Bostonâs Common Cathedral doesnât have walls or stained glass windows, but the vistas that it provides are unparalleled.
âCommon Cathedral is name of the Ecclesia ministriesâ worshipping community, which is primarily a ministry among the homeless in Boston Common,â explained the Rev. Bob Honeychurch, Episcopal Church Officer for Congregational Vitality. âIt was founded in 1995 in response to the pressing need to provide services to the homeless in downtown Boston.â
Common Cathedral, in the Diocese of Massachusetts, is the focus of the final of five videos in the groundbreaking series, Transforming Churches, Changing the World. Produced by the Episcopal Church Office of Communication, the video is available on the home page of the Episcopal Church website www.episcopalchurch.org , the Congregational Vitality page www.episcopalchurch.org/vitality and on the Churchâs Facebook page www.facebook.com/episcopalian
Familiar sites of historic Boston are juxtaposed with images of homeless gathered against the cold to celebrate Eucharist. âWe are the church outside,â the Rev. Kathy McAdams explains in the video. âWe are here in solidarity with people who canât or wonât come inside.â
Honeychurch stated: âThere are so many congregations across the church that struggle on how to connect with their community. Here, Common Cathedral IS the wider community. There is a sense of groundedness in the immediate community, and that is something that many churches can learn. Common Cathedral is the least traditional of the churches in the Transforming Churches, Changing the World series, but they are the most intentionally present in their local community.â
Transforming Churches, Changing the World
The purpose of the Transforming Churches, Changing the World video project is to present identifying characteristics of healthy churches with a focus on ministry and outreach.
Previous videos of Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA (Diocese of Pennsylvania), Trinity Cathedral, Phoenix AZ (Diocese of Arizona), St Paul & the Redeemer, Chicago, IL (Diocese of Chicago), and St. Jude Wantagh, NY (Diocese of Long Island) are available here: www.episcopalchurch.org/vitality
The Episcopal Church welcomes all who worship Jesus Christ in 109 dioceses and three regional areas in 16 nations. The Episcopal Church is a member province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
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