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510 S. Farwell St., Eau Claire WI 54701 • 715.835.3734 Map to the Cathedral


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ASH WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5

My life and my death are not purely and simply my own business. I live by and for others, and my death involves them. 
 
Thomas Merton, Contemplation in a World of Action

When my youngest sister, Judea, was three years old, she refused to hold anyone’s hand when crossing the street or walking on a busy sidewalk. Instead, she would stubbornly declare in her tiny voice, “I hold my own hand!” 

There is a temptation to begin the season of Lent as a solitary journey, to hear the words “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” as an individual invitation instead of a communal one. Yet, the prayer that proceeds the marking of ashes on our foreheads begins, “Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth.” It offers a poignant reminder of our common bonds of birth, breath and death.   

Despite this era of great divisions and an epidemic of loneliness, the Holy Spirit is here among us. I wonder how the Spirit might move during this season of Lent if we approach the spiritual practices of self-examination and repentance as a common endeavor instead of a solitary one. What if we sought to make a right beginning, traveling the Lenten wilderness together for the express purpose of being re-bound to each other and all of creation through Christ? What if we spent this season together in prayer, fasting, self-denial and reading and meditating on God’s holy Word, boldly considering how we can right the wrongs and sins of the past and strive to repent of those sins and any we have continued to commit? 

We never let Judea cross the busy street or wander the crowded sidewalk alone. We walked alongside her, behind her and with her, gently guiding her by the elbow when needed (she was holding her own hand, after all) and reminding her that her journey was also our journey and that we would all get where we were going—together. 

For Reflection
This Lent, what spiritual practice could your community adopt as a communal endeavor? How could we travel the wilderness together with intentionality?

CVASING Concert

Sunday, March 2nd 

2pm and 7pm 

“All Nature Sings” is the 2025 CVASING concert theme. We bring voices and instrumentalists together from across the Chippewa Valley to experience and share the power of music to bring joy, healing, and inspiration from our life experiences with all of creation. All proceeds go directly to the Feed My People organization. Concerts are on Sunday, March 2, at 2:00 and 7:00 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1314 E. Lexington Blvd., Eau Claire, WI. Tickets are $10.00 and are available from choir members and at the door.

Dear People of God:

The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting... I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word.
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 264-265)

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday next week. We will hear again the above invitation to the observance of a holy Lent. One way to think about Lent is Spring Training for followers of Jesus. It is a more intense time of discipline and training in basic Christian practices of “self-examination and repentance; prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word.” Traditionally, Lent is a season when we deliberately increase our giving to those in need. Like Spring Training, Lent helps us refocus and get back in shape.

Most baseball players do not show up to Spring Training totally out of shape. They exercise and work on their game throughout the year. Similarly, it is good not to think of Lenten discipline as something we only tend to for a season. We do well to practice year-round the disciplines of prayer, generosity toward the poor, self-denial, etc.

Unlike Spring Training, the observance of a holy Lent has nothing to do with “making the roster.” Jesus has secured our place on the roster, and the quality of our Lenten observance will not change that one way or another. But it might open us to a fuller experience of God’s grace and orient us to more fully living in light of it.

Here are a few more thoughts on the particular discipline of fasting. I believe fasting is good and beneficial. And not just in Lent. But especially in Lent as we prepare for Holy Week and Easter. It does not necessarily mean going altogether without food, but eating less and abstaining from some food and drink that you might otherwise enjoy. And it need not be only food. One can fast from music or other entertainment or other things.

Do not fast:

  • To prove something to God (whose love is enduring regardless)

  • To prove something to yourself

  • To prove something to others

    If it will cause you to compare your strictness to the relative laxity of others

  • If doing without whatever you are doing without will be detrimental to your physical or mental health

  • To lose weight or achieve some other ‘earthly’ goal

Do fast:

  • To discipline your appetites and orient them toward God

  • To reduce distractions so you can attend more fully to God and others

  • To make space in your heart and life for God and others

  • As penance for sin that is weighing on your heart and preventing you from experiencing God’s mercy and delight

  • Because it is the wisdom of the Church that it is good for your soul whether you understand it or not

  • As a reminder that you do not live by bread alone and that Jesus is your only true satisfaction and nourishment

  • To prepare for baptism or in solidarity with those who are

Whatever disciplines you take over the next several weeks, fasting or otherwise, I pray you have a good and holy Lent.

