Canterbury at Cal

Welcome!

Episco...what? Angli...who? The Episcopal Church is a catholic church seeking the coming of God into the world through the teachings of Jesus.

Our worship is based on forms and models used for over 1900 years, our theology is developed by allowing reason to be in dialogue with faith.

Our core is a table where everyone is invited to the feast, not as a guest but as family.

Our motto is: "The Episcopal Church Welcomes - YOU"

What does this mean?

A fellow Anglican, Desmond Tutu, explains our welcome in these terms:

"Jesus did not say, 'If I be lifted up I will draw some'." Jesus said, 'If I be lifted up I will draw all, all, all, all, all. Black, white, yellow, rich, poor, clever, not so clever, beautiful, not so beautiful. It's one of the most radical things. All, all, all, all, all, all, all, all. All belong. Gay, lesbian, so-called straight. All, all are meant to be held in this incredible embrace that will not let us go. ALL!"

Who is all? You.

Who are we?

As the official presence of the Episcopal Church to the Cal community, Canterbury House offers a spiritual home through the programs listed below to anyone seeking an authentic connection with God and the mystical presence of Jesus at work in the world. We explore relationship with God and creation through study, films, meals, laughter, prayer, and times of service. In addition, Canterbury at Cal offers a residential program through the Canterbury House.

The Chaplain, Tom Poynor, is available for questions, spiritual seeking, coffee, meals, being outside and generally just being present as a fellow pilgrim through life.

What's happening around Canterbury?

Weekly Programs

Throughout the week the chaplain holds Coffice Hours. For specific times and locations check out the list below. What are coffice hours? Its office hours outside the office, held where one can get coffee, thus the linguistically impossible combination. How will you find me? Look for the guy with the Lego bible and saint dioramas! (Ever since Lego guys started growing beards, the possibilities have gotten so much greater)

Sundays -

10AM: visit one of the five churches in the Berkeley Community for morning worship.

7:00 PM: Come to the Canterbury House for a meal and discussion.

9:00 PM: Sung Night Prayer in the chapel at St. Mark's Episcopal Church. This service combines the night prayer liturgy of the church of New Zealand with plainsong and other forms of music. Stick around for refreshments and conviviality.

Mondays:

8:15 AM - Centering Prayer in the Canterbury House Chapel. Centering prayer combines contemplative silence with a simple word or phrase to center on God.

9:15 - Coffice Hours at Cafe Milano on Bancroft.

3:30 - Coffice Hours at Fertile Grounds Cafe.

Tuesdays:

10:00 AM - 11:30 (ish) Coffice Hours at Strada

5:15 PM: TBA - Thoughts from the Family of God. Show up, your drink is on me and join in a study of a short passage from among the thousands of years of human reflection on the nature of God, Jesus and faith.

Thursdays:

12:15 - Blessed Are the Cheesemakers. Meet me at Jupiter Pizza (outdoors usually) for pizza and parables. We will work our way through stories told by Jesus

5:30 - St. Brigit's Guild - St. Brigit, aside from being the co-patron of Ireland, is also the patron saint of beer brewers. This is a gathering for graduate students/young adults. Time to develop friendships and also to discuss a topic for the week.

7:30 - Faith in Focus - Drop by the Canterbury House for a film that helps direct our attention to important issues of faith. During the season of Easter (the 50 days after Easter Sunday) the theme is on journeys of resurrection.

10:00 - Taize Prayer - Taize is monastic community devoted to reconciliation. Thousands of young adults from around the world come to Taize throughout the year to meet and enter a life of simplicity. The prayers are primarily a simple song built around a short passage, with space for reflection. This is a chance to breathe the Spirit and listen to the still voice of God.

Faith in Focus Film List:

April 3 - Joe vs.the Volcano An early film starring Tom Hanks. One of my favorite fairy tales about transcending the meaninglessness and selfishness of modern life. Great, if heavy handed, symbolism.

April 17 - Driving Lessons - Rupert Grint not being Ron Weasley! A coming of age story about a 16 year old English clergy child who gets a summer job with an aging (and somewhat crazy) English actress. Explores the nature of grace wonderfully.

April 24 - Pan's Labyrinth - Fairy tales as they are meant to be - creepy and dark. Del Toro puts the viewer in the position of asking what purpose belief and sacrifice serve. The perspective of the film also puts the viewer in a place of considering what it means to be the other.

May 1 - The Feast of the Ascension. American Beauty - A film which explores the fragile beauty and spiritual emptiness of modern suburban life. This movie captures the spiritual longing which lies at the heart of so many's experience and reflects the loss and confusion experienced by the disciples before receiving the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

May 8 - Underground - Emir Kusturica's story of his homeland during and after WWII. This is a challenging movie, yet the themes of imprisonment and release and redemption are powerful and relevant themes to contemporary faith.