Weekly E-News

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Dean's Letter: Thanksgiving Reflection

Hello St. Paul's,

Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving Day is recognized in the Book of Common Prayer as a major holy day, along with July 4. It offers us an opportunity to be focused in our gratitude to God for all the blessings we enjoy, and so this morning we celebrated the Eucharist, a liturgy whose purpose and meaning is thanksgiving. Read more...

8 am - Holy Eucharist - In the Cathedral

8 - 1 pm - Book Sale - In the Guild Room

No Forum

10:20 am - Sunday School Drop-off

10:30 am - Choral Eucharist - In the Cathedral or Worship Online

11:45 am - Coffee Hour - In the Guild Room

5 pm - Evensong - In the Cathedral or Worship Online

6 pm - Stellarum Pre Christmas Concert - In the Cathedral

Spiritual Book Sale Sunday

8 am - 1 pm, The Guild Room

Parishioner Kathryn Bunch has a long-standing ministry in the diocese of selling books of prayer and other spiritual topics in her on-the-road bookstore. This Sunday she will be at St. Paul’s throughout the morning. Stop by the Guild Room and pick out a Christmas gift for yourself or a loved one.

Evensong

5 pm in the Cathedral

The Cathedral Schola, under the direction of Canon Martin Green, offers works by William Byrd, George Dyson, and Henry Purcell’s 5-part anthem “I was Glad” in this set of glorious music for the Advent season. 

Stellarum Pre Christmas Concert

6 pm in the Cathedral

On Sunday, November 30 at 6 pm, Stellarum will present a Pre-Christmas Concert at St. Paul’s Cathedral, conducted by our organ scholar Seonjeong Park. The concert will begin immediately after Evensong. Join us in the beautiful and resonant space of St. Paul’s for an evening of a cappella works by Holst, Chilcott, Mendelssohn, and others, offering peaceful reflection and joyful anticipation for the Advent season. Admission is free; free-will offerings are gratefully received. All are welcome.

Pledge: Growing in Faith Together

Join us in supporting the Cathedral this coming year, consider a financial pledge and/or a commitment of your time/talent! Click here to pledge online today. Your time, talent and treasure is what fuels the good works of St. Paul's Cathedral. It is only with your support that we help to heal a broken world.

Call for Diocesan Lay Delegate Nominees

Are you interested in getting more involved in the wider church through our Diocese of San Diego? St. Paul’s will be sending five parishioners as lay delegates to next year’s Diocesan Convention, to be held November 6-7 at St. Bartholomew’s in Poway. We will elect the delegates at the annual parish meeting in January. If you would like to know more about this ministry, please contact the Dean at bridgesp@stpaulcathedral.org.

Volunteers Needed For AV Team

Have you ever had an interest in video streaming, recording, post-production, or sound engineering? Come take a tour of the St. Paul’s A/V ministry and see if you would like to come aboard! Volunteering even one Sunday a month greatly helps us keep our services available to the world. Please email Mike at jthornburgh1@mac.com or Mark at sanzim@stpaulcathedral.org for a tour at your convenience. We look forward to meeting with you!

Help Wanted in the Archive Room!

Would you like to learn more about the history of St. Paul’s and help out with organizing items in our archives? The cathedral archives are housed in the office suite in 525 Olive. The time commitment is usually 2-4 hours a week, on your own schedule. Please contact the Dean for more information, bridgesp@stpaulcathedral.org.

Simpler Living: Creation Care Ministry

Gratitude & Honor

On November 6, nine Colorado River Indian Tribes members voted to recognize personhood for the namesake river under tribal law. As sustained drought continues, the recognition of this “living entity” highlights the critical importance of water that frames the vast reservation along the California border.

Many similar movements to recognize natural places with rights and privileges as persons stem from the 2014 rights of Nature initiatives by the Maori people in New Zealand. Such indigenous efforts are among the most successful

For more information visit kjzz.org (Click Here) and culturalsurvival.org (Click Here).

Click here for the December 1, 11:00 am TEC debrief webinar, 'Climate Action Beyond COP30'.

