Lent at the Cathedral
Deepening Relationships
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus connected fasting with charitable giving and prayer. In the early Church, new Christians spent a lot of time preparing for their baptism at the Easter Vigil. The season of fasting called Lent became the final and most intense part of the preparation. Since Christians understand Jesus’ death and resurrection as an essential part of our reconciliation with God, Lent also became a time to seek reconciliation.
Many Christian practices have developed over the last 1600 years, but Lent has remained a season of holiness and humility. A time to respond to God’s Word and deepen our relationship with God through charitable giving, abstaining from worldly pleasures, earnestly seeking God through study and prayer, and accepting our need for forgiveness and reconciliation.
Below are ways that members of St. James Cathedral are encouraged to deepen their relationship with God, and with others around them, this holy season of Lent.
Growing in Prayer...
Worship
On Weekdays...
St. James offers weekday Eucharist service at 12:10 p.m. in the Cathedral, Monday through Friday. We hope you will take a break during your work day to worship with us during this holy season.
St. James continues to offer Zoom morning prayer at 9 a.m. Monday through Friday. Either or both of these offer the opportunity to make a God-shaped space during the week, and I hope you might give renewed thought to how you might enhance your worship life in this way during this holy season.
On Sundays...
St. James offers three services every Sunday: 8 a.m. Spoken Eucharist, 9 a.m. Family Eucharist, and 11 a.m. Choral Eucharist (also live-streamed). Choral Evensong will be offered on April 6 at 4 p.m.
Virtual...
St. James live-streams the 11 a.m. Choral Eucharist every Sunday along with other special services. Live-stream on our streaming page.
All are invited to subscribe to St. James' Sermons of the Day sent out each morning, Monday-Friday. Hear each of the St. James clergy reflect on the day's Gospel Reading.
Musical
Choral Evensong
Sunday, April 6 at 4 p.m.
Choral Evensong in April falls at the start of Passiontide, the final Sunday in Lent before Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday. The Cathedral Choir offers music of Herbert Howells and Gerald Finzi whose monumental anthem “Lo, the full final sacrifice” depicts the redemptive sacrifice of Christ in vivid and affecting detail.
Growing in Faith...
Formation
The Forum: Art as Devotional Discipline
Sundays in Lent at 10:00 a.m. in Kyle's Place
This Lent, join us for a series of clergy and guest speakers guiding our exploration of how the arts can form and move our faith lives. We will be examining different kinds of artistic expressions, including iconography, stained glass, poetry, hymnody and more. Contact Steven Balke to learn more.
Wednesday Night Formation: The Disciple's Way
Wednesdays in Lent at 6:30 p.m. in Meeting Rm. 1
Join us this Lenten season for a devotional book study. Newly published for this Lent, The Disciple’s Way is a series of daily reflections by current leaders of The Episcopal Church to guide our exploration of being a disciple of Jesus in the world today.
The book can be purchased here and St. James has copies available to borrow. Please contact Steven Balke for more information.
In Times Like These:
The Spirituality of Howard Thurman and Martin Luther King
A Retreat for St. James and St. Martin's
Please join us, St. Martin’s and St. James, for our annual Lenten Retreat on Saturday, March 22, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. This day of reflection will focus on the wisdom and insight of spiritual leaders Thurman and King, along with the tradition of the Negro Spirituals as a way to deepen our faith and spiritual practices in these challenging times. Learn more and register here.
Supporting Others...
Lenten Appeals 2025- Safe Sanctuaries For All God's Children
Inspired by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s January 21 post-inauguration sermon pleading for mercy for immigrants and those in the LGBTQ+ community, the St. James Cathedral Chapter unanimously voted to support two organizations focused on these populations in Chicago.
Diocese of Chicago Sanctuary Committee
The Sanctuary Committee, created by Diocesan Convention in 2019 and formalized in 2024, connects with other local and national sanctuary communities and institutions, immigrant rights groups and coalitions, and engages in educating, organizing, advocacy and direct action to ensure the safety and security of the undocumented community. The committee assists in equipping congregations, clergy, and lay leaders to engage in this work based on their local contexts, capacity, and discernment and implementing the work called for by convention resolutions.
Our 2025 Lenten Appeal will not only support the work of the Sanctuary Committee, but also the Asylum Seekers Emergency Fund, established to help meet the immediate needs of the newest Chicagoans and help put them on a path to independence.
St. Martin's-A Safe Space for LGBTQ+ People
Located in Chicago’s historic Austin neighborhood, St. Martin’s Episcopal Church was founded in 1878 and is one of the few safe spaces for support and community building among LGBTQ+ people on Chicago’s West Side. St. Martin’s plays a vital role in responding both to the needs of their immediate neighborhood as well as their broader context. St. Martin’s describe themselves as” a small congregation with a huge heart for all of God’s people.”
Our 2025 Lenten Appeal will support direct outreach and our growing partnership with St. Martin’s work for the LGBTQ+ community on Chicago’s West Side.
To Donate
Write “2025 Lenten Appeal” on your check or envelope memo or donate online here.