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Saturday, November 7, 2026
Church by the Pond
2:00 p.m., Bushnell Park (near the carousel)
Celebrant:
Father George Roberts
Meals:
St. James Episcopal, Farmington
Learn more about Church by the Pond
Sunday, November 8, 2026
Service Bulletin
Learn more about Connecticut’s Cathedral
8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (spoken)
Celebrant/Preacher:
The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (sung)
Celebrant/Preacher:
The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens
12:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist (Spanish)
Celebrant/Preacher:
The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens
1:30 p.m. Formation in Spanish
Church Street Eats
12:00 p.m., Sundays
Cathedral House Dining Room
Learn more about Church Street Eats
Dwelling in the Word
5:00 p.m., Thursdays
Via Zoom:
Click here for meeting link
Meeting ID: 814 9796 1323
Passcode: 168379
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ENGAGING THE CONGREGATION | | On October 30, 2026 and November 3, 2026 the Bishop’s Dean Search Advisory Committee met with candidates for worship, dinner, and conversation. Afterwards, the Committee provided extensive feedback to Bishop Mello. On November 12, 2026, he will present his nomination for the 11th Dean of Christ Church Cathedral to the Chapter and call for a vote of ratification. | | | | |
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Dear Companions in Christ,
I write to you with mixed feelings of joy and sadness. As you may be aware, I have been contemplating moving closer to my daughter and her family in Pennsylvania. This past month I found a home that is perfect for me. I have made an offer, which was accepted, and hope to close on the property on November 17th with plans to move on November 30th.
You are my church family and I will miss you dearly. Since I began serving at our cathedral in 2019 you have embraced me and I have received many blessings through your kindness, hospitality, faithfulness, and love. Most importantly in serving with you, you have shown me what it means to be kind, have mercy and do justice.
Celebrate the gifts you have been given in feeding those who are food insecure, supporting CT State Community College Capital Food Pantry, kidney screenings, advocating for those who have no voice, visiting those who are homebound, faithfully praying for and with those in our community in need of prayer, and taking the time to celebrate one another’s accomplishments while eating cake.
I have praised God, laughed, cried, built relationships with you, and have been supported by you. Please know that while distance will hold me separated from you, you will always be in my thoughts and prayers.
Archdeacon Bonnie
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STEWARDSHIP FORMATION SERIES | | |
Plenty Good Room Formation Series
This Stewardship season, the Stewardship Team and the Formation Team are collaborating to offer a four-session Bible study around the 2026 stewardship theme, “Plenty Good Room”. The sessions will take place Sunday mornings during the Formation period Sunday morning from 9:00–9:45 a.m. in the Childcare Room.
Due to Bishop Laura being with us on Sunday, November 8, there will be no Formation that day.
The series will continue on Sunday, November 15. The next session, “Beloved Community”, will be led by John Decker.
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STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN 2026:
WEEKLY REFLECTION
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Making Room for Plenty Good Harvest
The harvest is great, but the workers are few. Matthew 9:37 (NLT)
When I was a teenager, my grandmother loved her garden. She still does. Her garden required the kind of care that kept her hands in the soil and her attention fixed on the rhythms of the season. On warm afternoons she would call me outside to help her prepare the dirt, loosening the earth, pulling weeds, and clearing space for new seeds. I remember standing there sometimes, puzzled and very impatient. To me, the garden already looked fine.
After the winter season, I had grown accustomed to what it always looked like. To me, it was good enough. Why disturb what was already there? Why dig up soil that seemed just fine? The work felt slow and unnecessary, but my grandmother understood something I was still learning.
A healthy garden needs tending. She moved through those rows and buckets with patience, gently removing what did not belong, the stubborn weeds, the tangled stems, the crowded patches of soil that had no room left to breathe. She knew that if new life was going to grow, something first had to be cleared away. The garden would overflow with life, all because we made room.
Season after season, I was, and still am, amazed. Looking back now, I realize something I did not understand then: if the garden had stayed the way I wanted it, untouched, crowded, unpruned, we would never have seen that abundance at all. The garden required room, and a willingness to yield.
Sometimes that work feels uncomfortable. Sometimes it feels unnecessary. Sometimes we cannot yet see what God is preparing to grow. But the invitation remains the same: make room for new life, make room for deeper faith, make room for the Spirit to move in ways we may not yet understand. And when the seasons of harvest come, we may discover what my grandmother knew all along: when space is made in the garden, there is always plenty good room for the harvest.
Questions for Reflection:
What might God be inviting you to release or clear away in your life so that something new can grow?
Shannon Whittaker is a member of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Cambria Heights, New York.
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Hacer lugar para una gran cosecha
“La cosecha es grande, pero pocos son los obreros.” Mateo 9:37 (NTV)
Cuando era adolescente, a mi abuela le encantaba el jardín, y todavía le encanta. Para cuidarlo tenía que poner las manos en la tierra y prestar atención al ritmo de las estaciones. En las tardes cuando la temperatura era agradable, me llamaba para que la ayudara a preparar la tierra: aflojar el suelo, arrancar las malas hierbas y hacer lugar para plantar semillas nuevas. Recuerdo que a veces me quedaba mirando, confundida y muy impaciente. Para mí, el jardín ya estaba bien.
