It finally feels like summer has arrived! The school year is done and the solstice has passed, so bring on the long days and vaccinated in-person gatherings that were once only the stuff of dreams. At our June Vestry meeting on the threshold of this summer season, we tempered our excitement with a reflection on “rest” from Thomas Merton. The passage we read was from a work aptly titled “No Man is an Island,” which certainly strikes a chord after this pandemic year. Merton describes rest as a paradoxically difficult and spiritually undervalued activity. He writes that we cannot begin to “live more fully” until we have the courage to do less. His words run contrary to our culture of productivity and busyness, and his use of the word “courage” is even more striking; it reads like a charge to resist the incessant call of internet culture, of updates, advertisements, and all our devices. Merton describes how we “let ourselves be drawn out of ourselves” by activity, and then how difficult it is to come back through rest and real stillness, or what he calls the “hardest and most courageous”—he uses this adjective a second time—act of “doing nothing at all.”
As we transition into the summer season, we take Merton’s words as a reminder that even though we envision our vacations as refreshing breaks, we must actively resist the temptation to fill up our time doing relaxing activities, or “relaxing” productively, which isn’t relaxing at all. We encourage all of you along with us to intentionally and courageously rest; to cultivate stillness and interior space, and to enjoy the rare respite of “doing nothing at all.”
As an interesting contrast to Merton’s reflections on rest and doing nothing, we continue to work towards upgrading the ventilation system in our church building. We realize that we have now been discussing this for the past year, and looking back, it is all-too easy to view the passage of time with frustration and disappointment. However, we constantly remind ourselves why this is taking so long and why our discussions have been so difficult. Firstly, we must not forget that St. Mary’s is a very old building and as such, there is always the possibility that every engineering survey and contractor cost-estimate could uncover additional structural or electrical aspects that need to be fixed in order to accommodate upgrades. This continues to be the case with the ventilation system. Secondly, engineers and contractors are really busy right now, and the extremely high demand for labor and materials causes long wait times. We know time is of the essence and we are working our best to secure both the most prudent solution—financially, structurally, and environmentally—along with the most expedient way to complete this project. The bottom line is that although the situation continues to shift beneath our feet, we are making progress. We have received engineering reports and we are at the stage of receiving bids. We will soon be able to approve a bid and move forward with starting the work.
Related to our conversations about the ventilation system, we continue to discuss our plans and procedures for re-gathering in person. We’re very excited about the additional in-person service options that St. Mary’s can currently offer, and we’re happy that the June outdoor service at Lively Park went well. We’re assessing the situation a few weeks at a time, and we will adjust as necessary. Above all, just like Merton’s title, “No Man is an Island,” we continue to operate with a community focus instead of an individual mindset. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it has reaffirmed our interconnectedness and the reality that health is not only dependent on our individual choices and what we think is right for ourselves. Our actions impact each other in a big way and St. Mary’s will continue to live out this belief in order to ensure the continued safety and well-being of us all. While we may not have to take all of the precautions we do, we do so for the health of our entire community.
Our other large ongoing project is what we’ve been calling “Next steps on racism,” or how best to proceed with the knowledge we’ve already gained about systemic structures of white supremacy; how to figure out what education we still need; and then how to implement practical action when we’re ready to do so. During these summer months, the Vestry has broken into groups in order to read, contemplate, and evaluate the usefulness of specifically episcopal church-based along with non-faith-based resources that we collectively chose. We will update you in early fall about our findings of what is useful to St. Mary’s and how to implement it in order to make our community even stronger.
Finally, we have many people to thank as always, which reminds us how continually blessed we are at St. Mary’s. We want to thank all those who gave on Giving Day back in May. Your generosity made this event a success! Thank you to the Giving Day committee for organizing and leading the event: Laurie S., Karen J., Louise, Lana, and John P. John visited the Vestry back in May to discuss the (then upcoming event), and we specifically want to say thank you for his enthusiasm and excitement. The way he speaks about “the brighter future ahead of us” with all the improvements going on at St. Mary’s, the growth we’ve experienced this past year, and the continued financial stability despite the pandemic is inspiring. John reminds us what an invaluable privilege it is to be part of such a unique community, and that—in his words—there is “nothing better than St. Mary’s.”
We also want to thank John S. for his continued help with the ventilation system upgrade, and Linda H. for leading the first coffee hour at Lively Park. Thank you to Carrie P. one more time for leading the Joyful Noise choir and for facilitating music and connection during the past pandemic year. Since it is also the end of the Liturgical Choir year, we send a big thank you to all those involved in making virtual music. It was truly a blessing to hear your voices and see your singing faces throughout the year. Although virtual music was never the same as singing in person, it was still a way for us to make music together—thanks be to God!
Our prayer for you, as for us, at the start of summer is that we can take Merton’s advice to heart and savor summer’s stillness while we find ways to courageously and truly rest. As everything “opens back up” and society encourages us to both throw ourselves with abandon into pre-pandemic busyness and celebrate the fact that we can, remember Merton’s point that a fuller schedule does not necessarily mean a better life. We look forward to seeing you all in-person soon, and until then, we wish you the peace and restorative rest of God.
