Dear St. Brendanites: As we said Sunday, “Pittsburgh wakes this morning a new city--changed forever. God, however, has not changed!” The first part above seems undeniable and very real to most of us; the second part may feel a bit “iffy” though. Some may be thinking, “I wonder how God can let this happen.” Some might simply question whether God cares or exists. Others tend to become more reliant on God at times like this. Still others remain neutral at best. The first thing I’d like to say is that, wherever you are, God can handle it. It's OK. Faith ebbs and flows. This is why community is so ..read more

Today, October 10, is World Mental Health Awareness Day. In this week's guest post, experienced counselor Bill Dorn, M.Div, CAADC, LPC, shares his thoughts on mental health and spiritual growth. A number of years ago I was having a stimulating conversation with a psychiatrist friend. We were talking about mental health in general, talking shop sort of speak. He made an amazing comment during our conversation that has become the foundation of how I think about mental health and mental health disorders. In his comments my friend stated that he could take all the mental health disorders containe ..read more

It feels like Summer is starting to come to an end. Labor Day is past, schools have started back, and we even had a very brief taste of cooler weather to come. Even though I don’t get a summer break (now that I am no longer in school and since I don’t have any kids in school), I find that the pace of my summer still tends to differ from the rest of the year. I work at a non-profit in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood (where there are several universities) and things slow down during the summer when all the students are gone and many people are on vacation. But now the students are back, the p ..read more

I love a good walk. Always have. You know – get the legs working, the heart pumping, a little sweat above the upper lip and the whole body feels in rhythm. Take that trek through the woods, alone, and the feeling becomes downright spiritual.During my years as a journalist, walks and hikes were mind-clearing essentials, but my schedule left little time for them. Now that I’m retired, I have no excuse. Not long after I left work, a friend invited me to join his men’s hiking group. The other guys are retired, too. The so-called Hiking & Chowder Society meets every Wednesday morning, does a s ..read more

A letter from Fr. Regis Smolko: Dear St. Brendanites, friends, and visitors: I want to discuss the abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church, and how it relates to us. As Episcopalians, many of our traditions share roots with Roman Catholicism and many of us have loved ones who are hurting deeply due to this betrayal situation, including some within our own pews. First, I know that a number of you experienced pain and worry due to your or your family members possible close proximity to the betrayal and, as a result, you felt the need to check the “lists of names.” I’m profoundly saddened that ..read more

This past Monday, June 25, was the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (transferred from June 24). Did you know that only three birthdays are celebrated as feast days in the Christian liturgical calendar? Obviously, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus (Christmas). But while most Saints are celebrated on the day of their death, or another significant date, only the Feasts of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and John the Baptist are observed as birthdays, or nativities. According to the Gospel of Luke, John the Baptist was miraculously born to Zechariah and Elizabeth, who were said to b ..read more

In Roman Catholic tradition, and in some Episcopal and Anglican churches (though not in our Book of Common Prayer), the season after Pentecost is called “Ordinary Time.” Ordinary Time is usually represented by the color green and indicates the parts of the liturgical year that are not in one of the major seasons (Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter--sometimes Epiphany is considered a season, and sometimes it is part of Ordinary Time). Except for Trinity Sunday (the Sunday after Pentecost) and All Saints Day (November 1) there aren’t any major feast days during Ordinary Time. Historically, Ord ..read more

What do a shamrock, an apple, and a fidget spinner have in common? They can all be used to illustrate the Trinity. This past Sunday was Trinity Sunday. As Fr. Regis joked, this is the Sunday you try to avoid giving a sermon because, well, the Trinity is complicated. The Episcopal Church writes this about the Trinity: One of the most difficult to explain, and often misunderstood concepts in the Christian faith is the belief in a trinitarian God, one God with three aspects. Often characterized as the 'Father,' Son,' and 'Holy Spirit,' the [T]rinity represents God the Father/Creator, Jesus Chris ..read more

There is a lot to celebrate this week! This past Sunday, we celebrated Pentecost (which is also considered the birthday of the Church) and St. Brendan’s 31st birthday. And the celebration doesn’t stop there, it is also this blog’s (liturgucal) one-year blogiversary. (They may not make Hallmark cards for that yet, but it’s totally a thing). This blog started last year, with the very first post about Pentecost! Since then, we’ve shared 38 blog posts (an average of 3 per month) about all sorts of topics, including celebrating liturgical holidays, insight into St. Brendan’s ministries, and inform ..read more

This guest post is written by Dr. Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, Professor Emerita of Religion and Culture, Virginia Tech, where she taught about the New Testament in its cultural context for 36 years. Dr. Malbon, who is also my mother, is known nationally and internationally for her literary studies of the Gospel of Mark. She has authored five books, coedited or edited five books, and written and edited numerous articles. Dr. Malbon is an active member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Society for New Testament Study. Grace and peace, Annemarie All four of the canonical Gospels (Mat ..read more