The Weekly E-Pistle

Thursday, August 22nd, 2024

A Reflection from the Reverend George Stevens, Interim Dean

Dear Friends-

In her book, The Interior Castle, Teresa of Ávila writes to her Carmelite Sisters about the way to be in relationship with God. Her writing is an intriguing mix of mysticism and instruction and I've always treasured her words. I share this quote with you that I've found especially helpful.

"We cannot know whether we love God although there may be strong reason for thinking so, but there can be no doubt about whether we love our neighbor or not. Be sure that, in proportion as you advance your affection for sisters and brothers, you are increasing your love of God."

See you Sunday-

George

UPCOMING

Final Summer Cathedral Pick Up Choir Opportunity

This Sunday Morning (August 25)

8:45 AM

The Choir Room

Interested in singing at the cathedral this summer? Join us this Sunday for our final pick-up choir of the summer season.

We will gather in the choir room at 8:45AM to learn a very simple anthem which will be sung at the 10AM liturgy.

Come as you are—ALL ages welcome, no prior singing experience necessary, no robes required, no processions to worry about—to enrich our summer worship. The anthems will be distributed on the day of the services, and will be simple enough to learn in the time allowed, but if you would like to see the music in advance, please send an e-mail to Canon for Liturgy and Music, Christian Clough and he will send you a link to a scan of the music.

 Thank you to all of the summer singing volunteers! If you enjoyed singing in the choir over the summer, your talents are welcome throughout the year!  

5:15 Service To Be Held In The Bishop's Garden This Sunday

We invite you to join us this Sunday evening, August 25th, for a service of Holy Eucharist. Weather permitting, we will be holding Sunday service in the Bishop’s Garden.  

The Cathedral Choir Season

Startup and Potluck



Thursday 5 September

The Choir Room

7-9PM

The Cathedral Choir season begins with rehearsal and potluck welcome reception Thursday 5 Sept. 7-9PM.

The choir sings weekly during the academic year and for periodic Choral Evensong services and various seasonal liturgies.

Previous singing experience is not required.

For more information, contact Christian Clough, Canon for Liturgy & Music.

5:15 Service Cookout & Potluck

Sunday, September 8

Lower Hall

Following 5:15 Service

Please join us on Sunday September 8 following the 5:15 worship service for a cookout.

We will meet in the lower hall for a time of fellowship and fun.

The gathering will be a potluck.

To learn more about how you can help with a side dish, dessert, drinks, and/or help with set-up and clean-up, please contact Tim Wilkins.

Conflict Transformation Parish-Wide Conversation

Saturday, September 28, 9AM–noon

The Cathedral Nave

Save the date! On Saturday, September 28th, from 9A.M. to noon, all parishioners are invited to participate in the fourth and final phase of our conflict transformation work. 

Please note that it is not necessary to have participated in Phases 1-3 of the conflict transformation process to attend. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate!

We will gather in the Nave for a parish-wide conversation about our communal life using a “World Café” format.

Please click here to learn more about this type of conversation style. 

Conversations will center on questions developed in conjunction with our consultant Susan Czolgosz and will occur in small groups of 6–8 people. 

A group of parishioners will be invited to act as table facilitators, timekeepers, and notetakers.

More details will be provided as the event approaches.

With questions please contact The Reverend George Stevens, Interim Dean 

or Sam Allen, Senior Warden.

The Cathedral Choir Presents: Gabriel Faure's Requiem



Sunday, November 3

10AM & 3PM

The Cathedral Nave

A Presentation on

Charles Fletcher Dole, Liberal Theology, and Reform

by Paul Burlin

Sunday, November 10

Upper Hall

11:30AM

Join us on Sunday, November 10 following the 10AM service, for a presentation by Paul T. Burlin, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of New England, and St. Luke's parishioner, on his recently published book titled Charles Fletcher Dole, Liberal Theology, and Reform.

Charles Dole, a long term Unitarian minister and Social Gospel advocate who lived from 1845 to 1927, was born in Maine into what he described as “an ultra-orthodox” Congregational family. As an adult he tacked off to the radical wing of Unitarianism. While his theological perspective was time-bound, Dole might well provide inspiration to any adult who struggled (or struggles) with the religious perspective of their upbring.

To read this text and Paul's other books, please visit the link here.

