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March 2011
The Messenger
News from the Cathedral of the Incarnation
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 Daylight Saving Time resumes March 13. Be sure to set you clock AHEAD before retiring on Saturday evening.
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Lenten Programs & Services
Mondays
5:30 PM Christian Meditation
Tuesdays
7:30 AM Christian Meditation
12:15 PM Contemplative Eucharist
12:45 PM Centering Prayer
Wednesdays
8:00 AM Holy Eucharist
6:30 PM Lenten Formation - Via Media
Thursdays
6:00 PM Taize Eucharist
Fridays
12:00 Noon Stations of the Cross
Self-guided
A guide to prgrams and services at the Cathedral during Lent is availble on the credenza in the hallway and at the back of the church.
2011 Lenten Meditations booklets produced by Episcopal Relief & Development are available on the credenza in the hallway and at the back of the church.
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Parish Register
Baptism
Gabriella Elizabeth Wenck
Baptism Recorded
Mara Murdoch
Official Transfer
Margo Landon
For information about becoming a member, please contact the office
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Coffee Hour
Many thanks to our coffee hour hosts:
Hadley Mellin &
Caroline Bomgardner
Doris & Jim Ridenour &
The ERICA Board
Kelly & Greg McCarty
Tom Ellwanger &
Evelyn Zink
If you would like to host
a coffee hour, please contact
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2011 Pledges
The total number of pledges received by February 28, 2011 is 165 for a total of $410,734.
It's not too late to send in a pledge card. They are available in the pews, on the credenza in the hallway, and at the table in the front of the Cathedral.
Thank-you!
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Enduring Prayer List
We continue to offer prayers for those on our enduring prayer list.
O God, accept our prayers and grant to your serants the help of your power that their health may be restored. Amen.
Annie, Peter, Frank, Richard, Marion, Richel, Sudan, Marilyn, Peter, Shannon, Rachel, Holly, Jack, Douglas, Barbara, Norm.
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We pray for those deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries of unrest, especially Noah Price and Stephen Eres, friends of Jacqui DeSimone, Sadler Caldwell, nephew of Tom Ellwanger, Lotta Smagula, sister-in-law of Emily Hoffman and David Jenkins III, Ken Brown's cousin. We pray also for the families left behind.
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Contacting Pastoral Care
· 410 467 3750
· option 4
· leave a message with contact information
When you are in need of emergency pastoral care, please call the office number and select option four. This will take you to the on-call pager system. You will be asked to leave a message. When you have left a message, the system will notify the clergy person on call.
We rotate the pastoral staff on call on a bi-weekly basis. So there is always someone on call. We will return your call as quickly as possible. Try to remember to provide a contact phone number, and where you are when you call.
A pastoral emergency can be a sudden hospitalization, news of someone's death, other issues of grief and loss, going into delivery, or a situation where you are seeking a caring person for crisis care.
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Toward a relational culture
It was Friday night, the sun was setting a nd everyone was gathering for dinner. The meal was familiar, pizza and veggie sticks. The situation was normal, except we were in a convent in north Baltimore, and the group gathered was the chapter and not family. And maybe I should also mention that we were headed into a business meeting rather than a social event.
The Chapter retreat is our time in a year when I am able to meet with our leadership and we are able to focus on the health and mission of the community. It is a unique and important time for us to be together. It is extend time for us to consider the on-going well-being of the Cathedral of the Incarnation. I extend my thanks to the families who give of their time so that our Chapter members can be away for the Friday evening and Saturday meeting.
Our retreat included time for prayer, practice of centering prayer, small group reflection and whole group conversation. It was a fabulous session! It felt like the work that we have been doing over the last 18 months is coming together. The discrete pieces of committees into teams, budget joined with stewardship, and our shared understanding of Intentional Community into intentional practices and relational meetings are flowing together and guiding our work. It was like a dream, but better - it is real!
The Chapter has a bit more work to do on a presentation, so I do not want to steal their thunder. What you need to know is we are borrowing former ideas and new practices to continue shaping the culture within the Cathedral of the Incarnation as a place of spiritual growth and health. We will use our intentional practices - Identity, Centered, Spirit Filled, Listening, and Disciplined - to guide our Chapter groups and our teams to create community within community.
