The AngelusGrace and Holy Trinity Cathedral • Kansas City, Missouri Vol.73, No.6 • June 2004

The dean’s arrival and our attitudesAs June arrives, we anticipate the arrival of our dean-

elect, Terry White. I would call him the “new” dean, butDean Cavanaugh informed me that if I did, then he wouldbe the “old” dean, so I have revised my vocabulary. Speak-ing of our dean emeritus, he recently gave me an articlehe found while cleaning out some files.

The article is titled “How To Treat a New Pastor” andhas yellowed a bit in the years since it was clipped. Nev-ertheless, the insight found in thisthink piece may contain bits of wis-dom that we can use as we greet ourdean elect. The list, with added com-ments, follows:

1) Do not idolize him. Give him awide range of tolerance from yourideal.

Let’s see: our dean should be dedi-cated, reverent, friendly, and industri-ous. He should be able to work sevendays a week and yet take a day off eachweek to take care of himself. He shouldalways be available, no matter whattime of day or night and yet take timefor his family and be rested at all times.He should be active in civic activities,yet concentrate on the personal needsof each of us. Get the idea?

2) Do not expect to be thrilled by every sermon. Many peopleare in the pews, and every sermon will not be for you.

I could go on and on about the preparation of sermonsand how difficult it is to know what sermon will be mean-ingful to whom. Just when I give a sermon that I think isone of my best, no one says a word about it. In fact, Ihave a feeling people are avoiding making eye contact.But let me be dissatisfied with my message, and some-one will tell me that I must have been preaching just tohim or her.

3) Do not expect him to go about applying salve to everyonewho holds a grudge. Often that only encourages them intheir grudgery and prevents them from practicing Chris-tian forgiveness, growth and understanding.

Believe it or not, not everyone is happy at this great Ca-thedral all the time. Since we do not leave our human na-ture at the church door, we may have feelings of misunder-standing and/or feelings of martyrdom. That’s really the timewhen we can truly grow in our Christian life by not expect-

ing flawlessness from everyone. Forgiveness is freeing.4) Do not compare him to your favorite clergy, past or present.

Accept him for who and what he is and make him amongyour favorites. Yes, we all have our favorite priests.

I remember Dean Olsen, my childhood dean fromGrace Cathedral in Topeka. He had such an assurance ofChrist’s resurrection, that I was in awe of him always. Ifonly all priests could be like Dean Olsen. Wait a minute!

Forget that I mentioned him. See,we all need to be careful.

5) Do not embarrass him by expect-ing him to know your name. Tell himwho you are for at least the firstsix months, if you are a regular inchurch-for at least the first twoyears if not regular in attendance.Wear your nametag. Don’t keepyour identity a secret. He is try-ing to get to know almost onethousand people in the Cathedraland in the Diocese. It’s probablytime for nametag renewal. If youhave a nametag, wear it. If youdon’t, call the office and ask forone. Let’s really work on this one!

6) Do not condemn his weaknesses.By your own service and minis-

try, help the whole body to make up for his imperfectionand that of others.

What?! You mean he won’t be perfect?! We often ex-pect our clergy to be faultless. If we do, we will be disap-pointed. While the selection committee has found thebest priest possible, even he will have a weakness or two-if for nothing else than to remind us that we will not everfind perfection in anyone in this life.

7) Remember that he is entitled to time off. He is a familyman and, like the rest of us, deserves to have time withhis wife and children.

Our dean elect has a wonderful family who have theright to expect his presence at the important events intheir family, school, and activity life. The happier his familyis in this community and this church, the more comfort-able he will be with us and with this city.

8) Love and accept him and his family, as God loves and ac-cepts you. This last one really says it all, doesn’t it?

– by The Rev. Linda Yeager, Deacon

Dean-Elect Terry White

The AngelusA laypersons’ newspaper published in the interest

of Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Submissions from parishioners and small groupsare welcome and encouraged. All entries are

requested by the 15th day of the month prior topublication via fax: (816) 474-5856

or e-mail: communications@ghtc-kc.org

Emily AkinsMary Byrne

Rachel ChambersJan Frizzle

John HornbeckChris Morrison

Cynthia Newman

Sergio C. Moreno, Story EditorJulie Toma, Editor

The Angelus • Page 2

THE ANGELUS SMALL GROUP CONTRIBUTORS:

Many people engage in a form of spring cleaning. For the Cathedralit will be more like a summer cleaning, as the Nave undergoes almosta total facelift, from top to bottom.

