received through November 26.
Please have the permission of the person you are nominating and
contact the Nominating Committee (not the Dean!) either by a letter
sent to the Cathedral office addressed “Vestry Nomination” or via
email to |
A person serving on our Vestry
• Has at least a basic set of business skills, e.g. the ability to
understand financial information.
• Has a sense of humor.
• Has the ability to distinguish between being a Vestry member and
serving on the Vestry; willing to serve on at least one parish
committee.
• Should have sufficient time to dedicate to the work of the Vestry.
• Should be of a positive nature but understand that the Vestry’s
work can be difficult.
• Must have the courage to speak his/her mind even when their
positions are in the minority.
• Must listen to opposing opinions, be open to change, and accept
the greater will.
A good Vestry member is able and willing:
• To leave behind “constituencies” and personal agendas, in favor of
doing what is best for our church.
• To share one’s talents and abilities and one’s honest opinions.
And then,
• To listen to others’ opinions with an open heart and mind.
• To be a good steward of the church’s resources, both human and
financial.
• To know enough of the Cathedral’s history to be buoyed by a strong
sense of accomplishment and community, yet not enough to be
unwilling to change.
• To understand and be faithful to the concept of confidentiality.
A member of the Cathedral Vestry
• is positive and enthusiastic about God’s ministry in Kansas City
and the surrounding communities
• is supportive of and trusts the clergy and staff of the cathedral
to do their work and to serve the best interests of the parish,
diocese, and national Episcopal community
• is willing to listen respectfully to all parishioners, seek to
serve their needs, try to find common ground when there are
disagreements,
• is aware that whenever two or more are gathered in Jesus’ name,
Christ is there also.
The Cathedral’s Financial Status
September 2006 at the Cathedral saw pledges coming in over budget approximately $5,000 and actual expenditures coming in at approximately $5,000 under budget. Shortfalls in the plate offering and fundraising efforts brought the income line in at about $2,600 under budget. Overall it was an excellent month with income exceeding expenses by $1,712.
Income received for the year is close enough to budget to make me believe that it can be balanced by the end of the year. Expenditures for the year are approximately $25,000 below budget.
– by Doyle White, treasurer
| SEPTEMBER MTD | BUDGETED MTD | ACTUAL MTD |
| INCOME | $ 132,037 | $ 129,421 |
| EXPENSES | $ 132,633 | $ 127,709 |
| NET TOTAL | $ (596) | $ 1,712 |
| SEPTEMBER YTD | BUDGETED YTD | ACTUAL YTD |
| INCOME | $ 1,249,451 | $ 1,206,713 |
| EXPENSES | $ 1,249,580 | $ 1,224,648 |
| NET TOTAL | $ (129) | $ (17,935) |
Hats, gloves and socks for KCCK
As cold weather approaches, we remember those who eat lunch in the Kansas City Community Kitchen, many of whom are without the warmth needed to protect them against the cold temperatures of the winter. It has been our custom to distribute hats, gloves, scarves, and socks to our guests. The need is great this year, so please consider purchasing hats, gloves, scarves, and socks to donate. There is a basket in the tower in which to place your items. We will distribute these in the Kitchen on need basis. The greatest need is for men’s items, with lesser need for women and children. Warm socks are particularly helpful during the winter season. Thank you for your contributions in the past and for your thoughtfulness again.
Children’s Formation:
Looking forward to Advent workshop and
pageant
Advent Workshop, an intergenerational sharing and craft making event sponsored by Children’s Formation, returns to Founder’s Hall on November 26. Come celebrate the Jesse Tree, make a fresh Advent wreath for $5.00 and create your own decoration with Christmas card decoupage. Activities for all ages include trace-a-hand decorations, jewelry making and much more. Lunch is provided. If you have any old Christmas cards you’d like to donate please drop them off in Haden Hall.
The Cathedral’s children in formation will present a Children’s Liturgy for Christmas Eve, during the 4 p.m. service, on December 24. Christine Morrison will direct the pageant. Christine is mother of Emily and Jack, and one of our accredited Godly Play teachers. She has worked professionally with American Heartland Theatre and Quality Hill Playhouse and as stage manager for Shawnee Mission Theatre in the Park. We are excited to have the pageant direction in Christine’s capable hands.