 

The Right Reverend Matthew Gunter
Bishop of Wisconsin

Click Here to read this month's updates

 

Chippewa Valley Street Ministry Journal
 February 19, 2025
The daylight is sticking around longer but the cold temperatures didn't let up over the last few weeks. Several days were wickedly cold: subzero temps all day with wind gusts that made the temperatures even more dangerous. We were out on our usual days knowing that the people we serve often need us more during the cold days and nights more than any other time: their safety is of the utmost importance to us and we provide what we can to increase the safety of our friends. We were grateful for the amount of blankets, hoodies, sweatpants, hand warmers, and boots that we were able to provide. We gave out gloves, hats, coats, and many sets of thermal underwear, as well. It is an unfortunate fact that there are still people that are living in the elements.
 
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Almost a full moon on a cold, clear afternoon. 
The cold brings significant risk to the unhoused community. 
 
One young woman shared that she and a few other people stay in a vehicle that is not running but it keeps the wind out. It is unclear to us why she and her friends do not stay at the shelter. While we gently suggest alternatives, it is ultimately their decision and we can only hope for their safety. She asked for a blanket, a hoodie, and sweatpants to layer over what she was wearing. 
 
                            SmartSelect_20250206_174052_AccuWeather.jpg   20250206_174440.jpg    SmartSelect_20250206_184309_AccuWeather.jpg
 
The sunshine and clear skies are deceiving: it was COLD and windy when we arrived to serve our brothers and sisters. 
The risk of frostbite or hypothermia is a real threat at these temperatures, even in short periods.
 
We've been making regular visits to the local jail to visit with our brothers and sisters who are being detained. Some people don't have anyone to talk to or support them when they're on the street other than our volunteers. If our friends are detained, they lose that contact, as well, so we make efforts to visit when we can. If a jail is privatized, as is this county's, it can be costly to receive certain services for a person who has low-to-no income going in to serve their time. Medical care has a cost, phone service and email service have fees attached. There is an ordering service (Canteen) for other items such as underclothing, food not provided by the kitchen and other items, but this can be expensive. We have provided funding for some of these necessities but this is a practice that is costly to CVSM over time. Few people have had family members willing or able to assist with their needs.
 
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Karen and Ella trying to protect their faces from the cold air.
We were unable to identify many of the people we served as their faces were covered from the frigid temps. 
 
 
We hope that you haven't been affected but you likely know someone who has been sick recently; it seems there has been a lot of influenza and Covid going around. The people we serve have not been excluded, many have been miserable with coughs and fevers. One woman said she didn't feel well and asked for two blankets in addition to the blanket she was carrying. Once we provided them, she went across the street and laid on the cold sidewalk. We've talked with her since then and she feels better, but it was a stark reminder that the unhoused don't have beds or couches or recliners to rest in while they recover from illnesses, injuries or medical procedures.
 
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Scott is talking with a guest and distributing requested items.
 
Everyone who visits us expresses heartfelt gratitude for the items, food, and beverages that they receive. While we're out there, we couldn't provide those items without you; the gratitude we hear must be shared with you. From the people we serve and benefit from the many donations you have provided, THANK YOU. You do not realize how many hands you've kept warm with the hand warmers that were provided, or the feet that were not frostbitten because of the thick, warm socks that were distributed. Every item makes a difference. Because of your generosity, we can purchase items that may not have been donated.  It is vital to our service and to the well-being of the people we serve to keep the donations coming in.  
 
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Our friends and volunteers are looking forward to the forecast and the suggestion of warmer and safer weather.  Please keep our community's unhoused and the street ministry in your thoughts. If you can help out and donate, thank you. Our needs list has been updated and attached for your review.
 
Thank you,
CVSM volunteers
  1. Adopting a Medical Center: The Value of Charitable Gift Annuities
  2. A Note of Thanks ~ Mary Gadwill
  3. Join Us for Potluck Sunday ~ March 9th
  4. Painting Context! Exploring Art in Its Surroundings ~ Joe Maurer