So What Faith

Greg Smith

My Visit to St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral (#2263)

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This morning I was a first time visitor at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in Oklahoma City.

About St. Paul’s

St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral was founded more than 125 years ago and has been listed on on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977. Located in downtown Oklahoma City the cathedral is the spiritual center of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma. Today, St. Paul’s is “committed to being a place for all who seek and share God’s unconditional and abundant love, which calls us to comfort and stand with the vulnerable and each other. All are invited; all are welcome.”

The Cathedral offers three Sunday morning services with an education hour between the 9:00am and 11:15am services:

  • 8:00 a.m.- Holy Eucharist Rite I, spoken; St. Nicholas Chapel
  • 9:00 a.m.- Holy Eucharist Rite II, with St. Paul’s Choir; Cathedral
  • 11:15 a.m.- Holy Eucharist Rite I, with Schola Cantorum; Cathedral

The Rev. Katie Churchwell has served as the Cathedral’s Dean since 2020.

Welcome

My wife and I arrived on the church campus 17 minutes before the 9:00am service and located a parking spot in the lot directly across from the church. Just as we were exiting our vehicle, church volunteers opened the exterior doors to the sanctuary providing a visible sign that indeed all are welcome.

St. Paul’s with open doors (photo by Greg Smith)

Once inside we were handed a program by an usher who invited us to go in and be seated while the choir finished rehearsing. We secured a spot near the back and on the center aisle. As people entered they proceeded to their seats. While no one stopped to welcome us, a few affirmed our presence with a smile.

Worship

The 81 minute long service was relatively easy to follow using the 20 page printed program. For those not familiar with Episcopal worship nearby parishioners’ actions are the best cue for when to stand, sit, or kneel.

Worship (photo by Greg Smith)

The service began with a processional of the Cathedral Choir and Choristers followed by the clergy as the congregation sang a hymn. Following a prayer, the day’s lessons were read or sung from 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15, Psalm 111, and 2 Timothy 2:8-15. Next the Very Rev. Katie Churchwell, Dean of the Cathedral, read the Gospel before the Rev. Tracy Anderson, Deacon, preached.

Rev. Tracy Anderson Preaching (photo by Greg Smith)

Rev. Anderson’s message focused on the Gospel reading. She related a story from her childhood of visiting family but experiencing such intense and ongoing homesickness that she convinced her father to pick her up earlier than scheduled. Then she explored the disease of leprosy noting that in the time of Jesus those suffering from it were outcasts who were separated from family, friends, and the life they once knew. Finally, Rev. Anderson focused on the gratitude she experienced and the gratitude experienced by those Jesus healed of leprosy.

The service continued with the creed, prayers of the people, and confession of sin. Then all present were invited to greet one another with the peace of Christ before being seated to hear the day’s announcements. After the Dean shared what was going on in the life of the community of faith she invited a member of the Vestry to share a special announcement.

Announcements (photo by Greg Smith)

He indicated he was the first of four speakers who would address the congregation over the next month as part of the annual stewardship campaign. Notably, he encouraged folks to consider increasing their pledges in support of the Cathedral’s proposed 2026 budget that is 35% greater than this year’s budget. The increases were attributed to three causes: (1) inflation, (2) seeking to grow the church staff by adding a clergyperson, and (3) maintenance needs for a 100+ year old facility.

Cathedral Choir and Choristers (photo by Greg Smith)

Next the service transitioned to Holy Communion. This was the sole component of the service that lacked adequate instructions for me to feel confident participating in as a newcomer. Since we were seated near the back, I observed how others communed and then was able to fully participate by choosing one of the options afforded.

Finally, following the closing hymn the choir and clergy processed and the service ended.

Additional Oklahoma Worship Experiences

My experience of worship at St. Paul’s today was my fifth time to worship in Oklahoma this year and my ninth in the last two years. My prior experiences include: