July 10, 2016

I woke early this morning and Ernesto and the kids drove me to Potrero Hill in San Francisco where St. Gregory’s of Nyssa is located, because the BART trains do not run that early in the morning. I arrived at 8:00 for the daybreak service of prayer, meditation and psalms, then went to the 8:30 Holy Eucharist contemplative service, talked with people during coffee hour, attended a discussion about stewardship, then attended the 10:45 Holy Eucharist sung service, sat with Paul Fromberg for his “Fifteen Good Minutes” question and answer session, then talked some more, helped clean up after coffee hour, and then was dropped off at the library by a friendly member named Cathleen.

This is what I saw. The first thing that stood out as I walked into the building was the vibrant paintings of the Dancing Saints, painted by Mark Dukes—90 ancient and contemporary saints and every saint in between. They include Julian of Norwich, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Iqbal Masih (who spoke out against child labor), Thurgood Marshall, Li Tim Oi (first woman priest in the Anglican Communion), Black Elk, Cesar Chavez, Anne Frank, Thomas Aquinas, Ella Fitzgerald, and Isaiah. The Dancing Saints cover the eight walls of the rotunda where Holy Eucharist is celebrated, watching over the communion of all saints gathered for a sacred meal.

At the 8:30 service I noticed the many children that gathered in the seated area to hear the Scripture readings. The children were free to move about, allowing their curiosity to guide them to books and a finger labyrinth and other prayerful objects that they fiddled with, shared with each other, or just pondered. They talked freely with one another and with adults they knew, but their friendly banter was a welcome addition to the quiet and contemplative environment; I did not find them to be a distraction at all, and as a matter of fact found myself drawn to their freedom of movement, lack of fear about the appropriateness of talking and interacting, and their joy at sharing the space with other children they knew and freely hugged.

Both the 8:30 and 10:45 services were completely sung by the presider, the congregation, and at the later service by the choir. It was beautiful and contemplative and engaged so many important ways of expression—singing, dancing, thinking, meditating, sitting, and standing. I want to know more. I met Marissa, a PhD. Musicology student from Yale, whom I want to talk with to learn more about the use of music during liturgy.

The worship space is a large open room with chairs on one end where the word is celebrated and at the other end an altar in the middle of the rotunda with no chairs where participants stand around the altar to celebrate Holy Eucharist. While moving to the altar members dance together around the altar and are encouraged to stand close to the bread and wine. At the 8:30 service, children played the drums and tambourines while dancing to the altar, two children carried the chalices around during communion, and a younger child climbed under the altar to retrieve a musical instrument.

This evening I will attend the once-monthly 5:00 PM supper service organized and run by the youth of St. Gregory’s.

More later…