THE SEASON OF CREATION

About the Season of Creation

The Season of Creation, September 1st through October 4th, is celebrated by Christians around the world as a time for renewing, repairing and restoring our relationship to God, one another, and all of creation.

The Season of Creation Celebration Guide for Episcopal Parishes is a curated liturgical resource assembled by the Rev. John Elliott Lein (priest in Maine) and the Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas (Creation activist and priest in Massachusetts) from prayers, readings, and liturgies created all over the global Anglican Communion and beyond.

Here at St. Luke’s, we will honor creation in liturgy with several events which you can learn about below. To learn more about the Season of Creation visit the webpage here.

Season of Creation Banner Painting

This Sunday, August 25 after the 10AM Service

Lower Hall

Join us after church this Sunday, August 25 in the Lower Hall for a time of fun and fellowship as we paint our new Season of Creation banner! 

No artistic skills are needed beyond the ability to paint within the lines of a simple shape.

Please plan to wear old clothes due to potential paint stains!

For more info, contact Linda Carleton.

Season of Creation Book Group

Meeting Each Monday at 6:45PM

August 26-September 30

Connect Room at St. Alban's Episcopal Church



885 Shore Rd, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107

Contact Mary Bingham Paul if Interested

The Season of Creation is fast approaching! In September, parishioners from St. Alban’s, St. Luke’s, and St. Peter’s are joining together to form a book group.

The group will start on August 26 and end on September 30, 2024. Proposed meeting times are each Monday from 6:45PM-8:00PM in the Connect Room at St Alban’s. Spaces are limited to 12 people. While in-person is preferable, a hybrid option will be offered.

The book discussion will be led by Mary Brigham Paul, a member of St. Alban’s. 

The group will be reading Sacred Nature: Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World by Karen Armstrong. 

Please contact Mary Brigham Paul sign up, and please indicate whether you would like to meet in person or on zoom. 

You can purchase the book through Amazon, Nonesuch Books, or wherever you like to purchase your books.



About the Author: Karen Armstrong has written many books on religious affairs, with a specific focus on the history of world religions. To read more about her please visit the webpage here.

About the book: Sacred Nature is “An urgent manifesto and a practical guide on how to rekindle our spiritual bond with nature, drawing on the wisdom of the world’s religious traditions”.  

“Since the beginning of time, humankind has looked upon nature and seen the divine. In the writings of the great thinkers across religions, the natural world inspires everything from fear to awe to tranquil contemplation; God, or however one defined the sublime, was present in everything. Yet today, even as we admire a tree or take in a striking landscape, we rarely see nature as sacred…Karen Armstrong re-sacralizes nature for modern times. Drawing on her vast knowledge of the world’s religious traditions, she vividly describes nature’s central plan in spirituality across the centuries: from the Book of Job to St. Thomas Aquinas, from Lao Tzu to Wordsworth, and from the Stoics to Jainism and beyond…explor(ing) the power of silence and solitude, the nature of personal sacrifice and the need to reconnect with sorrow and compassion—and how greater contact and appreciation for nature can help us in unexpected ways”. Penguin Random House Publishing

PPEAT Hosts Representative Benjamin Collings



September 8

Upper Hall

12:00-1:00PM

Join us following coffee hour on September 8th from 12:00-1:00PM, as PPEAT welcomes Representative Benjamin Collings who will be offering a talk on Faith and Climate Change. Representative Collings will discuss his plans for getting people around Maine together to talk about climate.

Nature Hike at the Fore River Trail

September 15

1601 Congress Street, Portland

12:15PM

Join members of PPEAT after church on September 15 at 12:15PM for a nature hike at the Fore River Trail. We will meet at the trailhead at 1601 Congress Street in Portland. There is a parking lot directly across from the trailhead. If you are interested in participating please contact Dick Farnsworth.

PPEAT Hosts Susanne Lee

September 22

Upper Hall

12:00-1:00PM

Join us following coffee hour on September 22nd from 12:00-1:00PM, as PPEAT welcomes Susanne Lee, faculty Fellow at Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine. She will be offering a talk on how we can fight food waste.

Blessing of the Animals

October 6th

The Labyrinth

9:45AM

On October 6 we will observe the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Please join us at 9:45AM in the labyrinth to the right of the State Street Entrance for the Blessing of the Animals.

All are encouraged to bring their beloved pets to receive a blessing.

