Regional Confirmations
Regional confirmations have been scheduled for Saturday, November 21 at 10:30am at St Paul's Cathedral in Buffalo. The Rt. Rev. Stephen T. Lane (Bishop Provisional of WNY) is presiding. This is an opportunity to be confirmed, received, or reaffirmed. If you would like to know more about Confirmation/Reception/Reaffiirmaiton (or baptism or officially becoming a member of St. Paul's), please speak with Dean Rebecca.
| |
Sorting Sunday, October 25th
Just a reminder to those sensational sorters and those sensational sorter wannabes. This Sunday, October 25 is the last Sunday of the month. Sorting for Garden of Love will take place in the Flickinger Ministry Center (4 Cathedral Park) at 11:45AM.
| |
Stewardship 2026: What’s your why?
It is now official. On Sunday, October 18, the 2026 Stewardship campaign was launched with our traditional ice cream social during the coffee hour after the 10:15 service. I offer these words to hopefully help you to think about a stewardship campaign through a different lens. Recently the Dean, and three of the members of the Stewardship Committee participated in an online training program on stewardship offered by the College of Bishops of the Episcopal Church. The goal of the training was to help congregations develop an individualized stewardship campaign that can be used year after year. Just to be clear, this year, we will use the campaign materials provided by the Episcopal Network for Stewardship or its acronym TENS. This year’s theme is Plenty Good Room. You will hear more about that during the ongoing campaign that will end on November 22 with ingathering of pledges during the 8 & 10:15 services.
Back to the training. One of the first things that we focused on were the following three words: what, how, and why? Some clarification. We are very well versed in the first two words. A stewardship campaign is what we do. Our weekly outreach programs through the Garden of Love belong in the what category. Things that we do all of the time. The how is the things we do to make the what successful. For stewardship we have a kick-off, we send out letters to the congregation, various members of the congregation will offer messages about what stewardship means to that individual.
I have left why for last. Now you may think that you know the answer to the question: Why do we have a stewardship campaign? Duh, to raise money for the next budgetary year. While that may be true, I would ask you to bear with me while I provide another answer to that question. It was during the very first session of the training that I and my fellow trainees had one of those moments when you begin to look at a familiar concept in a totally different light. Consider the following description of our cathedral parish:
For over two hundred years St. Paul’s has been a beacon of hospitality and welcome to all in the center of our city. Sunday mornings will find an inclusive and diverse congregation meeting to share fellowship, hear the word of Jesus proclaimed and preached in a beautiful liturgy which still follows a format that might still be recognized by earlier worshippers in the same venue. Our congregation is more of a church family that gathers together to receive nourishment at our Lord’s table which segues to a coffee hour where all, members and visitors gather to greet each other and welcome new faces. When we leave the church on Sunday morning, we carry the message of Jesus out to the world and fulfill our gospel mandate to care for our neighbors through pastoral care and outreach initiatives that meet in the Flickinger Ministry Center throughout the week. This is a congregation that looks to the future, sure in the conviction that the gospel message of love, peace and caring for our neighbors and the stranger, will endure for another two hundred years.
Now, you might mistake what you just read as a profile we might use to attract new members or even be used when a search is held to find a new rector. Believe it or not, what you just read constitutes my own personal why for having a stewardship/pledge drive each year. Sure, we still need to bring in funds to help provide many of the things mentioned in the description of St. Paul’s. You will probably agree with most of what I wrote and you might even add something that I did not mention.
Over the course of the next few weeks, you will hear people speak about his or her why for making a pledge to St. Paul’s. I ask that you use what you have read here as an aid in your own discernment as to what you will promise for next year when you fill out your pledge card. Yes, we will still send out letters, and yes money is important; all of the things that are important to us as a congregation cost money. It is still the what/how of stewardship season. I am hoping that you will add your own why to the mix when pledging what you will give back to God for his continued love and care to you and to this cathedral.
Michael Bonilla, Sr. Warden
Stewardship Committee
| |
Holy Hikes
Holy Hikes of Western New York, a ministry of St. Paul's Cathedral, is pleased to announce its full schedule for the 2026 season. All hikes are held on the second Saturday of the month at 10am, unless otherwise announced. On November 14th, we will hike at the Iroquois National Wildlife Preserve, Basom, NY, weather permitting.
All are welcome; carpooling will be available from the Cathedral at 9:15am or you can join us directly at the appointed hike location.
| |
SJAT Note: Good News! Scrap It Buffalo Expands
From Estelle Siener for the Social Justice Action Team
A turquoise bucket sits next to our coffee machine in the kitchen at church. It’s a compost bin for food waste. All coffee grounds, tea bags and food waste go into it. (Click the link below to see what else you can compost. You’ll be surprised!) Bill and I take the bag home to put in our own compost bin. Farmer Pirates, a company operating on Coit Street in Buffalo, collects and composts the food waste. It sells most of it to the City of Buffalo for our parks, but in the spring, it will also sell to individual gardeners.