Después del invierno, ya me había acostumbrado a cómo se veía y para mí, estaba bien. ¿Por qué teníamos que alterarlo? ¿Por qué remover la tierra si estaba en buen estado? El trabajo que hacíamos me parecía lento e innecesario, pero mi abuela sabía algo que yo tenía que aprender.
Para que un jardín goce de buena salud hay que cuidarlo. Ella recorría las hileras de plantines con mucha paciencia e iba arrancando suavemente lo que no debía estar: las obstinadas malas hierbas, los tallos enredados, los lugares donde ya no había espacio en la tierra para respirar. Sabía que para que creciera una planta, primero había que despejar algo. Para que el jardín rebosara de vida tenía que tener más espacio.
Estación tras estación, me asombraba —y todavía me asombra—. Ahora que reflexiono sobre esos años, me doy cuenta de algo que entonces no entendía: si el jardín se hubiera quedado como yo quería: intacto, abarrotado y sin podar, nunca hubiéramos visto esa abundancia. El jardín necesitaba espacio y la voluntad de mi abuela para hacer lugar.
A veces ese trabajo puede ser incómodo, a veces puede parecer innecesario, a veces no podemos ver lo que Dios está preparando para hacer crecer. Pero la invitación sigue siendo la misma: hacer lugar para la vida nueva, hacer lugar para una fe más profunda, hacer lugar para que el Espíritu se manifieste de maneras que quizá todavía no comprendamos. Y al llegar la época de la cosecha, podremos descubrir lo que mi abuela siempre supo: si se hace lugar en el jardín, siempre habrá un lugar para una gran cosecha.
Para reflexionar:
¿Qué podría estar invitándote Dios a soltar o a despejar en tu vida para que algo nuevo pueda crecer?
Shannon Whittaker es miembro de la Iglesia Episcopal St. David en Cambria Heights, Nueva York.
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Continuing a CCC tradition, we will host a Christmas wreath-making workshop in the Cathedral House from 1:00–4:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 29. The $45 registration fee includes all materials needed. To register, or for more information about the workshop, please call or text 978-902-0597.
Children’s activities will be offered at 2:00 p.m.
Please note that registration closes on Wednesday, November 25.
Live music will be provided by Irish to the Last Drop.
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Would you like to support the CCC Children’s Choir?
Our children's choir meets on Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m. Please contact directorofmusic@cccathedral.org for more information, or if you would like to volunteer to help! You can also call 860-527-7231, ext. 108.
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October 31, 2026
We were blessed with another beautiful October afternoon in Bushnell Park.
The Rev. Claudia Scheda presided over our congregation of thirty at Church by the Pond. Before the service began, as is typical, we greeted each other in conversation and shared both the blessings we have received and the concerns we have. One congregant shared that Latoya, a congregant who was a steady presence until recently, had died after being struck by a car. We held Latoya and her loved ones in prayer.
As the service began, Rev. Claudia led us in prayer and provided a thoughtful reflection on the Gospel. The crowds who followed Jesus were not the powerful, the wealthy, the strong. Like many of us they searched for food, for health, for their voice to be heard. This was a particularly appropriate lesson as we approach Election Day. Rev. Claudia encouraged all to use their voice this weekend or on Tuesday by voting.
Thirty congregants shared prayer, peace and Holy Communion.
Following the service, Trinity Episcopal Church, Collinsville provided bagged lunches for thirty guests. While we were serving a group stopped by to share cookies, cakes, and other sweet items from a grocery store. This was an additional blessing.
Submitted by Lay Coordinator Nancy Jacobs
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November 1, 2026,
All Saints’ Day
On All Saints Sunday, our 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist was celebrated by The Rev. Melina Dezhbod CCC Vicar/Chaplain, who also preached. At the 10:00 a.m. celebration, our Interim Dean, The Rev. Canon Harlon Dalton, presided, with Rev. Melina delivering the sermon.
Through her reflection on All Saints Day and the Beatitudes, Rev. Melina encouraged us not to become overwhelmed by the challenges of today’s social realities, but to renew and strengthen our faith. She reminded us that the Beatitudes reveal what matters to God, where He meets us, and how we can make His love known, even in the most difficult times.
She also reminded us that God does not seek perfect people, but rather people willing to be transformed by His grace and to share in the redemptive work of His Son. May we embrace these teachings and continue walking the path of holiness.
At 9:00 a.m., we gathered for Christian formation, followed by our hospitality fellowship at 11:30 a.m.
At 12:30 p.m., our Spanish Holy Eucharist was celebrated and preached by The Rev. Canon Ramon Garcia. He emphasized that the Beatitudes provide an essential guide to Christian living and that the Holy Spirit shapes our character, producing the extraordinary fruits described in Galatians 5:22–23: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
May the lives of all the saints inspire us to grow in faith, reflect Christ’s love, and become instruments of God’s grace in the world.
Photos courtesy of Samuel Hernandez Claudio
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The Hospitality Team invites you to enhance our time together after the 10:00 a.m. service by bringing a food/refreshment offering to share.
