TSPC Newsletter Fall 2025
The St. Paul Center for Theology and Prayer exists to form disciples of Jesus in every congregation. It seeks to do this by equipping and resourcing local congregations for the tasks and joys of faith formation, teaching and learning, catechesis, and the life of prayer.
Already the leaves are falling from the trees, and school children and teachers are well settled in the new academic year. As churches embark on new programmatic schedules, we hope you will find useful ideas and information here in the TSPC newsletter. This time our theme is ‘Holy Ground’ - as part of our year-long consideration of Wilderness. Plus we have news of an exciting guest speaker coming up - a date for your calendars for 2026!
Don’t forget, you can find our previous newsletters online. If you’re reading this because someone shared it with you, and you’re not yet on our newsletter mailing list, please do sign up here, so you’ll be sure to receive all future news from TSPC!
A THOUGHT FROM TSPC
Holy Ground
One of the privileges which comes with being a student at the University of Durham (in the UK) is spending time in Durham’s awe-inspiring Romanesque cathedral. Construction of that epic building began in 1093; 900 years later I began my student days there! My favourite time in the cathedral was the annual Advent service. You had to arrive early to get a seat at the very popular event! So I would find myself, on a dark, wintry evening in the North-east of England, sitting in shadowy obscurity in that ancient building, waiting for the choir to begin their candlelit procession from the rear of the sanctuary, slowly bringing light into the darkness.
The impressive stone walls and towers of Durham Cathedral
During those moments of blackness, I could sense the stones around me. The earliest Durham monks, in the 12th century, would have experienced the space this same way - a vast, cavernous darkness barely touched by the flicker of a candle. I felt connected to them across time, in this shared absence of electric light. The flagstones beneath me undulated with troughs carved by centuries of feet pacing back and forth over them. Those who had worshipped here before had left their marks - and had left the resonance of their faith, palpable to me in the stillness as we waited to sing, ‘O come, o come, Emmanuel!’
This was Holy ground indeed; made so by the many, many believers who had gone before. Slow drops of divinity soak into pews, pillars, stones, and over time a space becomes saturated. One of the locations where I have encountered this most strongly was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. I would challenge even the most committed atheist not to feel the vibrations of faith in that space; and of course there is a confluence of religions in that holy city. One does not have to share a belief to feel its resonance - to sense the echo of prayers offered again and again, by countless thousands, in a sacred spot.
So we construct edifices and, within them, build up layer upon layer of devotion. It is not, however, only in buildings, temples, sanctuaries, that we may discover these echoes of spirituality. In the beauties of creation we also encounter the divine - and can be stopped in our tracks by nature’s glory. There are places in my homeland - Scotland - where I find myself compelled to exclaim aloud, ‘Look at that!’ Buachaile Etive Mòr - the mountain whose name means the ‘great herdsman of Etive’ - rises up ahead of you on the jounrey through Glen Coe, and takes your breath away. All who stop to gaze in wonder feel the majesty of that place - however they encounter it within their own belief system. And so, over time, that environment becomes sacred not only because of the wonders of creation seen there, but also because of the reactions of those who have beheld those marvels. We share a moment with them, across the centuries, resonating with the same bewildered awe.
All ground is holy; all spaces can be sacred. God the Creator makes them so - but often we, the interactors with that holiness, are the ones who will communicate it to others. We scatter our own drops of belief, of faith, of amazement - and sometimes of terror, grief, despair - wherever we pause to encounter the divine. We leave behind the echo of those interactions, wearing down and shaping the flagstones with our soles and our souls. I am comforted by the thought of the future generations who will, in their turn, feel the reverberations of we who went before. In 900 years someone else may sit in Durham Cathedral and be touched by a ripple of a devotion I offered there. So we carve out holy ground, and cause the Wilderness to resonate with our prayers.
Kirsten Cairns
WHAT’S ON AT TSPC - and beyond!
FALL 2025
Lay Eucharist Visitor Training
Co-sponsored by TSPC with the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Four opportunities for Eucharistic Visitor Training are being offered in person this fall. Eucharistic visitors extend the altar to include those who are homebound or in the hospital. This important pastoral and liturgical ministry is offered by adult lay members of the congregation who are certified by the diocese. In order to be certified, eucharistic visitors must complete Safe Church training, be nominated by their priest, and attend a diocesan-approved training.
One training is scheduled in each region of the diocese:
• Tuesday, Oct. 21, 6:30-9 pm at Our Redeemer, Lexington (space limited to 7 people)
• Saturday, Nov. 1, 9 am-noon at St. Mary's, Barnstable
• Tuesday, Nov. 18, 6:30-9 pm at Our Redeemer, Lexington (space limited to 7 people)
• Training in Spanish: Sunday, Nov. 23, 2-4:30 pm at St. Anne's, Lowell (snacks included)
You can register for the above training sessions here.
Faith, Music and Holy Spaces
Fall, Advent and the run up to Christmas are seasons when church calendars are often full of musical happenings. Music is such an important part of our faith traditions - and is one of the ways a space can be made to feel particularly holy, as we chant, sing, and express our hopes and prayers through melody, imbuing our buildings with the sound of our songs of praise. At TSPC’s Central Region hub, The Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, there are various musical events coming up in the weeks ahead, which might be of interest - to inspire, uplift, and entertain!
