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May Edition , 2009 Eastertide

Our Worship Life

Sundays Holy Eucharist 8:30 AM, Rite 1 10:30 AM, Rite 2

Church School Classes meet at 10:30 AM

Wednesday 12:10 PM,

Holy Eucharist

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A Word From Our Dean...

Dear Cathedral Family, I hope that you all are enjoying the Fifty Days of Easter. Holy Week and the great Easter feast went very well. The Bishop made a point of telling me that she was very pleased with how it all worked out. Each of you who worked so hard to attend to the many and varied arrangements deserves our thanks and appreciation! Bless you. But there is a continuing task which the Easter feast sets before all of us which we may have overlooked. After Jesus’ resurrection he told the disciples and us, “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” Put another way, the party isn’t over. Yes, while most of us view the sharing of the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection as a task, it is meant rather to be a feast, a party, a source of joy and pleasure. We should be only too glad to share the resurrection news at every possible occasion. As you will see in this issue of the Record, there are many ways in which we can be nurtured throughout the Fifty Days. In addition to the usual worship schedule and education offerings, there is the traditional May Breakfast, the Diocesan Confirmations, the ongoing work of the Weekend Warriors, Evensong in the Octave of the Feast of the Ascension and on the last day of the month, The Day of Pentecost, one of the principle events of the church year. The Food Pantry and the Soup Kitchen, amongst other things, likewise offer you the opportunity to share the Good News and make Easter more than just a nice Sunday in the spring. Lastly, since by prayer we can share the Easter good news, I pray that you continue to remember in your prayers the domestic and foreign challenges which face our nation, the swine flu pandemic, those who serve in the Armed Forces and the fact that we need to be more responsible in our parish ministries and witness. With every good wish and faithfully, Faithfully, Harry Krauss

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From The Deacon’s Bench

Springtime brings the end of the Winter doldrums and gives us an idea of what new life can be like. Flowers pop their heads out of grounds so recently covered with ice and snow, reminding us that no matter how bleak the winter, Spring always comes with the promise of that new life. It’s a good metaphor for all of us, as we refresh ourselves in the season of Eastertide, accepting new life and promise through the Resurrection. We all find that new life in different ways, in different life paths. Once in a while, it’s a good thing to share with each other. I’d like to share with you this month, some of the work that I do with the Diocese, and why I find it life-giving. Working with the Deacons students in the Formation Program for Deacons gives me pause to see the new and upcoming deacons and experience their ideas for the future health and care of the Church Universal. As a member of the Commission on Ministry, I am privileged to work with aspiring young (and sometimes not-so-young!) people, as they try to figure out what God is calling them to do in a possible life of service as a priest or deacon in the Episcopal Church. When I am fortunate enough to work with parishioners, as we have just finished, a series of dinner/discussions in Lent, I can see where God is asking our committed lay people to serve Him and offer the world an alternative to the usual self-indulgent behavior that we often see today. And, when I work with the Sunday School Director, Santana on special projects every once in a while, my heart is gladdened and my spirit soars, as I see the continual commitment of our young people, to help those less fortunate than themselves, to see what they can do to contribute to the improvement of daily life for them. Particularly, I have been very impressed with the work of our young people on the Heifer Project, as they have read and learned about other children around the world and how they work and live and go to school. It is always a wonderful part of being a deacon to assist in the formation of service in the church, whether in an ordained or a lay-oriented way. New vision for the future is a very special gift from God, and we are going to be very happy that we can utilize our gifts in mission and ministry as we move into the second half of this year and really begin to contemplate what the “raison d'être” is for The Cathedral of St. John. How

vital are we as messengers of the faith? What is our overarching mission to the world beyond the walls of the church? How is God calling us to be Christ’s hands and feet, as we look, each at our own ministry to the Diocese and to the wider world? What is our response? And in the end, can we say that we have answered the call to serve God as we have been asked?

