Jan 16, 2025 | #Stories
tthew hasStory Nicole Walters and Mathew Francis. Photo by Fernando Esponda.
In 2025, do you long to experience balance, harmony, and mindfulness in the body, in real time? As we look back and discover what our ancestors did to find a centered life stance, traditions of the East and West offer us wisdom.
Many of the Christian contemplative traditions of the West look to silence and stillness, but not to embodied practices that help us breathe with purpose and ease and move with deliberation and intention.
One way to bring this ancient wisdom into our lives today is through the practice of Unity Tai Ji Qi Gong, which is supported by St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Inverness.
Mathew Francis founded The Unity Praxis in early 2000’s, bringing together dedicated to Christian Discipleship and Tai Ji practice. The Unity Praxis is a method of movement, meditation, prayer, contemplation, and stillness refined over many years.
Mathew guides people to a deeper experience of life through faith, practice, and business. He shares learnings from his personal spiritual journey balancing work, life, and family through the wisdom of Eastern and Western traditions. He is currently President of Pacific Rim Advisory Group, a Business Strategy & Development and Family Succession firm.
Mathew connected with Father Vincent Pizzuto at St. Columba’s in 2019 when he felt in his spirit that he needed to refocus his personal discipleship in a more disciplined Christian contemplative practice. Since that time, a community has formed around The Unity Praxis and meets via Zoom four mornings a week to learn and practice these techniques. St. Columba’s Inverness supports and actively participates in these weekly sessions.
Community members meet together to explore standing meditation, embodied experiential prayer, breathwork, postures, life stances, and movements that are synchronized and expressive of traditional Christian prayer, Buddhist, and Taoist Wisdom traditions. In addition to the regular weekly meetings, The Unity Praxis and St. Columba’s Inverness also regularly host in-person and online seminars that explore embodied contemplative practices.
Join us as together, we are building balance, center, and harmony to live, move, and have our being in Christ. The Unity Praxis community provides resources to be a source of stability and security in community and faith building. To find out more and get a link to join the community, contact Mathew Francis at [email protected].
Jan 14, 2025 | #Resources, #Stories
In 2025, Holy Hikes—San Francisco Bay Area will offer four gatherings aligning with the Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Fall Equinox, and Winter Solstice. We will go for a short walk to an old outdoor church site and create ritual and liturgy together amidst the splendor of old redwood trees!
- Meet at: Canyon Meadow Staging Area in Redwood Regional Park, Oakland, CA (parking lot)
- Walk to: Old Church Picnic Area
- When: March 20, June 20, September 22, December 21; meet at 12:30 p.m. On December 21, we will hold a holiday potluck lunch at the Old Church Picnic Area before our liturgy. Bring a treat or dish to share!
- Stay up-to-date: Join our Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/holyhikes/
We will meet at 12:30 p.m. at the parking lot at the end of the road at Canyon Meadow Staging Area in Redwood Regional Park. We will walk together from the parking lot, a 15-min 1/2 mile walk along the flat/paved Stream Trail to the location of the old Church of the Wildwood at what is now named Old Church Picnic Area. There will be seating available during the service. See the walk here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Szg8ciAL6vDF7avJ6?g_st=im
We will open with Prayer to the Seven Directions and have space to create ritual together. You will help create this liturgy. If you play an instrument that’s portable, bring your instrument and a song to share. If there is a short reading or poem that is fitting for the solstice/equinox service that you would like to share, please bring it. We will have time for offering intercessions and thanksgivings, and there will be time for silent meditation. All are welcome to attend.
DATES:
Spring Equinox – Thursday, March 20 at 12:30 p.m.
Summer Solstice – Friday, June 20 at 12:30 p.m.
Fall Equinox – Monday, September 22 at 12:30 p.m.
