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CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRALAn Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas

MAY 2020CHRISTCHURCHCATHEDRAL.ORG

Jody Gillit considers her position as the Minister for Pastoral Care at Christ Church Cathedral both a job and a vocation. Although relatively new to the role — as she started last July — Gillit is more than meeting the chal-lenge of creating community in the face of the mandated social isolation of COVID-19.

While she first prioritized connecting with older parishioners, Gillit soon realized that she needed to broaden her scope.

“It wasn’t just an issue for those 75 years and older,” Gillit says.

Because there are only five lay chaplains and more than 3,000 members, Gillit knew she needed to make the system for reaching out more manageable. Thus the “Cathedral Good Neighbor” program was created.

Step one was working with the church’s on-line database, creating groups of 25 households

The Cathedral Good Neighbor program launches

After six years of dedicated service as Canon Vicar, Art Callaham has announced that he has accepted the position of Chaplain at Episcopal High School here in Houston. A beloved vicar, Callaham’s tenure at the Cathedral ends May 31, after which he and his family will take some well-de-served vacation prior to the commencement of his new role at Episcopal High School in mid-summer.

“Art has played a leading role in shaping our Cathedral to be a community of embrace. It would be hard to imag-ine the past six years without Art’s presence and good care,” says Dean Thompson. As chaplain, Callaham steps into an

Callaham to depart

In our contemporary world, distrac-tions abound that allow us to ignore ques-tions of ultimate meaning and purpose. Our material abundance, including the endless string of gadgets that supersede one another every year; our access to in-

finite information that prevents us from any idle moments in which to ponder and dream; our freedom of move-ment, both physical and virtual, which enables us to experience new places whenever the usual gets stale all provide means

by which to elude the deep questions of existence. Or, perhaps more accurately, all these things grant us the pretense that the ultimate answer to life’s ultimate ques-tion…is us. We tacitly believe that we are the center of the universe; everything re-volves around our wants and needs.

Prior generations didn’t have this luxury. As Robert Nicholson recently pointed out in The Wall Street Journal, “Our ancestors’ lives were guaranteed to be short and painful. The lucky ones sur-vived birth. The luckier ones made it past childhood. We now float in an anoma-lous world of air conditioning, 911 call centers, acetaminophen, and pocket-size computers containing nearly the sum of human knowledge. We reduced nature to ‘the shackled form of a conquered mon-ster,’ as Joseph Conrad once put it, and took control of our fate.”

That is, until now. The past 45 days have reminded us of our contingency and fra-gility. A virus has emerged against which we have no natural or pharmacological defense. In our efforts to stave it off, we have cloistered ourselves in our homes,

Reminded of the meaning of life

MEANING OF LIFE, page 3

THE VERY REV. BARKLEY

THOMPSON

NEIGHBOR, page 8

VICARS, page 6THE REV. ARTHUR A. CALLAHAM

THE BULLETIN PAGE 2

We celebrate with E new members William “Bill” Luck Jr.,

James P. Spear, Nancy Zamboras, and Thomas Mason and Julia Ridgeway-Diaz and their children, Victoria and Luke.

We extend heartfelt sympathy to E the family of Cherry Louise Gulledge, who

passed away on March 24, 2020. Cherry is mother to member Gay Gulledge.

E to the family of Allison Gross Wallace, who passed away on March 24, 2020. Allison is wife to John Wallace; mother to John Wallace Jr., Will Wallace, Wes Wallace, and Rob Wallace; grandmother to Sophie Allison Wallace; and sister to member Susan Reedy and her husband Rob Reedy.

E the family of member Richard Burton (Burt) Ballanfant, who passed away March 29, 2020. Burt is husband to Sarah Ballanfant; father to Andrea Ballanfant Roe and husband John, and Benjamin Burton Hayes Ballanfant and Amy Lamar Ballanfant; and grandfather to Caroline Roe and William Roe.

E the family of member Brenda (B.J.) Bright Shell, who passed away on April 2, 2020. B.J. is wife to member Robert Shell Sr.

E the family of Helen W. White, who recently passed away. Helen is mother to member Betsy Hedges.

The flowers on the Cathedral Altar E on Sunday, March 8, were given to the glory of God in thanksgiving for the life and

service of the Reverend Martha Frances from Brigid's Place. E on Sunday, March 22, were given to the glory of God in loving memory of James

Leonard Dougherty, Jewel Kendall and William Brooke Hamilton, Henry Kendall Hamilton, Newton Gilbert Dougherty, and Maribel Kendall Daffan by Anne and Jim Dougherty Jr.

E on Sunday, March 29, were given to the glory of God in loving memory of Cindi Blakely by her family.