Your sister in Christ,

Deacon BarbaraDeacon BarbaraDeacon BarbaraDeacon Barbara

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PURE WARTER

First off I’d like to thank all the individuals who made Holy Week so incredibly moving this year. Between the Altar Guild, Choir, Readers, Torch Bearers, Verger, Crucifers, Greeters, Intercessors, Sub-deacons, you name it; thank you from the bottom of my heart. The Bishop said it was the best Holy Week she’d experienced since coming here and I can understand why. Bravo! Second, a number of you have asked me about my ministries away from the Cathedral. I know that you are, by now, used to seeing me either read the Gospel, or set the table for the Eucharist, and occasionally have to sit through my pontificating from the pulpit, but most don’t know what I do when I’m not here. Let me see if I can convey how I’m currently choosing to serve the Lord. As most of you know, I do have to work full time. Deacons are not paid, so if I want to continue to eat indoors I continue to run the executive search firm that I founded 14 years ago. In addition, I am starting a new firm with a partner in NJ that is providing career services to colleges and universities. It’s an entirely new concept but it seems to be attracting a lot of attention, so it is an exciting time. I only mention my professional work because I’ve always considered my work as being an integral part of my life’s ministry. As a Deacon, I serve about seven hours a week as a Chaplain at Kent County Hospital which I find to be rewarding, depressing, renewing, and exhausting almost at the same time. Concurrently, I’ve become very involved in the Federation of Fire Chaplains and am starting to serve as the Chaplain for the North Kingstown Fire Department. Having performed fire and rescue for a number of years north of Boston, I really have a soft spot for the men and women in the emergency services. Every time you hear a siren I ask that you say a quick prayer for those riding the trucks. Lastly, I’m involved with CISM which is the RI Critical Incident Stress Management Team. We are called into emergency situations (multiple fatality accidents, infant deaths, shooting incidents, etc.) where those who have performed EMS functions may, in fact, be under extreme stress. Our role is to defuse the situation and debrief those affected. CISM is not for the faint of heart but the satisfaction of helping these wonderful people makes up for the horrors one sees. Finally, I can’t encourage you enough if you might want to explore the role of the deacon in the church, and if you would like, to set up some time for us to talk. That little “disequilibrium” that you might be feeling might turn out to be a call.

Blessings, Deacon Mark

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Meet The Chapter Introducing: Mr. Keith Hudson,

Bishop’s Appointee

1. What made you decide to become a member of the Chapter? I was asked to become a member of the newly formed Chapter by Harry Krause who I had worked with on the Diocesan Salary Review Committee. 2. Why do you think it is important for parishioners to be active in the church? How does being on the Chapter

help you to be an active member of the community? If you belong to something that you support and believe in, it logically follows that you should get involved and be active in it. Being a member of the Chapter helps me to learn more about the Christian Community of the Cathedral and provides me an opportunity to help it grow and prosper. 3. What gifts and talents do you bring to your work as a Chapter Member? A native of England, I worked in a number of European countries and the U.S.A. as a management consultant before eventually emigrating with my family to the U.S.A. in 1980. My original back ground was in the electrical power industry, as an apprentice trained and qualified electrical engineer. I received my formal education at Leicester University U.K. and went on to acquire a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and a B.A. in Management Studies. I have over 40 years experience in many industries as a productivity specialist in Operations, Human Resources and Compensation & Benefits. I retired in 2003. 3. What kind of church background do you have? (i.e. are you a lifelong Episcopalian? Other churches you may

have belonged to? Past work done on committees or vestries? I was brought up in the Church of England, attended Sunday School and was a choir boy. I attended a Church School until age 11 when I matriculated and went to high school. In my teens, I did experiment by attending other churches, Methodist, Unitarian, Congregational and Baptist mainly to find the best youth club; then after drifting away from the Church came back to the C of E after I got married. At the invitation of our new neighbors, we joined Christ Episcopal Church in Montpelier Vermont when we first arrived in the U.S. and continued in the Episcopal Church when we moved to Rhode Island in 1985. We were members of Christ Church Coventry for 22 years and now are members of St. Luke’s Church East Greenwich. 5. Do you have any experience working on committees or commissions for the Diocese? Member of the diocese “Compensation & Benefits Committee”. 6. What is your favorite activity in the church events? Why? Christmas and Easter because they reinforce the essence of our faith. 7. What books have you read lately? What did you like about them? Dislike? Would you recommend them to

others? Why or why not? None. 8. What do you do for fun? Watch international Rugby. Landscape Gardening, repair things, woodworking and playing with grandchildren. 9. What would people say is your best quality? Persistence. 10. What do YOU think is your best quality? Tolerance and Sensitivity. 11. What is the best thing that you have learned about The Cathedral and its members since you have been here? All the Chapter members have a great sense of humor and are dedicated to doing their very best for the Cathedral and its congregation. 12. What do you think is the Cathedral’s biggest challenge? Utilizing its assets to produce their greatest financial benefit possible, thereby ridding the congregation of the main cost of operating and freeing up more funds for outreach.

