Sunday Mornings
Dean’s Forum
The Dean’s Forum meets each Sunday, with the exception of the first Sunday of each month, on which the Cathedral Breakfast is held. Beginning at about 10:10 am on Sunday morning (enough time for folks from the 9:00 am liturgy to get a cup of coffee and find a place to sit), the Dean’s Forum is an exploration and discussion of topics of current interest or importance to the continuing spiritual growth of adult members of the Cathedral.
This Fall, the general subject of the Deans Forum will be Spiritual Gifts. Initially, we might think these are to be identified with the “fruits of the Spirit,” that St. Paul enumerates in his letter to the Galatians (Chapter 5). We might also remember the gifts of the Spirit to which Paul refers in his first letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 12. Yet neither of these lists of the work of the Holy Spirit defines what we mean by spiritual gifts. These are gifts that each person is given for ministry in the Church. They are hinted at by Paul when he says that “some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers…for building up the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4: 11). The schedule of the Dean’s Forum for the months of September through December follows:
September 5–First Sunday of the Month: There is no Dean’s Forum. Instead, join with other Cathedral members and guests for a time of fellowship over breakfast, prepared and served by the Vestry.
September 12–Introduction to Spiritual Gifts—Dean Goodman leads a discussion of the many gifts that we are given by God for ministry. Examples from scripture and from ministries we see at the Cathedral are explored. An easy, personal tool for beginning to assess what your spiritual gifts might be is provided.
September 19–Cathedral Choir England Tour—Maxine Thévenot and some choir participants from this year’s tour to St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and York Minster share photos, video and anecdotes about the trip.
September 26–Acolyte and Youth Fundraiser Breakfast—The Cathedral acolytes and youth members are preparing for a retreat at Camp Stoney, and you can help them raise funds for their time away. A French breakfast will be served, prepared by the chefs from L’Petite Louis. Tickets are required for this special affair. Please call Lisa Perko or Jane Gober (both at 247-1581) to make your reservations. Tickets are $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for kids. Bon appétit!
October 3–No Dean’s Forum: Cathedral Breakfast
October 10–Spiritual Gifts: Personality Types—Canon Perko facilitates a discussion Spiritual Gifts and personality types. There are many measures of types of personality type, the Myers/Briggs inventory, for example. What does your personality say about the ministries to which you might be most suited?
October 17–Spiritual Gifts, PersonalityTtypes and Prayer Styles—It turns out that one’s personality type not only has an impact on one’s spiritual gifts and how they are used. They way in which a person’s prayer life is developed also depends in fascinating ways on the personality type. A guest speaker leads the class through this very interesting area.
October 24–No Dean’s Forum: Bishop Michael Vono is enthroned at the 11:00 am liturgy.
October 31–Spiritual Gifts and the Style Awareness Assessment, or, Why you relate to others the way you do—Again, the spiritual gifts that we have are mediated through how we relate to other people, those with whom, or to whom, we minister. Charlie Hawkins, Senior Warden at the Cathedral and professional business consultant and facilitator, examines this important area.
November 7–No Dean’s Forum: Cathedral Breakfast
November 14–Spiritual Gifts, A quick inventory—So, now that we have some insights into our personality, our style of relating to others, and how our prayer life supports our giftedness, we take another look at the variety of spiritual gifts that exist among the members of the Body of Christ. What gifts ring most true for you? Jane Gober moderates this discussion.
November 21–Spiritual Gifts: Where do I fit in?—The final class in this series, this morning’s conversation centers around the opportunities for ministry here at the Cathedral and in the Diocese of the Rio Grande. What is the one-to-one correspondence that begins to emerge between your gifts and the opportunities to offer them in ministry? Canon Perko concludes the series.
November 28–The First Sunday of Advent: The Advent Event—Join with Cathedral members of all ages in Kaseman Hall to enjoy a Continental Breakfast together as we create Advent Wreaths for our observance of the season of Advent.
December 5–No Dean’s Forum, Cathedral Breakfast.
December 12–Handel’s “Messiah” —As part of the Friends of Cathedral Music concert series this year, Dr. Maxine Thévenot, Director of Cathedral Music, leads a unique performance of this iconic work. An all-male soloist ensemble joins with players from the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra to explore the period depths of Handel’s great oratorio. Dr. Thévenot presents this class on the history and composition of Messiah.
December 19–No Dean’s Forum: Hanging of the Greens.
December 26–No Dean’s Forum: There will be ONE celebration of the Holy Eucharist this morning, the First Sunday after Christmas Day, at 10:00 a.m..
First Sunday Breakfasts
On the First Sunday of the month, an organization of St. John's prepares breakfast and presents information about their ministry. This is a delightful time of fellowship and the food is always delicious.
There are several devotional groups active at St. John's. The Society of Mary, is one of the oldest devotional societies in the Episcopal Church. The Cathedral of St. John is home to Our Lady of the Rosary Ward of the Society. Members meet on the third Saturday of the month at 11AM for the corporate recitation of the rosary and also conduct Stations of the Cross on the Fridays of Lent. The Guild of St. Benedict is devoted to encouraging and supporting the frequent reading of the Daily Office as a foundation for personal spirituality. Daughters of the King have been active at St. John's since 1896. Women of this Order dedicate themselves to prayer and service. Meetings are the third Sat. of the month at 10AM. In 2009, a Centering Prayer group formed. They meet every Thursday evening at 6PM.
Membership is open to all.