For several years, Bill and I have participated in this pilot composting initiative. We have a small compost bin on our kitchen cupboard. When it is full we put it in a larger bin with a biodegradable liner, both supplied by Farmer Pirates. City dwellers may have seen these bins on garbage day in their neighborhood. It is about three feet high and fits under our kitchen cupboard. Farmer Pirates picks it up and leaves a new liner on our garbage day.
Buffalo residents can now apply for this expanded service. If you live outside the city, check with your town government to see if there is a similar program.
It’s free! And recycling waste is good for the planet!
Apply to Buffalo Scrap It! Curbside
Farmer Pirates
What can I compost? (Also posted on the bulletin boards in the Walker Room)
| | CHRISTIAN EDUCATION AND FORMATION | |
Children’s Christian Education: “Godly Play”
“Godly Play: a Montessori-based program is offered on Sundays at 10am in the Bishop Scaife Room on the lower level of the Cathedral. Making meaning through story, wonder, and play, the program nurtures spiritual lives by honoring the centrality, competency, and capacity of children. If you are interested in learning more about Christian Education and Formation for a child in your family, please contact Kathy Reiss at kathyreiss@yahoo.com. For information about baptism and/or confirmation, please contact Dean Rebecca at deanrebecca@spcbuffalo.org
| | IMPORTANT ONGOING ANNOUNCEMENTS AT ST. PAULS | |
“We’ve got you covered!” - Parking at St. Paul's
At St. Paul’s we are deeply aware of the challenges of downtown parking. As one of the oldest churches in the Diocese, we have been at this location for 210 years, long before the advent of the automobile era, but we do not want that to hinder your participation and worship at the Cathedral.
We offer the following options:
We've got you covered - literally! Park at Main Place Mall Parking (221 Pearl St., Buffalo, NY 14202, https://www.mainliberty. com/parking) .This is our preferred garage for those coming to St. Paul's. We suggest that you use the entrance directly across from the Rath County Office Building, approx. address is 166 Pearl, (you will notice the skywalk above) which is only a 1/2 block north of the Cathedral. Weekend parking is $6 all day. Weekday rate: $5 for 1 hr or less; $7 for 3hr or less; $12 full day. Accessibility: ADA-compliant spaces and elevator access available and 24/7 surveillance, well-lit areas, and patrolled security. EV Charging: Electric vehicle charging stations available. If you bring your ticket from the Main Place Mall Parking with you, at the end of the service ask an usher for a voucher for your card. (If you can afford to pay, we kindly ask that you please leave this limited fund for those who can’t, thank you!)
As a reminder, street parking is free on Saturdays and Sundays.
Additional ramps we suggest are:
- Adam Ramp (343 Washington St., Buffalo, NY 14202) - 1 1/2 blocks behind the Cathedral. Weekend parking is $6 all day. Weekday rate: $2.50 hr/ $10 max.
- 93 Pearl Street Garage (93 Pearl St. Buffalo, NY 14202) - A block south of the Cathedral. Daily Parking (Mon - Fri, 6 am - 6 pm) - $10 Max
| |
Pastoral Care Ministry at St. Paul's
In the weekly Prayers of the People, we offer intercessions for those for whom prayers have been requested who are in acute or critical need. Names remain on the list for six weeks. Should you wish to have them remain on the list longer, that request may be made to the Dean. We maintain a separate Pastoral Care prayer list for those who are homebound and in nursing homes, or may request ongoing prayer. This list is weekly announcements and eNews, but individual names are included in the intercessions. We ask that the entire congregation remember these beloved of our community in our regular prayers holding in your hearts and prayers, all those in need and absent from us.
In a Pastoral Emergency, please contact— The Reverend Elizabeth Grohowski, Associate for Pastoral Care at (212) 222-8109 / email at motherliz@spcbuffalo.org or The Very Reverend Rebecca A. Barnes, Dean at (646) 533-1836 / email at deanrebecca@spcbuffalo.org.
If you, or a family member, are in the hospital, a healthcare facility, or are home bound and would like to have a visit from one of the clergy or a member of our Pastoral Care Committee, please contact the cathedral office at 716-855-0900 or at office@spcbuffalo.org. Due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, commonly known as HIPAA, hospitals no longer automatically provide churches with names of admitted parishioners. If you or a family member are hospitalized or in a healthcare facility, you or someone acting on your behalf will need to notify the church to assure that proper pastoral care may be offered. St. Paul’s complies with all HIPAA requirements and cannot provide personal information for sick or injured members without permission of the member or his or her close family member. Additionally, if you or a loved one are hospitalized or homebound and desire regular Eucharistic visitation, please notify the parish office. Eucharistic Visitations are customarily made once per month; weekly visits may be scheduled upon request.
