eConnections - January 4, 2026
eConnections
The Weekend of the Second Sunday after Christmas Day
(Year A, Christmas 2)
January 4, 2026
The Dean's List
Happy New Year
St. Margaret's House is moving in with the Cathedral of Saint James while their building undergoes expansion and top-to-bottom renovation over the next year or so. You will see evidence of this almost everywhere you turn when next you come through our doors. The Burkhart-Miller Atrium, the Conference Room, every classroom, the Library, the Kitchen, and Cathedral Hall have all been furnished for weekday for SMH's vital and vibrant ministry with women and children. As much of their belongings as possible will be stowed on weekends (and evenings, as necessary), but for awhile it will be abundantly evident that we are sharing our space.
To quote the Eucharistic prayer, this is right and a good and joyful thing for us to do. The Cathedral and Diocese of Northern Indiana planted St. Margaret's House in the old Peterson Printing building in 1990. Since then SMH has grown into an amazing ministry serving our community, so much so that they now not only occupy the entire Peterson building, but are bursting at the seams. Like the Cathedral, the SMH board and leadership made a conscious decision to remain at their present location if at all possible to continue to best serve their guests, which the Cathedral Chapter enthusiastically endorsed. Our proximity to SMH as a temporary home offers the least amount of disruption to their work, and we have loads of space that we don't use during the week, so it all makes perfect sense.
That said, as as been the case for at least the past decade during our own adventures in expansion and renovation, the key word for the Cathedral community will be adaptability. Things that seemed quite logical and reasonable at planning meetings - such as weeknight meetings in the Conference Room and all meetings in the Atrium - may need to be reconsidered due simply to the amount of stuff that now occupies the space. And there are bound to be issues and challenges that come up that we hadn't considered at all that will require good humor, grace, and willingness to adapt in order to resolve. I have absolute faith in SMH leadership that we can work out any issues that arise during their stay with us.
In the meantime, behind the scenes the Cathedral Chapter and SMH board have been working to resolve a core issue that not only affects SMH's fundraising efforts, but also a matter of fairness and justice that arises when SMH invests $8+ million in a building that they do not own. For months, our lawyer (thank you, Andy Helfrich) and their lawyer have been working on a way for the Cathedral to "give" SMH the Peterson Building and south parking lot with reversion clauses that would transfer ownership of those properties back to the Cathedral under certain conditions, namely if SMH ceased to exist, changed their mission substantially, or became a subsidiary or partner of another organization. Long story short, we couldn't make that work both for ethical reasons (SMH would have to forfeit a substantially improved building) and legal reasons (Indiana law does not permit such covenants to extend more than 30 years). So, with valuable input from Bishop Sparks, we went back to the drawing board to see if selling the building and land to SMH outright would be more equitable and sensible. At a special meeting on Sunday, December 21, the Cathedral Chapter and Finance Committee met jointly to discuss this proposal and voted unanimously to extend an offer to SMH. Our lawyers are now working on details of that proposal, which is much more straightforward and involves no restrictions. This is not a done deal, however. All property in the Episcopal Church is held in trust for the Diocese, so we cannot sell any property without the recommendation of the Diocesan Property & Loan Committee AND approval of the Standing Committee, both of which are now considering our proposal. I'll keep you apprised.
This is an inflection point in the life of the Cathedral of Saint James. Conventional wisdom has long held that churches - particularly downtown churches, which tend to be landlocked - should never sell property because once it's gone, it's gone. However, there are other things to consider. First, right-sizing the Cathedral's holdings. The annual cost of owning the Peterson building and the south parking lot is not insignificant, and removing them from our portfolio would positively impact our annual budget. Second, the highest and best use of the Peterson building is St. Margaret's House; holding onto a property in an effort to control all unknown future possibilities is both selfish and ridiculous. Trusting God to continue a good work already in progress seems much more sensible. Third, Bishop Sparks has begun every sermon during his time as bishop with an acknowledgement that the land we occupy came to us in dubious fashion. The Cathedral is no exception. Our land was given to us by Alexis Coquillard who directly or indirectly acquired it from the Pottawatomi. We have benefitted greatly from such generosity, so generosity in giving back to those with the greatest need in our community is a holy and just cause.
So here we go! Next week I will focus on reConnections initiatives for the Cathedral community in the coming year.