What do I mean by community in community? We recently finished the parochial report - the annual report on congregational statistics due each March 1st to the National Church offices. We have 890 regular members in good standing. Good standing is defined as all who "the previous year have been active in corporate worship, unless for good cause prevented, and have been faithful in working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God". By custom we retain the records of all who have been members and those who are not know as in good standing are identified as communicants. In our records the communicants' number is an additional 300 to 400 members. That would make the total number of members affiliated with the Cathedral of the Incarnation about 1300.
890 is a health sized active congregation. And 1300 is a lot with whom to be BFF - best friends forever.
Now this is where it becomes exciting - believe me! Amidst such numbers practicing community within community means finding ways to keep members from feeling lost or forgotten. Intentional practices are the means that we will use to help us know each other, care for each other, name our shared mission and talk together about our spiritual lives. I believe we will continue naming a way of spiritual maturity for members even when nearly 350 of us gather for Sunday worship. To sustain our worship we need to continue meeting others and appreciate the gifts she or he brings and how those gifts deepen my life. Please take the time to learn who the Chapter members are. Then take the time to talk with us about being a member of the community at the Cathedral of the Incarnation.
Peace, Hal
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 The Chapter members invite you to join them for the Cathedral's Celebration of Mardi Gras (the day before Lent), which begins at 6:00 PM for pancakes and festivities! Children of ALL ages are welcome to help decorate the "Alleluia" and make masks and other Mardi Gras crafts. We try to close by 7:30 PM with the "burying of the Alleluia" and burning of the palms. Sign-up on the bulletin board next to Rev. Sara's office.
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 The Cathedral will hold services of Holy Eucharist with the Imposition of Ashes at:
8:00 AM - Peace Chapel
12 Noon - Cathedral
7:00 PM - Cathedral
Childcare will be available for the 7:00 PM service.
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Diocesan Intern - Ruth Elder |
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Greetings! I am your new deacon intern, Ruth Elder. Thank you for all your support and warm welcomes to the Cathedral of the Incarnation family. I am a cradle Episcopalian, baptized at St. Phillip's in California, and confirmed at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Baltimore, where I have been a member all my life. I was married at Holy Trinity and my children were baptized there. I have three adult children - Charlotte, Arthur III, and Munya. I work full-time as a government analyst.
At Holy Trinity, I have served on the vestry, taught Sunday School, coordinated the Lenten Study Series,and served on the finance committee. I also served as a chalicist, and I organized Vacation Bible School last year. I enjoy working with adult and youth Christian education, but I would say my passion is working with the children. I was one of Holy Trinity's representatives at the last four Diocese of Maryland conventions; while at convention, I worked with the Youth pages and Youth delegates.
In my spare time, I like to travel, volunteer with the Huber Memorial SHARE food co-op program, and volunteer as a camp counselor at Claggett. I attend the Ecumenical Institute of Theology pursuing a certificate in Church Ministries - Youth Ministry. This semester I am taking a class in Church History. My favorite fun things to do include watching British comedy, visiting museums, learning to bellydance, window shopping, and trying to learn how to crochet or knit. I look forward to sharing my talents with you and to learning new things from you as I spend time here at the Cathedral. I cannot wait to meet and greet each of you.
Peace, Ruth |
| Sprucing up the Cathedral |
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In preparation for Holy Week, the Altar Ministry is having a cleaning day on Saturday, April 2nd. Many hands make light work, so please join them at 9:30 AM, wear old clothes, bring gloves, paper towels, cleaning products, friends, and we'll supply light refreshments. Contact Tricia Shellhorn with your questions.
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Sunday School and Youth News
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Sunday School
The next All Sunday School Event will be March 13. We will be celebrating the first Sunday of Lent and learning about the season of Lent. Any parents or adults who would like to volunteer to help with this event, please contact Rev. Sara or Lilly Richardson.
Youth Events
J2A Fundraiser:
The J2As will be parking cars in the Cathedral park ing lot for the Johns Hopkins Lacrosse home games - March 5 from 12 Noon, March 26 from 1 PM, April 8 from 6:30 PM, April 30 (Homecoming) from 12 Noon.
You may wish to avoid our parking lot those times, unless you would like to support them!