All children are welcome to participate in the pageant, which tells the story of our Lord’s birth. The opportunity to read for a speaking role is on November 19 and open to readers through 8th grade. Please advise DeAnn McTavish if your child will be attending. Readers and their parents meet in Haden Hall after the 10:15 service.
Pageant rehearsals are scheduled after three Sunday services and on Saturday morning, December 23. Pageant participants meet in Haden Hall. Lunch will be provided during Sunday rehearsals. We need assistance with the organization, preparation and serving of rehearsal lunches. The pageant rehearsal schedule is as follows:
December 3 following the 10:15 service
December 10 following the 10:15 service
December 17 following the 10:15 service
December 23 10 a.m. -12 p.m.
Pageant participants should plan to be at the Cathedral by 3:15 p.m. on December 24 for costuming in Haden Hall. We’re looking forward to this most beautiful and meaningful service.
– by DeAnn McTavish
Save Wednesday Evenings in Advent for
Advent Dinner, Art and
Theology
December 6 and 13
Set aside Wednesday evenings, December 6 and 13, for evening prayer, to share dinner and attend a very special art and theology class this Advent. Ellen Goheen, former Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, will present artistic Advent images of the approaching birth of the Christ Child. Fr. Michael Johnston will guide us as we reflect on these images and the theology of these Advent themes. Child care will be provided. More program details and registration information to follow in future Advent communications and on our website.
Advent Workshop
An inter-generational holiday craft and sharing time is presented with love by Children’s Formation, Sunday, November 26, in Founders’ Hall, following the 10:15 service. Volunteer sign-up at coffee hour and on the GHTC Children’s Formation webpage.
Christmas Eve and Day Service Times
Here is a first notice of the Cathedral’s worship schedule on December 24 and 25. December 24 falls on a Sunday this year, meaning that the morning service celebrates the 4th Sunday of Advent. As sundown approaches, the Eve of the Nativity is celebrated.
In order to keep Advent in the morning of the 24th and still have the Nave and Sanctuary decorated for Christmastide, the morning Eucharist on December 24 will be celebrated in Founders’ Hall. This liturgy will be a simpler celebration with choir and hymns and Eucharist. Finally, in response to feedback over the last several years, this year the early liturgy on Christmas Eve featuring the Children’s Nativity Pageant and First Eucharist of Christmas will begin one hour earlier at 4 p.m.
Thus, the schedule is as follows:
December 24 – the 4th Sunday of Advent
One morning celebration of Holy Eucharist at 10:15 a.m. in
Founders’ Hall
December 24 – Christmas Eve
4 p.m. Christmas Pageant and First Eucharist of Christmas
10 p.m. Christmas Prelude, anthems, and carols
10:30 p.m. Solemn Eucharist
December 25 – Christmas Day
10:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist with organ and choir.
The complete schedule of the Twelve Days of Christmas will be printed in the December issue of The Angelus.
Memorials and thanksgivings
October 1 • The flowers at the altar are given to the glory of God and in thanksgiving for the 30-year ministry of Canon Musician John Schaefer and Leona Schaefer by a grateful congregation and by the clergy and staff of Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral; and for the birthday of Ric Sweeting and for the wedding anniversary of Janet and Ric Sweeting. At the baptismal font, flowers are given in thanksgiving for the birthday of Bryant Johnson by his parents, Valerie and Jeffrey Johnson.
October 8 • The flowers at the altar are given to the glory of God and in memory of Charline and Charles J. Schmelzer, II by Charles, Susan and Jonathan Schmelzer and Charline, Jason, Vicki, and Wyatt Franz; and in thanksgiving for the birth of Bianca Withers by her grandmother, Joyce Gillespie. At the baptismal font, flowers are given in thanksgiving for the birthdays of Ashley, Caitlyn and Madison Costner by Kara Costner. Memorial candles are given in memory of Esther Iva Rogers, grandmother and great grandmother of Gina, Gracie and Ruthie Fenger.
