The rector writes: “In this season when we celebrate the communion of saints in a variety of different ways, I am glad to be home with the saints of our own community. I am grateful for a rich and renewing sabbatical, and also look forward to seeing many of you on Sunday and in the days to come.” This Sunday, Ascension celebrates the Feast of All Saints, and on Thursday: our annual Harvest Dinner! Sign up information is included in this week’s newsletter.

Mother Posey writes: “This transitional season of remembering and celebrating the ancestors definitely got me thinking about the many ways of being present to and for others. We have been focusing a lot lately on the Spirit-filled fruitfulness of person-to-person connection, but here are some seasonal questions for us to ponder.” And speaking of personal connections: this Sunday, following the 11 am service, meet our new seminarian, Larisa Shaterian!

This week, Mother Posey describes an informal gathering of the Interfaith Center of New York held at St. John the Divine this past Monday: “Having our Cathedral host an event attended by lay people, rabbis, imams, pastors, and priests was a testament to the willingness of people of all faiths to work for enduring peace not only in Israel and Palestine, but here at home as well.” Ways to help serve people and peace in the Middle East are also included in this week’s newsletter.

This weekend, in advance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Mother Posey writes: “The artwork that accompanies this letter is by Indigenous artist Patrick Dean Hubbell of the Diné people. It is titled ‘Within The Darkness, The Stars In The Night Sky Came To Reclaim Their Stories and Their Songs.’ Hubbell collects cheap, mass produced, counterfeit copies of Indigenous crafts and repurposes them into his work in order to reclaim their original heritage. As he states: he ‘intentionally transfigure(s) these colonial reproductions and furthers the conversation of Indigenous inclusion.’”