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The Sunday School Update

Dear Cathedral of Saint John Family,

All of us in the Church School have been joyously learning! We are learning with each other and

from each other. Each child who is in our Church School has been learning and practicing mutual respect and reverence for our world, our fellow creatures, for life, and for our selves. Here we are all willing to learn and grow in grace and wisdom, and to nurture our spiritual life.

We wish to thank all those who participated in making the Easter Egg hunt a wonderful success, and a big thank you to the Griffin family for their active work with the Easter Bunny, and the Easter Bunny for coming to our Easter celebration to bring further joy!

During the time of Lent we have shown amazing commitment to our project “Read to Feed” from Heifer International. Each child eagerly took on the joyful challenge to participate! Through participation we showed gratitude to our church family for their gift at Christmas and actively showed caring for other children. We are in the final phases of sharing our total reading s with each other and then the total we have raised. We shall let everyone in our Church family know the results in the June news. We also wish to thank our congregation for their generosity in supporting this wonderful endeavor!

With Warmest Regards, Santana Sluss

Please Don’t Forget…….. If you haven’t had the chance to get your pledges for the Read to Feed in, please be sure to get them to either Santana or Deacon Barbara as soon as possible! And thank you for your help in this most worthy program!

A Note Of Thanks…..

April 23, 2009 Dear Members of the Cathedral of St. John Chapter, I sincerely thank you for your generous contribution and support . The check helped to defray the tuition cost incurred this semester. Your belief in me is greatly appreciated. Thanks you and blessing to all of you. Your friend in Christ, Joyce T. Thorne

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Mark you calendar for A

very special event at the Cathedral of St. John, Providence

Sunday, May 24, 2009 Featuring

Mr. Brink Bush soloist organ recital at 3:30 PM Followed by

Solemn Evensong at 4 PM presented by

MagnificatBoston

MagnificatBoston

Brink Bush

Pastries are needed for the reception in Synod Hall following the Evensong. If you wish to make contributions, please contact Bernice Belt at 272-2991 or for your convenience a sign-up sheet will be on the entrance table in Synod Hall.

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News and Notes

Thank You from Bernice Belt

Bernice Belt wants to thank all of you for your contributions to the Parkinson’s Unity Walk, which she took part in on April 25th in New York City. There were thousands walking, it was a beautiful day, and we (my daughter and I ) had a fun weekend following the walk. Getting home turned into an adventure, too! Thank you again for your contributions!

United Thank Offering

The United Thank Offering (UTO) is a program of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole Church, founded by and administered by women since 1889. The UTO Committee is entrusted to promote thank offerings, to receive the offerings and to distribute the UTO monies through grants. The Committee awards and administers these grants within the framework of the poli-cies and procedures of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) of The Episcopal Church.

Please join us in the ministry of the UNITED THANK OFFERING . The United Thank Offering helps us to give thanks for our daily blessings from GOD.

The prayer on each box reads as follows: Gracious God, source of all creation, All love and all true joy,

Accept, we pray, these outward signs of our profound and continuing thankfulness for all life. Keep each of us ever thankful for all the blessings of joy and challenges that come our way. Bless those who will benefit from these gifts through the outreach of the UNITED THANK OFFERING This we ask of Him who is the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ. Amen

Please take a blue box and place a coin or two in the box as you count your blessings. The blue boxes are found in the Narthex. Please take one and begin to count your blessings from God. Monies will be used to award grants for various projects in the Diocese of RI. The boxes will collected the May 3 and May 10th .

United Thank Offering Spring 2009 Ingathering will be held on Saturday, May 16th-10AM at St. David’s on the Hill 200 Meshanticut Valley Parkway, Cranston, RI. Lunch will be served at 12:15PM. Please send reservation checks for $7.50 Payable to ECW Diocese of RI to Priscilla McFarland-ECW Treasurer, 15 McCann Street, North Smithfield, RI 02896. For your conven-ience UTO donation envelopes are available in the back of the Cathedral and upon completion may be given to the ushers.

