The E-Pistle of Thursday

March 21st, 2024

Dear Friends-

I invite you, to join us here at the Cathedral of St. Luke as we, through our Holy Week services, commemorate the events that lead to our salvation and rejoice in the resurrection on Easter Sunday.  

The church calls this important time the Easter Triduum.  The word Triduum, comes from the Latin root that means ‘three days’. It’s through those three days that we trace the final days of Jesus’ life, his death, and his resurrection.  

On Palm Sunday, Jesus experiences a triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  He is lauded by onlookers who shout, ‘“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’  Their joy filled reception of Jesus was filled with hope.  Our service on Palm Sunday will include the blessing of the palms, Holy Eucharist, and the Passion narrative to end the service.  

On Maundy Thursday, Jesus teaches his disciples about his continuing presence with them in the breaking of the bread and how to serve one another.  Our service will include the washing of feet and the story of the institution of the Holy Eucharist before ending with the stripping of the Altar.  

On Good Friday, Jesus’ execution plunges his disciples into despair.  Our Good Friday services will include the Solemn Collects and the Passion narrative. Communion will be from the reserve sacrament.  

At the Easter Vigil, we hear the story of God’s relationship with humanity from the beginning of time.  We will celebrate the returning of the light, renew our baptismal covenant and give thanks for the Risen Christ.  

On Easter morning, Mary Magdalene’s good news, that the tomb is empty, allows the disciples to see that, as Frederick Buechner says, “The resurrection of Jesus means the worst thing is never the last thing.” You can expect a glorious service with hymns of praise, a brass quartet, and a sermon from the Bishop of Maine, The Right Reverend Thomas J. Brown.  

I hope this most sacred story gives you a sense of God’s enduring love for us.  We invite you to journey with us.  

Blessings to you and your loved ones during this Holy Season,

The Reverend George R. Stevens, Interim Dean of the Cathedral

Please see the schedule below for service times during Holy Week of 2024. With any questions, please contact the Rev. George Stevens.

HOLY WEEK SERVICE SCHEDULE

Sunday March 24th—Palm Sunday

7:30AM Liturgy of the Palms & Holy Eucharist (Emmanuel Chapel)

10:00AM Liturgy of the Palms & Holy Eucharist (nave & livestreamed)

Thursday March 28th—Maundy Thursday

7:00PM Holy Eucharist with Foot-Washing (nave & livestreamed)

Friday March 29th—Good Friday

12:00 noon Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday (nave & livestreamed)

1:30PM The Way of the Cross (Stations of the Cross) (nave)

7:00PM Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday (nave & livestreamed)

Saturday March 30th—Easter Eve

7:00PM Great Vigil and First Eucharist of Easter (nave & livestreamed)

Sunday March 31st—Easter

9:00AM Festal Eucharist with brass & timpani (nave & livestreamed)

10:30AM Easter egg hunt (Bishop’s Garden, rain location: Emmanuel Chapel)

11:00AM Festal Eucharist with brass & timpani (nave & livestreamed)

Community Announcements

Building and Grounds Work Day This Saturday

Join Buildings & Grounds this Saturday, March 23, as we host our first work day for 2024.

Doors will open at 8:00AM and generally we will finish by noon.

Weather permitting, there will be a focused effort on the front and back entrances spiffing up the areas clearing winter debris and installing wood chips in the front flower beds and around the hedges.

Please feel free to bring along wheel barrows, rakes and shovels to move the mulch.

For those interested in checking for “BATS” in the belfry, we will be going up into the tower to lubricate the bell mechanism and conducting a visual inspection of the inside of the tower masonry.

Other items include making minor repairs to the parquet flooring around the altar area using wood glue, installing two flag mounts on the Park Street entrance under the office windows, cleaning the spalling of the stone inside the tower entrance, clearing out the flowers pots at both entrances, level the chips in the Park Street play area, check the heating schedule, and if there is time, sort and remove items from the boiler room that have accumulated and are no longer wanted.

Please join us for all or a portion of the workday. All are welcome with now previous skills required. Please give Fred Fowler a call at 233-9572 with any questions.

Re-sign Up for Foyers

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the sign-up sheet to participate in Foyers groups at the cathedral has gone missing. We apologize for this inconvenience and error.

We would kindly ask, if you had previously signed up to participate, that you please fill out the form once more or email Judd Hume so that we can add you to the list.

