Jan 22, 2025 | #Stories
Article by The Rev. John Michael Hayes & Photo by Fernando Esponda.
We’re living in a very dark time, and we can feel helpless and hopeless. Nothing is more distressful than terrible things advancing, with no real way to stave off catastrophe. That is where we find ourselves. Who can rest easy? And yet we know we cannot succumb to despair and impotence.
Democracy threatens to devolve into autocracy. Obscene inequality deepens as the oligarchs tighten their rule and the cruel excesses of global capitalism everywhere on display. Climate crises advance; much of L.A. has just been reduced to ash.
We live in an age of disinformation. Who knows what we can believe and who we can trust? Sixty years ago, in another time of war, upheaval, and grave uncertainties, Thomas Merton wrote, “We are living under a tyranny of untruth which confirms itself in power and establishes a more and more total control over men in proportion as they convince themselves they are resisting error.”
[1]Where will this end? What world will our children inherit? And what can any of us do? Where is God in this?
These are questions we will explore together in the upcoming in-person retreat, Nurturing Hope in a Dark Time at St. Columba’s Inverness from February 7-9. Hopefully, participants in this retreat will re-center themselves in God’s wisdom and grace and come away empowered to engage the world’s problems in this terrible time.
The psalmist tells us “weeping spends the night, but joy comes in the morning.” But we know that night can indeed be long and frightening. There are compelling reasons that so many psalms are angry protests and profound laments: Are you awake God? Do you not see what’s going on down here?
Contemplative practice that ignores this collective reality would be irresponsible escapism. It is our unhappy fate to be thrown into this grave moment of history, and our duty to find a way to respond to it. Despair and denial are not options. We know the answer is not entirely in activism and politics, as necessary and worthy as these might be.
Again, Merton wrote, “There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence to which the idealist most easily succumbs: activism and overwork. The rush and pressure of modern life are forms of innate violence. To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence. The frenzy of our activism neutralizes our work for peace. It destroys our own inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our own work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.”
Activism and politics can readily become an ego trip that hardly advances real peace and real understanding. Our work in this retreat is to open up a contemplative space in a deep silence so that we might hear God’s wisdom guiding us in this time. All change must begin with inner change.
All inner change begins with self-confrontation. I have never felt a contradiction between being a priest and being a psychologist/psychoanalyst. Psychoanalysis teaches us that all human motivations are complex and always tainted by selfish aims and that we humans are greatly capable of self-deception. The radical self-honesty that psychoanalysis demands certainly accords with all principles of Christian spiritual practice.
In another dark time, Jung warned of the dangers of mob possession and the critical need for awake and aware individuals to break the spell of that contagion. Jung tells us that our work is to open ego consciousness to a deeper collective psyche, that deep place in the soul where God meets us. At depth, our psyches are not just ours and are not self-contained. When we are changed, the collective changes. To be effective, activism and politics must be grounded in contemplative practice and the inner transformation that practice creates.
In this retreat, participants are invited to engage in critical self-inquiry and self-confrontation to create an opening to silent contemplation and listen for God’s guiding wisdom. There is no one way to respond to the world’s distress. Each finds his/her own way in which God will use us. This retreat aims be a catalyst for re-centering ourselves and engendering hope, courage, and resilience.
The Rev. John Michael Hayes, PhD, ABPP
The Reverend John Michael Hayes, Ph.D., is a priest of the Episcopal diocese of Maryland and a psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst. He serves on the faculties of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, the Washington Baltimore Psychoanalytic Institute, and the Ecumenical Institute, St. Mary’s Seminary and University. Rev. Hayes will be presiding and serving at St. Columba’s Inverness from February 7-March 7, 2025.
[1] Thomas Merton,
Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander
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