Winter Solstice – Sunday, December 21 at 12:30 p.m. (POTLUCK lunch then liturgy)
Jan 3, 2025 | #InMemoriam, #Stories
With sadness, we announce the passing of the Rev. Robert Emmett McCann (1931-2024). His faithful commitment to the Diocese of California included serving on diocesean staff, chairing the diocese’s 150th Anniversary Committee, and serving as a priest in several DioCal congregations, including St. John’s, Oakland, where he was the rector from 1977-1991. St. John’s current rector, the Rev. Scott Denman, issued the following letter to the congregation on Sunday:
Dear members and friends of St. John’s—
It is with deep sadness that I inform you of the passing of the Rev. Rob McCann. Rob was surrounded by love and support and died peacefully.
Rob was rector of St. John’s from 1977-91. During my tenure, Rob remained a constant support, especially during times of loss. He readily stepped up to preach and pray at memorials for St. John’s members he had known during his lengthy tenure. As his health started to fail he chose not to join the procession, but to speak. Eventually he no longer had the strength to preach but had someone read what he had composed. This is all to say that he offered all he could to St. John’s to the very end.
Rectors till the fields and water the vision of the people and we must never forget that the present is built on the past. Rob added essential nutrients to the soil of St. John’s in areas like social justice, inclusive language, ministry in Uganda, care for the environment and mindful prayer. Such nutrients have allowed growth in all these areas of mission even today.
A memorial date has not been set. Please hold Sylvia and all of Rob’s family in your prayers. May God’s servant rest in peace,
Scott+
Dec 19, 2024 | #Stories
Story and photos by Sara Boadwee, Christ Church, Los Altos parishioner, Chair of the Vital+Thriving Steering Committee, and Vestry Member.
Over 200 people of faith—Muslims, Jews, and Christians—gathered at Christ Church, Los Altos, on Nov. 13 to share an interfaith Thanksgiving feast. It was a midweek night in a world that often feels dark and divided, yet attendees, including acquaintances, friends, and strangers, came together under the theme “Grateful Hearts, Shared Blessings.”
The event was conceived by members of the Pacifica Institute. Other sponsors included Congregation Beth Am of Los Altos Hills and interfaith organizations Bay Area Cultural Connections (BayCC), Building Bridges Together, and the Silicon Valley Interreligious Council. Some members of these groups are recent immigrants from Turkey, who provided food and helped plan the program.
The event grew from a smaller interfaith Thanksgiving held at Christ Church in 2023. Taking place just weeks after the Oct. 7 attack in Israel, that dinner was a noteworthy gathering that renewed friendships and demonstrated a strong desire for peace and wholeness. Interfaith collaboration at Christ Church has also been inspired by the church’s participation in the diocese’s Vital+Thriving initiative. As the congregation has begun to look intentionally for ways to engage with God’s work outside of the church, it has received invitations from various outside groups and individuals.
This year’s interfaith Thanksgiving is one of the latest examples. For all attendees, it was a time to learn—from a Catholic deacon who spoke about the Eucharist, to members of the Muslim community who expressed gratitude for the life of a prominent scholar and advocate for interfaith dialogue and peace who recently passed away. It was also a time to sing a song led by the church’s rector, the Rev. Claire Dietrich Ranna, and to enjoy a lovely performance on a traditional Kyrgyz instrument. The evening featured a moving rendition of the Taizé chant, “Ubi Caritas,” performed by a trio from the parish, with lyrics affirming that “where love is, God is.”
Nov 21, 2024 | #Stories
DioCal clergy and spouses at Rabbi Bauer’s installation included (from left to right) Maleah Rios and her spouse, Bishop Austin Rios; Heidi Ho and her spouse, Grace Cathedral Dean Malcolm Young
Story by the Rev. Cn. Debbie Low-Skinner. Photos by the Rev. Cn. Debbie Low-Skinner and Michael Pappas
Several clergy and laity from DioCal gathered at the historic Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco on Friday, November 15 to witness the installation of Senior Rabbi Ryan Bauer. They were part of a larger San Francisco Interfaith Council (SFIC) contingent led by SFIC Executive Director and Grace Cathedral congregant Michael Pappas.
