The Latest Cathedral News
Remote Worship for Young People
April 06, 2020
We know that the suspension of worship effects people of all ages in our congregation. In an effort to ensure that the youngest members of our cathedral family can grow their faith from home, our Director of Children's Ministry Alison Barrington has curated a collection of remote resources for your family.
For Songs & Stories and Godly Play sessions lead by Alison Barrington you can view from home, watch our Virtual Sunday School playlist on YouTube.
For children school-age and above, we recommend Faith @ Home, an online source of lectionary-based readings and reflections.
Great for all ages, Virginia Theological Seminary's site Building Faith is full of resources, including their list of Easter book recommendations.
Illustrated Ministry offers a printable PDF for some soothing coloring time for children.
Summer Arts Camp YouTube Selections
Our 2020 Summer Arts Camp with the Episcopal Church of the Atonement, Chicago, this past summer allowed St. James to collaborate and create YouTube Story Time and Godly Play offerings for children. You can click the links below to view them anytime.
YouTube Children's Story Time Selections
YouTube Godly Play Selections
The Rev. Canon Lisa Hackney-James Returns from Sabbatical
March 20, 2020
in which he assures the Christian community that nothing can separate them from God’s love:
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39
Greetings all!
I have returned from a sabbatical leave that turned out to be a bit shorter than planned! I am grateful to be back with you and joining with my colleagues in ministry in responding to the remarkable circumstances in which we find ourselves. Not even two weeks ago, as I was preparing to go away on sabbatical leave, I experienced some anticipatory grief knowing that it would be a challenge to be away from this community of people that I treasure for several weeks. As it turns out, I simply could not have imagined what was to come. That soon, all of us would be undergoing a time of physical separation from our church home; that we would be facing an indefinite time away from our beautiful cathedral, yes, but all the more so from the community of wonderful souls that make up this place. The fact that this separation comes at a time of significant personal and societal disruption makes it particularly hard to bear.
One of the most urgently felt needs during a crisis, great or small, is the desire for the human connection that we so happily experience with one another at St. James in ordinary times. And while we are physically apart for a time, we remain members of the Body of Christ. We belong to God. We belong to each other.
To maintain our community connections, members of Cathedral Chapter, the Invite Welcome Connect leadership team, and the cathedral clergy will work to be in touch with all those who are part of the St James family. We will be reaching out by phone and other means to check-in in the coming days and ask how it is going with you and your loved ones. I expect that when we emerge from this time apart and rejoice to gather again in person that we will be more closely knit, having developed new and deeper connections along the way.
Looking forward to being in touch and remaining connected!
Lisa
Public Worship & Activities Suspended Until Further Notice
March 13, 2020
A Letter from The Very Rev. Dominic Barrington, Dean of the Cathedral
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
It is with a heavy heart that I share with you the decision to suspend all worship and other activities at the Cathedral until further notice, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This follows a request from Bishop Lee to us and every church in the diocese, to take such a step in order to help slow the spread of the virus and to show our care for the wider community whom we serve in Christ’s name. This will take effect Saturday, March 14.
We ask that you do not come to St. James on Sunday morning. We will not be offering any services at all, and in the spirit of the bishop’s request and all the advice being offered by civic authorities, I must ask you to stay home.
There are many online resources for private worship available to members of the Episcopal Church, both in terms of live-streamed services and access to material from the Book of Common Prayer. This coming Sunday, I suggest you connect to the service that will be streamed from the National Cathedral, at which the Presiding Bishop will be preaching.
During the week, the Cathedral will remain open for private prayer, as is currently the case. It can be accessed from the west doors on Wabash St. However, St. James Commons (the office building) will be closed to the public, and there will be no access to the Cathedral from the entrance on Huron St.
My colleagues and I remain fully contactable by phone and email, and I encourage you to reach out to us if you have any concerns at any point. While we are separated from each other physically, we remain connected in the unbreakable bonds of Christ’s Body.
I will continue to pray for you, and for all affected by this pandemic.
Dominic