August 8, Earth Wisdom Eucharist

Sophia in Trinity is beginning something new. On the second Saturday of each month, members of our community will offer the homily, which is always responded to by the entire community. On the 4th Saturday of each month, Victoria will offer the "shared homily." We hope that this will give everyone in the community an opportunity to creatively share their thoughts and visions.

Judy Liteky offered and insightful homily on August 8. She chose the theme "Earth Wisdom" from the work of Thomas Berry, and combined this with reflections from her recent trip to Paraguay. Here are a few of the key ideas that she used in her homily:

I am part of Sacred time and space
I am part of a Sacred Universe.

Thomas Berry in “The Dream of the Earth” and “The Great Work”.....
We are supported by a power, energy, a dynamism.

Being an activist with consciousness:
Women’s experience and consciousness: 1965 on with the Immaculate Heart order
Global personhood: traveling internationally from 1960 on to Europe, Asia, the Americas
Speaking and working for human rights: 1970’s on in anti-nuclear movement, Sanctuary, SOA Watch

Paraguay and Peru: sacred time and space
Zooming in to commune with the sky, land, water
Zooming out to experience a unity in the diversity
Returning to San Francisco renewed with the sense that I/we are supported by a power, energy, a dynamism and invoking this wisdom to create our future.

Evelie Posch took this theme and wove songs of Mother Earth throughout the liturgy.
As always her insights grounded and inspired our prayers.

Following the liturgy, Judy showed slides from her journey.

July 25, Celebration of Mary Magdalene, and Women Leaders in the Early Church

Our liturgy began with a community special blessing written by Michael Busk to honor the 4 year anniversary of Victoria's ordination as a priest. All gathered around and in true ordination style, laid hands upon Victoria in blessing and consecration. Joy indeed!

And in the sunshine of this lovely day, Sophia in Trinity celebrated the Liturgy of the Word in true incarnational style--with theatre and movement. Our own Susan Fox presented a monolog of Mary Magdalene while Claire Blackstock enacted a movement/dance as Magdalene. From this it was very clear that we were all celebrating women's leadership in our church. The question asked by Magdalene to us all was "What is the truth you would weep for? Live for? Die for? Love for? What is the truth that grows...quickens..lives and moves and has its being insisde youk readying for the day when you will give it birth? What is the truth that you alone bring here this day?" And just as Magdalene danced with a rose colored shawl, each of us took up her mantel, and spoke our truth to one another.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist concluded, and we shared a communal blessing of going forth. Susan Fox brought Mary Magdalene's symbol of a red egg to share in our community hour following the Eucharist. Hence the photo above where we are holding red eggs. Also, fruit pies were enjoyed as Victoria showed slides from her ordination on the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Our next Eucharist celebration will be August 8. Victoria will preside and Judy Litekey will offer the homily and afterwards show slides of her recent trip to South America.

Catching Up With This Blog!

Dear Readers,
Sophia in Trinity continues to gather for Eucharists on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month. For the past month and a half, however, life has been busy for me, thus I have not been able to keep up with this blog since the end of May!! My apologies to you all.

On June 13, Janice del Fiacco led a lovely meditation service, since I was presiding at a wedding in Baltimore.

On June 27, PRIDE weekend in San Francisco, we gathered for Eucharist and a celebration of all
our LGBTQ sisters and brothers. We are also inspired by our Episcopal sisters and brothers who at their General Convention took clarifying and affirming steps to further support LGBTQ leadership in the Episcopal Church.

July 11, our Eucharist took the theme "do not be afraid: what I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light!" As a Catholic community, Sophia in Trinity's members have the courage to speak in the light, worshiping with a "valid but illicit" woman priest, and knowing that at the grassroots of our church, there are many faith-filled people like ourselves finding more expressive and inclusive ways to worship and to be church.

Unexpected Grace : May 23 & 24

Sand dollars are gifts from the sea. Unexpected graces. And that is what Sophia in Trinity, in gratitude, gave to Trinity Episcopal Church this last Sunday, May 24 at their 11am Mass. It is through Trinity's creative generosity that we worship twice a month in Mary's Chapel--Mary's womb. The day before, Saturday May 23, during our Eucharistic Celebration, Sophia in Trinity members created cards of blue with sand dollars attached and wrote of our gratitude to Trinity. They are in so many ways our "Unexpected Grace." An Episcopal community that invited a new Catholic community to be born in its midst. Thank you indeed! After the Mass at Trinity, members of their community, placed some of the sand dollars on their side altar--their healing altar.