The Bishop's Ball - April 2
Join us at St. John's Parish, Ellicott City, for the third annual Bishop's Ball. This special dinner-dance with Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton this year features youth leader recognition. He picks up his guitar and we rock. A great evening for youth and live music. $10 in advance $15 at the door. Contact Rev. Sara Shisler or Rev. Wes Wubbenhorst for more information.
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During Lent - hear the story, tell the story, live the story... |
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Gathering in Faith Together (GIFT) |
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GIFT on Sundays during LENT: The Four-Gospel Journey as a Sequence of Practice: Far more than the Lifestory of Jesus.
Dr. Alexander Shaia will introduce us to the four-gospel journey as a guide to walking the spiritual life. In this perspective, each gospel opens as a practice to resolve one of the four great questions:
How do we face change? (Matthew)
How do we move through suffering? (Mark)
How do we receive joy? (John)
How do we mature in service? (Luke/Acts).
Each Sunday we will exploring specific spiritual practices such as Speaking Truth in Unity, Centering Beyond Words, Building the New Jeru-Shalom, and Making the Leap of Trust. There are core practices that enable us to deepen our ability to practice intentional communion and community
 Wednesday, March 30, 6pm
Soup and Salad Supper and evening of discussion with
Dr. Alexander Shaia.
Moving Beyond Ideas of Atonement: Lent & Easter as ancient plan for the community's retreat and festival
Learn about the history of Lent as you have never heard it before. During this evening presentation, you will hear the second and third century origins and intent for the "Great Hundred Days" from Ash Wednesday to Pentecost. Learn of Lent as the ancient church's annual retreat, and Easter as its annual festival. Explore how the gospels for the 15 Sundays move progressively through to help us see our divisions, heal our union and celebrate our diverse oneness.
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During Lent, the Adult Bible Study group will join the GIFT Program focusing on the lectionary studies of Dr. Alexander Shia. The regular schedule of Bible Study will resume on Sunday, May 1 at 9:00 AM in Conference Room C. All are welcome to join us for a Sunday or for a season.
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Dean Ley Hayek will be leading the Lenten series Via Media. This is an opportunity to explore your spiritual journey in a safe place to ask 21st century questions about faith, Christianity and the Episcopal Church. All are welcome.
Those who are interested in adult confirmation, or who have been confirmed in another church yet would like to be received as members of the Episcopal Church are encouraged to join us. We will celebrate confirmation and reception during the Easter Vigil, April 23 at 7pm.
Via Media will meet on Wednesday evenings at 6:00pm, March 16, March 23, April 6, and April 13. The evening begins with a lite soup and salad supper. A sign up is on the notice board in the office hallway, by Rev. Sara Shisler's office. Childcare is available upon request.
Session Schedule
March 16: God & Creation: The Abundance of God's Goodness
March 23: God in Jesus: An Incarnational Faith
March 30: Presentation with Dr. Alexander Shaia
April 6: God the Holy Spirit: The Breath of New Life
April 13: The Word of God for the People of God
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The Gifts of God for the People of God |
--Jon Shematek+  As Christians we are called to be a people who care for one another, and who maintain connections and relationships, no matter what. This is what is meant by the term "pastoral care." One aspect of pastoral care is taking the holy sacraments to those who cannot come to us. By doing this, we bring the community to those who are otherwise isolated, we bring them compassion, we bring them a listening ear, we bring them the presence of Christ, we bring them a sense of hope, despite whatever hardships they may be facing. This has been so since the earliest days of the church, when lay persons were given the responsibility of taking Holy Communion to those who could not attend church services. At the Cathedral, we are developing and will be commissioning teams of pastoral caregivers, starting with a group of Eucharistic Visitors (EVs), who will take Holy Communion, after Sunday services, to our community members who can not otherwise be with us. We are planning to conduct EV training in April. Please contact me if you have any questions about this ministry, or wish to be visited by one of the EVs on a regular basis. |
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"Is Anyone Among You Sick?" James 5:14 |
--Jon Shematek+
This question springing from the pages of Holy Scriptures becomes a harsh reality--one that we would prefer to avoid--for all of us at various times in our lives. Part of being human means that at some point we experience sickness and suffering of body, mind, or spirit. At these times, it is natural to turn to God and ask for God's blessing to give us strength and courage to persevere. It is natural at such times,to turn to God and ask for release from whatever is causing distress. Sometimes cure is possible. Sometimes not. But healing, true wholeness, is always possible, always available. Please know that at these times in your life we are especially here for you. Perhaps you missed it--it may seem like a footnote in the Sunday bulletin. So if you have not yet seen it, please know that during Communion at the 10:30 service--every Sunday--we offer prayers for healing at the Children's Altar, near the front entrance to the Cathedral. It is accessible. Simply approach the minister, stand or kneel as you are able, and offer your prayer request. For yourself. For someone about whom you care. This is a sacred moment, a compassionate and a confidential one, as we pray together on holy ground, in God's presence. |
Are you looking for a new spiritual discipline for Lent, or have you ever wondered what silent prayer and stillness might have to offer you? The Cathedral's Christian Meditation Group is offering a special series of 6 sessions during Lent, intended for newcomers and inquirers. These sessions will take place on Monday evenings, beginning at 5:30pm in the Peace Chapel (undercroft). Each session will include an introductory 10 minute talk on the practice and rewards of Christian meditation, a brief recorded teaching on meditation, a group meditation experience, and time for questions and reflection-all in time to leave for supper with family by 6:30pm. Topics are designed for beginners (aren't we all?) as follows:
March 14 Why Meditation?
