Tomorrow, Friday September 25, at 7:30 p.m., our Cathedral Choir, under the leadership of acting director of music Nico Tjoelker and conductor-in-residence Andrew Megill, will offer the inaugural concert for our 2026-27 program year. While our Sunday morning music ministry has been back in full swing for several weeks now, tomorrow’s concert will be our choir’s first opportunity to perform under Megill’s inspiring and masterful conducting. I look forward to attending, and hope that you will plan to join me for both the concert and the reception where we will welcome Andrew Megill to St. James Cathedral!

Additionally, I am delighted to share that the search process to call our next director of music is taking shape and will soon be fully underway. St. James parishioner Kevin Hampton has agreed to serve as chair of the advisory search committee that will assist me in identifying and calling the person who will lead St. James Cathedral’s thriving music ministry forward. Kevin serves as the Dean of Roosevelt University’s  Chicago College of Performing Arts, is a member of Cathedral Chapter, and can be seen on Sunday mornings serving as an usher, offering hospitality to those who join us for worship.

Kevin will lead a working group of St. James stakeholders: choir members, chorister parents and members of our Chapter and liturgical ministries teams. This advisory committee will first embark upon a process of gathering feedback from our musicians and our wider community: conducting stakeholder interviews with the choirs; publishing a community-wide survey; and hosting in-person input sessions open to all members of the community who wish to offer reflections on our ministries as they are currently constituted, what we value in our current model, along with our hopes for the future.

We anticipate a large number of applications once the position is posted and the advisory search committee will develop a slate of finalists for in person interviews from which I will make the final choice and extend the call.  My own discernment will be greatly helped by two leaders in their respective fields: renowned conductor Dame Jane Glover, and Walden Moore, organist and choirmaster who is well- known in church music circles, and who has helped shape the musical leadership of the Episcopal Church for decades. Both Jane and Walden are friends of St. James Cathedral, and have generously agreed to lend their expertise and judgment to my final deliberations.

I anticipate that we will have named our next director of music before the conclusion of the 2026-27 program year. In the meantime, much of our search committee’s work will be taking place “behind the scenes.” I hope that you will add the work of this committee to your personal prayers, and will watch for the community input opportunities in October/November that will help us develop a sense of God’s joyful leading in our community.

Faithfully yours,

Lisa+

Anna Butler Alexander, Deaconess

Today we celebrate the life of Anna Alexander, the first and only Black woman to serve as deaconess in the Episcopal Church. Born in 1865 to recently emancipated parents, Anna lived through times of great cultural transfomation and challenge. Throughout her life of steady service in the midst of tumult, she made it her life's work to bring education and moral formation to children excluded by school segregation. 


Bible Reading: Matthew 11:25-30

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 27, 2026

We're back in the Cathedral!

We are thrilled to be back in the Cathedral this Sunday. Please note that our 12:10 p.m. weekday services will continue in the Chapel.

8:00 a.m. - Spoken Eucharist in St. Andrew’s Chapel

9:00 a.m. - Family Eucharist in the cathedral

10:00 a.m. - The Forum in Kyle’s Place 

10:00 a.m. - Youth Group

11:00 a.m. - Choral Eucharist in the cathedral and Live-Streamed

12:15 p.m. - Coffee Hour in Kyle’s Place

12:15 p.m. - Meals Among Us Food Prep on the Second Floor of St. James Commons

12:30 p.m. - Newcomer Lunch in the Great Hall

For those who are unable to be present, the 11 a.m. Eucharist will be live-streamed on our streaming webpage or YouTube.

Catch MacArthur Fellow Dr. Funmi Olopade, expert in cancer risk assessment, and journalist Ray Suarez, author of We Are Home, in conversation this Sunday, September 27, at 10:00 AM in Kyle’s Place!

Season Opener Concert Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.



Join the Cathedral Choir in their first concert of the season with Conductor-in-Residence, Andrew Megill!

Are you new or newish to St. James? We would love to get to know you, so please join us for lunch and conversation on Sunday, September 27, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Great Hall, located on the lower level of St. James Commons (65 E. Huron). Look for an Evite in your inbox!

Click the button below if you have questions or do not receive an invitation.

Bring your pets to church! At 3:45 p.m., animals and their companions gather on the plaza. At 4 p.m., the Cathedral Choir and Choristers will lead all of God's creatures in procession into the Cathedral for a service of Choral Evensong and the blessing. The anthem will be Benjamin Britten's cantata Rejoice in the Lamb, an exciting work evoking how all creatures lift up their voices to extol our Creator.