If you have a pet who would not be comfortable out in public, please bring a photo of them, and we will bless the image. We also encourage all of our younger members with stuffed animals to bring them along so that they might also receive a blessing.

All are welcome, even if you do not have a pet!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Parish Prayer List to Renew Next Week

Next Sunday, September 1st, our parish prayer list will be renewing.

If you have a name of an individual that you would like our community to pray for, or wish for us to continue to pray for, please contact the office via email or by phone at (207)-772-5434.  

Names remain on the prayer list for 3 consecutive weeks unless otherwise requested.

Sing Fauré’s beloved Requiem!

Join the Cathedral Choir, chamber orchestra, organist Harold Stover, and vocal soloists for this special opportunity to perform this uplifting masterpiece in celebration of All Saints’/Souls’ Sunday, 3 November, at both 10AM and 3PM (in place of Choral Evensong; note the earlier time)

Preparations begin Thursday 12 September, at 7PM during regular choir rehearsals.

A “rehearsal retreat day”, Saturday 21 Sept. 9:30AM to 2PM, with potluck luncheon, will help move our learning forward.

Mandatory dress rehearsal on Saturday 2 Nov.

There is NO obligation to commit to the entire Choir season, though we’d love to have you!

For More information contact Christian M. Clough, Canon for Liturgy & Music.

Camp Bishopswood

Summer Finale

September 13 - 15

Registration is now open for Summer Finale at Camp Bishopswood!

Summer Finale has several offerings:

• There is a day-only option on Saturday, Sept. 14.
• Back this year after a several-year hiatus is a mini retreat especially for those who do formation work in our diocese on Friday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

As in years past, this will be an opportunity to spend a day in conversation with formation folks, to enjoy delicious food, and imagine ways in which we can collaborate and uplift one another in our formation work. 



Register for Summer Finale here, including one-day and overnight options.

Register for the Formation Mini-Retreat on Sept. 13 here.

See a full description, including FAQs, here.

A Presentation and Conversation



Mild Cognitive Impairment, Dementia, and Healthy Aging

Presented by Steve Belanger, St. Luke's Parishioner

Saturday, September 21

The Community Room on Peaks Island

10:00-11:30AM

RESOURCES FROM THE DIOCESE

& WIDER CHURCH

To read about stories, resources, and events from around the Diocese of Maine, read their newsletter, TheDioLog,by clicking the link here, or by clicking on the Episcopal Maine Shield in the bottom of this email.

Tri-Dio Sacred Ground Circles Begin Again This Fall

Published by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine

"Are you interested in joining others from the Episcopal Dioceses of Northern New England (and beyond) in a film-based dialogue series on race and faith? The third round of Tri-Dio Sacred Ground dialogue circles will start this fall, and will include others from the wider Episcopal church and other denominations. There will be at least three circles that will meet at different times and on different days. Register here.



View the Sacred Ground Invitational video “We Bless You” by the Union of Black Episcopalians and Sacred Ground staff, and learn more about Sacred Ground here. 

Representatives from each diocese are: Mary Provo of Maine, Betty Lane of New Hampshire, and Franci Vinal Farnsworth of Vermont. "

Living Peace, Practicing Nonviolence:

The Lessons of Jesus, Gandhi and King for Today

Saturday, September 28

St. Joseph's College, Standish

9AM-3PM

Published by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine

"This day-long workshop with activist Father John Dear is offered by the Maine Council of Churches as part of "a collection of programs designed to help Maine's people of faith lead with love as we prepare for and respond to events as they unfold this election season and beyond." Learn more and register here."

"Song in A Weary Throat": Writing & Reading

with the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray

Begins September 12 on Zoom

Published by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine

"Join Canon D. Littlepage and Canon Sarah Woodford of ECCT for a creative writing book study of "Song in A Weary Throat." Every second Thursday from September to December 2024, we will gather over Zoom, 7-8 p.m. ET, and discuss around 90 pages of this Pauli Murray classic. Canon Sarah will also provide you with creative writing prompts before each session to help you more deeply engage with the material. Feel free to share the writing that comes from these prompts during our session, or create a larger essay from them, or just keep them to yourself! You can sign up here or contact Canon Sarah Woodford."

