Grace Cathedral

Dear Friends,

Our all-ages formation program is kicking off a year of creation care at Grace Cathedral.

Seventy percent of 2024 Grace Cathedral survey respondents said climate change was a pressing concern. The views raised through the survey reflect our shared desire to care for the planet and all those who call it home.

This year, Grace Cathedral’s formation programs will focus on creation care and how we can respond to this great issue of our time as people of faith. Over the next year, we will offer classes and events that provide all members of the congregation opportunities to gather in faith and love to respond to our common call to be stewards of our planet.

Join us this Sunday, September 1, for a special gathering to mark the beginning of the Season of Creation, a celebration of our planet observed by churches across the globe.

All are warmly invited to gather in the Chapter Room after the 11 am Eucharist for a Season of Creation Bible Study. In a session led by the Rev. Sally Bingham, the Canon for the Environment, we will begin reading the Creation Care Bible Challenge, an award-winning text featuring scripture passages and reflections from leading theologians of the Episcopal church, including our Dean, the Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young. Copies of the book will be available for participants, and all will be invited to remain in conversation as we continue our reading journey through fifty days of scripture and insights.

Grace Cathedral children and youth will also be celebrating the Season of Creation. Our youth group is participating in the California Coastal Clean-up on Saturday, September 21. Our Sunday classes for children will explore the wonders of God’s world in preparation for Saint Francis Day and the celebration of the saint who helps us see God in all creation.

In the coming months, we will offer creation care activities ranging from beach worship to eco-friendly holiday activities, a plant-based Agape feast, and a small group program using the Episcopal church curriculum Love God, Love God’s World.

The 2024-25 Organ Recital Series also kicks off this Sunday! Join us at 4 pm for a recital by sensational young German organist Raphael Vogl, currently a doctoral student at Juilliard. His program will feature works by Max Reger and Anton Bruckner.

As people of faith, we know that love drives out fear and that, with God’s help, all things are possible. It’s reassuring to be part of this loving, thoughtful, and courageous community. In the coming months, we will respond together, with hope and faith, to the challenge and invitation of caring for God’s creation.

Congregation Sunday, September 8, provides another wonderful opportunity to gather! Please join us on the plaza after the 11 am Eucharist for this celebration of congregation life and the opportunity to meet with representatives of the ministries that make our church flourish. This is your chance to learn how to get involved while enjoying food, fun, and fellowship!

With gratitude,

Steph McNally
Formation Programs Manager for Children, Youth, Families, and Adults