Halloween Spectaculathon!

Last week Canterbury had a visit from parishioner and professor, Ben Ray, of the religious studies department.  He talked to us about a passion of his, the Salem Witch Trials, and shed some crucial light on the event that many people don't know - like how the Crucible isn't an accurate account of the trials and how they were more or less politically motivated after a conflict between the village minister and the townspeople.

You can find all sorts of fascinating information, all in once place, on this website.

Transcript of Speech From ACCEPT Vigil

Hey all!  I've been meaning to post this to the Canterblog for a while now, but finally have gotten around to making edits.  As most of you know, Canterbury attended the ACCEPT Vigil a couple of weeks ago, which was an event organized in response to the deaths of LGBTQ youth across our country for being outed as gay.  I was asked to speak at the event and so I'd like to provide you with a transcript of that speech.

Over the past week I have watched online videos from the “It Gets Better Project” in an attempt to find some sort of answer to the tragedies we’ve heard about in the news.  I’ve heard uplifting words from celebrities, such as Tim Gunn, as well as heart wrenching ones from Ellen Degeneres.  A complete stranger even e-mailed me his video when he heard of the attack I suffered in the middle of September.  But my words aren’t meant to be about me or what I’ve been through.  Suffice it to say, however, that in light of my own victimization and learning of the deaths of these young LGBT teens, I have lost my faith in humanity and am struggling to regain it.  I don’t care who you are or what you believe, nor does it matter what your or my own personal convictions are.  There is nothing in this world, there is nothing in this life, more precious and sacred than a human life.  I won’t lie to you, because I can’t lie to you.  I am angry, furious, and livid that our society would allow such terrible things to happen.  I simply cannot fathom the crimes that have been committed against such wonderful, promising, gifted, and innocent persons.

            As a poet and as someone who studies poetry, there is nothing more beautiful in the world to me than the testimony, than the sound of an other’s voice telling their story; and because of intolerance, because of someone else’s ignorance, we will never hear the voices of these elegant and graceful souls.  Their voices have been silenced unjustly.  This silencing sickens me to my very core.  We are here tonight to give these youths the justice they deserve. 

What happened is not removed from us by any degree, however minute.  We, as members of this society, of this country, bear full responsibility for their unfortunate deaths. We must work to rectify this, because they truly are crimes against humanity, for which we must atone and ensure never happen again.

I see tonight as a gathering of people who wish to give voices to those who have had theirs prematurely taken away from them.  Tonight is about – to borrow the words of a personal idol, American poet Walt Whitman – we came here this evening to “…sound [our] barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.” 

The following are the voices of those named below, whose lives were senselessly ended merely because they dared to be true to their selves, because they were bold enough to embrace their identities.

            This is the voice of Tyler Clementi: [silence]

            This is the voice of Asher Brown: [silence]

            This is the voice of Seth Walsh: [silence]

            This is the voice of Billy Lucas: [silence]

            This is the voice of Zach Harrington: [silence]

            This is the voice of Aiyisha Hassan: [silence]

And these are the voices of those for whom we have no names, but whose voices have nevertheless been stilled: [silence]. 

They will never know the joy of having their name called out at a commencement ceremony, nor know love’s first kiss, nor the pleasure of another autumn.  They will never know any of the daily joys of which you and I take pleasure, which we take for granted.

You may be wondering why I turned to Whitman’s words and why I will shortly turn to another poet’s words.  Well, I do so because someone once told me: “When language fails you, turn to poetry;”and language has failed me, insofar as its ability to express the deep distress I feel for these youths and their families.  So I quote from another American poet, Allen Ginsberg: “America when will we end the human war?.../…America when will you be angelic?.../…America the plum blossoms are falling.”                                                                  

Ask yourselves those very questions as I leave you with one final image and a poem.  America, when will we end the human war?  Before I leave you with this poem by Adam Zagajewski, I would like you to envision a monument, erected at Dachau, Germany.  Inscribed on stone in five languages are the words “Never Again.”  Let those two words be our promise to these young people and let us resolve to ourselves:  Nie Mehr!

Try To Praise The Mutilated World

Try to praise the mutilated world.
Remember June’s long days,
and wild strawberries, drops of wine, the dew.
The nettles that methodically overgrow
the abandoned homesteads of exiles.
You must praise the mutilated world.
You watched the stylish yachts and ships;
one of them had a long trip ahead of it,
while salty oblivion awaited others.
You’ve seen the refugees heading nowhere,
you’ve heard the executioners sing joyfully.
You should praise the mutilated world.
Remember the moments when we were together
in a white room and the curtain fluttered.
Return in thought to the concert where music flared.
You gathered acorns in the park in autumn
and leaves eddied over the earth’s scars.
Praise the mutilated world
and the grey feather a thrush lost,
and the gentle light that strays and vanishes
and returns.

Adam Zagajewski

Trans from the Polish by Clare Cavanaugh

The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire says "It Gets Better"

Here is a wonderful video made by the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, openly gay Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in response to the unwarranted suicides of many LGBTQI teens over the past months.

Please watch it and let his words lead you into thought about your role as a person in our society.