A sign-up sheet will be available every Sunday in the Cathedral House Auditorium on which you may sign up for a specific Sunday and goody offering.
Thank you for your past and on-going support; it is very much appreciated and enjoyed by all!
Lilibeth Warner - Co-Convener
John Decker - Co-Convener
Hospitality Ministry Team
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HARTT CHOIRS FALL CONCERT | |
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All Are Invited!
The Hartt School of the University of Hartford will present their annual Choirs Fall Concert at Christ Church Cathedral this Saturday, November 7 (TOMORROW), at 7:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
This concert is part of Christ Church Cathedral’s
Engaging the Arts initiative.
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What makes a great season?
Hartford Stage has been a fixture of downtown Hartford since 1963, and for Connecticut theater buffs, few places are better to catch a show. But what does it take to put a season together?
Bobby Sherwood of the 169 Podcast sat down with Managing Director Cynthia Rider to discuss the new rendition of Dracula, this season's new slate of shows, what it takes to build a robust season.
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Holiday Magic for Everyone
Join us for special performances designed to make your holiday experience even more magical:
Pajama Night
November 29 at 6:30 p.m.
Sensory Friendly
December 5 at 2 p.m.
Open Captioned
December 6 at 2 p.m.
Audio Described
December 12 at 2 p.m.
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Our next Church Street Lounge sessions, in the Reception Room from 10:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. will take place on Tuesday, November 17, and Tuesday, December 1. Stay tuned for further information about this new opportunity for fellowship! | | | | | |
FIRST NIGHT HARTFORD: COMING SOON! | | |
Thursday, December 31, 2:00 p.m.–midnight, Downtown Hartford and Bushnell Park
Amazingly, it is only a few short weeks before we ring in 2027!
The 38th annual First Night Hartford will feature a variety of different activities to celebrate the turning of the year.
There are also several opportunities to be involved besides just attending.
If you are interested in being a vendor, please click the button below:
| | If you are interested in being a volunteer, please click the button below: | | If you are interested in supporting First Night Hartford financially, please click the button below: | | |
Finally, you can order your official First Night Hartford 2027 button. This year’s button, shown below, was designed by UHa alumna Rachel Tarinelli.
The button allows access to all First Night programming at over 20 venues. Adult buttons are $15, and children’s buttons (ages 16 and under) are $5. (All button proceeds directly support First Night Hartford.)
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Practicing Spirituality
From the ECCT website:
“Living deeply into our faith takes time, practice, patience, and the willingness to try on new things and new ways of being. It is a journey with Christ in which we are invited to live out our faith each day.”
Among the many excellent and helpful resources found on the ECCT website are some brief, wonderful lessons to help, educate, and encourage you on your spiritual journey:
PAUSE
LEARN
BLESS
REST
PRAY
JJMA (Joining Jesus in a New Missional Age) Spiritual Practices
BAPTISM
MARRIAGE
HOLY EUCHARIST
DEATH
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Camp Washington Community Dinner
Next Saturday, November 14, CW will host a community dinner from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Please join us at 5 p.m. for a service of beautiful music, inspiring words, and Holy Communion in the language of the Celtic Christian tradition, led by the Rev. Tuesday Rupp, and accompanied by Pete Miserendino on guitar, our friends from St Paul’s, Woodbury. Contemporary and contemplative, a beautiful offering to God.
Following worship, join us at 6:15 p.m. for dinner — a time of community, conversation, and wonderful food!
Come for worship and stay for dinner, or just come for dinner; your choice. All are welcome!
In lieu of a ticket price for dinner, we welcome your generous donation at the table. All proceeds will go the CW Campership Fund, offering need-based financial assistance to our campers and retreatants.
Gather your family, organize a parish carpool, or extend an invitation to a neighbor and make plans to join us at camp.
Registration is required; please click here to register.
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Bexley Seabury Seminary launches climate justice and spiritual resilience program
Earlier this year, Bexley Seabury Seminary launched a virtual Climate Justice & Spiritual Resilience certification program, with the goal of helping Christians develop practical and theologically grounded knowledge and skills to carry out eco-spiritual and justice ministries effectively…
For the full text of this article, click here.
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Public Policy and witness Weekly Prayers - The Episcopal Church
We invite you to join us as we share new prayers each week for the vulnerable among us facing challenges, fears, and threats. We will name many of the harms unfolding around us and acknowledge what is being erased, lost, and threatened.
Please join us in prayer and share these prayers with your dioceses and parishes.
click for weekly prayer
Únanse a nosotros en estas oraciones semanales mientras buscamos la orientación de Dios para fundamentarnós y discernir cómo cada uno de nosotros puede responder. Somos una sola Iglesia unida en óración; enunciamos La verdad en presencia de las mentiras; creamos un espacio para la aflicción frente al rechazo; y hacemos lugar en nuestras almas para la esperanza.
Únanse en oración y compartan estas plegarias con sus diócesis y parroquias.
Haga clic aquí para acceder a la oración semanal
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Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, CT | cccathedral.org | | | | | |
