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0 First, we must acknowledge the very happy occasion of a birth and a birthday:
Baby S was born On Friday, October 13. And Kid J celebrated his 2nd birthday on the 20th! His badge is a teeny tiny flip-phone with a text message that reads: “HELLO NANNY” (his favorite words).
Many former guests and neighborhood friends joined us in celebrating All Saints’ on Sunday, October 29. The house felt full and lively. Each room in Lydia’s House is dedicated to a different (sometimes unconventional) saint. At this worship service, we remembered them using props, stories, and prayers. Here, Annie represents the Blessed Mother Mary.
We also introduced our 2017 “Saint of the Year”: the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray!
Rev. Murray is the one in the frame. An activist, feminist, lawyer, priest and poet, Rev. Murray inspires us by her work, her life, and her refusal to take no for an answer.
Born Anna Pauline Murray in 1910 in Baltimore, Pauli lost both of her parents at an early age. She enrolled in college but the Great Depression caused her to leave school and seek work. She ended up in a Works Program where she met Eleanor Roosevelt, whom would later become a life-long friend. Pauli also became a published writer during this time for her poems, articles, and stories.
Pauli grew in her involvement with the Civil Rights movement. In 1940 she was arrested for refusing to sit at the back of the bus in Virginia. This was 15 years before Rosa Parks! In 1941 Pauli enrolled at Howard University in DC. She graduated top of her class and received a fellowship to Harvard Law, but they took the fellowship back when they realized she was a woman. Pauli continued her education at the University of California where she received a degree in law.
In the early 1960’s Pauli worked with the mainstream civil rights movement, including Bayard Rustin and Martin Luther King Jr. She was unhappy about the way women in the movement were put on the sidelines in favor of male leadership. In 1977 Pauli became the first African American woman to become an Episcopal priest. She died in 1985.
Pauli was ahead of her time in many ways. She also identified as gender non-conforming, and would be considered part of the LGBTQ community today. She lived proudly as the child of God she was created to be, and shows us what bravery and commitment look like.
Chipotle generously catered our post-worship dinner (that may have been some folks’ favorite part). Above is a scene of the melee. Do you get the feeling of many little crawlers, toddlers, and kiddos underfoot? The babies of Lydia’s House are growing up!