**The APDA Walk-A-Thon is the world's largest grassroots fund-raiser dedicated to Parkinson's Disease research. Expenses are kept at a minimum, so 100% of the money sent to the national office is used for research. Many individuals who do not regularly donate to APDA take this opportunity to directly fund research to find cause and cure for Parkinson's disease.**

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Date: Saturday, November 21, 2009

Time: 10 AM to 4PM

Location: 271 North Main Street

Providence, RI

Applications for vendors are

available. Please email

BMaysStock@cox.net Or

vmwill2003@yahoo.com

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DEADLINES FOR The RECORD The Record, our parish newsletter, is published monthly and is available by email, hard copy and on the Cathedral website. If you would like to receive the Record electronically, please give your email address to our Parish Administrator, Miss Tinker or call the church office at (401) 331-4622. Please send articles to Deacon Barbara at BMaysStock@cox.net. The deadlines for submission to The Record are as follows:

May 23 for the June Edition June 23 for the Summer Edition

August 23 for the September Edition

Pandemic Precautions We want to be mindful of the passing of germs during this uncertain time. At the Peace: Please do not shake hands at the Peace if you would rather not. It can be passed verbally. At the receipt of Holy Communion: You are welcome to receive Our Lord’s Body in one kind, i.e., just the bread, if you like. The clergy will have washed their hands with Purell when the Altar is being prepared for the Eucharist. In addition, the lay chalice bearers will do likewise at the Credence Table as they come forward to assist the clergy. Please remember those who are suffering from Swine Flu in your prayers. The Diversity Committee will meeting on Tuesday, May 12th at 7PM in the Crooker Room.

Counselors from Episcopal Conference Center to speak at May 31 Coffee Hour

On Sunday, May 31, after the 10:30 Holy Eucharist, a group of counselors from ECC will speak to members of the parish on behalf of Episcopal Charities. Please plan to come and hear about our residential summer program for youth, which has stood for many years as a beacon to young Episcopalians.

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First things first – I want to say “Thank You” to everyone who worked so hard to see that our Easter celebration was so glorious! Our Cathedral family ‘did ourselves proud’. And then – as members of the Food Pantry staff, Bob and I noticed that this winter, more than ever, clients were arriving without hats, gloves, and sometimes without coats or jackets. Of course in some cases that was probably a personal choice. But I’m afraid that in most cases it really wasn’t a choice at all – it’s more likely that they simply didn’t own them. I’d like to propose this: as we go through our closets in the coming weeks, preparing to switch from ‘winter mode’ to ‘summer mode’, please don’t discard sweaters, jackets, gloves, scarves, hats, anything that would help someone less fortunate to stay warm next winter. If it is something you can no longer use, but is still wearable, it might be of great help to one of our clients. Winston has offered to help me find a place to store what we collect – if you have the space to store your contributions at home until the autumn, all the better – just let me know. I’m still trying to think of the best way these can be offered to our clients and if you have suggestions, I’d very much appreciate hearing them.

God’s Peace To All, Leah

-Thoughts from the Senior Warden-

Quilt Project for Blue Denim Ministries

A new ministry opportunity has formed at The Cathedral of St. John. On the first Tuesday of each month,

from 12 Noon to 6:00 PM in the Crooker Room a group will meet to learn quilting patterns and techniques

in order to make baby quilts for Blue Denim Ministries.

PLEASE BRING: A portable sewing machine if you have one

Snack or lunch if you plan to stay for a while Your spirit of fun, learning and adventure!!

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Cathedral of St. John Providence, RI

Junior Warden’s Report: March 2009 Blessings all! The “Weekend Warriors” will be back at it on Saturday May 2nd. Work planned for this installment includes reinstallation of the bell striker. We may also be able to install some “glow in the dark” EXIT signs in the nave if time permits. Last month we finished sanding and repairs of the Sacristy hallway. Energy Efficiency Systems has removed the old furnace and will complete area preparations and begin installation of the new system next week. Don Atkinson said the removal took about 4 or 5 days longer that expected. He believes the installation will take another 2 weeks to finish. I continue to seek roofing quotes leak repair of the bell tower and Sacristy hall roofs. There has been no response from either M. Barboza & Sons or Roofing Concepts so I’ve contacted Gorman Roofing. The rear stairwell energy saving lighting upgrade has been completed in conjunction with National Grid. Two additional companies have been in for Fire Alarm quotations and I’ll update you as the bids come in. The “Book of Remembrances” desk is here and once a display cover is installed it will be ready for use. Three vendors, Vose Builders, Rick Boyajian and Kevin Flynn will be quoting repairs to the water damagedchurch school rooms for submittal to our insurance company See you in church! Andy

REMINDER!!

