Dean's Message for Thursday, March 26, 2026

Author:
March 31, 2026

Beloveds,

Palm Sunday is this Sunday, and with it we enter the sacred rhythm of Holy Week.

Our 8:00 a.m. service will be held in the Chapel as usual. At 9:00 and 11:15 a.m., we invite you into a particularly meaningful beginning to the liturgy: we will gather at the Survivor Tree at the Oklahoma City National Memorial for the Palm Procession. From there, we will process together back to St. Paul’s, where the service will continue. Please plan to park at the cathedral and allow a few extra minutes to walk over so you can be fully present for this powerful start to the day.

The days ahead offer a rich and intentional journey through the heart of our faith. We begin even before Sunday with our Palm Cross Making Brunch and a special behind-the-scenes cathedral tour this Saturday at 9:00 a.m. in Dean Willey Hall—one of those uniquely St. Paul’s traditions that draws us together across generations.

Throughout the week, you will find numerous opportunities for worship, prayer, and reflection—more than two dozen services and gatherings that carry us from the shouts of “Hosanna” to the quiet of the tomb, and ultimately, to the joy of resurrection. Access the full Holy Week schedule and details HERE. I encourage you to review the full Holy Week schedule and be intentional about how you mark this time.

In particular, I hope you will consider signing up for the Watch with Christ Prayer Vigil, which begins Thursday night and continues through Friday morning. Keeping watch in prayer through the night is a profound way to enter the story of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, joining generations of Christians who have sought to remain awake with Christ in his hour of longing and love.

Holy Week invites us not just to remember, but to participate—to walk, to watch, to wait, and to hope. However you are able, I invite you to enter this week fully. Come as you are, bring your whole self, and allow the story of Christ’s passion and resurrection to meet you anew.

Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


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

 

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