E on Sunday, April 26, were given to the glory of God in gratitude for the faith community of Christ Church Cathedral.

E on Sunday, May 3, are given to the glory of God in loving memory of their nephew, Tyler Bludau, by Shirley Bludau and Mike Grimes.

The Easter lilies at the Altar and Rood Screen were given to the glory of God E in loving memory of John D. Kirkland and David Kirkland by Kate Kirkland. E in loving memory of her sister, Frances Bludau Kallus, by Shirley Bludau and

Mike Grimes. E in loving memory of their niece, Melissa Collins, by Shirley Bludau and Mike

Grimes. E in loving memory of their nephew, Tyler Bludau, by Shirley Bludau and Mike

Grimes. E in loving memory of Mike’s father, Dr. Fred Grimes Sr., by Shirley Bludau and

Mike Grimes. E in loving memory of Mike’s mother, Lillian Frances Grimes, by Shirley Bludau

and Mike Grimes. E in thanksgiving for their grandson, Gavin Franco, by Shirley Bludau and Mike

Grimes. E in loving memory of her husband, Gay C. Brinson Jr., by Bette Butter Brinson. E in loving memory of Billie and Leo Butter by Bette Butter Brinson.

Our Cathedral Family

BY CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER TO THE BEACON JULIE FALCON

Everyone is experiencing an inordi-nate amount of change and uncertainty in their lives because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is exceptionally true for individuals experiencing homelessness. While the region and many parts of the country are sheltering at home, there simply isn't a place for these individuals to go.

The Beacon is continuing to serve those that are living on the streets by meeting their basic needs during this crucial time. Below are details of our modified operations to date: • Take-away meals (one hot meal and

one sack lunch for each individual) are distributed seven days a week. These sacks include a drink and hand wipes

• Individuals are able to access laundry and shower services on a limited basis

• Clients with mailbox privileges can pick up their mail on Wednesdays

• All other Beacon client-facing ser-vices continue to operate remotely, in-cluding our Beacon Law and Brigid’s Hope programs

We continue to screen anyone coming into the facility including volunteers and staff each day.

We are so grateful for the many vol-unteers and financial supporters who are able to help our efforts as we ex-panded to operating seven days a week. The number of individuals coming to our gates is increasing and we anticipate more need in the coming weeks and months. Currently, our meal production has jumped by 366%.

As always, you can sign up to volun-teer or donate via our website at www.beaconhomeless.org.

The Beacon continues to serve

Clients at The Beacon lining up to receive a hot meal as well as a takeaway meal in April. The Beacon has been providing two meals a day for seven days a week to more than 500 individuals daily. The daily census has risen by 66%.

PAGE 3 THE BULLETIN

During this Easter season, the Cathedral invites all parishioners to read and study the Acts of the Apostles. While this program began April 19, anyone can join at any point, so feel free to pick up (or log on to) your Bible and start reading.

Why Acts? We read the Acts of the Apostles together because Acts is about how the church became the church in an unprecedented and unpredictable time. Even more importantly, Acts is about how the Holy Spirit shows up for a group of scared and un-certain disciples. By attending to how the Spirit has worked in the past, we can better discern the Spirit’s comforting and life-giving presence in the present.

Like many of you, I have been catching up on my book pile, and I found myself reading Jon

Meacham’s book about Roos-evelt and Churchill. It seems the two became fast friends dur-ing a perilous time in our his-tory, and their relationship was built on many things, including their faith. During one of his visits with Roosevelt, Churchill asked for permission (which was readily given) to quote

Psalm 112 in his speech to the U.S. Congress. Imagine Churchill delivering the following in his dramatic radio voice:

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate

and righteous.Good will come to those who are generous

and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.

Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.

They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor.

Reading the psalm, I was touched by the mes-sage it delivered then and, amazingly, now as we all struggle with the recent impact of COVID-19 and restrictions on gathering as a community. We have all felt disruption in many ways, includ-ing financially, and the Cathedral is no exception. Though the Cathedral campus is temporarily closed, our worship and programs continue and our staff is hard at work. Sunday services, along with many other popular formation programs (The Dean’s Book Club, Women’s Evening Bible Study, Wednesday Children’s Chapel to name a few), are all available online. Outreach and pas-toral care efforts are ongoing.

None of this is possible without financial sup-port. I urge you to continue to pay your EMC (Every Member Canvass) pledges. If you like making your pledge by putting something in the collection plate (like I do), this is a perfect time to go on the Cathedral website and click on “GIVE” at the top of the page. The online giving method is a great way to keep our Cathedral working. With your support, and with God’s help, I have confidence we will all get through this challeng-ing time, just like this great Cathedral has done so many times in the past.

sundering virtually all physical human con-nection. We have shut down our economy. These actions, in turn, feel as ominous to our long-term well-being as the virus itself.