ACCEPT vigil

Last week several members of the Charlottesville gathered on the north steps of the rotunda at UVA to honor and celebrate the lives of those LGBTQI teens who took their own lives as a result of bullying by their peers.

It was an extremely uplifting evening with many encouraging words and many tears.

Canterbury Fellowship attended the event as a group to show our support for all those who have been the victims of bullying on the basis of intolerance and ignorance.

QUAA and the organizers of this event asked me to speak. My own words were for those who no longer have a voice in this world and for those who feel they don't have a voice.

I implore you all to think about your role as a member of our society and ask that you make a commitment to end this kind of bullying.

Shortly I will be uploading a video, created by the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire and openly gay clergy member. I'll also - once I've had a chance to edit my words - post a transcript of my speech to this blog.

Peace be with you and always remember: you are exactly as God made you. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

Ever yours,

Sean

Parish Hall Meeting Discussses Gay Marriage

Las night we went to a meeting at St. Paul's, Ivy to discuss the diocese's decision to write a liturgy for the blessing of same sex marriages.

I have lots of notes and will post more about this later - but it was definitely an evening of listening and learning.

New local coffee shop opens

So there's a new local coffee shop on the corner that I tried today and it's totally Indy and hip and just plain awesome.

My iced mocha was good but this sign was even better.

Drops of Wine

*Try To Praise The Mutilated World*

Try to praise the mutilated world.
Remember June’s long days,
and wild strawberries, drops of wine, the dew.
The nettles that methodically overgrow
the abandoned homesteads of exiles.
You must praise the mutilated world.
You watched the stylish yachts and ships;
one of them had a long trip ahead of it,
while salty oblivion awaited others.
You’ve seen the refugees heading nowhere,
you’ve heard the executioners sing joyfully.
You should praise the mutilated world.
Remember the moments when we were together
in a white room and the curtain fluttered.
Return in thought to the concert where music flared.
You gathered acorns in the park in autumn
and leaves eddied over the earth’s scars.
Praise the mutilated world
and the grey feather a thrush lost,
and the gentle light that strays and vanishes
and returns.

Adam Zagajewski

Trans from the Polish by Clare Cavanaugh

In light of the many recent waves of violence and tragedy that have swept through not only Charlottesville, but the nation as a whole, I find myself drawn to this poem by Zagajewski.  Yes it is dark.  Yes it is bleak.  Yes there is rage at the center of his poem "Try to Praise the Mutilated World" - but there is also hope, I think.

I'm reminded specifically of Tyler Clementi and the others who took their own lives because mankind could not see fit to treat them with the dignity that all human beings deserve.  I am reminded of the two U.Va. students who have been sexually assaulted because of passions which were out of control.  And I wonder, when will we begin to treat one another with decency and respect.  Weren't we all created equal under the unconditional love of whomever created us, whomever breathed that first breath of life into us. 

Sometimes I wonder where we as a society went wrong.  I wonder whether there was anything in particular that we did.  But that can't be it.  But we're certainly responsible for our own actions, and thus, have created the world in which we live.  Would it be too much to ask of ourselves to hold ourselves to some form of a social contract wherein we do unto others as we would have them do unto us?  

As Zagajewski writes "You watched the stylish yachts and ships; / one of them had a long trip ahead of it / while salty oblivion awaited others."  We have watched these terrible things happen and been silent.

We cannot be silent any longer.  We must stand up for what is right, for what is just.  And so ask yourself, what is right, what is just?  

I have an opinion and that is:  we must let our voices be heard and let it be known that we will NOT tolerate this any longer.  Our voices should be saying "Respect the dignity of EVERY human being, no matter their creed, appearance, lifestyle - or anything."  

My heart goes out for those voices that have been silenced by our bigotry and hate.  A testimony of a self was lost in Tyler Clementi's unwarranted suicide: and that is simply a tragedy, a horrific injustice both to and on behalf of the human race.  

And in Zagajewski's own words, in order to praise this mutilated world, we must "Return to the concert where the music flared .../...and the grey feather a thrush lost, / and the gentle light that strays and vanishes / and returns."  

Choose Kindness and Love

Please everyone, listen to these powerful words Ellen has to say.  Violence, intolerance, and prejudiced/discrimination on any grounds, for any reason is simply unacceptable.  We must take a stance against ignorance and hate so that we can create a better world for us all!

Whenever you have thoughts against another person because they're different, think to yourself, how would I feel if someone treated me in a disrespectful manner because of something about who I am? 

Think about it!

A Somewhat Late Welcome Back to School

Dearest Readers,

My apologies that is has taken me such a long time to update this blog.

We are finally back in school here at the University of Virginia and have had just over a full month of classes.  As fall break approaches (starting tomorrow) many of us will be leaving the Grounds for short adventures into the blissful unknown - a place we only get to venture freely on occasion as we are students and typically find ourselves buried under piles of books, papers, journal articles, staplers, half-sharpened pencils, etc.

This year has been an exciting one for Canterbury.  We've a new chaplain, the wonderful Nik Forti, who is very excited about what the group will be doing, what traditions we will maintain, and what new traditions we're bound to create.