The sign up sheet will be available both on the bulletin board outside of the parish office and at coffee hour this Sunday. The deadline to sign-up will be April 7th.

With any questions, please contact Judd Hume.

Judd will also be available during coffee hour on Sunday. Thank you for your understanding.

Easter Flower Offering 2024

Each Easter the St. Luke’s Flower Guild welcomes contributions to support the flowers which are beautifully arranged for our Easter Sunday services. 

Gifts are made in memory of loved ones or thanksgiving for God's blessings in your life. 

The names of all individuals and thanksgivings are noted in the Easter Sunday Bulletin. 

To make a gift to contribute to the flowers at Easter, please complete either the online or physical form below and make a payment using the following options:

1) Use our online giving software through Realm (see further below for additional instructions)

2) Mail a physical check to our address of P.O. Box 4141, Portland, ME 04101.

Please complete the online form or enclose the physical form in your mailing

3) Place the completed form with a check enclosed in the plate during the offertory. 

4) Drop off completed form and check to the cathedral office during office hours.

Please note: Additional physical forms are also available at both entrances to the Nave, in the cathedral office, or can be mailed by request.

We will accept submissions of names for the Easter Bulletin until March 27.

If you have any questions please contact the parish office by email or at 207-772-5434

or

email Flower Guild co-chairs Mary Doughty and Kathy Watt.

Instructions for Giving towards the Easter Offering 

using Realm Online Giving

To make a gift for Easter Flowers 



Visit the Realm online giving page for Easter Flowers

Or

Text “TEXTCSL EasterFlowers” to 73256 to give using your mobile device. 

To make a gift for Easter Music

Visit the Realm online giving page for Easter Music

Or

Text “TEXTCSL EasterMusic” to 73256 to give using your mobile device. 

To make a gift in general support of the cathedral at Easter 

Visit the Realm online giving page for Easter General Offerings

Or

Text "TEXTCSL EasterOfferings" to 73256 to give using your mobile device.

The Way of the Cross (Stations of the Cross)

On Good Friday, at 1:00 pm following the Proper Liturgy for Good Friday at which he will preach, The Rev’d Christopher Worthley invites you to join him in walking and praying the Way of the Cross, following the 14 Stations that hang year-round in the nave of the Cathedral.

The Way of the Cross is a contemplative devotion in remembrance of Christ's Passion, a series of events at the end of Jesus' life from his condemnation to his burial. The devotion imitates the practice of visiting the places of Jesus' Passion in the Holy Land by early pilgrims. The first stations outside the Holy Land were built in Bologna, Italy, in the 5th century. This particular devotion  - traditionally conducted on Fridays in Lent - was encouraged by followers of St. Francis and became common in the 15th century. The version we will use for this simple, spoken liturgy that moves throughout the nave is taken from the “Book of Occasional Services” of the Episcopal Church. This is a unique opportunity to dwell intentionally in the in-between experience that is Good Friday, a time to be with and walk quietly with our Savior. Please join us!

Green Energy at the Cathedral

We have for the past several months been receiving a credit on our CMP bill thanks to 171 solar panels from the South Thomaston solar farm owned by NextAmp.  The credit varies month to month depending on the amount of sun that month.  During the summer, if our credit exceeds our CMP bill we will bank the unused amount for a future electric bill. 

We pay NextAmp 85% of our credit for a net savings of 15%.  Our CMP electricity supplier is Smart Energy whose goal is to provide 100% renewable energy and is currently at 74% renewable.  Any questions please contact Tim Wilkins. 

Eco Tips from the

Public Policy and Environmental

Action Team (PPEAT)

Did you know that environmentalists are among those least likely to vote? This year's elections will be crucial for the environment, especially climate change. You can help encourage environmentalists to vote by phone banking or writing postcards with the Environmental Voter Project. The EVP has a proven track record of turning people concerned about the environment into consistent voters. 

It is not too early to start! Visit here to learn more and to sign up for one or more sessions.

The Biblical Study Group

Session 127: What do Christians know, or think they know, about God’s being? What roles do faith and/or belief play in this system? What role does thinking or reason play? What role does feeling or emotion play? What Biblical references are essential to coming to conclusions about who or what God is? 

Biblical references open doors to new understandings by tracing the major prophets, the Pauline letters, and the Gospels. These many voices sing God’s praises as they trace the evolution of God’s character over time.

