Cathie Caimano - 'Fr. Cathie'

The Future of Church 'It's like thinking outside the box - without the box!' I heard this phrase at an online clergy conference, a few months into 2020, when we all moved instantly to online ministry. The ‘box’ that the speaker was referring to was the church building itself. He was connecting to our grief and confusion about suddenly having to worship online, outside of our physical worship spaces. But I don’t know. Between you and me, I’ve heard lots of ministers fantasize out loud about...

'Go in peace, and pray for me, a sinner.' How I found reconciliation with God in the midst of divorce. Where should we do it?' I asked Chris, and he looked at me like I was an idiot, which is fair. 'St. Philip's, of course.' This was the church where we had each become an Episcopalian, where I had served as a priest, where we had made a home as a couple. 'Could we ask Scott?' My former boss, the former rector, or head priest, of St. Philip's, our friend and my mentor, he seemed like the...

Blue Christmas, Pink Advent Is it wrong to rejoice when the world is dark? This week is the longest night of the year. Thursday, December 21st at 10:27pm is the winter solstice, when the Earth tilts the farthest away from the sun. I recently found out it's also called the hibernal solstice, which I love. The invitation to fill up with sustenance and curl up somewhere warm and cozy.But it's not always easy. I am one of those people who really struggles when the weather turns dark and cold...

Notes from the Future of Church December 15, 2023 The Future of Church Issue Hello Reader! Welcome to the December Notes from the Future of Church. Here's a blast from the future to start you out: this will be the last 'traditional' newsletter issue. This month we're going to talk about what the Future of Church looks like, and that has led me to restructure just a little bit. Going into 2024, this newsletter is morphing into an online class - 'Live into the Future of Church'. It will have...

Small Church Christmas We have nothing in common - except the most important thing. The white clapboard church has red doors, and a graveyard with more people in it than those gathered inside. It is 20 miles to the nearest gas, much further than that if you were hoping for a decent cup of coffee. There are no signs on the road except rural route markers, but everyone just calls it 'the old highway'. Irony or not, I cannot tell. Ever since there has been a new highway, decades now, bringing...

Notes from the Future of Church November 15, 2023 The Faith Practitioner Issue Hello Reader! Welcome to the November Notes from the Future of Church. We're here to bring you some practical advice and innovative ideas for your ministry, so you don't have to figure everything out by yourself. Let's get started! There are two analogies I always use when thinking about what the Future of Church could look like: one is the gym (much more on this in future issues...). The other is the medical...

Paul had a day job. Or did he? Paul is often used as an example of bi-vocational ministry:"Paul went to see them, and, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked together-by trade they were tentmakers. Every sabbath he would argue in the synagogue and would try to convince Jews and Greeks." (Acts 18:2-4).Today, 'tentmaker' is shorthand for ordained ministers who get paid to do secular work, and do not get paid for their church work. This is often out of necessity -...

Become a Faith Practitioner Spiritual Healing is our business. What if we took a page from the medical field and specialized? A quick Google of the term ‘health practitioner’ leads to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website and a list of 71 types of healthcare professionals, many with subtypes. From Chiropractors to General Internal Medical Specialists to Veterinarians to Health Information Technologists - all are considered health practitioners. Each type has its own education, training,...

Joy as protest, or why I pray for snow Praying for snow is fun! And it's my insistence on joy, even in the darkest seasons. Everyone knows I pray for snow.My snow prayers begin on September 1, and amplify each month towards full power in December. The last day of February they cease. I live in the South so this is a true test of my faith. ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️ I firmly believe the one thing we should take literally in the Bible is Jesus saying, 'Whatever you ask in my name, I will give you.' He says...