March 21 Meditation as Prayer
March 28 Tradition of Christian Meditations; Resources
April 4 Obstacles to Meditation
April 11 Leaving Self Behind
April 18 Meditation as a Way of Life: Its Fruits
Come for this series as your Lenten discipline this year, or attend whenever you can. Simple instructions for meditation will be provided at each session. Experienced meditators from all traditions are always welcome. Please contact Franklin Adkinson with any questions. |
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 This is a ministry of prayer and a creative way of praying for others. We meet every third Sunday of each month, after the 10:30 service. Shawls are given to those in particular need of prayers and to the newly baptized. All are welcome. For more information please contact Betsy Remley. If you have received a prayer shawl from the Cathedral and would like to share your story, please contact the office.
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Reel Spirit - Well for the Journey |
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 Led by the Rev. Ben Smith and Kathy Schnurr, reel spirit is sponsored by Well for the Journey, Inc. a non-profit ecumenical organization offering spiritual nourishment for daily living. Participants gather on the evening of the first Sunday of the month at the Charles Theater and stay after each movie for a free discussion. No registration is required. To learn which movie has been selected, call The Well office (410-377-9520) or check the website, not more than one week in advance.
Sunday, March 6, 4:25 PM: The movie BIUTIFUL is the journey of Uxbal, a conflicted man who struggles to reconcile fatherhood, love, spirituality, crime, guilt and mortality amidst the dangerous underworld of modern Barcelona.
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| From the Rev. Sara Shisler |
"Where do I stand at the beginning of another Lent?" Each one of us has a particular answer. I am at a certain point on a journey. Perhaps I have made progress since this day last year, wandered, or hung back. But the question also invites us all to make our annual pilgrimage to the same place, a certain common point for starting over again."
These are the opening lines to Martin L. Smith's classic book "A Season for the Spirit: Readings for the Days of Lent." Where do you stand at the beginning of this Lent? Are you excited to enter a time of internal self-reflection? Are you dreading the dearth and drudgery that you have come to associate with Lent? Are you feeling penitent and the need to repent and renew your faith? Are you looking forward to preparing with joy for the coming feast?
As I stand before this season of Lent, I find myself wondering what exactly Lent is meant to be. I think the "meaning" of Lent is to be found in the movement between all these different experiences. It is a time of repentance and renewal, self-examination and communal reflection, prayer and joy. Many people think of Lent and think of self-denial. I think at the core, this is a desire to choose what is of God and turn away from all within us and outside of us that separates us from God. Ultimately, it is a time of surrendering to the Spirit of God; we come together to remember who we are and whose we are.
"The forty days for Jesus began with this surrendering himself to the Spirit." Smith suggests that perhaps this word "surrender" be enough for our prayer as we enter this season of Lent. "Not the surrender of submission to an enemy, but the opposite, the laying down of resistance to the One who loves me infinitely more than I can guess, the One who is more on my side than I am myself. Dwelling on this thought of letting go, and handing myself over to the Spirit will bring me much closer to the experience of Jesus than the word "discipline" that so many of us have been trained to invoke at the beginning of Lent. As Kristen Looney reminded us this past Sunday, Jesus tells us not to worry but to give up our anxious attempts to bring our life under control; to have faith and trust in the God who has inscribed our name on the palm of Her hand.