An essential clue to God’s being is given to us by tracing the 25 names God is assigned by the prophets and apostles. Join us to discover what God has told us about who he is, and therefore who we are. 

We meet in the Oratory Room from 12:00 until 1:30PM every Sunday.  Bring your questions and your hopes. There are handouts and suggested readings for each session. Contact: Dr. Bob Hanson (207) 405-8250.

St. Luke's Food Pantry Needs Reusable Shopping Bags

A Note of Thanks from the St. Luke’s Food Pantry

The Food Pantry expresses their gratitude for the gifts of food and funding from Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Falmouth. To learn more about opportunities to support the pantry please contact Mary Brighthaupt

Looking For Individuals to serve as Treasurer and

Junior Warden

The cathedral is looking for individuals interested in serving in the positions of treasurer and junior warden.

If you are interested in serving as treasurer please contact The Rev. George Stevens or Tim Wilkins, with any questions.

If you have interest in either of these positions please email The Rev. George Stevens or Senior Warden Sam Allen.

Christian Education at the Cathedral

Interested in Christian Education? In the coming weeks the vestry will be beginning work on creating a fresh job description for the Interim Director of Religious Education at the Cathedral of St. Luke. 

If you’re interested in helping shape this new position, please contact Interim Dean the Rev. George Stevens.

A Highlight from Last Week

The Cathedral Celebrates St. Patrick's Day with Guest Musician, Beck Welling

This past Sunday, the cathedral welcomed guest fiddler, Beck Welling, who played during the prelude, offertory, and postlude. We are so appreciative to Beck for sharing his talents with us.

Thanks are also given to Christian Clough, Canon for Liturgy and Music, who arranged for Beck to join us.

Photo courtesy of St. Luke's parishioner Nancy Mawhinney

Last Week's Service

Click the attached link to view last week's bulletin

To watch the livestream of last Sunday's service, click here.

Click here to watch Sunday's sermon offered by The Reverend George Stevens, Interim Dean

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

Events and Resources in the Wider Community

Woven Wisdoms:

The New Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledge and Science

St. Luke's parishioner Dick Farnsworth shares the following educational opportunity through the New Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledge and Science:

Monday, March 25 from 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Click here to read about the event.

Speaker: Bonnie Newsom, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Faculty Associate Climate Change Institute, Co-PI Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledge and Science, University of Maine

Indigenous knowledge offers valuable insights into climate change as it encompasses multi-generational understandings of local ecosystems and human engagement with changing environments. This knowledge can reveal patterns of environmental change and new ways of living and coping with a changing planet. By bringing Indigenous knowledge and western science together to address contemporary climate change issues, we can foster new strategies for developing effective and holistic responses to the climate crisis. This presentation introduces the new Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledge and Science (CBIKS), an NSF-funded center aimed at creating ethical pathways to bring holistic thinking to bear on contemporary climate change issues. Dr. Bonnie Newsom, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Maine, will present an overview of CBIKS goals, values, and objectives and highlight the university’s role as the Center’s Northeast Hub.

Bonnie Newsom (Penobscot) is an Indigenous archaeologist interested in the pre-contact lifeways of Maine’s Native peoples. She seeks to humanize past peoples by exploring concepts of identity, social boundaries, and human agency. Dr. Newsom’s professional history includes serving as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Penobscot Indian Nation and as Assistant Director for UMaine’s Wabanaki Center. She has a strong public service record which includes serving as Chair of the Repatriation Review Committee for the National Museum of Natural History and as a member of the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission.

To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Ruth Hallsworth, by email or by phone 207.581.3196.

Resources Shared from the Maine Gun Safety Coalition

In the wake of the Lewiston shooting last October, there’s been an outpouring of public support for action on gun safety. And now, priority bills have been introduced with a real chance of passing into law, including a true Extreme Risk Protection Order, bump stock ban, background checks, and 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases.

However, with the state legislature’s target adjournment date less than six weeks away, there is little time left to get these bills onto the governor’s desk. The team at the Maine Gun Safety Coalition has put together a campaign plan that they think can get these bills over the finish line, but to greenlight this entire budget, they need to raise at least $235,000 in the next 5 days. 

To learn more about how to support this cause, click here

Ongoing Opportunities &

Community Resources

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

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