The 2025-26 Circle begins in October!

Nearly 175 people across the Diocese of Southwest Florida have completed the Sacred Ground series.

I found the readings and the documentary movie selections assigned to each session opening my eyes and giving me a much better understanding of the systemic racism in our nation occurring over hundreds of years. It is spread among the many different minority groups in America and continues today. I would encourage anyone interested to sign up and learn more about themselves, the Episcopal church as a whole, and how our nation, our church, and we as individuals together played a large role in how we arrived where we are at today and the changes we all need to be a part of moving forward to allow us to be a more inclusive, fair and just nation.
-Michael Ricciardi, Cathedral member

Sacred Ground, a program to foster racial healing and reconciliation, will return to the Cathedral in October. This film-based dialogue series, grounded in faith, is an initiative of the wider Episcopal Church, part of a commitment to justice in our personal lives, ministries, and society.

The Sacred Ground program involves two in-person meetings and nine biweekly Zoom sessions from October through March. The first session, in-person, will be Saturday, October 18. There is no charge.

This is the sixth year the Cathedral has participated in the Sacred Ground program. The series draws on powerful documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European-American histories. The session invites participants to unpack their own histories and experiences in a safe space.

The 11 sessions cover a wide range of issues and challenges of race and racism in this country:

Session 1: Stepping Onto Sacred Ground
Session 2: The Roots of Whiteness, and Deeper Roots
Session 3: Whose Land? Exploring Indigenous History
Session 4: Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery: Exploring Black History
Session 5: Whose Land? More Layers: Exploring Latino History
Session 6: American, Not Foreigners: Exploring Asian/ Pacific American History
Session 7: Selective Access to the Melting Pot and the American Dream: 1830s-1960s
Session 8: Divisions in Present-Day White America
Session 9: Legacies: Racism’s Long Life
Sessions 10: Grief and Lament
Session 11: Walk On: The Journey After Sacred Ground

All are welcome, whether you are well versed in these issues or are just beginning the journey. Please be in touch with Betsy Adams (betsygadams@icloud.com) for more information.