The DioCal representatives included our bishop, the Rt. Rev. Austin Rios, and spouse Maleah Rios; Grace Cathedral Dean, the Very Rev. Malcolm Clemens Young, and spouse, Heidi Ho; Grace Cathedral Precentor, the Rev. Canon Anna Rossi (a current San Francisco Interfaith Council board member), and spouse, Amie; and the Rev. Cn. Debbie Low-Skinner (retired Canon to the Ordinary and former Vice Chair of the SFIC Board).
Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman delivering the sermon
Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, Professor Emeritus of Liturgy, Worship, and Ritual at Hebrew Union Seminary in New York City, delivered a well-received, heartfelt, inspirational, and—at times—humorous sermon that included words of wisdom and advice to Rabbi Bauer. Per Wikipedia, Rabbi Hoffman is “known for his liberal religious views … (and) is a prolific author, including two separate books to his name that are used as Jewish liturgical guides.”
At the end of the service, SFIC representatives joined Executive Director Michael. Pappas on the bema of the sanctuary to offer a blessing to Rabbi Bauer. We also wished a very Happy 103rd birthday to SFIC founder Rita Semel, who was sitting in a front pew and is a member of Congregation Emanu-El.
Cover image caption: San Francisco Interfaith Council Executive Director and Grace Cathedral congregant Michael Pappas with Congregation Emanu-El Senior Rabbi Ryan Bauer
Nov 14, 2024 | #Stories
Story and photos by Canon Stephanie Martin Taylor
Our Saviour’s banner received a special blessing at the beginning of the service. It survived the 2023 arson attack on the church’s building in Oakland.
Members of the Church of Our Saviour, Oakland, gathered in a Methodist chapel in San Leandro on Sunday, November 10, for their first in-person worship service in more than a year and a half.
The congregation has been displaced since April 2023, when an arson attack at their building in Oakland’s Chinatown caused extensive smoke and water damage. In subsequent months, the building was also broken into and vandalized multiple times, creating additional stress for the congregation.
Sunday’s Eucharist service, offered in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English, began with the Rev. Merry Chan Ong, Our Saviour’s rector, blessing various parts of the chapel. She sprinkled holy water toward the chapel doors, the altar, the electronic keyboard—which the congregation purchased with help from the Episcopal Impact Fund—and the Our Saviour banner.
“We want to bless the banner because, during the fire, the banner was really close to the narthex,” Ong explained to the congregation. “I’m surprised it’s not burned,” she added.
Although the congregation became accustomed to worshiping online during the pandemic, Ong wanted to find space to resume in-person worship on Sunday mornings. She contacted more than 50 area churches but had no luck. Finally, she connected with Formosan United Methodist Church, a Taiwanese congregation in San Leandro. The church agreed to let Our Saviour rent its chapel on Sunday mornings and for special events, including a Thanksgiving Day service on Thursday, November 28, at 11 a.m.; a Christmas concert on Sunday, December 8, at 1:30 p.m.; and a Christmas Eve service on Tuesday, December 24, at 11 p.m.
After reviewing some of the photos from Sunday’s service, Ong wrote, “Did you notice the light shining behind my back? One of my leaders noticed it.” She said the arc of white light assured them that the light of Christ was in their midst, along with the unifying presence of the Holy Spirit.
The chapel is located at 788 Lewelling Blvd, San Leandro, CA 94579. For more information about upcoming events and worship services, please contact the Rev. Merry Chan Ong at [email protected].
The front doors of Church of Our Saviour, Oakland, shortly after the arson in April 2023. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Merry Chan Ong
The Our Saviour congregation poses for a group photo following Sunday’s services. Photo courtesy of Our Saviour, Oakland.
The Rev. Merry Chan Ong preaching on Sunday, November 10.
