The Latest Cathedral News Author: Jocelyn Colao

Have you ever thought about how many human hands it takes to offer our regular round of worship services at the cathedral?  Have you ever considered that you might want to become part of one of the teams who make it all happen?  

 

Would you consider helping to set the altar, or reading a lesson; carrying a torch or helping to offer hospitality and welcome those who come through our doors? These tasks belong to our ministry teams: altar guild, readers, acolytes and ushers. As we emerge from the more streamlined times of the pandemic, we need to rebuild our membership of these critical ministry teams. Many hands make the work light, and all are welcome!

 

If you are curious to try, I hope that you will consider joining us for a morning of training with experienced liturgical ministry team members and other new recruits. 

 

Please RSVP HERE, and indicate which group you are interested in exploring. If you are not sure, simply indicate your general interest and I will be happy to help you in finding your place.

 

Last Spring the Holy Spirit connected St. James Cathedral with LaTanya and the Youth of Englewood. As I was going through Summer in the City (SitC) camper registrations, I began to notice that several campers had one thing in common: they were referred to SitC by a woman named LaTanya Johnson. In my curiosity I reached out to LaTanya to figure out who this woman was who was helping to connect youth on the southside of Chicago to SitC. In that very first phone call I knew this woman was special.  

 

LaTanya, sometimes known as the Mother of Englewood, formally began her youth center (a 501(c)3 non-profit organization) in 2013 to provide a safe place for youth ages 5-13 to spend their time after school and during the summers. LaTanya has worked with hundreds of children and families from the Englewood neighborhood to provide strong relationships with capable, caring, and positive adults, a key component of helping children succeed in a dangerous and violent environment like the Englewood neighborhood.

 

With a desire to stay in relationship beyond Summer in the City and blessed by a grant through Episcopal Charities, we expanded our Meals Among Us ministry to provide LaTanya and her youth a bagged lunch once a week. It has been a joy to get to know LaTanya and her youth over the past year. We pray this is just the start of a beautiful partnership for years to come. We are honored to have LaTanya and the Youth of Englewood as the recipients of this years Lenten appeal. LaTanya is no doubt changing lives and doing so comes at a cost. We hope through your generosity we can help lessen that financial burden for LaTanya and her staff this year, freeing them up to do the transformative work that they have been doing for almost 10 years. Please give generously! 

 

Anna Broadbent