On Saturday May 23, Lucy and Greg Garcia created our beautiful space for Eucharist. Felipe brought flowers. Evelie offered music with the theme of gratitude woven throughout our Eucharist: "Breathe Through Me, Blessed Spirit," "The Ocean Refuses No River" "Song of the Flower" [K.Gibran, adapted & arrg. by Evelie] and "This is my Thanksgiving Day." And Felipe brought a pan of his famous cheese puffs for our community hour following the Eucharist.
As you can see, the morning celebration was full of "unexpected grace!" Sophia is truly among us, guiding us, inspiring us.

June 13, 10:30am, will be our next gathering. It will be a special worship service, coordinated by Janice Del Fiacco, since Victoria must be back east to preside at a wedding.

We also want to thank Kathleen Kunster for being our guest presider on May 9 at Sophia in Trinity. It's was a wonderful opportunity for Sophia in Trinity to experience the many different gifts of the organization: Roman Catholic Womenpriests [www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org] of which Victoria is also a member.

April 25, Celebration of the Earth

Our Eucharist was devoted to restoring our relationship with the earth.
It began with Evelie Delfino Posch sharing this beautiful song :


"Breathing In, Breathing Out"
{Poem: Thich Nhat Hanh; Music: Betsy Rose; Arr. Evelie S Posch}

Breathing in, breathing out, breathing in, breathing out
I am blooming as a flower, I am fresh as the dew
I am solid as a mountain, I am firm as the earth
I am free, I am free, I am free

Breathing in, breathing out, breathing in, breathing out
I am water reflecting what is real, what is true
And I feel there is space deep inside of me
I am free, I am free, I am free

Throughout the liturgy we reflected on Mother Earth. Some of Alan Weisman's thoughts from the book THE WORLD WITHOUT US were also part of our liturgy.

The Mass was dedicated to Tom Seagraves, pastor of St. John of God parish, who is undergoing surgery this week. We ask your continued prayers for him.

We welcomed many new faces and hope that if you attend our next Mass on May 9, celebrating Mother's Day, that you will bring a friend. We will be very happy on that day to welcome woman priest Kathleen Kunster as presider at our Eucharist.

April 11: Ritual for those Wounded by Religion

Holy Saturday Morning
A Ritual for all those wounded by religion.

The chairs in the circle were turned out, not in. It tipped us off that something different was going to happen. We began with intentions of why we are here:
• We are drawn to this healing ritual today by the pain of those times
we have been made to feel less than…..
• We are drawn to this healing ritual today by the pain of those times
we have been abused by those in religious power that we trusted
• We are drawn to this healing ritual today by the pain of those times
we have been hurt, misguided and lied to by religious authorities
• We are drawn to this healing ritual today by the pain of those times
our voices have been silenced…..
• We are drawn to this healing ritual today by the pain of those times
we have not been heard….
• We are drawn to this healing ritual today by the pain of those times
we have been angered by the closed mindedness of religions

Michael Busk then led us in a game of musical chairs—that was really about experiencing disempowerment and exclusion by religious authorities.
Afterward, we drew pictures and wrote about the pain of this disempowerment.
But we didn’t leave it there. We got on our feet and each of us made gestures of resistance to this pain.

Evelie Delfino Posch led us with heart beat drumming out the doors of the chapel into the courtyard where we individually repeated our gesture of resistance and then burned our drawings and writings in an act of cleansing and empowerment.
“Fire, bright fire, burn, cleanse, release!”

When we re-entered our chapel we were all invited for additional healing. In each of the four directions there were two sound-healing artists, and two prayer-healing persons. People went to one or the other or all four! One participant said she had never felt such deep healing enter her through the vibrations of sound.

After, we anointed each other with precious oils to seal in our healing.
Evelie sang from J.C. Superstar: “Everything’s All Right.”

And finally we reclaimed with candles---
We reclaim fire and light and darkenss. We reclaim the wholeness of our bodies.
And we light candles to reclaim our faith, whatever that is:
I reclaim the joy of the Holy
I reclaim the inclusivity of the Holy
I reclaim Love
I reclaim my spirit—holy joyful, arms wide, full of love
I reclaim my healthy suspicion of all power not fueled by Love….
And on it went

Perhaps the litmus test for any ritual is whether people stay around afterward.
Not only did the candles remain lit, everyone stayed and spoke with each other, sharing what they had received from the morning---which was Holy Saturday morning.

April 11: Opening the Heart

Opening the Heart

Institutional religions through the years and centuries have wounded many in the name of God. Through ritual we will open our hearts to release old pains and hurts that block us from our relationship with the Holy. We will be led in this ritual by a lesbian Roman Catholic woman priest.

The ritual will take place at 10:30am, April 11, in the chapel of Trinity Episcopal Church, Gough and Bush. The sponsor of the ritual is a new Catholic community-- Sophia in Trinity.

Our ritual will be both an individual and collective effort. All are welcome.