Blessings all,
Brian
Worship
Formation & Spirituality
Outreach & Evangelism
Go to the Indiana Faith Voices for Justice Website
Cathedral Calendar
Saturday, January 3
The Tenth Day of Christmas
9:00 am
Visitation for Fr. Paul Tracy
11:am
Requiem Eucharist for Fr. Paul Tracy
Reception following
Sunday, January 4
The Second Sunday after Christmas Day
The Eleventh Day of Christmas
Year A: Christmas 2
8:00 am
Holy Eucharist: Rite One
9:15 am
Adult Forum
10:30 am
Holy Eucharist: Rite Two
11:45 am
Hospitality Hour
12:30 pm
Ecumenical Bible Study
Monday, January 5
The Twelfth Day of Christmas
Cathedral Office: Closed
6:30 pm
Education for Ministry
Tuesday, January 6
The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Cathedral Office Hours: 9 am - 1:30 pm
7:00 pm
Holy Eucharist
Wednesday, January 7
Cathedral Office: 9 am - 1:30 pm
8:30 am
Assistance Ministry
7:00 pm
Choir Rehearsal
Thursday, January 8
Cathedral Office Hours: 9 am - 1:30 pm
10:00 am
Faith in the Face of Fear Rally
Statehouse, Indianapolis
1:00 pm
Faith in the Face of Fear Workshops
Hilton Hotel, Indianapolis
Friday, January 9
Cathedral Office Hours: 9 am - 1:30 pm
12:05 pm
Holy Eucharist
1:00 pm
Community Lunch at Grill 362
Saturday, January 10
No Events Scheduled
Sunday, January 11
The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Year A: The First Sunday after the Epiphany
8:00 am
Renewal of Baptismal Vows &
Holy Eucharist: Rite One
9:00 am
Intercessory Prayer
9:15 am
Adult Forum
10:30 am
Renewal of Baptismal Vows &
Holy Eucharist: Rite Two
11:45 am
Intercessory Prayer
Hospitality Hour
Youth Group
12:30
Fellowship of St. John
Cathedral Prayer List
Collect for the Second Sunday
after Christmas Day
O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Anniversaries & Birthdays
01/04 Will Campbell
01/04 Jean Stull (107)
01/05 Katy Rider (102)
01/06 Elizabeth Bays
01/06 Carrie Rose
01/06 Veidre Thomas
01/08 Bishop Doug Sparks
01/09 Sarah Hilliard
For Your Prayers
☩ For All for Whom the Holidays are a Difficult Time
May God and the Community of Faith offer them care and comfort
☩ For the Repose of the Soul
For those who have departed this life, and for their families mourning their loss:
Cecilia Mary Beattie Hassert (goddaughter of Liz & Tom Burman)
The Rev. Paul John Tracy and for his entire family
Jim Arns (friend of Sherry Berkley)
Segun Soyemi
Stacy Keller Bolen, (aunt of Mackenzie Keller Grantz); for Michael & Bridget Keller and their family
Clyde Fain (father of Ed Fain); for Ed & Sue Fain; and for the Fain family
☩ For Those in Need of Healing & Recovery
For those facing illness, surgery, or physical distress:
Tim Lane (son-in-law of Karen Slack; recovering from shoulder surgery)
Joe Anand-Obelton (recovering from surgery)
Joni Carlson (continuing treatment)
David (thyroid cancer)
James Ellar (high school classmate of Mike Jaworski, cancer recurrence)
Gideon and his family (healing)
Olivia (leukemia) and for her family
Robin & Laurie (healing from health issues)
☩ For Strength, Guidance, & Comfort
For those seeking spiritual support and peace:
Cynthia Katsarelis & Rebecca Maloy (peace and strength)
Derek (guidance)
Billy Hans (comfort in grief)
Joseph Hilliard (strength & guidance)
Joyce (strength & guidance)
Marshall Moore (strength & guidance)
☩ General Intercessions
For friends, family, and members of the community:
For those who are traveling
Neal Velthuizen (nephew of Mtr. Tina Velthuizen)
Joshua Henderson (brother of Chris Henderson)Cherryl Andries
The Ashby Family: Shaun, Shirley, and Roland
Richard Bitner
Mary Brooks
Alissa Broussara
Mary M. Burman
Al Caparell; Tony Lemna; Mike; Denise & Demetrius
Joni Carlson's brother
Cobie (Tina Velthuizen’s sister)
The Demler and Martindale families
Jo Dorsch
Anne Ford
Paula Fowler
Connor Gibbons
Julie Guiler (DeDe’s Stepdaughter)
Ron Gunn
Tim Haywood and Janice
Rick Hillard
Mike Jaworski and Lisa
The Jeter Family: Jamie, Mimi, Joely, Mia, and the entire family
Bill Jones and his family
Charles Kegg
Joan Machatton
Dan & Gail Mandell
Joyce Marchant
Fred & Kate Mast
Sharron McGowan
Megan (Dr. Steve Wietstock's niece)
Michael (son of Diane Hoist) and his family
Elaine Mick
Tony Molnar
Richard Murphy Jr. and Jill Bird
Daniel & Amy Petry (parents of Amanda Helfrich)
The Proffitt and Hillman families
Carolynn Raney
Sheila & family
Karen Slack
Kevin Smith
Alan Thompson
Mthr. Tina Velthuizen
Deb Walter (friend of Sherry Berkley)
Kitty Ward
Willow Grace Wilson
Mary Beth Wright
Bill Young (Catherine Craker’s Father)
Donnie Zigler
☩ For Those Preparing for Holy Orders
Nan Noecker (Diaconate)
How may we pray for you? To add (or remove) a petition from the Cathedral Prayer List, please send an email to Deacon Clay Berkley. If you are requesting prayer for someone else, please make sure you have their permission to add their name and any details to the prayer list.
Ministry Schedule
Sunday, January 4
The Second Sunday after Christmas Day
8:00 am
Reader Kate Lee
Server Mary Young-Marcks
10:30 am
Readers Amanda Helfrich & Sherry Berkley
Eucharistic Ministers Andy Helfrich, Matthew Worns
Ushers Nicole Pinter, Michael Worns
Acolytes Ainsley Gray, Bear Kallenberg, Cynthia Katsarelis
Hospitality Tina Velthuizen
Linens Mary Lehman
Sacristan Betsy VanderBurg
Tuesday, January 6
Counters Rick Hilliard & Dave Woods
Friday, January 9
Folder DeDe Guth