Sacred Ground In Action (SGIA)

Thanksgiving With Intention

Honoring Native History This Week, This Month, and Always Next Thursday, friends and family will gather for annual celebrations of gratitude and togetherness. First Nations Development Institute encourages people "to hold space during this time for healing and acknowledging the rich traditions of Indigenous communities. As Native American Heritage Month continues, and as you celebrate next Thursday with turkey and trimmings, consider other ways to remember the true history of Thanksgiving:

• Cook with intention, using Native ingredients or recipes.
• Honor the land with a walk or moment of gratitude.
• Create space for talking about culture, history, and family."

Learn about their work at: firstnations.org

Peace Through Peace

From the Episcopal News Service, this article from the Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Justice Network endorses the 10/31 Reformation Day words from Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar referring to “two years of genocide for Palestinians,” reinforcing that “the church’s task is to speak truth to power, and to choose justice over comfort.” For the entire article (Click Here).

Prayer for the People of Gaza 

God of unending love, who desires freedom, flourishing, and fairness for all, we lift before you the Palestinians who call Gaza home, those whose futures are being shaped by decisions beyond their reach, and those who have been taken or transported to other places in this time of uncertainty. Bring justice to that land and to its people. Grant them voice and agency as the course of their future and land hangs in the balance. Give us also the moral clarity to advocate for the rights of people everywhere to participate in determining how they are governed. We ask this all for the sake of your Son, our Lord, who himself lived and ministered amid the rubble of political turmoil in that same region. Amen. 

From the Episcopal Public Policy Network Public Witness Weekly Prayers, 11/16/25

Donate Christmas Gifts for our ECS Families!

St. Paul's Cathedral is partnering with Episcopal Community Services to match with local families for the holidays and provide gifts! You can shop the wishlist items here: Family-to-Family Wish List When you purchase a gift, it will be delivered to the Cathedral so we can work together to wrap and deliver each item before the holidays! Everyone is invited to join us on 12/14 in the Guild Room after the 10:30am service for a gift wrapping party 🙂 Thank you for your generosity!

Contact our Family Minister, Taylor: milamsamuelt@stpaulcathedral.org.

Christmas Flower Donations

The abundant and beautiful Christmas flowers, wreaths, and other decorations in the Cathedral each year are the result of many donations. This year we have started Advent early, on November 9, so we will not have flowers in the church again until Christmas Eve. You can participate this year by giving "in thanksgiving for...", "in memory of...", or "to the glory of God." There are specially marked flower envelopes for such donations in the book racks and the porches. The time is quickly approaching, so be a part of the seasonal Cathedral beauty now. The deadline for attribution in announcements is December 14. To make your donation please visit our Give page and select the "Flowers" fund. For questions email info@stpaulcathedral.org.

In Memoriam: Bill Eadie

Jeff Ristine from San Diego State University wrote a wonderful article honoring parishioner Bill Eadie. Bill was a well-loved individual in the SDSU community. Read the article (Click Here).

Funeral plans for Bill Eadie are pending.

Our 7 week Advent continues with plenty more upcoming events:

• 12/7 Messiah Sing
• 12/14 Gun Violence Vigil
• 12/21 Lessons & Carols for Christmas
• 12/24 Christmas Eve Family Service & Solemn Midnight Mass
• 12/25 Christmas Day Holy Eucharist
• 12/31 New Year's Eve Labyrinth Walk
• 1/1/26 Holy Name Eucharist

View the entire Advent and Christmas schedule and details on our Advent Page (Click Here).

No Noon Eucharist or Organ Recital

Our campus will be closed tomorrow (Friday, November 28). If you have a pastoral emergency and need immediate assistance please call (619) 977-6318.

As a reminder, Organ Recitals are on a temporary hiatus.

Thanksgiving Sound Healing

Saturday, November 29, 3pm in the Cathedral

Share a meaningful experience with family and friends this Thanksgiving weekend. Join Zen Soul Balance and a group of talented sound artists and musicians for a 90-minute sound healing session. $45 dollars, tickets can be purchased here through Zen Soul Balance.

Partners in Ministry:

ICEJ Interfaith Vigils Continue

Monday, December 1, 12 pm, 385 W. Broadway

In silence – We resist greed and indifference. We stand with the suffering. We pray for earth repair.

