Set on West 7th Street in the heart of downtown Erie, just steps from the Gannon University campus, the Cathedral of St. Paul serves as the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania and as a parish church for a citywide ministry. The building has been a gathering place for generations, and today the congregation describes itself as "a house of prayer for all people," committed to welcoming people of every age, background, and identity into the life of the church.
Sunday Worship on West 7th Street
The Cathedral gathers for worship every Sunday morning at 8:00 A.M. and 10:30 A.M. Each service includes the Holy Eucharist, also called Holy Communion, following the structure of Word and Sacrament with a sermon and an opportunity to receive. Visitors who do not wish to receive communion are invited to come forward for a blessing or remain in their seats. Children are welcome to partake of the Eucharist, since they are equally part of the gathered community.
The 10:30 A.M. service is also livestreamed and recorded, with a sermon archive going back through the current season and beyond on YouTube and Vimeo. All ranges of dress can be found on a Sunday, though many parishioners tend to dress up a bit more for these services than they do during the week. The Cathedral's music, featuring a choir directed by Dr. Christopher Petit, plays an integral role in connecting worshipers to the Episcopal tradition and to the wider history of the church.
A Place to Pray Every Weekday
Beyond Sunday mornings, the Cathedral opens its doors throughout the week for prayer, study, and formation. Morning Prayer and other prayer groups offer a daily rhythm for those who want to make the ancient practices of the church part of their spiritual lives. The Very Rev. Melinda Hall, the Dean, is known for her passion for the contemplative tradition as well as for engagement in the city.
On Tuesday mornings at 11:00 A.M., the parish hosts a Growing in Christ Bible Study at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, offered in collaboration with the Erie Episcopal partnership. Materials are provided, and everyone is welcome. Later on Tuesdays, the Cathedral hosts Sacred Pathways, a multi-layered evening of spiritual practice.
Sacred Pathways on Tuesday Evenings
Sacred Pathways is the Cathedral's signature program for spiritual exploration. Each Tuesday evening begins with a teaching or workshop at 6:00 P.M., followed at 7:00 P.M. by contemplative practice. Offerings rotate through the weeks and have included a Mixed Media Collage and Visual Journaling Workshop led by Dr. Mary Elizabeth Meier, an Assistant Professor of Visual Arts at PennWest Edinboro and a member of the Cathedral, and evenings of Centering Prayer with Mary Dwyer and Juan Llarena, with a meditative walk between the two sessions.
On the third Tuesday of each month, the Cathedral hosts Radiant Faith, an LGBTQ+ centered gathering that is also open to allies. Radiant Conversations at 6:00 P.M. is a shared meal around the table with support from Compton's Table and other affirming community partners. Radiant Faith at 7:00 P.M. is a Christian-rooted encounter with the Divine that centers the voices and experiences of LGBTQ+ spiritual seekers and is open to people of any faith tradition who would value being in an affirming community. Expect diverse music, self-guided prayer stations, and inclusive community.
Children, Youth, and Families
Children and youth are a central part of community life at the Cathedral. Nursery care is available for children through age 5, in a classroom down the hallway reached through the door by the pulpit. The nursery is staffed by trained childcare providers with the necessary clearances. Children's Chapel is offered each Sunday for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. At the Gospel reading, children are invited to follow the teacher through the same door and return in time for communion. Families are free to join at any time.
Through the Erie Episcopal partnership, the Cathedral offers Erie Episcopal Kids for kindergarten through fourth grade and Erie Episcopal Youth for fifth through ninth grade. Both groups give families a variety of activities, service opportunities, and gatherings designed to help children and parents feel a sense of belonging in the church. Playground meetups bring families together in a more casual setting, and Jessie Hubert, the Coordinator of Children and Family Ministry, welcomes inquiries from parents at any time.
Music at the Cathedral
Music is described as integral to life at the Cathedral, connecting the congregation to the Episcopal tradition and to the wider history of the church. Dr. Christopher Petit directs the music program, drawing on his background in Rochester, New York, where he led the Genesee Valley Orchestra and Chorus, directed choirs at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and served as Director of Music at the Episcopal Church of St. Luke and St. Simon of Cyrene. He also teaches organ and keyboard through the Eastman Community Music School. The Cathedral's choral and instrumental offerings are supported in part through annual giving to the parish.
Cathedral Values
Through a process of congregational listening and discernment, the Chapter of the Cathedral identified five core values that guide its life together:
- Authentic. Truth matters and integrity is important. The congregation recognizes that none are perfect and seeks to serve and be together as themselves, receiving grace and walking humbly with one another.
- Christ-Centered. The Cathedral is firmly rooted in the confession that the Son of God became a person in Jesus Christ so that people might become sons and daughters of God, and adheres to a Trinitarian faith.
- Invitational. Every person is invited into the love of God as a beloved child. Whether single or married, young or old, gay or straight, cis or trans, of any race or background, the Cathedral means it when it says you are invited to join.
- Other Oriented. The Cathedral understands itself as sent into the world to love and serve others, ready to engage the city in ways that are peaceful, just, and make for human flourishing.
- Thoughtful. Decisions are made with deliberateness and discernment, whether in sermons, formation, or choosing partners and allocating resources.