But God redeems all things, and I be-lieve God is weaving redemption through these challenges by reawakening us to three things essential to our humanity:

Relationships are central to who we are. Whether introverts or extroverts, we are created to be in one another’s presence, not to live in isolation. The doctrine of the Trinity reveals that even in God’s own na-ture, relationships are essential, and that essence overflows into humanity. We are created to gaze into one another’s eyes, to share laughter, to embrace in sorrow. Our lives intertwine, and when the threads are pulled apart, we are diminished. We are built to need one another, and that need is a blessing from God.

We find our grounding in sacred spaces. As we have posted worship ser-vices online, I have received many emails from parishioners saying, in some version, “Seeing the Cathedral makes me yearn to be in that holy space.” Some who have not been regular churchgoers in years have re-marked that they didn’t realize how much they missed the Cathedral until they could not be there. Holy Scripture teaches us that sacred spaces, set apart, call us like a lodestone.

Almost two centuries of Christians have been baptized, married, and buried within the Cathedral walls. It has been the loca-tion for innumerable holy moments of hope and sorrow. The stained glass, the rood screen, the high altar: all communi-cate God’s grace. We rightly cherish the Cathedral. God is surely present there.

And most importantly, our source, our center, and our end are God. Once we are stripped bare of the many distractions in our lives, and once the earthly things in which we place our confidence are proven unreliable, we remember that our lives truly are contingent, and our mortal fu-ture is never sure. But that is no reason to fear! We are created by a God who loves us more than we can ask or imagine. Our meaning in life is to know God as closely as we know the very air we breathe, to rec-ognize that the veil between God and us is so thin as to be porous. And our end is a return to God, who awaits us as the fa-ther waits upon the Prodigal Son. God will meet us with joyous abandon.

These days of COVID-19 have reawak-ened us to these truths of human exis-tence. When we are on the other side of the coronavirus, as we surely will be, I pray that we will stay awake. I pray that we will cherish one another, gather again in joy in the sacred space of the Cathedral, and know the one great truth: that we find our very lives in God.

SENIOR WARDEN ROB REEDY

Steadfast hearts

Let’s read Acts togetherA stained glass window of the twelve apostles.

READING ACTS TOGETHER, page 8

MEANING OF LIFE, from cover

THE BULLETIN PAGE 4

Maundy Thursday Footwashing, Easter Sunday,Flowering the Cross, and more

IN PICTURES Below: Bishop Doyle (far left) and Cathedral clergy made our Easter services online extra special; thousands of parishioners and friends tuned in.

Left, below: This year's Maundy Thursday interactive service made space for footwashing at home.

Right: Our sextons remain hard at work taking care of the Cathedral campus, using

masks made by parishioner Jen Trusty.Below: Youth Sunday School meets via Zoom each

week; we are so grateful to our adult leaders.

PAGE 5 THE BULLETIN

BY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HINES CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY AND PRAYER DANIELLE FANFAIR

Did you know that the Sanskrit word for meditation, dhyana, means to 'become famil-iar with'? Isn’t that so simply appropriate for the benefits of a contemplative meditation practice?

We sit still, close our eyes, refrain from consuming foods and beverages, control the sounds of our environment, and instead of responding to everything outside, we go inside.

We truly become familiar with our thoughts, our feelings, and gain perspective on our world around us. We gain access to Divine higher intelligence, however we ex-perience it. The result is a calmer, clearer, divinely-inspired action to change our lives for the better.

And here is the punchline: How we relate to ourselves overflows into how we relate to

everything else. Some of us have been

given the gift of extra time. What if we re-invested that time into receiving it as a gift to care for ourselves?

Our connection, spiritual wellness, and good energy have no limits. We can meditate, practice mindfulness, and find opportunities to share in gratitude, cu-riosity, and joy together.

We’re grateful to be a part of Christ Church Cathedral’s expression of love in the world, and we invite you to enjoy The Hines Center’s virtual offerings to cultivate sustained calm, joy, and familiarity with the Divine.

Here is a Loving Kindness practice I learned from Dr. Ann Friedman, Ph.D., founder of MindfulBeing Houston, and our esteemed partner:

Loving Kindness Phrases to wish silently to yourself or another:

May I/you be safe from inner and outer danger.

May I/you be happy and peaceful. May I/you be healthy and strong.

May my/your life unfold with ease. May I/you have joy and life.