In late July, the Nave will be closed completely so workers can refin-ish the wood floor. It is not hard to notice that our floor has enduredconsiderable wear and tear. Refurbishing the floor has been neededfor several years but wasnot possible due to thedust created by the sand-ing and fear that the dustwould get into the organ.With the refurbishing andcleaning of the organscheduled for mid-August,this seemed to be the onlytime to perform theneeded work on the floors.

The refinishing of thefloors is being made pos-sible by a grant from theMiller and JeannetteNichols Foundation.

The floor was originallyinstalled when the Cathe-dral was built in the 1890s.The wood itself has sur-vived very well for more than one hundred years but the constanttraffic has taken its toll. Winters are especially difficult for the flooras people track in salt, sand and water from icy sidewalks. Accordingto Sexton Supervisor Willie Redditt, this is not a major problem forthe wood itself, but it erodes the finish very quickly. In fact, Reddittsays the wood is in good shape and is still decades away from needingreplacement.

One complication is that there are several nails in the floor. Tongue-in-groove hardwood floors usually don’t have nails on the surfaceand no one remembers why our floor is nailed down. One thought is

that the floor sustained considerable water damage after the 1929fire and some parts had to be nailed down to keep them flat. In anycase, the nail heads are at the wood surface, which would have meantthe floor could not have been sanded down even a few years ago.But, Redditt says, new sanding techniques and equipment mean thenails will not get in the way.

Redditt says the new finish will be a littlelighter than the existing color and will bedurable enough to last several years beforeit needs another sanding and refinishing.“It will bring a whole new life to the Nave,”he said. “I think the congregation will bevery, very pleased.”

If everything goes on schedule, theNave will be closed for three weeks, be-ginning July 19. All of the pews will haveto be removed and stored. Sunday Eu-charist services will be held in Founders’Hall, and other services and events willbe relocated or cancelled.

The floor is not the only part of theNave to get a summer renewal. Afterbeing postponed from earlier this year,the Cathedral’s 1981 Gabriel Kney or-gan will finally get its renovation begin-ning in August. Most of the pipes will

be cleaned and tuned and new ones will be added, the keys will bere-covered, and the entire instrument will get a long-needed clean-ing.

Canon Musician John Schaefer says this will give the organ a more“singing” quality and a fuller, brighter sound. While the organ is outof commission, the choirs and congregation will sing along to thesmall organ on the floor and different combinations of piano, harp-sichord and other instruments. The organ should be back in serviceby mid-November.– by Chris Morrison

Summer brings facelift for Nave floors and organ

The spaces between the pews in the Nave clearly show the damaged finish.photo by Chris Morrison

The entire parish is invited to share inthe offering of foods for Ben and Jieun’swedding June 12. Holy Hands is organiz-ing the foods and encourages everyone toassist by bringing food.

General categories are listed below foryour conve-nience, includingexamples foreach category.You may sign upat coffee hour on Sundays or contact theCathedral office. Holy Hands’ team mem-bers will call you to confirm details. Yourmonetary donation to defray food costsare also welcome.

Thank you for helping to make this ajoyous event for the whole parish.

Ben and JieunJune 12, 2004

• Fruit (mixed fruit, melon balls,guacamole and chips, fruit pizza)

• Veggies (veggie trays, hummus, salads,salsa)

• Meats/Cheeses (meatballs, cheeseballs,devilled eggs, meat trays)

• Fish and Seafoods (salmon fillets, crabsalad, devilled crab, shrimp)

• Tea sandwiches, crackers and breads(cucumber sandwiches, chips, flatbreads)

• Mints, nuts, Jordan almondsIf possible, bring your food as ready as

possible for presentation by 3:00 p.m. Haveyour name on the reverse side of all dishesthat are to be returned. Please pick up yourdishes when you leave.

Please contact Joyce Morrow if you haveany questions.

Holy Hands requests help with reception

The Angelus • Page 3

We will have an opportunity to participatein an engaging four-week series based uponT.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets thanks to Cathedralmember Tom Brous. Eliot’s Four Quartetswere written during World War II, and justas they offered an answer to the world vio-lence of that time, they offer an answer tothe violence in our world today.

These four linked poems present spiritual,philosophical and personal themes. Thesethemes emerge through symbolic allusionsand literary and religious references fromboth Eastern and Western thought.

Four Quartets is the culminating achievementby a man considered to be the greatest poetof the twentieth century and one of the semi-nal figures in the evolution of modernism.

It also was the last major verse written byEliot and what Eliot considered his finest work.It is a rich composition that expands the spiri-tual vision brought out in The Waste Land.