October 15 • The flowers at the altar are given to the glory of God and in memory of their granddaughter, Natalie Day McMullen, by Larry and Marilyn McMullen. The flowers at the font are given in thanksgiving for Graham McTavish, on the anniversary of his baptism, by his mother. Memorial candles are given in loving memory of Faith Ganakopulos by Bonnie and Paul Lowrey; and as a thanksgiving by Mrs. Evelyn Toner.
October 22 • The flowers at the altar are given to the glory of God and in memory of The Very Reverend Eugene G. Malcolm, by Ferne Malcolm Welles. At the baptismal font, flowers are given in loving memory of their grandmother, Mary Gentry Shaw, by Page Branton Reed and Leslie Branton Hoffecker. The flowers in the chapel are given in loving memory of her husband Kenneth E. Arnold, and their beloved son, Charles R. Arnold, by Mrs. Mildred Arnold. Memorial candles are given in loving memory of Patricia Lenahan, by Bonnie and Paul Lowrey.
October 29 • The flowers at the altar are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of his wife, Larraine Knaub Fisher, by Bill Fisher. The flowers at the baptismal font are given in thanksgiving for the baptismal anniversary of Alexandra Connors by her parents.
Friends of MN
The next meeting of Friends of MN (Maison de Naissance) will be
Wednesday, November 8, 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.
With Sympathy
We offer our sympathy to the members of the Cathedral who have experienced the death of family members this past month:
Bobby Willits, son of Pat Willits
Gordie “Cecil” White, father of Doyle White
Art Patterson, brother of Anna Mae Hendricks
Blessing of the Animals
September 30, 2006
photos by Grady Sanford
All Faithful Departed
Our loved ones who have died will be remembered during Holy Eucharist November 2, All Souls’ Day, and November 5, All Saints’ Sunday.
If you wish to have the name of your loved one(s) read, send those names to the Cathedral office (forms are available in the Nave or email the names to jtoma@ghtc-kc.org.
Join us November 2 at 12:05 p.m. for Holy Eucharist and 6:30 p.m. for Solemn Evensong and Holy Eucharist.
November 2 • 12:05 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.
November 5 • 8 a.m., 10:15 a.m. & 5 p.m.
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All Saints' DayReport from the choir’s tour of Ireland, Wales and England
Some people have asked for an official report of the Choir Tour. I feel certain that many of you have heard anecdotes told by the 22 musicians and 17 others that went. I offer to you my own brief summation of the journey, which began July 23 and ended (for most of us) August 7.
The weather was excellent throughout the tour. Our flights left on time and arrived on time, unlike the 1995 tour. It was “grand” flying into Dublin because of the radiant sunshine.
On our second day, some of us visited Glendalough, a secluded ancient religious community founded by St. Kevin; one is always glad to be in a peaceful place, especially since our lives at home are so hectic. Returning to the city, we made our way to the 13th century St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where we sang our first Choral Evensong. Peter Barley, host organist, later wrote that the staff felt that all was well and that we sang a beautiful Evensong.
We traveled to Wales via Kilkenny, Waterford and Rosslare. The first is a charming town and each of us found different places by which to be enriched. Traveling to Wales via the Irish Sea, we were blest with good weather, including calm waters. It was a joy to see the Welsh coastline, a beautiful beginning to our visit to Wales and England.
St. Davids is a very, very small Cathedral town. The Cathedral, begun in 1181, is massive. We endeared ourselves to the Cathedral staff by moving our Evensong forward two hours so that the clergy could go to an Institution of a New Ministry service; by singing music by Welshman William Mathias and the Cathedral’s organist Timothy Noon; and by singing the Psalms so that the Verger could say “Spot on!” and the Dean could later say “The Psalms – well, that’s the ticket, isn’t it?” The only hotel which could accommodate all of us was close to cliffs and water and allowed for more calm and quiet, if so desired. The staff was very hospitable.
In most cases, we had an hour or so to become accustomed to the setting in which we were singing. In Birmingham, we arrived at 4:07 for a 4 p.m. Evensong, and sang the service at 4:15! Some say that it was the best of the tour because we were “on the spot,” as it were. The Sunday Eucharist and Evensong were also very powerful, in part because the clergy and congregation were so receptive and welcoming. Someone commented about the singing of hymns—that we sang them so much more enthusiastically than the Cathedral’s choir.