Come Away Together: Forma and Province I Conference

January 27-30, 2025

Published by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine

"This year the Province I Faith Formation Network is combining its annual formation conference with Forma to offer the best of both worlds! We will gather with colleagues from across New England onsite at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center for four days--time to meet and connect with our provincial colleagues and afternoons to participate in the Forma workshops and content. Gatherings will be held in the evenings to informally share inspiration and learning.

Several grants have been secured to make this conference affordable and accessible to anyone who wants to lean into formation conversations.

Registration is not yet open, but please save the dates and email Emily Keniston with questions."

Retreat in Everyday Life: Ignatian Spiritual Exercises

Published by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine

You are invited to a Retreat in Everyday Life!  Over a period of 9 months, you will be led through a series of prayers, meditations and reflections known as “the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises.” On your own, you spend time contemplating various aspects of your own life and the life of Jesus.  Together with other pilgrims, you share your journey, encouraging each other along the way. It's an adventure, one which is unique to each person.  

The retreat includes:

· Materials for daily prayer & reflection, the crux of the retreat 

· Group meetings online from 6:30 - 8:30 pm on the first Wednesday of each month from October 2024 through June 2025

· Monthly meetings (either one-on-one or in a small group) with a spiritual guide

Applications are being accepted through early September, or until the retreat is full. Learn more and apply here.

The Rev. Susan Krauss and the Rev. Heather Sylvester recently completed this retreat and are available to answer questions, as is the Ignatian Maine retreat team.

Love God; Love God’s World

A Small-group Curriculum for those Interested in Creation Care 

“Love God; Love God’s World” is a nine-session, film-based curriculum from The Episcopal Church designed for Episcopalians anywhere on the journey with creation care and environmental ministry—from newcomers looking to take their first step to seasoned leaders seeking a transformative small-group experience.

Sessions have a similar structure to the popular Sacred Ground curriculum and include films and readings, faith-based reflections, and discussion questions—each written by a different contributor and drawing from personal contexts and experiences. Participants will discover ways to learn, pray, advocate, and conserve.

Find session titles, authors, and a sample session here; register your small group to get access to the full curriculum.

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

Parishioner Barbara Rylan offers her musical gifts on the harp

Click here to read a reflection offered by The Reverend Dr. Celestin Hategekimana

on July 28

Contribute to St. Luke’s Summer Music Ministry

The Cathedral Choir is on recess from 9 June through Labor Day, and summer is a great time to make a musical contribution to our worship as a singer or instrumentalist. Help us to keep our music well-supported with your offerings.

Please email Christian Clough, Canon for Liturgy & Music.

The Biblical Study Group

The Biblical Study Group will begin meeting again on September 1 in the Oratory at 8:30AM.

The group will focus on the topic of being made in the image of God.

The first session will allow time for our leader and resource person, Dr. Bob Hanson, to highlight the content of the upcoming sessions, and to gauge the group to find a preferred time and place to meet.

This class will consider what you know about yourself, your own self image, what you want for yourself, and what God and Jesus are calling for you.

Biblical references on the Imago Dei are “Genesis 1:26, Genesis 5:5, Wisdom 2:23, I Corinthians 15: 49, II Corinthians 3: 12-18, I Corinthians 11:7, Colossians 3:10, I Corinthians.

With questions please contact Dr. Hanson at 207-405-8250.

The Parish Prayer List

Names remain on the prayer list for 3 consecutive weeks unless otherwise requested. If you wish for a name to be added, contact Avery Schott, Parish Administrator via email.

LAST WEEK'S SERVICE

To view last week's bulletin click here.

To view last week's service livestream click here.

To listen the the sermon offered by the Reverend Rebecca Grant, click here

To View past services visit our Youtube Page or visit the archive page on our website to read past bulletins, sermons, and newsletters.

Weekly Ministries

• St. Elizabeth's Jubilee Center is offered every Tuesday from 8:30 am to 11 am.

• The Food Pantry is open from 8 am to 11 am every Thursday.

• The Tuesday 12:10 Eucharist is offered every week in Emmanuel Chapel in-person and on Zoom.



• Compline is offered weekly on Friday from 8-8:30pm on Zoom.

Click on the Episcopal Maine Logo above to learn about all that is happening in the wider Diocese.

https://episcopalmaine.org/

stlukesportland.org

(207)-772-5434

Email

Physical Address:

143 State Street, Portland, ME 04101

Parking Available at:

134 Park Street, Portland, ME 04101

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 4141, Portland, ME 04101