St. John’s Weekend Warriors will be attacking more items on “The List”

8:00 AM to 12:00 PM Saturday May 2nd

Save the date: Your Warriors are planning a Spring Clean Up and Cookout on Saturday June 6th (rain day June 13th). We’d like this to be a “family affair” that includes parents and their children. The work plan includes; cleaning up the gardens, scraping paint and stone wall repair. Please join us for this “hoedown” of an event! Burgers, hot dogs & soda will be provided along with any side dishes you care to contribute. The sign up sheet is in Synod Hall for all interested.

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MAY 2009

Sunday

Monday

Tuesd

ay Wednesd

ay Thursday

Friday

Saturday

1

2 Week

end Warrio

rs 8AM

M

ay Break

fast 9AM

C

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ation 10A

M

Food Pantry 11A

M

Confirm

ation 2PM

3 HE 8:30& 10:30AM

Adult E

d.9:45AM (CR)

HE La Inglesia del M

esias 6PM

4 5 Prayer Shawl M

inistry

9:30AM

Quiltin

g Ministry

12Noon

HE 12:10PM

Soup Kitchen 4:00PM

6 HE 12:10 PM

Prayer G

roup 7PM (CR)

7 Staff M

eeting 9:30A

M

Girl S

couts 5:30P

M (CR)

Healin

g Service 7:00P

M

8 9 C

onfirm

ation 10A

M

Food Pantry 11A

M

Confirm

ation 2PM

10 HE 8:30A

M

HE& Baptism

10:30AM

Adult E

d.9:45AM (CR)

Taize 4:00PM

HE La Inglesia del M

esias 6PM

11 12 Prayer Shawl M

inistry

9:30AM

Soup Kitchen 4:00PM

Diversity

Meeting 7PM

13 HE 12:10 PM

Prayer G

roup 7PM (CR)

14 Clerg

y Meetin

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Luncheon (SH)

15 16 F

ood Pantry 11A

M

UTO Spring Ingatherin

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10AM St. D

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n the H

ill Cranston

17 HE 8:30& 10:30AM

Adult E

d.9:45AM (CR)

HE La Inglesia del M

esias 6PM

18 19 Prayer Shawl M

inistry

9:30AM

Soup Kitchen 4:00PM

20 HE 12:10 PM

Prayer G

roup 7PM (CR)

21 Staff M

eeting 9:30A

M

22 23 F

ood Pantry 11A

M

24 HE 8:30&

10:30AM

Adult E

d.9:45AM (CR)

Magnificat Boston Evensong

4PM

HE La Inglesia del M

esias 6PM

25 M

emorial D

ay O

ffice Closed

26 Prayer Shawl M

inistry

9:30AM

Soup Kitchen 4:00PM

27 HE 12:10 PM

Prayer G

roup 7PM (CR)

28 Girl S

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M

Chapter M

eeting 7PM

29 30 F

ood Pantry 11A

M

Enterp

rise Opera

Productio

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7:30PM

31 P

enteco

st HE 8:30& 10:30AM

ECW Meeting 9:30AM (SH)

Adult E

d.9:45AM (CR)

HE La Inglesia del M

esias 6PM

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The Episcopal Cathedral of Saint John 271 North Main Street

The Record

Mailing Address

Goes Here

The Very Rev. Harry E. Krauss, Dean The Rev. Barbara Mays-Stock, Deacon

The Rev. Mark Warter, Deacon Mr. Brink Bush, Music Director/Organist

Leah Nastasi, Senior Warden Andy Costa, Junior Warden

Church Office Hours 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Monday through Friday Office closed on Saturday

Office Phone: (401) 331-4622

Email: hkrauss@cathedralofstjohn.org deaconbarbara@cathedralofstjohn.org

The Newsletter of

At the Cathedral of St. John

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