On the way to Oxford, we visited Coventry Cathedral, whose mission is Reconciliation and Forgiveness as well as proclmation of the Gospel. It is a profoundly moving setting—a must-see place for pilgrims, along with Iona and Lindesfarne.
In Oxford, we added our voices to our own history there. The Choir sang a residency in 1991 at Christ Church Cathedral and we were privileged to do so again on this tour. There is something spiritual about singing services on a daily basis. Our first Evensong was special in that a group of deaf people were worshipping with us; to cast a glance at the person signing was very moving. Each service we sang, eight in all, had some glorious moments and a few that were less than perfect. But, we were consistently of the Spirit as we sang and prayed.
Amongst the 22 musicians traveling were Diana Mullin and Marcia Higginson from St. Michael and All Angels; and Dale Shetler, conductor of the Schola Cantorum. Jeffrey Carter of Ball State University had planned to go, but academic activities took precedence. Consequently I sang in Choir II, conducting from within with the help of several singers in Choir I; Chip Buckner was very helpful as my leader, inasmuch as I customarily sing tenor rather than bass.
Every musician gave his or her all; and especially John Fowler, who spent many hours at the organ preparing for the services, except Saturday in Birmingham when he too had to “walk in and do.”
We are grateful to the Dean, the Wardens, the Vestry and the Congregation who supported us when we had so many fundraisers. It is also true that some choirmembers made sacrifices of one sort or another in order to go. I think we accomplished what we hoped to do: to gracefully represent Kansas City and the Cathedral and to sing “Soli Deo Gloria.”
– by Canon John Schaefer
Music Notes
from Canon Musician John Schaefer
Now that we are well into the new season, the Trinity Choir has need for some additional singers: at least 1 first soprano, 1 first alto, 1 second alto, 1 first tenor, 1 second tenor, and 1 baritone. If you know someone with strong musical capabilities, or you are he or she, please contact Mr. Schaefer at 816-474-8260 to learn more about our fine Trinity Choir. Oh, yes, there is also room for more Tallis Singers and Grace Choraliers.
Allegro Community Children’s Choir to perform in December
Allegro Community Children’s Choir is an exciting and upbeat choir
program formed to enrich, inspire and transform lives of children by
learning, sharing, and performing beautiful music. Drawn from across
the Kansas City metro area, the 150 singers in three ensembles range
in age from third grade through twelfth grade.
The choir will present their Winter Blessings Concert, December 10 at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Winter Blessings ConcertDecember 10 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. $10 per ticket with a portion of the proceeds going to KCCK |
Admission is $10 per ticket with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Kansas City Community Kitchen, which serves more than 500 meals each day to the homeless and working poor in Kansas City.
Ticket sales begin November 1. Enjoy the sounds of the season at this beautiful, candle-lit event with professional instrumentalists and Kansas Cities’ talented Allegro Community Children’s Choir.
For more information contact: Christy Elsner, Founder and Artistic Director, 913-422-0469, www.allegrocc.com, christy@allegrocc.com.
Celebrating the anniversary of the baptismal font
This month, we celebrate the 120th anniversary of the dedication of the baptismal font. Given by the Sunday School, the Baptismal Font is made of gray Vermont marble, and weighs over one ton. Stylistically, it is Romanesque, and extremely impressive as a single piece of carved stone. The spherical shape of the Font represents the eternal love of God. The fleurs-de-lis on the side of the Font represent the Holy Trinity.
It was dedicated on All Saints’ Day, November 1, 1886. The date of
this gift, which is actually inscribed on the base of the Baptismal
Font itself, gives us a great deal of information, even though there
are few written records on the Baptismal Font that have survived.
The most informative of these appears in the elaborate “Memorial
Record Book” given on All Saints’ Day in 1897 by John Darwin Shepard
Cook (1834-1909). It describes the Font as “formerly in the Old
Grace Church,” the wooden structure that was Grace Church in 1886,
located at Tenth and Central Streets.
