Dean's Message for September 18, 2025

Author:
September 17, 2025

This Sunday, we will sing a hymn that has been in our hymnal for many years, but which we rarely sing at St. Paul's—"There is a Balm in Gilead".

To me, some hymns feel as if they are connective tissue, through American history and all the way back to the ancient Israelites. The reference in the refrain goes back to the book of Jeremiah, but Peter, Paul and Jesus are all mentioned in the two short verses.

I will miss hearing this live, as I will be preaching at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Austin this weekend. All our friends in the Central Texas region have been profoundly affected by the floods earlier this year, and it is my hope that our story at St. Paul's and in the larger Oklahoma City community of resilience, strength, faith and hope after the Murrah Building tragedy of thirty years ago can be a source of encouragement—a balm.

The Rev. John Borrego will be preaching and celebrating in my absence, ably assisted by Deacon Tracy Anderson and our wonderful lay ministers and choir. "There is a balm in Gilead, to make the wounded whole, there is a balm in Gilead, to heal the sinsick soul" (Hymnal 676).

The Very Reverend Katie Churchwell, 15th Dean, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

BACK