May I/you accept myself/yourself just as I am/you are.

May I/you have peace and well-being. I encourage you to notice how these phras-

es make you feel. Practice as much loving kindness on yourself as you can, and watch it spread to those around you.

The Practice of Loving Kindness

Above: Cathedral members and friends sent photos of themselves in their Easter hats and bonnets for the annual group photo — this year made into a collage.

Below: Volunteers and staff at The Beacon are using precautions and safe distancing to prepare 1,000 meals a day.

Above: The Cathedral flowered the cross digitally this year; the Children's and Family Ministry received over 250 images of flowers from parishioners via email, which were cut out and used to flower the cross you see here.

THE BULLETIN PAGE 6

opportunity to continue his work in a new environment, one that was once quite familiar.

Says Callaham, “Being the chap-lain at Episcopal High School is a return to the very roots of my voca-tion and ministry. It's been nearly two decades since I was last in the classroom, and it is high time for me to return. I go back, this time, with new gifts and experiences to share. In particular, I am eager to share the vision of how a community steeped in faith and dedicated to the Gospel, a com-munity like Christ Church Cathedral, can be both epic and intimate, particularly in an era when most think of the church as being small, silly, and distant. Many may not rec-ognize this image of church immediately. I

know that it will excite them. Thank you for all you've done for me and my family. Thank you for what you do for the Gospel.”

Dean Thompson is also pleased to an-nounce that the Rev. Kathy Pfister has ac-cepted the call to be our new Canon Vicar. Kathy joins Christ Church after more than

a decade of experi-ence as both the se-nior associate at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Austin, TX, a par-ish of comparable size to the Cathe-dral, and the vicar of Good Shepherd’s second campus, Good Shepherd on the Hill. Kathy and

her husband Phil have a son, Charles, who is a college student at Sewanee, and a daughter, Camille, who is a junior in high school.

Says Dean Thompson, “I have been blessed to know Kathy for a long time. She is a leader who empowers others in their ministries. We are most fortunate that she has answered the call to join the Cathedral community, and I look forward to her arrival.”

“I am honored and delighted to have been called by Dean Thompson to serve as Vicar of Christ Church Cathedral,” says the Rev. Pfis-ter. “The Cathedral is a vibrant parish, with a long history of creative and thoughtful min-istry, steadfast service, loving community, and beautiful worship. Yours is a community steeped in tradition, grounded in love, and dedicated to the flourishing of the world God loves. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve you.

For me, the greatest joys of ministry are found in help-ing others discover their unique gifts for sharing the gospel and in working with groups to imagine how we might enliven and deepen our faith. I feel so privileged to join the peo-ple and staff of the Cathedral and to share and support the movement of the Spirit al-ready at work among you. I look forward to getting to know you and to discovering the many gifts God has in store for us.”

Once this time of physical distancing has passed, Cathedral members will have oppor-tunities both to bid the Callahams a loving and fond farewell and welcome the Pfisters to Christ Church.

Dean’s Book Club selectionsThe Dean’s Book Club continues to meet via Zoom online conferencing on the first Wednesday of the month from 6:30–8 p.m. Email Dean Thompson at bthompson@christchurchcathedral.org to get the link to enter the Zoom group. Cathedral Bookstore Manager Lucy Chambers will order your books for you and deliver to your home. If you would like her to order you a book, email her at bookstore@christchurchcathedral.org. There will be no Book Club meetings in July or August. It will return in September; stay tuned. Here are the upcoming book club selections:

Wednesday, May 6A Place for Us: A Novel, by Fatima Farheen Mirza “As an Indian wedding gathers a family back together, par-ents Rafiq and Layla must reckon with the choices their children have made. There is Hadia: their headstrong, eldest daughter, whose marriage is a match of love and not tradi-tion. Huda, the middle child, determined to follow in her sister’s footsteps. And lastly, their estranged son, Amar, who returns to the family fold for the first time in three years to take his place as brother of the bride. What secrets and be-trayals have caused this close-knit family to fracture? Can Amar find his way back to the people who know and love him best? A Place for Us is a book for our times: an astonish-ingly tender-hearted novel of identity and belonging, and a resonant portrait of what it means to be an American family today.” (From Amazon)

Wednesday, June 3That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation, by David Bentley Hart “On the basis of the earliest Christian writings, theological tradition, scripture, and logic, Hart argues that if God is the good creator of all, he is the savior of all, without fail. And if he is not the savior of all, the Kingdom is only a dream, and creation something considerably worse than a nightmare. But it is not so. There is no such thing as eternal damnation; all will be saved. With great rhetorical power, wit, and emo-tional range, Hart offers a new perspective on one of Christi-anity’s most important themes.” (From Amazon)

