Dear Cathedral Family,

Bruce Barcelo is a faithful member of our Cathedral for many years. For decades, he has traveled back and forth to Ukraine to teach them about democracy. When the war began, he immediately got on his computer and basically hasn’t left the virtual world. He has established a non-profit and they have given over one million dollars to these kinds of projects on the ground in Ukraine . . .

A woman whose business involved milking cows. Once the war began there was nowhere to export her milk so they gave her money to turn the milk into cheese. She gives the cheese away.

A shelter for women and children.

Food and necessities

Bruce says that the Russians have put land mines in much of the land now. He speaks of the terror and the destruction of beauty and art. Tears well up in his eyes.

And yet, from right here in our midst, hope is alive and well. Each day, Bruce manages to give hope to the people. And that is what resurrection is all about. When we put our trust in the Risen Christ, we can begin to understand that death and darkness will NEVER win out. Not ever. The Good News is so good that it is hard to contain, hard to absorb when there is so much darkness but it is in the darkest of times that the light shines brightest.

You are not alone. Be the hands and feet of Christ in the world. Bring hope. It is never too late.

Alleluia!

In Christ’s love,

Kate+

Maundy Thursday marks the night of the Last Supper as told in the Bible. At the Last Supper, Jesus commanded that people should love one another, he then washed the feet of his disciples as an act of kindness. The word Maundy comes from the Latin, ‘mandatum’, or ‘command,’ which refers to the instructions Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper:

The service will be live-streamed here.

The Prayer Watch begins immediately following the Maundy Thursday service and ends at noon on Good Friday. We invite you to join in remembering our Lord’s passion by praying and keeping watch with Him for a 30-minute segment during our remembrance of that fateful night. Sign up here.

SJC’s program for Good Friday, April 15, features a Stations of the Cross for children in the morning, the traditional Stations of the Cross at 5:30 p.m., and concludes with Stations of the Cross: A Service of Music and Poetry at 7 p.m.

10 a.m. | Children’s Stations of the Cross | Cathedral Nave

8 a.m. | Daily Office of Morning Prayer | Holy Communion Chapel

9 a.m. Holy Saturday Liturgy followed by decorating the Cathedral with lilies in preparation for Easter Sunday.

Four important things can be said about Dottie Dorion’s wonderful paintings in her new exhibition at St. John’s Cathedral. They are energetic. They are full of curiosity. They are courageous. And they are generous gifts to their viewers.

First, they mirror Dottie’s energy in their restless probing of the limits of any one approach to painting. She will take a particular style and test it, explore it and almost exhaust it after a workout in a variety of sizes and colors.

Second, Dottie’s paintings exhibit an endless curiosity. You can sense it as she studies a style, a subject matter, a set of colors, and as she seeks the appropriate scale for the paintings in one of her explorations. Her paintings take the viewer on an exciting journey.

Third, Dottie’s work is courageous. Indeed she is fearless. She will take on the challenge of style, color, and gesture in painting and wrestle it onto canvas.

One can not help but feel a joyful outpouring of generosity to the viewer. Each painting is a gift to the viewer from Dottie. Indeed, she shares her energy, her curiosity, and her courage with the viewer liberally.

The exhibition is displayed in the well-lit Taliaferro Hall gallery at St. John’s Cathedral (256 E Church St). On weekdays, entry is through the Church Street door. And there are more paintings across the street at the Cathedral Book Store (221 E Church St). The exhibition is free and open to the public.

All but one of the paintings are for sale through the Cathedral Gift Shop. Prices range from $1,500 to $2,000 for the large paintings, $750 to $1,000 for medium size paintings , and $100 to $250 for small works. All proceeds benefit various projects at the Cathedral and its ministry of the arts, such as the Painting Place, Exhibitions, and related art projects as well as the Cathedral Book Shop.

Don’t miss this exhilarating exhibition, which opens Easter Sunday. Open Sundays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Monday through Friday from 9 a.m to 3 p.m., or call the church office to make an appointment (904) 356-5507.

Episcopal Church Women and Daughters of the King spring retreat will take place April 22-24 at Episcopal Camp & Conference Center (Camp Weed) in Live Oak.

Guest speaker is The Rev. Deacon Rachel Hill and the theme is “Is it well with your soul? Are you prepared for God’s growth?” Hill, who is British, has served for more than 30 years as a cross-cultural missionary in Latin America, and now the U.S. Recently, she and her husband, Fr. Allen Hill, spent 16 years in Peru training indigenous lay and ordained leaders for that diocese.

Workshops include: Make a Joyful Noise (all voices encouraged to join the happy throng), and Nature Walk.

Plan on joining us April 22-24 for Happening, a weekend renewal retreat led by youth for youth. All 10th to12th graders are invited to attend any of our three annual Happenings, and we invite 9th graders to join us for our April Happening.

High school students put together an incredibly moving weekend filled with learning, sharing, and building relationships. Through videos, skits, talks, and more, candidates see how God and their faith fit in with the ups and downs of high school life. Happening is designed to help youth feel the love of God and their Christian community. We hope, at the end of the weekend, everyone goes home knowing how to continue growing a relationship with God and having a group of fellow believers to rely on. It's a weekend full of fun, games, sharing, surprises, and most of all, spiritual renewal and empowerment.

There are scholarships available to any youth who would like to attend Happening next month. Please contact Megan Cochran after registering so we can send the payment to Camp Weed.

Cathedral Family,

We are teaming up with Church of the Good Shepherd and Christ Church Ponte Vedra to support Strides for Pride, a 5K fundraiser for JASMYN. This is a family-friendly event, and there is even a Pooches for Pride contest if you’d like to register your fur baby. We invite you to join us in this wonderful opportunity to show Love at the Core as a Cathedral family!

JASMYN is a nationally recognized, Riverside-based, non-profit providing emergency housing, meals, showers, mental health counseling, peer support, HIV testing, and case management to LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-29.

A beloved annual tradition at St. John's Cathedral, the Festal Choral Evensong in honor of St. George will be offered in-person and online. Join us Sunday, April 24 to celebrate the patron saint of England with Timothy Tuller, Canon for Music, the Cathedral Choir, Cathedral Brass, and the Jacksonville Pipes and Drums! The service will also be livestreamed on our YouTube Channel.