If you have seen the movie “The Fog ofWar,” you will recall that former Defense Sec-retary Robert McNamara quotes T.S. Eliot(without identifying the fourth quartet,“Little Gidding”):

We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.

T.S. Eliot was born in St. Louis, Missouri,in 1888 and became a British subject in 1927.The acclaimed poet of The Waste Land, Mur-der in the Cathedral, and Old Possum’s Book of

T.S. Eliot meets ‘The Fog of War’

On Sunday, June 6, the Cathe-dral courtyard will be the per-fect place for parishioners to pic-nic. All parishioners are invitedto join in a lunch of hotdogs,bratwurst, and side dishes at theannual Parish Picnic.

The church will be provid-ing the main courses and bev-erages; all those in attendanceshould bring a favorite sidedish to share.

Summer Bible Study program for children beginsChildren’s education at the Cathedral has

been experiencing growth and the beginningof new programs.

The regular Church School year ended onYouth Sunday, May 16, and the Summer BibleStudy program began the following week.

In January of this year, Jackye Finnie, aCathedral member and Church Schoolteacher, joined the Cathedral staff as ActingChildren’s Education Director.

At that time, she began tracking atten-dance and found that the attendance in thelast five months rose 20 percent, to an aver-age of 35 children attending each week.

“Ninety-six different children entered Ha-den Hall to be taught in Church School fromJanuary to May of this year,” Finnie said. “Weare so blessed! It would be wonderful if thosechildren were here every Sunday.”

May 23 marked the beginning of the newSummer Bible Study program, which will fo-cus on general Bible knowledge and the gos-pel of Luke.

“The Summer BibleStudy program may besomewhat different than inthe past but we are expect-ing the experience to beuplifting and joyful for stu-dents – and teachers as weminister God’s word to thechildren,” Finnie said.

The children will engagein prayer, Bible lessons andcrafts, singing of hymnsand memorizing Bibleverses. The mission of the program is to helpthe children create a familiarity with theWord of God and its significance on theirlives through music, arts and crafts, gamesand the NRSV (New Revised Standard Ver-sion) Bible.

The Children’s Education program is rec-ommending that children bring their Bibleswith them each week. Finnie selected theNRSV Children’s Bible published by Tho-

Summer Bible Study for Children began May 23 and will continue until August 22,2004. All children are invited to attend to learn about the Bible and study the gospelof Luke. photo by Jan Frizzle

mas Nelson, as this version is already usedweekly in church services. These Bibles willbe on sale in the Cathedral Bookstore forfamilies to purchase.

Two classes are offered this summer, onefor preschool children and the other forschool-age children, and begin at 10:00 a.m.each Sunday. All children are invited and en-couraged to attend.

- by Julie Toma

For morethan a de-cade, parish-ioners havebeen enjoyingthis opportu-nity to gatherfor food andfellowship, and to socialize as thesummer season kicks off.

This year, the picnic will be anespecially nice gathering as all the

Practical Cats, among numerous other poemsand prose works, won the Nobel Prize forLiterature in 1948.

He died in 1965 in London and his ashes areburied at East Coker.

It is suggested that the poems be read priorto class, and that participants bring a copywith them each week.

Copies of the book, Four Quartets, are avail-able in the Cathedral Bookstore. You mayalso download the book from http://www.tristan.icom43.net/quartets/index.html.

Please plan to be a part of this intriguingstudy and discussion on June 27, July 11, 18 and25 at 9:10 a.m. We will not meet on July 4.

– by Valerie Johnson,Director of Adult Education

PARISH

JUNE 6 • 11:45 A.M.

parish willbe abuzzwith prepa-rations forBen andJieun’s wed-ding the fol-lowing Sat-

urday and the arrival of our newdean later in the month.

The Guild of the Christ Childwill provide fun and games for the

children and ice-cream sundaeswill be for sale to raise moneyfor the youth.

The picnic will take placefollowing the 10:15 a.m. ser-vice and there is still an op-portunity to volunteer to helpset up and clean up before andafter the event.

Call the Cathedral office tofind out how you can help.

–by Emily Akins

Your Vestry met April 22, 2004. Thefollowing is a summary of that meeting.Regular reports were received from theFinance Committee, the Building andGrounds Committee, and the Social Ac-tion Committee. The Senior Warden for-mally appointed Paget Higgins to theAuxiliary Vestry.