Episcopal Beliefs and Worship
The Cathedral is an open and inclusive Episcopal congregation in the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania. The parish holds that the Holy Scriptures are the revealed word of God; that the Nicene Creed is the basic statement of belief about God; and that the two great sacraments given by Christ to the church are Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. The teachings and beliefs of the Episcopal Church are articulated in an Outline of the Faith in the Book of Common Prayer, which provides liturgical forms, prayers, and instructions so that all members may share in common worship. The Cathedral follows the "via media," or middle way, in its theology, believing that whether or not people agree on a particular topic, all are beloved by God and can have thoughtful and respectful discussions. There are no prerequisites in the Episcopal Church, and everyone is welcome.
The Cathedral Food Pantry
The Cathedral Food Pantry has served members of the Erie community for over 28 years. Neighbors from State Street to Cascade Street and from 9th Street to the Bay may come on Fridays from 9:30 A.M. to noon. The pantry serves an average of 300 families each month, distributing food from the major food groups along with personal care products when available. Food is purchased through Second Harvest Food Bank or donated by individuals and organizations. The pantry also provides between two and twelve emergency bags of food for those in immediate need, and a dedicated team of volunteers nourishes bodies and souls with warm hospitality.
Donations of non-perishable foods such as canned tuna, peanut butter, and pasta, as well as personal care items like shampoo, toothpaste, soap, and deodorant, are always needed. Donations can be dropped off at the Cathedral office during regular office hours, Monday through Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., or at worship services on Sundays. The pantry also participates in a Community Supported Agriculture program to provide fresh produce to its clients.
Ministry with the Homeless
The Cathedral and Erie Episcopal together deliver over 300 lunches each month to organizations working with Erie's homeless population. The Erie Episcopal Saturday Meals program provides meals to between 150 and 200 people on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. Volunteers gather at the Cathedral starting at 10:00 A.M. to prepare sandwiches and pack bags that are distributed to various agencies, local parks, and homeless camps throughout the city.
On the third Saturday of each month, the Cathedral hosts the Third Saturday Supper, a hot meal offered to neighbors in need, made possible by a grant of $12,900 from the Erie Community Foundation. Volunteers are needed for both programs. The Cathedral also partners with Emmaus Soup Kitchen, where Erie Episcopal volunteers serve on the last Wednesday of each month from 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. Emmaus serves a hot meal five days a week to over 200 guests ranging in age from infants to seniors.
School Partnerships
The Cathedral and Erie Episcopal maintain a long-standing relationship with the Charter School of Excellence in Erie, providing donations, volunteers, and resources throughout the year. A school supply drive at the start of each year collects pens, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers, looseleaf paper, binders, and tissue boxes. Every winter, the partnership provides the school with close to 200 new coats, along with hats, gloves, and scarves. In recent years, St. Mark's and Erie Episcopal have raised over $5,000 to purchase these items, which are distributed to students in November. Erie Episcopal also provides weekend snack bags to the Charter School twice a month, with volunteers gathering at the Cathedral on scheduled Friday afternoons to pack the bags and deliver them to the school.
Pastoral Care
Pastoral care at the Cathedral is led by Dean Melinda and assisted by lay people who are particularly gifted or trained in pastoral ministries. For urgent spiritual care, a member of the clergy can be reached at any hour of the day or night, seven days a week, by calling (814) 402-4248. Clergy are also available for individual pastoral appointments, including the administration of sacraments such as anointing and confession.
Holy Communion can be brought to the home or hospital following regularly scheduled services for those unable to attend because of illness or other incapacity. Prayer requests can be sent to wecare@cathedralofstpaul.org for healing, for those who have died, for thanksgivings, or for whatever is on a person's heart. Prayer Shawls, knit by members of the Cathedral and Erie Episcopal, are blessed during worship and made available to wrap community members in love during times of need, illness, or major life transitions.
Adult Formation and Sunday Forums
Adult Faith Formation at the Cathedral spans a breadth of educational opportunities for the nurturing and renewal of Christian faith. Events are open to all visitors, newcomers, and members. The Dean's Forum takes place on Sunday mornings at various times throughout the year, with Dean Melinda covering topics important to life at the Cathedral, happenings in the broader church, and Erie community matters.
Visiting the Cathedral
The Cathedral is located at 134 West 7th Street, in the heart of the Gannon University campus. Parking is available on 6th Street or in the parking lot next to Gannon's Nash Library off 7th and Sassafras. The building is wheelchair accessible from the 7th Street parking lot, where accessible parking is available. Visitors are invited to come as they are, with the assurance that all people are welcome, whether young or old, single or married, seeking or found, and that no one needs to have their life in order before walking through the doors.
Clergy and Staff
The Very Rev. Melinda Hall began serving at the Cathedral in autumn 2019. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, she is a graduate of Georgetown College and Princeton Theological Seminary, and was ordained a priest in 2013. Before coming to Erie, she served congregations in DuBois and Brookville, Pennsylvania.
Carly Rowe is the Executive Director of the Erie Episcopal Collaboration, overseeing staff, communications, programs, outreach, and strategic planning for both the Cathedral and St. Mark's. She has been part of the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania for decades and is a graduate of Thiel College and Gannon University.
Dr. Christopher Petit directs the music program, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Meier leads visual arts workshops through Sacred Pathways, Jessie Hubert coordinates Children and Family Ministry, and Franci Titus directs communications. The Cathedral is supported by an Office Manager, Administrative Assistant, and Sexton who keep the building and its programs running day to day.