A few years ago, I interviewed four longstanding and faithful members of Trinity Cathedral for a continuing education project to ask the question:
What brought you to Trinity, and what led you to put roots down?
Each person gave a different version of the same answer: they became part of Trinity because of our visibility in the wider community, and the transcendent liturgy of the cathedral.
Now, I should clarify one important element: all four had slightly different perspectives on public witness, and each valued something different about the worship life of Trinity. Indeed, these four people attended a different mix of services, including the 8:00 a.m., the 9:00 a.m. Abundant Table, the 10:00 a.m. summer service, the 11:15 a.m. choral service, evensong, and the monthly solemn Eucharist.
It was clear from our conversations that the breadth and beauty of worship at Trinity Cathedral are essential to Trinity’s present ministry and to our growth and community impact in the future. This is both the gift and the responsibility of being a cathedral congregation!
What elements are essential to creating transcendent liturgy? Well, music, of course, and preaching, and the participation of a thriving congregation: your presence in worship is an essential part of liturgies that are faithful and beautiful.
To craft and lead meaningful liturgy, we need the leadership not just of clergy and staff but of literally dozens of people every Sunday. From choir to acolytes, ushers to readers, vergers to eucharistic ministers, greeters to coffee-hour hosts, there is no transcendent worship—today or tomorrow—without the people of God playing a role.
At this time, we are in the process of creating the liturgy schedule for the fall. I encourage you to volunteer, to try a new way to serve, or better yet, to be a mentor to someone learning a new role. This is truly what it means to say “liturgy is the work of the people.”
It is a great gift to be a part of the transcendent experience of cathedral liturgy, week in and week out. But liturgy isn’t just passive: it takes all of us, our prayers and our songs and our presence in worship and in leadership, to make it happen. When we do, we create space for the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of those walking through our doors for what we hope will be the first time of many.
Faithfully,