VICARS, from coverCALLAHAM REMEMBERS HIS FIRST DAY AT THE CATHEDRAL

“It was the first Sunday in May, 2014. The Dean had offered that it was better to ‘experience May Fete on [my] first day rather than spend [my] whole first year hearing about it.’ He was right. May Fete was epic, just like everything else around here for the past six years. To be a part of a church community that seems to know no other way to worship, and love, and serve God than ‘epic’ has been a highlight of my life as a parish priest. To find such zeal in a community also willing to care for me, my family and one another in a deeply personal way has been a priceless gift. Again, Dean Thompson is right when he says of Christ Church, ‘There's not another place like it.’”

THE REV. KATHY PFISTER

PAGE 7 THE BULLETIN

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES READING PLAN AND WEEKLY PRAYER PRACTICES

Easter 3Sharing and Serving

Easter 4Peter and Paul

Easter 5The Word of the Lord

Spread

Easter 6Turning the World

Upside Down

Easter 7Bearing Witness

in Rome

Set apart a quiet time and place to pray each day. Set a timer for at least five minutes. Ask God to be with you while you pray. As you inhale, pray, “Spirit of the Living God,” and as you exhale, pray, “Fall afresh on me.” Allow yourself to sink into the prayer; if you are distracted, acknowledge the distraction and just start praying again. At the end of your time, talk to God about how that went. Give thanks for your time together, and say, “Amen.”

Set apart a quiet time and place to pray each day. Set a timer for at least five minutes. Begin your prayer time by asking God to be with you. Take time to pray for one person whom you know needs prayers. In your heart, lift them up to God. Be specific about how you want God to help them. Thank God for them.

Set apart a quiet time and place to pray each day. Set a timer for at least five minutes. Settle into a comfortable position, and ask God to be with you. Take three big breaths in and out, and then listen in silence to God. If you are distracted, focus on your breathing until you can quiet yourself again, and continue listening. At the end of your time, slowly pray the Lord’s Prayer.

Set apart a quiet time and place to pray each day. Set a timer for at least five minutes. Ask God to be present with you. Spend time reflecting on this question: How is God calling me to bring Good News to others? With whom is God calling me to be in conversation? How is God equipping me to love others? Thank God for the gift of your time together.

Set apart a quiet time and place to pray each day. Using a journal, reflect on a time when God was present to you. Name this event, and give thanks for that event. Reflect on the way that it shaped your life. When you are done journaling, give thanks to God for the time you spent together, and ask God to be present with you throughout your day.

THE BULLETIN PAGE 8

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or less. Then council members and others were chosen as a “really good group of leaders” to serve as the call leaders for each group.

There are 138 groups, in-cluding 1,475 households and 3,150 individuals, being contacted by Christ Church parishioners. The Latino congregation is part of the “Cathedral Good Neighbor” program as well. Sylvia Cas-tellanos is coordinating those efforts.

Each group leader has been checking in by phone, email, or text with the individual house-holds weekly, or more often, as circumstances dictate.

“The only grouping is by zip code,” Gillit said. “The groups are intergenerational.”

The geographic proximity helps with errand running, too, and also makes the information shared more pertinent to the neighborhood or area.

“If someone knows that the H-E-B around the corner has bread, that’s helpful information,” Gillit said. “Folks sound very grateful.”

The “Rapid Response” team is also available to

fulfill requests that the church community can do without jeopardizing the health and safety of all.

“This is the team that is helping with tech support for Zoom meetings and view-ing online services as well as dropping off supplies or food,” Gillit said.

Members who now live out-side the area also get outreach because they are still a part of the Cathedral family.

Gillit has learned to pay special attention to sin-gle people, for whom social isolation can be very lonely and stressful. Those with pre-existing con-ditions that would make them more susceptible to COVID-19 are also more carefully monitored.

Parishioners who have needs that go beyond the basic, or medical emergencies aside from COV-ID-19, are triaged — so to speak — and connected to those clergy or medical professionals who can best help.

“Harvey was really hard but you can’t see or hear [this virus] which makes it harder in some ways,” Gillit said. “But [this outreach] has shown our congregation that everybody has power to help each other.”

Follow the reading guide and prayer practices, and see what r e a d i n g the Acts of the Apostles brings to your life during this unusual time. Go to our website, christchurchcathe-dral.org, to learn more.

NEIGHBOR, from cover

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES READING PLAN

Learn more at christchurchcathedral.org

READING ACTS TOGETHER, from p.3

JODY GILLIT, MINISTER FOR PASTORAL CARE