Dean's Message for September 10, 2026

Author:
September 16, 2026

Beloveds,
This Sunday is Rally Day at St. Paul’s, and I hope you’ll come ready to worship, reconnect, and step fully into a new program year together.

At 10:10 a.m., our annual Ministry Fair will fill Dean Willey Hall, offering a chance to meet ministry leaders, discover what is happening across the Cathedral, and perhaps find a new place to participate. Then head to the East Garden for fellowship, a bounce house, ice cream, and time together. Rally Day is more than a calendar event—it is an invitation to remember that each of us has a place in the life and ministry of this Cathedral.

Sunday also marks the beginning of two new rhythms for us.

At 4 p.m., we will gather for Choral Evensong, followed by Holy Eucharist at the high altar. Evensong will now be part of our worship every Sunday, offering another way to enter into prayer, sacred music, and the presence of God. If Evensong is new to you, I especially encourage you to come experience it.

And beginning Sunday, you’ll receive the first of our weekly Living a Faithful Life cards. Each card will offer a Cathedral-wide practice, a formation thought, and simple ways to begin, grow, deepen, and rest in one of our six Faithful Life Practices: Worship, Prayer, Care, Service, Learning, and Rest.

These cards are meant to be used—not simply collected! Put yours somewhere you will encounter it throughout the week: in your car, tucked inside the book you’re reading, on your bedside table, beside the bathroom mirror, or wherever it might invite you to pause and practice. Take it home. Keep it close. Return to it. Try the practices. Our hope is that these small invitations will help connect what happens inside the Cathedral on Sunday with the way we live our faith every day.

Finally, to all of our ministry leaders and volunteers of every age: I hope you’ll join us at the Churchwell home on Saturday, September 19 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m., for our Ministry Leader & Volunteer Appreciation Brunch. From our children and youth who serve as choristers, acolytes, and ushers to the many adults who offer their time and gifts across Cathedral life, this celebration is for all of you. You should have received an invitation postcard in the mail, and we hope you’ll join us for a ‘come and go’ morning of fellowship, good food, and gratitude for the many ways you help make the life and ministry of St. Paul’s possible. 

There is so much beginning. I am excited for us to gather Sunday—and even more excited to see how God will shape our common life as we discover together what it means to live a faithful life.

Grace and peace,

The Very Reverend Katie Churchwell +
15th Dean, St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral

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