Prayer and Pastoral Care for the Week of October 25
We lift up the following in prayer, especially Christian, Yvonne, Tracy, Brian, Sean, Lynne, Alex, Jim, Chuck, Clark, Chris, Joe, Larry Sharon, Elaine, Howard, Lillian, Patty, Renee, Jim, Judy, Ann, Carol, and Shirley.
We also remember those who have died especially Terry, Wanda, Rob and Antonio, the victims of the mass shootings in Erie and Oregon, and those whose anniversaries of death we mark this week. We pray for them and their loved ones who remember them.
| | ACROSS THE DIOCESE AND THE CHURCH | |
From Bishop Steve
Dear Ones,
There have been some beautiful, beautiful days in western New York the last couple of weeks – crystal blue skies, bright sun, brilliant leaves, mild temperatures. I’m reminded again and again how fortunate we are to live here.
And enjoying it all, I’m also reminded of what I learned at the recent House of Bishops meeting: western New York, the shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario, is one of the most climate resilient places in the United States. We are among the regions least likely to be deeply impacted by rising temperatures. Not that there won’t be some impacts. But we will have moderate temperatures and abundant fresh water, things which much of the south and west of our country lack.
For the last several decades, the population of the US has been shifting south and west. That’s where the jobs were. That’s where the winters were milder. That’s where land was abundant and housing was relatively cheap. New York was once the most populous state. Now we’re fourth behind California, Texas and Florida.
But futurists and climatologists tell us that’s about to change. 2026 was the hottest summer on record with an average temperature June to August of 74.4 degrees. August was the hottest month on record. In many places it didn’t get much cooler at night, so the daily average stayed high. The southwest, including Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, saw the worst of it. No relief is in sight, and water and electrical shortages may become permanent features of the region.
What this means for us is increasing numbers of climate refugees. Public radio in Rochester has already broadcast interviews with climate refugees. And the Institute for the Future is predicting as many as 1 million people may be coming our way over the next ten years.
Human populations have always moved in response to environmental changes and in search of land and water. Migration has shaped human culture since the very beginning. And that’s going to continue. The Church has followed those shifts, going where the people are and ministering in response to their needs.
What might climate refugees mean for The Episcopal Church in Western New York? How might it affect the decisions we make now? How might we welcome new people, folks of different cultures and different heritages, into our towns and villages? How will we show hospitality to strangers?
Sitting and looking at the blue sky out my window, it all seems a bit otherworldly. Will this really happen? Will other events intervene? Where is God in all this? What is our call in a world that looks increasingly unlike the world we have known?
No matter what, I believe God will be with us and will walk with us as we negotiate these new days. May we be open to possibility, and may we be signs of Christ’s embrace of the world God created.
Peace,
Bishop Steve
| |
Diocesan Convention – October 23-24, 2026
Our 189th Diocesan Convention will be held in Celeron, NY at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel on October 23 & 24, 2026. Convention Business begins at 10am, Oct. 23rd and continues thru noon, Oct 24th.
This year's convention theme is: WE ARE THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH! We are excited to announce that our keynote speaker will be: The Rev. Molly F. James, Ph.D.
Molly currently serves as the Interim Executive Officer of General Convention for The Episcopal Church. She holds a PhD in Theology from the University of Exeter (UK), a Masters of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Tufts University. She grew up in Maine and was ordained as a priest in 2005. She has served on the Bishops’ Staff in Connecticut, as a parish priest, and a hospital chaplain, as well as an adjunct professor focusing on ethics and pastoral care. Her doctoral research focused on suffering and grief. Her work, With Joyful Acceptance, Maybe was published in 2013 by Wipf and Stock. Molly previously served as co-chair of Young Clergy Women International (an ecumenical organization of clergy women under 40), and as a board member for the Society of Scholar Priests. She is currently co-chair of the Faith Communities Today research consortium, a board member for the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, and the Yale Alumni Nonprofit Alliance. She has two children and loves cooking, reading, travel, and spending time in the splendor of God’s creation.
Molly will also preach at the Convention Eucharist on Friday, October 23rd.
Convention Delegation from the Cathedral - Elected Delegates: Su Hadden, Kim Goodman O’Connell, Evelyn Smigelsky; Estelle Siener (alternate).
| |
Episcopal Diocese of WNY and Church News
For news about the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York, and to sign up for emailed newsletters, go here.
The Episcopal Church website offers resources for individuals, congregations, and various ministries.
| | |
If you are with a group meeting on Zoom,
use the following link, unless specified otherwise:
SPC Zoom Link
Meeting ID: 716 855 0900 Password: 4cathedral
By Phone: 929-205-6099 Access code: 716 855 0900 Password: 535 007 8352
| | | | |