According to the Treasurer’s report,both pledge income and plate offeringswere down in March, but April appearedto be improving. Social Outreach incomewas greater because of the Pancake Break-fast, and half of those funds were given toKansas City Community Kitchen. Year-to-date income is slightly under the bud-geted amount, but so are expenditures. Itstill appears that mid-year we will need toreconsider the annual budget unless thereis a marked improvement in income.

During a busy business session, a num-ber of motions were considered andpassed. These included two financialitems providing for improved manage-ment of current endowment funds. Inaddition, the Vestry approved moving for-ward with a plan to refinish the floors inthe Cathedral nave. This is being coordi-nated so as to precede refurbishment ofthe organ scheduled for August. (This tim-ing is in order to prevent the organ frombeing affected by the dust that would becreated during this refinishing process).

The Vestry also considered and ap-proved the granting of limited financial

Voice from the VestryA monthly report on the actions of the Vestry

assistance for Kansas City CommunityKitchen through the Cathedral Book-store. However, the KCCK is experienc-ing more extensive financial challenges atpresent and will need additional assis-tance. A committee has been formed toreview possible options for the future.

The Building and Grounds Report in-cluded discussion of some of the wonder-ful artwork around the Cathedral, includ-ing the stained glass windows, and the im-portance of upgrading our insurance cov-erage of these items. Additional consider-ation will be given towards this and rec-ommendations brought to the Vestry in afuture meeting. The Vestry also approvedthe committee’s request for expendituresto make limited improvements in the el-evators and stair-lift at the Cathedral.

A further report was provided regardingthe continued progress of Reverend TerryWhite’s coming to the Cathedral. FatherWhite is looking for housing in the KansasCity area, as well as schools for their chil-dren. At the time of the Vestry meeting, nodate had been firmly established for FatherWhite to be at the Cathedral full time, butit appeared that this would take place some-time during the month of June.

Finally, the Vestry – and all Cathedralmembers – were asked to be more awareof the cleanliness of the Cathedral cam-pus and to help “police the grounds” tokeep them looking nice.

– by John Hornbeck, Clerk of the Vestry

The Angelus • Page 4

St. Luke’s Collegegraduates 45 nurses

The graduating class of St.Luke’s College held their98th commencement cer-emony at Grace and HolyTrinity Cathedral, Friday,May 14. Parents, familyand friends filled the naveto overflowing.

The Rev. John K. Swift, Di-rector of Spiritual Wellness, St. Luke’s Hos-pital, led the procession of 18 faculty and 45candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Sci-ence in Nursing.

Cathedral member Candy McDowell,Chairman of the College Committee, pre-sented diplomas to this class.

Belinda Jamison, Administrative Assistantat St. Luke’s, said “seven students earned 4.0grade, Summa Cum Laude, and twenty-oneadditional candidates had earned additionalhonors of Magna Cum Laude or Cum Laude.”

Jamison also noted that “this year we will havegraduated 3,599 total students in the 101-year

history of nursingeducation at St.Luke’s.”

Canon JohnSchaefer andtrumpeter Dr.Keith Benjaminprovided the mu-sic for the gradu-ation ceremony.

Guests greetedgraduates for pho-

tos and then it was on to a joyful reception inFounders’ Hall.

Founded in 1882, Saint Luke’s Hospital isthe largest hospital in the Kansas City met-ropolitan area. It is affiliated with the Epis-copal Diocese of West Missouri.

– by Jan Frizzle

Friends and family members gathered in Founders’ Hall andin the courtyard to greet and congratulate the 45 nursinggraduates from St. Luke’s College. sphoto by Jan Frizzle

“I will respect at all timesthe dignity and religiousbeliefs of the patients un-der my care, holding inconfidence all personal in-formation entrusted to meand refraining from anyaction which might en-

danger life or health.”Part of the International

Pledge recited by the graduates

The Blakeslee Reading Society

Reel People

HUCKLEBERRY FINN

by Mark Twain

June 15 • 7:00 p.m.

For further information,please call 816.741.0992.

BECKET

directed by Peter Glenville

June 24 • 7:00 p.m.

For further informationplease call 816.283.0462

We are working to improve our se-curity on Sunday mornings. As a result,the west door (facing WashingtonStreet) and north door (facing 13thStreet) of Haden Hall are now beinglocked on Sunday mornings. As HadenHall is used primarily for children’s ac-tivities on Sundays, security is a highpriority in this area.

Please use the many other entranceseach Sunday to enter the Cathedral.Thank you for your understanding andcooperation in keeping our children safe.

From the Buildings andGrounds Committee