“We build too many walls and not enough bridges!” So says Issac Newton.

The newest of the Baptismal promises is a commitment to be good stewards of God’s Creation. In other words to build the bridges that will carry our faith into the next generation and the next. That task begins of course in the home, but the community in a church can also have much to offer and to teach people of faith of all ages.

Christian formation in the Episcopal Church is not a set of questions and answers, nor is it an absolute creedal statement to which all must adhere. Instead Christian formation is a life-long journey of seeking God. We are not always in agreement.  Thank goodness!  There is nothing more appalling than a group of people who believe they have all the answers and anyone who disagrees or doesn’t conform is doomed to eternal fire.  

 As Episcopalians, we are compelled to encourage open and frank participation in matters of faith and church governance.   Episcopalians do not adhere to a strict prescribed doctrine; most of us do not interpret scripture literally.  But each of us comes faithfully to the Table carrying our own questions and doubts and knowing that God will be there even when we struggle to find a common ground.  Ours is the “via media”, the middle way.  Welcoming all, worshiping together, sharing the Bread and Wine – the Body and Blood of Christ - even when it is difficult - because it is God’s table, God’s gift of compassion and mercy, God’s love that draws us there.

 St Patrick’s is committed to being a church in the city, serving God and our community faithfully through ministries that include prayer and worship, feeding the hungry, offering compassionate care, Christian education for children, Christian formation, and making great music in worship. 

Community Labyrinth

The outdoor community labyrinth is “walkable” again and now located at the “woods” end of our parking lot.  During Holy Week copies of “Walking to the Cross” from A Labyrinth Year: Walking The Seasons of the Church by Richard Kautz will be available on the window outside the church office.  This chapter contains meditations on the points of view of Peter, Barabbas, Simon of Cyrene, Mary, John, and a Roman soldier that can be read or used as a guide as you walk the labyrinth.

“It is solved by walking”…Labyrinths offer opportunity to walk in meditation to that place within s where the rational merges with the intuitive and the spiritual is reborn.  Quite simply labyrinths are a way to discover the sacred in everyday life.” From Page 8 in The Way of the Labyrinth by Helen Curry.