10 a.m. Online Worship Every Sunday

  256 East Church Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202  ·   (904) 356-5507  ·         Give

St. John's Cathedral Jacksonville
  • Welcome
    • A Litany of Prayer for Our Nation
    • Virtual Worship Service
    • Clergy
    • Staff
    • Vestry
    • Sermons
    • History
    • Becoming a Member
    • Manage My Membership
    • Bookstore
    • Bishop's Garden
  • Give
    • Give Now
    • Count on Me!
    • Pledge Online
    • Ways to Give
  • News
    • News & Events
    • Calendar
    • Newsletter Signup
  • Music
    • Choral Services and Music Events
    • The Great Organ
    • The Stanly and Claudia Gordon Music Endowment
  • Learn
    • Inquirers' Series
    • Online Classes and Worship
    • Weekday Live
    • Adult Classes
    • Becoming Beloved Community
    • Center for Prayer & Spirituality
    • Cerveny Speakers Series
    • Youth and Children
  • Serve
    • 2020 Acts of Gratitude
    • Ministry for Immigrants and Refugees
    • Green Spirits
    • Outreach
    • Worship
    • Parish Life
  • Contact
    • Send a Message
    • Prayer Requests
    • Communications Requests
    • Event Scheduling Requests

Prayer Flags and Common Humanity

During the pandemic of COVID-19, I have seen lots of art in public places - signs of gratitude on the grounds of nearby hospitals and nursing homes, sidewalks chalked with encouragement in our neighborhood. One day a beautiful rock painted as a ladybug appeared as an anonymous gift in my garden. Many of these public displays of affection and support catch my attention and find their way into my prayers.

Now the public art as murals of remembrance and the protest signs carried in recent marches around the world invite me to think more deeply and not just notice in passing. How is it that we move our inner thoughts into outdoor spaces. These memorials, these proclamations are laments; they are public prayers of the people. They are like the psalms which address God, each other, and the human condition.

"Hear my voice, O God, when I complain; protect my life from fear of the enemy."
Ps. 64:1

“The Lord upholds all those who fall; he lifts up those who are bowed down" Ps. 145:15


So, I am wondering how to deepen my prayer. Can I spend time with a protest sign and turn it into a psalm? Can I make a prayer flag that displays my best intentions for this broken and beautiful world?

Dean Kate has reminded us that crisis breeds creativity. I will write a psalm and create a prayer flag, to put my heart and hope out there. Prayer flags from their earliest beginnings are considered signs of goodwill. Hung outdoors, these loving affirmations are blown by the wind and spread into the world. They are usually made simply and strung with others on a tree or other structure. The colors will fade, the unfinished edges may curl, a squirrel may decide to take them to his house, a bird may rest nearby. Maybe someone will stop and pay attention.

~The Rev. Dr. Linda Privitera



Please join us by making a flag with an expression of your prayer for peace and reconciliation.

  • Use a piece of light-weight fabric so it will blow in a breeze. An old pillowcase can be cut into six or eight flag shapes.
  • Leave the edges unfinished, to catch the breeze.
  • Leave a space at the top so the flag can be attached to a rope.
  • Use any markers, art supplies, ribbon, yarn, etc., that are handy. Enjoy the work!
  • The flag may be silent or include words.
  • Don't worry about the flag wearing out or raveling. The people who made the earliest flags hoped that was a sign that the prayers were lofting toward Heaven!

Flags can be dropped off Monday thru Friday mornings, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m at the Cathedral House, use the entrance facing Church Street. Push the buzzer, Judy will let you in, and you can leave your flags on the bench in the hallway.

For more information, please contact Liesl Gavronsky-Howsare at [email protected] or Susan Bancks at [email protected] Prayer flags and common humanity is sponsored by the Center for Prayer and Spirituality at St. John's Cathedral.

Prayer Flags

Let's fill the Cathedral District with Prayer Flags for Peace and Reconciliation


  View Entire Post

Tags: Calendar News Newsletter / Center for Prayer & Spirituality (CPS)

Sermons

  • Jan 17 | The Very Rev. Kate Moorehead
    Sermon: Listening to God
  • Jan 10 | The Rev. Dr. Bob Dannals
    Sermon: Living with Dignity
  • Jan 3 | The Very Rev. Kate Moorehead
    About Dreams
  • Dec 27 | The Rev. Dr. Bob Dannals
    God Meets Us On the Margins
  • Dec 20 | The Rev. Dr. Bob Dannals
    On Magnifying the Lord

Copyright © 2020 Saint John's Cathedral, Jacksonville, Florida
All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Powered by Membership Vision
The Episcopal Church | Episcopal Diocese of Florida | Receive our Newsletter | The Lectionary Page

  View Entire Post

Service Times

Live Stream at 10 a.m.

COVID-19 Updates


Location

St. John's Cathedral Jacksonville
256 East Church Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202

Contact Us
(904) 356-5507

Newsletter Signup

Count on Me! Give Now Special Funds Altar Flowers

Your pledge helps us build community within and outside of the walls of the Cathedral. Over the years we have birthed several ministries that are now thriving nonprofits serving and educating in the Urban Core of Jacksonville and beyond.

Read More

Giving online? Click the "Give Online Now" button below to access our giving portal and select "Gen. Donation" for a one-time gift. You may also select "Pledge" to pay your pledge or any of the other funds listed to make a specific donation.

Giving by check? Make your check payable to St. John's Cathedral and mail to 256 E. Church St. Jacksonville, FL 32202
Have a question about giving? Please call our office (904) 356-5507

Give Online Now

Learn about the St. John’s Cathedral Preservation Fund, the Cathedral Builders Fund and the Legacy Society.

Learn More

We appreciate your flower donations. Make a gift in memory of a loved one or in celebration of a person, an event or a milestone. Until it is safe to return to a full in-person worship schedule, we will be placing floral arrangements at the altar on Wednesday evening for the recording of the Virtual Service and on Sunday morning for the Social Distance services. Simple bouquets can be arranged using flowers from your garden or bought in the grocery store. Contact Teresa Mason to participate.

Contact Teresa