Thank You

A huge thank you to all those who helped with exchanging the seasonal dossals and re-mounting of the cross this past Sunday! The “Team” included John Montross, Karl Fandrich, Julie Longchamp, Gerry Viens, Lucas Bull, Emiry Potter, “Big John” and Friend, Mark & Andrea Johnson and their daughters, Sylvia Knight, and Bob Wright! WOW! Truly shows how “many hands make light work!” Soooooo GRATEFUL!

Thank you to everyone who brought food and palm fronds, those who decorated, set up tables, cooked, served, and cleaned up at our Shrove Tuesday celebration. Thanks especially to Rose Bacon and Karl Fandrich for making the Parish Hall look so festive, and to Adam Skiff for photographing the event!

Daylight Savings Time Begins Sunday

Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday. Don't forget to spring your clocks forward one hour!

This Week in Adult Forum: The Political Episcopal Church

This week's Adult forum discusses the role of the Episcopal Church in the political sphere. Which presidents were Episcopalians? What is the role of the Episcopal Public Policy Network? How has the Episcopal Church's structure, theology, and practice informed our political reality?

Come find out this Sunday after worship and a snack. Questions and discussion are encouraged. 

Provide a Meal for a Parishioner in Need

Beloved parishioner Pamela Van de Graaf is having her hip replaced this month and we can show our care and support for her by preparing and delivering meals to her home.

If you're able to help, sign up using the Meal Train site here. If you have questions, reach out to Vieva Grenier.

Send prayers to Pamela as she navigates her recovery.

Support Episcopal Relief & Development During Lent

Each year St. Paul's has dedicated our fundraising efforts in Lent to support Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD).

ERD works in collaboration with church partners and other local organizations to facilitate healthier, more fulfilling lives in communities that are struggling with hunger, poverty, disaster and disease. They work around the world and here in the U.S. responding to and rebuilding after disasters.

ERD's programs impact the lives of over three million people annually, respecting the dignity of all people, and working alongside participants regardless of religious affiliation or background.

ERD's unique expertise, experience and practical knowledge allow them to guide communities to lasting change with a focus on three key priorities:

·    Women

·    Children

·    Climate

We hope that you will consider making a contribution, by either mailing a check to the Cathedral with "ERD" in the memo line, or using the ERD line on the donation page of the Cathedral website. There will be a formal ingathering at the Cathedral on the last Sunday in Lent, April 6, 2025.

St. Paul's Young Adults Host Gaming Party

Carcassonne... Tigris & Euphrates... Saint Petersburg... Puerto Rico... Catan... If these are more than just somewhat obscure place names to you, please consider coming to an afternoon of German-style board games hosted by the Younger Adults of St. Paul (18-after-high-school to 40ish) on Sunday, March 16th, beginning at 1:00pm.

Festivities begin with a special game everyone is invited to play together. Then folks will split into affinity groups related to the various games (and teachers) on hand. All of the fun wraps up by 3:00pm. See you there! 

Cathedral Arts Presents Alan Chiang, Piano

Join us on Tuesday, March 18 for a program featuring works of J. S. Bach (including the Third English Suite in a minor), Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms, creating a Lenten mood of introspection.

Alan Chiang, from South Burlington, has performed at Carnegie Hall in association with the Adamant School in Vermont. He has attended and performed at many international summer music festivals. Alan Chiang has studied under Dr. Paul Orgel in Vermont and Professor Wei-Yi Yang during his undergraduate studies at Yale. Concurrent with his pursuits in piano performance, he writes, tutors, walks and sits dogs.

Tuesday, March 18 at noon. This is a free concert. Donations to Cathedral Arts are always gratefully accepted.

St. Paul's Team to Participate in Spectrum Sleep Out

One of St. Paul's outreach organizations is Spectrum Youth and Family Center.

Each year, Spectrum helps 1,400 teens and young adults ages 12-26 get food, shelter, counseling, mentoring, job training, and anything else they need to thrive as adults.

Annegret Schmitt-Johnson and Marti Churchill have created a team for St. Paul's. We plan to do the Sleep Out Fundraiser on March 20th, 2025. Please join us by donating to our team OR sleep out with us! https://give.spectrumvt.org/team/640471 (link to donate)

About the Sleep Out: Each year, over 400 people of all ages sleep outside overnight in solidarity with youth facing homelessness Vermont—and 3,000 people donate to support them. When you sleep out or donate, you ensure a young person can get help when they need it most. 

Cathedral Arts Launches Independent Fundraising Page, Online Donations

Over the past year, the Cathedral Arts committee, under the leadership of Peter Berton, has been working hard to attain their status as an arts organization, separate from the Cathedral, with a mission to provide a physical sanctuary in which art in all forms cultivates inspiration and nourishes the human spirit through its transformative power.

If you haven't already, check out the Cathedral Arts website here. You can donate directly to Cathedral Arts online here.

Justice Speaks: Resisting Evil

Jesus resisted oppressive authorities of his day, as when he healed a man in the temple on the Sabbath, and prevented the stoning of a woman caught in adultery. We are in a period that calls for resistance on various fronts, deep soul work and organized effort. We need to be literate about human rights and to stand up for them. Autocracies thrive when people are silent.  

Sadly and tragically, government agencies are following up on current presidential promises to arrest undocumented immigrants in many states, including Vermont.

The fundamental constitutional protections of due process and equal protection embodied in our Constitution and Bill of Rights apply to every person, regardless of immigration status.  

Migrant Justice and American Civil Liberties Union are working together to share important information with immigrants and supporters for resisting unlawful invasion and arrest. They are holding workshops in various places to educate us in this process.  

https://www.acluvt.org/en/know-your-rights-immigration-resources    

The Episcopal Migration Ministries had developed an effective program to help immigrants establish care networks for their children if parents were arrested. That program has been gutted by federal funding cuts and is sadly being dismantled.  

https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2025/01/31/episcopal-migration-ministries-to-end-resettlement-work-lay-off-22-after-trump-halts-refugee-program/

Migrant Justice worked hard to get the Fair and Impartial Policing Policy (FIPP) adopted by the State, Burlington and several other municipalities. Its purpose is to prevent police and sheriffs from enforcing immigration policy. It is now vulnerable to being weakened. 

Suggested action: email mayor@burlingtonvt.gov and btraverse@burlingtonvt.gov (city council president) with message: Please keep the FIPP as strong as possible to protect public safety. 

Thank you!

Sylvia Knight

Bishop Shannon to Begin Sabbatical April 1

Bishop Shannon has announced that she will be taking a sabbatical from April 1 through July 31.

She writes, "Some of you may not be aware that ordained people, of various denominations, including Episcopalian, are expected to take a sabbatical. The purpose isn’t to create time for some work product such as a book or body of research, but rather for reflection, rest, and renewal.

During my sabbatical as part of my reflection, I will engage in activities that are restful and restorative, such as knitting, sewing, icon writing (painting), developing a yoga practice, and reading. As I write this, it sounds like a lot. But trust me, this will all be restful work for my spirit."

Bishop Shannon also included a list of books she will be reading while she is away and invited everyone to join her. You can see the list here.