Taize with The Crossing: Oct 20th 7pm
Every third Monday of the month, The Crossing Boston offers a service of rest, peace, silence, and music, in the Sanctuary at the Cathedral.
Silent Movies with live organ music: Nov 8th from 4pm
A unique opportunity to see the classic silent movies ‘The Red Balloon’ and ‘The Kid’ (with Charlie Chaplin) accompanied with live music from internationally renowned silent movie organist Peter Krasinski. All details here.
Sung Compline: Nov 10th 7pm
In addition to a monthly Sung Compline on Zoom, from time to time the Cathedral offers an in person service of Compline. Come sing, breathe, pray, reboot in a quiet, candlelit service.
Messiah Sing: Dec 17th 5.15pm
For many, Handel’s Messiah is a vital part of their Christmas celebrations. Join the Cathedral Schola and sing along with Part 1 - all the Christmas story sections of this beloved oratorio. All details can be found here.
EARLY 2026
SAVE THE DATE: Guest Speaker The Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts - January 21st
During the week of Christian Unity, we are delighted that the Rev. Dr. Matthew Potts will be joining us at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, to speak on the subject of Forgiveness. More details to follow in our next newsletter; please Save the Date!
Please note, our planned November 8th presentation with Sarah Augustine and Joe Hubbard is postponed to a future date.
We look forward to welcoming guests Sarah Augustine, author of ‘The Land is Not Empty’ and cofounder and executive director of the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition, and Joe Hubbard, Convener of the Episcopal Indigenous Justice Roundtable, at a future time, when schedules align!
RECENT EVENTS
BIG QUESTION DAY - ‘Where is God?’ Saturday August 23 in Newburyport, Cohasset and Boston
Each Summer The St. Paul Center for Theology and Prayer hosts an in-person day to tackle a ‘Big Question’. This year we asked ‘Where is God?’
We were delighted to have more than 60 people sign up to attend the Big Question days in our three regions. In the Central Region, The Very Rev. Amy McCreath reported back that it was a pleasure to have The Rev. Dr. Matthew Potts co-host the day with her. The printed booklet (given to all attendees) was very well received. People particularly wanted to consider where God is to be found in suffering. Dean Amy reflected afterwards, ‘We found that this topic was more challenging to frame than those we tackled in previous years. We needed to address the nature of God, theodicy (the justice of God), and practical theology (how to live in light of our faith) in one short day! Nonetheless, those gathered were thankful for a space to meet at the intersection of these three topics, to receive what we had to offer, and to share honestly and prayerfully with one another.’
The Rev. Dr. Matthew Potts and participants at the Central Region event
In the Northern Region, The Rev. Rita Powell said they started by wondering, ‘How do we ask a big question?’ They then considered ‘God in Creation’ and ‘God in suffering’.
The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold led the Southern Region event. One way they approached the topic was to ask, ‘Where do you WANT to find God?’ Looking at the newspaper from that day, attendees were asked to find something which spoke to them as a need in the world, which they all shared and prayed over - and sought possible actions they could take.
Feedback from participants regarding things they enjoyed about the day included:
‘[I enjoyed] people of faith joining together with a common belief’
‘I especially enjoyed being with people who take God seriously - and respect the Love commandment! I felt more a part of the 2,000 year stream of Christendom than ever before, and I appreciated in a new way that the sacred conversation is on-going and ever evolving.’
‘[I liked the] peaceful ambiance; excellent facilitation; warm engagement; new insights’
The booklet created for the day is available for your use here. We hope more folks will join one of our three regions next Summer, when we’ll be posing another ‘Big Question’! If you have suggestions for a topic you’d like to consider, our email inbox is always open!
Ministry Discernment Day - Saturday September 27th
TSPC was glad to co-convene another discernment day with the Commission on Ministry. Moving to a new schedule for discernment, the plan is to hold this day in the Fall going forward. It was a pleasure to see so many gathered to consider to what God may be calling them. Various guest speakers presented on a wide variety of vocations, both lay and ordained. Bishop the Rt. Rev. Julia E. Whitworth also shared her thoughts and insight with those gathered. Thanks to all who attended, especially our guest speakers.
Bishop Whitworth addresses those gathered in the cathedral for the Discernment Day
Seeking your feedback!
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CLOSING WITH … A THOUGHT ON SACRED SPACES
From Madeleine L’Engle’s The Young Unicorns comes this meditation on the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on a November evening:
“The sun had set with winter abruptness, and its rays no longer came through the windows; the brilliance of stained glass was eclipsed by night. The columns were more somber, now, as though the whole Cathedral were settling itself to bear the burden of the dark.”
St. John the Divine
When the lights and colors of our lives feel dimmed by the griefs of our lives and our world, what pillars still stand, to bear that weight? What words are cried out by those stones, to give us promises we can trust, steadiness in the dark, until the dawn returns?
The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold
Please share your thoughts - or your questions! - with us. Our email inbox is always open! tspc@diomass.org