The land for the new stone building was not purchased until 1887, and plans for the Nave were not completed until late in 1892. The nature of the artistic style of the Font and the color of the marble were taken into consideration in 1893 and later, when decisions were made on the color and style of the marble to be installed in the new church building. The Baptismal Font’s gray marble dictated the color of the marble used in the Chancel steps and, later, the Pulpit.
During the renovation of the Nave from 1986 through 1987, the Baptismal Font was raised on a platform with steps on two sides, so that the entire congregation might more easily view baptisms. (It was during this renovation that it was discovered that the date of dedication was inscribed on the bottom of the base of the Font itself.) The steps on the West and South sides of the Baptismal Font allow for members of the congregation to travel back to the pews on the North side of the Nave from the Communion rail.
– by Randal Loy
photo by Chris Morrison
Book Review
I Have Called You Friends: Reflections on Reconciliation in Honor of
Frank T Griswold
Barbara Braver, editor, Cowley Publications, 2006.
ISBN 1-56101-248-3.
(Available
from the Episcopal Books and Resources website)
This is a reader-friendly book, while also being a book not so easily read. The reason that this book is not so easily read is this: It makes you stop and think, pray, reflect, and pose questions that need answers found for spiritual growth on your personal journey of faith.
It is composed of 26 contributions, including one from the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Rev. Dr. Rowan Williams, and one from retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Within this wide variety of contributions I found many descriptions of love for a very dear ‘Man of God,’ who has continued to teach The Episcopal Church and the world the truth of the gospel in living a demonstration of the ministry of reconciliation for God’s glory.
This has been done in such a way that you get a glimpse of the man who has led our Church through some very trying days during his term of office. Several essays in this anthology on reconciliation are written in just such a manner!
For example, three essays stand out and scream: “Think!” One that is written by Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane of Capetown, the successor of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, also a contributor, is the prime example of this. But I will only speak of two specific entries to whet your appetite to read this wonderful book.
In his essay “Truth and Unity—Justice and Reconciliation,” Archbishop Ndungane states quite eloquently and succinctly how he feels our Presiding Bishop has played in helping the People of South Africa become the People of God that they have become!
Archbishop Ndungane quotes Bishop Griswold: “It cost the Son of God his life. From us it demands commitment, determination, effort, and perserverance. It is spiritual warfare in which we are engaged—‘waging reconciliation’ for the sake of the whole world, as the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church of the USA (ECUSA) so graphically put it after the terrible events of 9/11.”
In this light, Archbishop Ndungane met with our Presiding Bishop in the Forum on Global Reconciliation at the 2003 General Convention of ECUSA. In that evening, the Archbishop felt he learned more of the ministry of reconciliation through Bishop Griswold than in what he stated! He goes on in his essay to talk of what effect that meeting had on South Africa. And he implies that a great deal of reconciliation has been accomplished in South Africa, because of that night in 2003.
The next essay that brought very special attention to itself was the one by Father Superior Curtis Almquist, Superior for the Society of St. John the Evangelist. He states his reasoning for writing is to tell the reader of how Bishop Griswold embodies his preaching regarding the reconciliation. He states that the reality of the gospel of passion and compassion are formed and shown in the divine agape love. And he gives explicit examples of God’s abiding love showing through the life actions of Bishop Frank Griswold.
Then Father Almquist gives two mini-essays within his essay. The first is about living in peace and the second about living in gratitude, all the while explaining that Bishop Griswold has embodied these in his dealings with others, and with the Anglican Communion while also being the Chief Pastor/Shepherd of The Episcopal Church.
I highly recommend that you read this wonderful book written in honor of our Retiring Presiding Bishop—it will be well worth your time to read it!
– by Chet Thompson
Croquet Gender Challenge Tournament
2006 Gender Challenge Champion Teams
photos by David Pierson
News for the Trinity Teens
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Loving God Back
New Act Provides Way to Give from Your IRA
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA 2006) passed the House and Senate by wide margins and contains provisions you may wish to be aware of when considering your 2007 pledge or other gift to the Cathedral.
IRA and Roth IRA holders who have reached age 70.5 may make tax-free distributions to charities up to a maximum of $100,000 until December 31, 2007.