There have been many fun activities at each of our Wednesday evening gatherings.  We've celebrated a Eucharist together, written personalized prayers of the people for the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, and played my very favorite game of all time with Professor Paul Jones of the Religious Studies department.

We call it "Stump the Theologian."

In the coming weeks, we expect visits from our very own Professor Ben Ray who will talk with us about the Salem Witch Trials.  And not shortly thereafter, we'll be heading over the mountain to go apple picking.

For all the alumni of Canterbury, We miss you!  But know that you're off doing wonderfully fabulous things with your lives and your freshly minted degrees from the University.

For newcomers, we would love to meet you. Our group meets every Wednesday at 120 Chancellor Street (just behind Bank of America on the Corner), starting at 5.30pm.

Happy Autumnal Equinox everyone and enjoy this lovely change in the seasons!

Delayed Reaction

Hey everyone! Sorry that these posts have been lacking.  Unfortunately, I've been sick on and off for about a month, which has caused me to play some major catch-up games.

There has been A LOT going on at Canterbury in the last month or so, from making valentines cards to be distributed to nursing homes, to hearing Larry Bouchard talk about religious themes in theatre.

Also, the healthcare reform passed through our Congress and has been a major step towards social justice.  As with any social legislation, it's not perfect at first, but hopefully the kinks will be worked out over time.

We've also been moving forward in our Lenten series over at Canterbury, where we focus on improving our lives and ministries while preparing for Easter.  During Lent, Canterbury decided to take the average of what was spent on meals during the regular school year and instead make meals out of soups, bread, cheeses, and fruits so that we can use the difference between the cost of our Lenten meals and our non-Lenten meals as a charity donation.  All the money we save during Lent will be donated to the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund, which will then send those contribution to the relief efforts underway in Haiti.

This Sunday many Canterbury students will be involved in a re-enactment of the Passion during the 5.30 service, so if you're available it should be worth seeing!

Enjoy the beautiful weather!

Presiding Bishop Visits Charlottesville

Last week Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori visited Charlottesville and was kind enough to meet our Canterbury students during her time here.

In preparation for her visit, our group met Wednesday evening at our usual Canter-time to discuss the office of the Presiding Bishop.  Matthew Lukens led the discussion and provided us with a bunch of interesting information about her.

For those who may not know, the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States has a surprisingly well structured government.  On the parish level, each church has a rector.  Parishes comprise Dioceses, which are overseen by Bishops and either Assistant or Suffragan Bishops.  The different between Assistant and Suffragan Bishops is that Assistant Bishops have the option of becoming the Bishop should the current Bishop retire, move to another diocese, or pass away.  Suffragans can only move away to another Diocese to either be Suffragan there or to become a Bishop.  The next level up is the national church, which is presided over by - well - the Presiding Bishop.  This persons job is essentially to lead the Episcopal Church USA in doctrinal matters and work with the Bishops of other countries to maintain relations within the Anglican Communion.  The Anglican Communion is a collection of (for lack of a better word) Archdioceses around the world; for example there is the Church of England, the Church of Scotland, the Church of New Zealand, etc.  At last count, there were approximately 77 million communicants who identified themselves as belong to the Anglican Communion.

In the States, the Presiding Bishop is elected at General Convention by the House of Bishops and the ratified by the House of Deputies (which are Lay representatives sent by Dioceses to General Convention).  Given the rather progressive nature of the Episcopal Church USA, our Presiding Bishop has an interesting and somewhat complicated job.  She acts as our representative whenever the Primates (or Archbishops of the other Anglican countries) meet at Lambeth Palace to discuss current ecumenical issues and the future of the Anglican Communion.

All that being said, Katharine Jefferts-Schori is the first female Presiding Bishop in history.  She had a busy weekend here in Charlottesville, as she gave a talk Friday at the Rotunda, was the guest of a banquet Saturday, and preached at the 8 o'clock and 10 o'clock services this past Sunday.

Canterbury had a good time meeting with her at the Colonnade Club on Friday and were then able to escort her over to the Rotunda for her speech.

Hopefully there will be pictures coming soon.  But for now, visit rector Jim Richardson's Blog .

Pictures from this semester's first meeting

Hey all, please find some pictures from the first meeting of Canterbury Fellowship this semester.  They're from our gathering where we baked bread for the 5:30 service.

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man

Welcome back to U.Va.  Canterbury is excited for this coming semester.  We've settled on a one word missions statement for the future of the group, which is "hospitality."

Canterbury met Wednesday for the first of many exciting and fun gatherings this term.  As part of our hospitality mission statement, we decided to use a recipe from Virginia Theological Seminary, come together as a group, and bake bread for the 5:30 evening service on Sundays.  It was an absolute blast, as we all got to mix the dough - culminating in a mass "kneading" party, where we each took a hunk of dough and pressed in into the desired form.  All this fun was finished by cutting unique designs into the bread.

So if you're a regular attendee of the 5:30 evening service, keep an eye out for the bread made with love from your local Canterbakers (which has a certain luxury car ring to it).