Interim Rector's Reflection

By the time you read this newsletter, I will have been at St. Catherine’s for one week and on Sunday, March 22^nd, we will be celebrating the 5^th Sunday in Lent.  My first week is one of exploration and conversation as I meet with staff, volunteers, lay ministry coordinators, and the vestry.  I also end up exploring the church campus and a myriad of closets and spaces while I learn my way around.  Also in this first week, I joined the vestry for the March Vestry meeting and I met with staff and lay leaders to look at Palm Sunday and Holy Week schedules.  It is a crazy time to join a congregation as the interim rector; because the liturgy is leading us quickly from a focus on ourselves and our need for repentance to a focus on God’s actions in the life and ministry of Jesus.  The end of Lent and Holy Week can seem like a roller coaster ride even in the most stable of times.

            I invite you to join Fr. Trey and myself and all the worship team members in a journey of self-reflection and a journey of spiritual exploration as we approach Palm Sunday, March 29^th.  At St. Catherine’s the worship planned for Palm Sunday and Holy Week is an invitation to journey with Jesus and the early disciples on a path of self-discovery.  But before we get there, I have my first Sunday, March 22^nd  with you as we explore these final weeks of Lent.  Also this coming week, we have one of the major feast days in the life of the Church - The Annunciation.  So on Wednesday March 25^th at the usual 11 a.m. Holy Eucharist and healing service, we will use the propers for that special day.  The Feast of the Annunciation is also your official warning that Christmas is exactly 9 months away.  I invite you, if you can attend, to come and enjoy this rare feast day in Lent.

            We missed a celebration of the other major feast day in Lent, Thursday, March 19^th was the Feast of St. Joseph, a rare opportunity to explore the life of Joseph and his influence on the young boy, Jesus.  As you might have guessed by now, as soon as I can talk with the worship team, I hope that we can recognize and celebrate these major feast days of the church year so that our Christian life can be enriched by the 27 major feast days which fall throughout the church year.  Of course, we will continue to recognize and celebrate the calendar of the seasons of the church as you have done in the past; this addition of major feast days will just be moments to highlight how the witness of others can be an example for our own spiritual journeys.

            So, while I am on this quick review of worship opportunities, I would be remiss if I did not mention that we have an upcoming “fast” day.  The Book of Common Prayer lists only two days in the life of the church where we are invited to observe a fast.  Those two days are Ash Wednesday (long past now) and Good Friday which is coming April 3^rd.  Perhaps it has been your spiritual practice to observe these days of fasting; but if not, then this might be the year to try it.  We typically give up something on a fast day in the church.  Most commonly we think of fasting from food, in order to be mindful of those who are hungry through no choice of their own.  When we feel hunger we remember Christ’s sacrifice for us and we respond by taking a few minutes to pray for ourselves and for those who hunger for food.  If we give up a fancy cup of coffee we might give that money to buy food for those in need.  Or you may fast from technology for a day, resisting the temptation to check emails or respond to texts.  If you fast from technology, you do so in order to be more mindful of the time you spend on e-mail/texts/social media; and then on this one day spend that time in a spiritual practice such as reading scripture or a few minutes in prayer for an end to violence and war, rather than scrolling through emails or social media.  Simply ask yourself what consumes your time and fast from that activity for one day, replacing it with a focus on God and your relationship with the holiness of God within you.

            It is good to be among you and to share ministry with you.  I invite you to begin to include in your prayers a petition for St. Catherine’s in this interim period.  Pray for the work of the parish, for the upcoming work of the Vestry, and for how God is calling you to ministry in this time of transition.  Be open to the voice of God as we all listen together to discern how God’s plan unfolds before us.  God is always creating and re-creating the world we live in and the lives we are called to live.  Be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Your prayers come first and are the most important in this interim period.  Week by week, the Vestry and I will share the next steps in this transition.  (Not every week will there be any update, since each step in the process takes time to complete).  Blessings, Mother Pat+