Parishioners should talk with their financial and tax advisors to learn more about how the Pension Protection Act of 2006 might provide new opportunities for financial giving to the mission and ministry of Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral.
Loving God Back by Shawsie Branton
Our Cathedral is filled to the brim with visible examples of “Loving God Back.” I am blessed to know the story of one particularly well and have decided to share it with you today.
My parents and my young family and I were members of Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral when my father died in 1954 after a five-year long recovery from brain surgery. Following his death, we—his family and friends—wanted to thank God, not only for my Father’s life, but to love God back for his constant, unfailing, unquestioning, calm love and encouragement that he provided my father through those long years. But God also did His work through the dean, staff, vestry and parishioners who never stopped caring. Together they made my father feel whole and useful and loved! What a blessing for my parents.
But what could we do in return to show our love of God and His Church in a lasting and appropriate way?
The wood carving of the Last Supper was our answer! It would be a lasting sign of our gratitude; our love of God and “His children.” It was our hope then, as it is now, that the subject of this carving would bring comfort and hope and courage to those whose eyes saw it and hearts felt it. The name of the donor is NOT important! What IS important is that the reredos was given from the heart as an invitation to come and love God back. At least that was our intention!
But “Loving God Back” just once is not enough! Rather, we must give quietly, consistently and generously to God. . .thanking Him for our many blessings every day. Pledging is the answer. Pledging is a “Pay as you go” through life arrangement! And I am convinced that, as we are giving back to God what we know is already His, our hearts will smile and so will His!
– presented by Shawsie Branton at the GHTC Stewardship Luncheon, October 8, 2006
NEW!
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Sign up online at www.ghtc-kc.org.
Weekly Activities
SUNDAY
8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
9:15 a.m. Christian Formation
10:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist -- Children’s Chapel
5:00 p.m. Order for Evening and
Holy Eucharist
MONDAY
12:05 p.m. Holy Eucharist
TUESDAY
12:05 p.m. Holy Eucharist
1:30 p.m. Tuesday Afternoon 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 Youth Group
THURSDAY
7:00 a.m. Men’s Bible Study
9:30 a.m. Cathedral Outreach Program
12:05 p.m. Holy Eucharist
6:30 p.m. EfM
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 November
Please verify times and dates of the events listed with the appropriate person(s) or by contacting the Cathedral Office.
4 • SATURDAY
10:00 a.m. Investiture of the Presiding Bishop
5 • SUNDAY
11:45 a.m. Music Committee
3:30 p.m. Centering Prayer Group
6 • MONDAY
6:30 p.m. ASL Sign Language Class
7 • TUESDAY
6:30 p.m. Needlework Arts Group
7:00 p.m. The Angelus Small Group
8 • WEDNESDAY
5:00 p.m. Stewardship Committee
6:30 p.m. Friends of MN
9 • THURSDAY
6:30 p.m. Thursday Evening Bible Study
12 • SUNDAY• Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan
12:00 p.m. Social Action Committee
3:00 p.m. Recital: Organ and Trumpet
13 • MONDAY
4:30 p.m. Buildings and Grounds Committee
6:00 p.m. Robbery Victims Support Group
14 • TUESDAY
6:15 p.m. Cancer Support Group
15 • WEDNESDAY
7:30 a.m. Finance Committee
19 • SUNDAY
12:00 p.m. “Try-It” Children’s Christmas Pageant
12:30 p.m. Usher at the Lyric
3:30 p.m. Centering Prayer Group
20 • MONDAY
6:30 p.m. ASL Sign Language Class
21 • TUESDAY
6:15 p.m. Guild of the Christ Child
23 • THURSDAY• Thanksgiving Day
10:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist
Office Closed
24 • FRIDAY
Office and Buildings Closed
26 • SUNDAY
11:30 p.m. Advent Workshop
27 • MONDAY
6:00 p.m. Robbery Victims Support Group
30 • THURSDAY
5:00 p.m. Vestry
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. Bryan England
Deacon
The Rev. Bruce Hall
Deacon
Mr. John L. Schaefer
Canon Musician
The Very Rev. J. Earl Cavanaugh
Dean Emeritus