Lutheran Bishop Installation

This past Saturday, our cathedral campus was filled with joy as we hosted over 400 guests for the installation of the Rev. Erik Christensen as the new bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod (ELCA). It was a wonderful celebration of ecumenical fellowship and Lutheran tradition in our sanctuary. Bishop Paula and Dean Lisa were both in attendance as the choirs sang, the brass blared, and the congregation rejoiced!

St. James Pride

St. James Pride invites you to write holiday notes of support for the LGBTQ+ community through the Pinta Pride Project every Saturday from October 3 through November 28, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., in Room 212 at 35 E. Huron. Cards, addresses, and templates are all provided—bring your support!

Scripture Reflection group


Join the Scripture Reflection Group every Monday night from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 212 (library) to read, reflect, and discuss today's lectionary readings. Optional Evening Prayer at 5:30 p.m.

For more information or to sign up, please contact Jacob Perkins.

Centering Prayer Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m.

Reconnecting with our inner quiet can transform everything, and after our summer recess, we are gathering once again on Wednesday evenings at 6:45 p.m. CT for Centering Prayer. Joining our nationwide circle by phone offers a simple, powerful way to sit in silence, let go of what you do not need, and ground yourself in the presence of your Higher Power. Whether Centering Prayer is a long-standing practice for you or something you are curious to try for the first time, there is a warm space waiting for you.

60s & 70s Group

Looking to deepen your faith and connection at St. James Cathedral? The 60s & 70s Group meets twice a month—on the 2nd Tuesday in the 2nd-floor library (65 E. Huron) for spiritual discussions, and on the 4th Tuesday for fun social outings like museum visits, walking tours, and dinners. We are committed to spiritual growth, lifelong learning, and supportive fellowship.

First Sunday Book Group

Help choose our next Fall reading selection for the First Sundays Book Group! Click below to Vote for your top choice before our next gathering on Sunday, October 4, at 1:00 PM in the 2nd Floor Library.

This season's contenders include Feasting on Hope: How God Sets a Table in the Wilderness by Hannah Miller King, Into the Heart of Romans: A Deep Dive into Paul's Greatest Letter by N. T. Wright, and The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Future fall meetings will follow on November 1 and December 6.

St. James First Tuesday Book Group

Everyone is welcome to join!

Join us as we discuss Hill by Harriet Clark! Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, October 6 in the second-floor meeting room from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Please send any questions to Marcy Backhus

Find Your Place in Worship

Calling All Lovers of Baked Goods

Express your hospitality to the St. James community by contributing baked goods for Sunday coffee hour at Kyle’s place in the Welcome Center. Whether store-bought or homemade, your delicious contributions are always welcome—simply sign up for a Sunday at the Welcome Center table.

Help with the Annual Pet Blessing

We need volunteers to assist with St. James's annual Blessing of the Pets and Choral Evensong on October 4 at 4:00 PM on the plaza. You'll help us welcome our neighbors and their beloved pets by handing out treats and St. Francis medals during the event. Click below to sign up today and lend a hand!

While traffic patterns will be disrupted, most routes to St. James will be open, though some extra planning and time will be required. Sunday activities will proceed as usual.

To better support our parish ministries, groups, staff, and lay leaders, we have created a new Cathedral Communications Submission Form. This streamlined process allows you to submit e-news announcements, bulletin blurbs, event promotions, and website updates—and helps our communications team review and publish your items efficiently.

Whether you are promoting an upcoming ministry event, sharing news, updating group information, or sending in photos from a recent gathering, we want to hear from you!

We look forward to making communications simpler and more organized for our entire cathedral community!

In our Prayers at St. James

Commended to the prayers of the cathedral community: Ginger, Loya, Andronica, Ibukun, Ted, Lois, Mary, Yvonne, Lee, Rachael, Jonah, Richard, Cleo, Frank, Joshua, Nicole, Pamela, Sue, Wei Wei, James, Eoin, Bill, Gina, Dominic, Michael, Gary, Carolyn, Donna, Amanda, Ann, Robert, Thomas, Jack, Christopher, Arba

Those who have died and have been commended to the prayers of the cathedral community:  Paula Walters

All those who have died by gun violence in the city of Chicago: Courtney, Juan

Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: Our bishop, Paula, and our Presiding Bishop, Sean; Commissions of the Diocese: Commission on Ministry; Antiracism Commission

St. James Capital Campaign Prayer

Faithful God, you call us to be living stones in a spiritual temple.

Bless the mission and outreach of this cathedral church.

By the power of your Holy Spirit, enable us confidently to restore its fabric, trustfully to reimagine our vocation, and boldly to renew our ministries in your name.

Make this place a house in which your love dwells and in which all your people find welcome.

Grant this, we pray, through the One who leads us ever onwards in your service, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.