ICEJ continues our monthly Interfaith Vigil for Earth Justice. As members of various faiths, we are called to stand together in silence for and solidarity with our Earth at this time of climate chaos and environmental devastation driven by human greed and indifference. We call out and resist federal policies that have reversed the progress made in addressing climate disruption and the ruthless steps of the current administration to monetize Earth in our name.  

Join us at one of our monthly Interfaith Vigils for Earth Justice on the first Monday of each month (upcoming is Mon. Dec. 1) 12-1 pm at the U.S. District Court building, 385 W. Broadway. For December, our prayers will be given by Rev. Christian DeMent of La Mesa First United Methodist Church and Rev. Canon Richard Lief of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral. Please wear black if you can–and if standing for 40 minutes will be difficult for you, feel free to bring a folding stool. And because this is now SD’s rainy season, if it is pouring, our rain date is the following Monday, same time and location (look for notification on our website home page). This event is open to persons of faith and no faith--do join us!! For more information contact Phil Petrie at phil@icejsd.org.

Chapter Meeting

Tuesday, December 2, 5;30 pm, Via Zoom

All are welcome to observe the Chapter meeting via Zoom. Items on the agenda include:

• First look at 2026 budget
• Annual resolution approving clergy housing allowances
• Invitation to consider nominees for lay delegate to the 2026 Diocesan Convention
• Semi-annual endowment committee report

For the Zoom link, contact the Rev. Michael Kilpatrick at gmkbuds@icloud.com.

Women Together

For Christian Women is Biblical Art Always Inspiring? with Dr. Florence M. Gillman

Thursday, December 4, 5:45 - 7:15 pm, In the Guild Room

Threaded throughout the history of Christianity, and earlier in Judaism as well, art of biblical subjects has served to teach and inspire believers. But it has also been experienced as causing fear and even terror for some. Women over the centuries have been both empowered by art but also limited in ways that are fascinating to explore. In this lecture we will view and discuss the impact some great art has had upon ourselves, including the challenges, inspiration and controversies women have experienced. Dr. Florence M. Gillman is Emerita Professor of Biblical Studies at the University of San Diego.

Please RSVP (Click Here) or send an email to womentogetherspc@gmail.com, meal or no meal, by Monday, December 1st. There is free parking for Women Together in the underground garage at 525 Olive St. on a first-come, first-served basis. Park and take the elevator to the Guild Room on the 1st floor.

ECS Safe Haven Christmas Decorating Event

Saturday, December 6, 10 - 11:30 am, Queen's Courtyard

Next Saturday, St. Paul’s Outreach and Simpler Living volunteers and others will help decorate the ECS Safe Haven with residents. Gently used NON-plastic based ornaments and other holiday décor are appreciated. Cookie donations and volunteers are also welcome!

We will meet in the Queen’s Courtyard at 10 am for a brief prayer, then walk over to the residence. Some ornaments will be crafted on site. For more information, contact Diane Lopez-Hughes dianelopezhughes@gmail.com.

PRAISE Children's Camp

When: Starts, January 17, 2026 at 1 pm – Ends, January 19, at 10 am

Who: Children grades 3-6

Where: Camp Stevens

Cost: $175 (grace-based pricing available)

Children in grades 3-6 are invited to explore the joy of camp this January at PRAISE!

Children will enjoy the abundance of camp through crafts, hiking, songs, s’mores, games, and laughter with friends. There could even be snow! Registration: CLICK HERE (Must register by 12/14) Questions? Contact our Family Minister, Taylor: milamsamuelt@stpaulcathedral.org

PROCLAIM Youth Retreat

When: Starts, February 14, 2026 at 1 pm – Ends, February 16, at 10 am

Who: Youth grades 6-12

Where: Camp Stevens

Cost: $175 (grace-based pricing available)

This is a weekend filled with fun, friends, and faith. Programming is about knowing yourself and sharing God’s love in the world. The retreat includes games, hiking, crafts, worship, friends, laughter and more! Registration: CLICK HERE (Must register by 1/14) Questions? Contact our Family Minister, Taylor: milamsamuelt@stpaulcathedral.org

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