So this year our journey together through Lent can be less about "the belt-tightening resolutions about giving up this or taking on that" but about giving up control itself. "Lent is about the freedom that is gained only through exposure to the truth," Smith says. And what is truth? "Truth is not a thing, it is rather an event. Truth happens to us when the coverings of illusion are stripped away and what is real emerges into the open." Truth is known through our experiences, through our stories, through the telling and hearing of our Judeo-Christian story. It is through these stories that we know who we are and who God is. It is through our stories that we share our direct experiences of God- the frustrating experiences, the baffling experiences, the mystical experiences-our experience of encounter with truth.
During this season of Lent let us come together and listen to each other's stories. Let us look for ourselves within the Biblical stories of our faith. Let us come together to remember who we are and whose we are, as we journey together toward the cross and beyond in to everlasting life.
Peace,
Sara+
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The next opportunities for Baptism are: April 23 - Easter Vigil at 7 PM, May 1 - Second Sunday of Easter, and June 12 - Feast of Pentecost. All parents of young candidates (and godparents when at all possible) are asked to attend a Baptism workshop to help get ready for this great Sacrament on the morning before. Older candidates are asked to speak to Dean Hayek. Please register with the church office.
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 As you know, our community tithes 10% of otherwise unrestricted income from the previous year to our outreach and mission work for the following year. The tithe for 2011 totals $56,033. The Outreach Team has identified four goals to guide our work this year: build in time for reflection as a community on our outreach work and develop formation opportunities that enrich and spiritually deepen it; raise up a Core Leadership Team to direct our partnership with Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD); strengthen Cathedral Advocates for Public Education (CAPE)'s capacity to connect with other churches in the diocese on school partnerships and equity issues in public education; and continue to discern how we as a community should use our resources to do God's work in the world. We invite your input into this work. All are welcome at any Outreach Team meeting. For more information, contact Outreach Coordinator Amy Myers 410-467-3750 x 228.
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Trees For Haiti
Since 2007 the Cathedral of the Incarnation and had the practice of participating in the Diocesan Lenten Outreach project. These "projects" have tended to be global in scope. They have ranged from collecting pennies to help build a playground in Akramah, Accra, Ghana (As Amy Myers, our Outreach Coordinator said, "That was a lot of pennies!") to working with "Nets for Life" to help prevent malaria all across Africa, to last year participating in "Sunflowers for Opac" to help the people of Opac, Uganda.
We will again be participating in the Diocesan Lenten Outreach project which this year is "Trees for Haiti." Now you might be wondering, "why trees for Haiti when they need so much else?" One of the long-term needs for a sustainable economy in Haiti is re-forestation. Over time the forest has been stripped and the soil is eroding. This contributes to several factors that made the earthquake so devastating. This lent we are committing ourselves to partner with a parish in Haiti through our sister parish of St. John's Glyndon, MD. We are raising up "Trees for Haiti!"
Part of the experience of Lent is to come together as a parish and recommit ourselves to following the way of Jesus. Part of the way we do that as a community of the Cathedral of the Incarnation is to practice mission and service - in our city, our country, our world. Just as we realize during Lent the importance of reaching "in" and caring for ourselves, we recognize the importance of reaching "out" and caring for the wider world. Our annual Lenten Outreach project helps us do that.
We encourage you to join in over the next few weeks as we learn together about the importance of trees and ecology to our environment, about the needs of Haiti, and how we can we can be disciples making a difference. There will be ways for people of all ages to get involved. Watch for further news and work by our Sunday School classes and Youth. At our next All Sunday School Event March 13th our time together will be focusing on learning about this outreach ministry, part of which will involve a collaborative art project to share with the entire congregation.
We will start collecting contributions for Trees for Haiti on Sunday, March 13th. Tree saplings are $1 a peace. In honor of our Centennial Celebration, our goal is 1911 trees. Help us reach this goal by Easter Sunday!!!
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Sandtown - Habitat for Humanity |
WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR HABITAT HOUSES?
