July 4 ~ Surprised by Joy ~ Reverend Catherine Harrington

As I promised in my annual report, my goal for the next year is to cultivate joy. I wrote this O Antiphon for Spring at the May Midwest Courage to Lead retreat in Mundelein, Illinois. As we see in the natural beauty and rhythm of spring, we need only be open to receiving miracles.

O Joyful Designer Come,
Bathe us in Your beauty.
Send beams of light into
the darkest corners of our despair.

Send the bees, the birds, the
insects, those messiahs who
carry the nectar that
will awaken the sleeping seeds of our new beginnings.

Paint the corridor of our
damp, cold souls with yellow –
orange – purple – and blue,
Turn all that has grown
tired and dreary into your symphony
of mystery and surprise.

July 11 ~ Nurture Your Spirit, Heal the World ~ Reverend Catherine Harrington

A people so bold, transforming congregations, faith formation, virtues for UU’s and more, an inspirational
report from the 49th annual meeting of the UUA General Assembly.

July 18 ~ The Cult of Mithras ~ Dr. Louis Yock

Between the first and fourth centuries CE, a religious fad swept the Roman Empire—today known as the Cult of Mithras. An examination of this short lived religion gives insight into the Roman world, and the world in which Christianity appeared at the same time.

July 25 ~ "Boys will be Boys" ~ Julia Raddatz

Recent research shows girls are outpacing boys in math and science at school, and women are a 60% majority on college campuses. In the world of education, the new gender in the gender gap are BOYS. After years of Title 9, "take our daughters to work days", and Barbies with 401k's instead of bikinis, is it time to look back and check on the guys? As traditional schooling, parenting, and domestic life shifts, how do our UU principals support the inherent worth and dignity of snips and snails and puppy dog tails of our boys?