Cathedral Church of St. Luke

Sacred Ground is dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race, racism, and whiteness while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The 10-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.

Sacred Ground is a resource coming out of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. This series is especially designed to help white people talk with other white people, while being open to all racial/ethnic groups. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love.

St. Elizabeth’s Jubilee Center a non-barrier Essentials Pantry located at St. Luke’s Cathedral is a diocesan ministry project which seeks to provide basic daily essentials to those living in need in the greater Portland, Maine area.

The Essentials Pantry continues to serve 250+ neighbors every Tuesday morning from 8:30 to 11 am. Essential items include toilet paper, laundry detergent, bath soap, etc. Each week, a unique item is offered. In addition, dental care products, diapers, soft housewares, and hard housewares are provided monthly. 

Congregations support St. E’s financially, with volunteers, and by donating both new and used items. Each Tuesday, volunteers serve the public directly, sort donated items, and pack new items for distribution, among other things. 

In-kind donations can be left in the blue St. Elizabeth donation box in the lower hall, next to the stairs. We do not accept donations of clothing, but we do welcome donations of winter coats, hats, gloves, and scarves. For more information, email Sarah Borgeson.

Many parishioners also volunteer with programs fighting hunger and homelessness through Preble Street.

St. Lukes’ Food Pantry is a long-running Cathedral ministry. Begun in 1998, it has evolved into a weekly Thursday morning 8-11 pantry which currently serves approx. 100 families. We operate out of the Cathedral’s rear entrance at 134 Park Street.

We buy food from Good Shepherd Food Bank and get salvaged food and great assistance from South Portland Food Cupboard, Wayside Food Programs and Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association. Our neighbors are diverse: long-time Mainers, new immigrants, and those facing short-term food shortages.

Our band of 10-15 dedicated volunteers gather together the fresh, frozen, and canned food Wednesday mornings and distribute it on Thursdays.  Some work one day, some both days. All of us find the work compelling and each other’s company enjoyable.

We benefit from loyal volunteers and donors, but the cost of food always increases and the need is always greater than our capacity.  Please consider stopping by to see us in action either morning or by donating our most-needed items: flour, oil, pasta, dried beans. Food donations can be left at the rear of the Cathedral under the portico or brought to any church service.

Financial donations allow us to buy food from Good Shepherd Food Bank. Even when our visitor numbers surge, nobody goes away empty-handed; but we do strive to offer more than canned fruits and vegetables. Please donate online: https://onrealm.org/StLukesCathedra/-/form/give/FOODPAN

For more information:
Email Mary Brighthaupt, Exec. Director, St. Luke's Food Pantry

PPEAT’s principal aim is to keep our congregation informed of legislative actions in Augusta, Maine. Becoming involved with this team is a great way to learn about our community and inspire positive change. This team is affiliated with the Maine Episcopal Network for Justice and the Public Policy Committee of the Maine Council of Churches.

As informed citizens, we can then take action at the state and municipal levels. Recent such actions have included contacting elected officials, writing letters to the editor, helping organize special events such as informational forums and voter registration drives, helping design specially-themed worship services, and getting ourselves trained in techniques such as non-violent direct action.

PPEAT meets on the second Tuesday of the month from 6 to 7 pm. Read PPEAT meeting minutes, Eco-Tips, and more information about the PPEAT on our blog.  

The St. Luke’s Public Policy and Environmental Action Team is committed to non-partisanship. We recognize that social justice and environmental care are Biblical values, and we seek to protect the environment that God has created and to implement Christ’s teachings on loving God and our neighbor and the Hebrew prophets’ directive to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.

For more information, email Ruth Roemer

Family Promise helps families in Greater Portland transition from homelessness or risk of eviction to stable homes. While the pre-COVID model worked with faith communities such as ours for temporary housing, the current model has changed the focus to connecting families with needed resources such as food, bus passes, and quarters for laundry and housing.

Volunteers at St. Luke’s work with graduate families directly to support them. St. Luke’s also provides space for the Family Promise monthly Peer Advisory Council (PAC), where families mentor new families and helps to train new volunteers. We also host the monthly distribution of culturally appropriate foods to program families.

To get involved, please email Connie Bingham or Mary Linneman.

We have a passion for providing education and resources for children around the world. This is why we’ve partnered with the school of St. Simon and St. Jude, located in the rural  mountains area of southern Haiti.

This collaboration supports the basic needs of the school children in Duny, Haiti. Current projects include providing lunches, scholarships, facility maintenance, and hurricane relief. We love the relationship we’ve built with the people in this community. Please consider donating or providing other resources to this partnership.

For more information, email Karin Draper or Meredith Cough.