While waiting for the electricians to get to our houses, we'll be working on landscaping the yards -- leveling, putting down sod, and installing fences. To volunteer, just sign the sheet on the Outreach Board or send email to habitat@thecathedral.ang-md.org. Please continue to keep our volunteers and the Sandtown neighborhood in your prayers and remember that your financial contributions make this ministry possible. Pew envelopes labeled for Habitat are available for your convenience.
SPRING CLEANING TIME!
The weather warms and the heart and head turn to renewal and refurbishing. What better time to clean your attic, basement, garage, wherever, and look for items you can donate to the Sandtown Habitat ReStore? The ReStore sells new and gently-used home improvement and construction materials and tools at a fraction of retail cost to neighborhood residents and others interested in buying bargains to support a great cause. Tired of tripping over that new ceiling fan you bought, but never installed? Are those boxes of extra tiles from your redecorating job getting in your way? Redoing your kitchen but know your old cabinets have some useful life left? The ReStore can find a new home for them and all of the proceeds from the ReStore go back to Habitat to fund additional house rehabs. Criteria for acceptable donations may be found on the website. If you are not sure if what you have to donate would be acceptable, you may call 410-669-3309, ext 16 or send email and we'll gladly answer your donation questions. As a rule of thumb, if your donation is something that you would feel comfortable giving to your parent or child, then it is likely good enough for the ReStore.
Nothing to donate at the moment? Don't despair! The ReStore also accepts monetary contributions which allow us to buy small supplies (paint brushes, masking tape, and so on) at wholesale prices so the savings can be passed on to our customers.
--Sarah Stevens-Rayburn
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Cathedral Advocates for Public Education - CAPE |
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-Amy Myers
Rally to Restore Cuts to Education - rescheduled!
New date: Thursday, March 10 6:30 PM
Lawyers Mall, Annapolis
Buses will leave from the Cathedral at 5:15 - light supper will be provided
Over 100 Cathedral members signed our banner asking our legislators to support fair and just education funding for all our students in Maryland. Those riding on the bus to Annapolis Thursday, March 10, will take this banner and join with more than 3,000 people from across Baltimore to show our elected officials that we will not accept cuts to the Thornton education funding formula - the landmark school funding legislation that ensured that all children in Maryland have access to an excellent education at our public schools.
We cannot allow this to happen. We cannot break the promise we made to our children when we passed Thornton in 2002. As Delegate Cheryl Glenn warned a packed committee room on Monday night, if we let them change Thornton this year, there will be no stopping them from making future changes.
There is room on the bus to Annapolis! Let us know and we will reserve your spot and feed you supper, too! Sign up on the Outreach Board across from the Dean's Office or contact Outreach Coordinator Amy Myers or 410-467-3750 x 228.
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One Straw Farm's 2011 CSA - Sign-up NOW! |
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The Creation Care Team is pleased to announce that the Cathedral of the Incarnation will again be an official pick-up site for the One Straw Farm Community Supported Agriculture program. One Straw Farm delivers fresh, organic produce each week during the growing/harvest season, which runs from the first week of June to the third week of November. For each 10 full shares subscriptions, One Straw Farm donates a share that we can offer to those in need through our Outreach program. Our pick-up day at the Cathedral will be Thursday's from 4 - 6:30 pm. For more information and to sign up for a "full share" which includes 8 or more items per week, go to the One Straw Farm website. When you "Sign up", designate the Cathedral as your pick up site. If you wish to purchase a ½ share, please sign up on the bulletin board and we will coordinate pairing people up for the program. For more information about the program contact Paul Beares.
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| 2011 Pledge Campaign Wrap-up |
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--Sara Sides
Thanks to all who worked hard on the 2011 Pledge Campaign! Our numbers for 2011 are slightly down and while that is due in part to continued econo mic woes, it may also reflect an unwillingness to put down on paper your commitment for the year. I understand that it is hard for all of us who pledge to know exactly what our circumstances will be in another 6 months. But that's where faith plays a part. If you attend services regularly; if you believe in the mission of the Cathedral and the wider mission of the Episcopal Church; if you find personal comfort, insight or fulfillment here, then please put your faith in God and make a pledge (small or large) to support the work of this community. Connect, Commit, Contribute!
Pledge Totals:
- 165 households have pledged as compared to 186 last year (Interestingly, we have more households and members than ever before-390 households with approximately 840 individuals, but our pledge units are still down)
- We had 21 new pledges (that's great news!)
