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St. James' Cathedral, here in Toronto, is a more traditional cathedral than All Saints' in Milwaukee. It's not a parish, as ASC is, so there's not the same sort of community present. This isn't a criticism, mind you...parish life is not what cathedrals typically offer. ASC was made a parish partly, I think, to save it when it came near to closing years ago. Now that it's healthy people there have gotten rather used to the parish/cathedral duality. As part of my education, and because parish life is part of my spiritual paradigm, I'm looking for a church to join. Amy likes the cathedral, so we'll probably split our time between the two...but today she had to work in the morning so I went alone to The Church of the Epiphany and St. Mark, which would (in a traditional world) be my parish church. Note: By that I mean it's the Anglican church closest to my home, which used to be how one's Sunday attendance was decided. You went to the church in your neighbourhood, and if you didn't show up all your neighbours knew it! Anyhow, I walked the short distance and found the small church, tucked down a quiet street in the comfortably shabby neighbourhood of Parkdale. The building is brick inside and out and the style is somewhat utilitarian, though there's beauty in the simplicity. The windows aren't anything spectacular, but that's part of what makes them lovely...it's comfortable. The congregation is a mix of ethnicities and ages. There's the typical handful of older folks but also a healthy (for the size) number of young people, including a couple of teenage sidesmen (ushers, in American parlance). When I opened the bulletin beforehand I was struck by how familiar the celebrant's name was...when he introduced himself at the top of the Eucharist I found out why. He's the chaplain at Trinity College. That Fr. B was there is, perhaps, a symptom of the reason I won't be going back any time soon. Not that I disliked his style or sermon - both were excellent - but he was there because they have no incumbent (rector, American friends, rector). The mass suffered signs of a parish without regular liturgical guidance as portions were skipped, wrong prayers were read and the congregation hesitated to respond. I'd rather find a home with some stability in worship, since my life right now is undergoing such change. There is, however, a chance I'll go back, perhaps in a couple months. After the mass I heard Fr. B talking to one of the church wardens about the new interim priest who'll be starting at Epiphany and St. Mark's next week...so they're not a struggling mission church, they're just between incumbents. Maybe I'll go back after the interim priest gets settled. I do like the idea of attending the closest parish. And regardless of the few miscues, it was a lovely Eucharist and Fr. B's sermon quite interesting. Using the theme of masks, he discussed removing old, limiting identities. Jeremiah's remade pottery, Paul's urging Philemon to take Onesimus as brother rather than slave, and Jesus' own call to reject roles defined by human relations all were cast as calls to forsake earthly definitions in favour of a life in Christ. It's a theme I relate to quite well. There is in me, I have to admit, the urge to join this small parish because it's small. I like underdogs, I like to be able to make an impact, and a little church in transition is a tempting place to play "Hero Seminarian." Whether or not the parishioners have any interest in welcoming such a fool is another question. Next Sunday I think I'll go, if Amy is amenable, to St. Thomas, which looks quite promising to an Anglo-Catholic... |