- And of the 144 who renewed pledges: 43 increased; 31 decreased; and 70 stayed the same.
- The dollar amount pledged for this year is $410,734. Last year when all was said and done, donations totaled $489,783-but that amount included pledged and unpledged money, so it is not an apple to apple comparison.
So, again, thanks to all who have pledged for 2011. If just 35 more households will commit, we can meet the goal of 200 pledges-which is approximately 50% of our households. Think about that...right now less than 50% of our members are, on paper, funding 100% of our activities. If you are someone who gives regularly, but does not pledge, please stand up and be counted!
Stewardship Team: Meg Craun, Liz Diffenderffer, Sandy Durfee, Jimmy Fulwiler, Dean Hal Hayek, John McDonnell, Kristen Ray, Sara Sides, Doug Walsh and Anne Wyatt-Brown. |
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100 Years at the Cathedral |
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--Mary Klein, Diocesan Archivist
The Cathedral Foundation was formed in 1908 for the purpose of "administering such subscriptions or contributions in money or property ...to be called 'The Trustees of the Cathedral Foundation' to be used for founding and establishing in the City of Baltimore a centre of diocesan work, a Bishop's residence, a Diocesan house and library, and a Cathedral Church".
Henry Vaughan of Boston was chosen in 1908 as the first architect for the grand design of the plan for the Cathedral complex. "He was at once instructed to submit a sketch showing the proper location of the buildings to be erected on the Cathedral site, said buildings to consist of a Cathedral, a Bishop's House and Library, and a Synod Hall, which is to be used as a Pro-Cathedral and Church for the congregations of St. Barnabas and St. George."
At the end of 1909, with the election of a new Board of Trustees, Mr. Vaughan was advised that it would be "unwise to take any further steps towards the erection of the Synod Hall until complete plans have been obtained for the whole group of Cathedral buildings". With the congregations of St. Barnabas and St. George willing to worship in " a temporary roofed-in basement", the Board felt "it hardly necessary to retain the services of so distinguished an architect" to build a simple basement. Consequently, Mr. Vaughan was paid $750 to cover the work he had already done, and "a prize competition among the leading architects" instigated.
At the June, 1911, Trustees meeting, it was decided to engage the architectural firm of Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson, of New York, to draw up plans for the "Cathedral group of buildings, with a view to their retention as Architects of the Cathedral". Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue designed not only a Cathedral, but the Synod Hall, choir school, bishop's residence, homes for the dean, offices for three canons, and a Diocesan Library. On Armistice Day, November 11, 1920, the cornerstone for the superstructure was laid, attended by a great throng of clergy, the governor of Maryland, the mayor of Baltimore, the General Robert Nivelle, "the hero of Verdun".
To accommodate the rising Cathedral, the undercroft had to be extended, and a temporary wooden chapel was built for worship. But by 1924, post-war financial problems caused further building to be suspended, and the architect of the second building, Bertram Goodhue, died. The congregation returned to the undercroft to worship for yet another ten years. Despite the coming of the Great Depression, the congregation and diocese pushed forward and hired yet a third architectural firm of Frohman, Robb & Little to draw up much scaled-down plans for a Cathedral alone. On Armistice Day, November 11, 1931, at ten in the morning, construction began. Quickly taking shape, the Cathedral was ready for its first worship service on Christmas Eve, 1932. Paid for and consecrated in 1955, the Cathedral of the Incarnation took its place in the long line of glorious buildings dedicated to the glory of God, filled with people committed to opening its doors to the surrounding community and being the "holy place in the public square".
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Cathedral Organists and Choirmasters |
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 | | Ken Brown |
--Ken Brown, Canon for Music & Worship
Looking back over the last 100 years, our Cathedral has had a rich history of music and musicians. Beginning in 1911, John Paul Tingle (1875-1964) served as choirmaster until 1937. He started his career around 1894 as the choirmaster at Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church, serving next at Saint George's Episcopal Church. These two congregations merged to form the Cathedral congregation. So between the three congregations, he served as choirmaster for a total of 42 years. I am in touch with descendents of Mr. Tingles, to try and get a family representative here for our centennial celebration.
Donald McDorman was directing the choir at Old Saint Pauls, and was hired by the Cathedral to become our Choirmaster upon Mr. Tingle's retirement. He held this position until 1953, except for the period from 1942-1945 when he served his country during World War II. The position was filled by Thomas Dunn (1925-2008) during wartime, who began as organist at the Cathedral at the age of 16. Mr. Dunn later moved to New York, and eventually became the Editor-in-Chief of EC Schirmer Music Publications.
Mr. McDorman was followed in 1954 by Rodney Hansen (1934-1998), who served this congregation until about 1957. Mr. Hansen was well known and respected in Baltimore music circles, serving through the years as music director at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, and Old Saint Paul's.
 | | Norman Scribner |
Mr. Hansen was followed by Arnold Ripperger, of whom little is known. He was, in turn, followed in 1958 by Norman Scribner, a student at the Peabody Institute. Mr. Scribner moved to Washington DC in 1959 to become the organist and choirmaster at Saint Alban's Church, a position he held until his retirement in 2007. In 1965 he founded the Choral Arts Society of Washington, and in 1971 founded the Norman Scribner Singers. Interestingly, Mr. Scribner was succeeded at Saint Alban's Church by Sonia Sutton, the wife of our Bishop, Eugene Sutton. Mr. Scribner has been invited to be part of our Centennial Celebration in June.
 | | Theodore Morrison |
The reins of the Cathedral's music program were then turned over to Theodore Morrison, who was nineteen when he became our organist and choirmaster, directing the professional choir of men and boys until 1971. In 1967, he founded the Baltimore Choral Arts Society and taught at the Peabody Conservatory from 1975 to 1978, Smith College from 1981 to 1987, and University of Michigan from 1987 until 2005. Since 2005, he has been a full time composer of choral and organ music. He has been commissioned by the Cathedral to write a new anthem for our centennial celebration. It will be debuted in June with Mr. Morrison conducting.
The late Donald King (1929-1996) took over from Mr. Morrison in 1971. In addition to his duties at the Cathedral, he was also the director of music at the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation and was the Maryland sales representative for the M.P. Moller pipe organ company of Hagerstown. Mr. King served until 1984, leaving just after the retirement of Dean Peabody.
 | | Herbert Dimmock |
In 1987, the new Dean, Van Gardner, hired Herbert Dimmock to become the director of music. Mr. Dimmock was the director of Baltimore's Handel Choir, a position he held from 1977 until 2002. Mr. Dimmock left the Cathedral to go move up the street to First English Lutheran Church. Mr. Dimmock has been invited to join us for our centennial celebration.
I began my first stint at the Cathedral in June of 1988, when Dean Gardner called and offered me the position of Interim Music Minister while the Cathedral conducted a search for a new organist/choirmaster.
 | | Dr. Bryan Rowe |
Just after Easter, 1989, the late Bryan Rowe (1961-2009) began his tenure as organist and choirmaster at the Cathedral. Bryan was a brilliantly gifted organist and composer. He served this congregation until 1996, when he moved to Memphis Tennessee. During our centennial celebration, we will be singing the service music he wrote for this congregation in 1989.
In 1994, Bryan asked me to serve in the unofficial capacity of Assistant Minister of Music. Upon his leaving for Memphis, Dean Gardner asked me to serve as your Minister of Music, and I have had the privilege of doing so up to this day, standing on the shoulders of musical giants and trying to keep my balance.
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News from around the Diocese
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Integrity: Service and Fellowship
The next gathering of the Baltimore Chapter of Integrity will be Friday, March 18th at the Cathedral of the Incarnation, 4 East University Parkway. The Eucharist will begin at 7 PM in the Peace Chapel - The Rev. Joseph Stewart-Sicking will preside and preach. Potluck supper follows - please bring something to share - conversation and fellowship until 9 PM. All are welcome to join us.
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Interfaith Peace Partners
We invite you to join us to pray for Peace on the 22nd of each month. Our prayers are needed more than ever as we pray for Peace in the Holy Land of our three faiths, Christian, Jewish and Muslim. For more information please contact the Rev. Charles Cloughen. Our next service is on Tuesday, March 22 at 7:30 PM at St. John's Church, Baltimore.
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1911-2011 Cathedral of the Incarnation...what's our story? Photos and artifacts are displayed in our hallways. |
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Cathedral of the Incarnation
The next issue of the newsletter will be published during the first week of April. Please submit any articles by March 25.
Contact the Editor
410-467-3750
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