About Saint Ben's
our core values, our leaders, our history
We are a parish (a congregation) of The Episcopal Church, the branch in the United States of the world-wide Anglican Communion which emerged from the Church of England. We are in the San Luis Opispo Deanery of the Diocese of El Camino Real.
our core values
Worship
Each Sunday we meet for worship at 10:30. Many Sundays there is also a
more meditative 8:00am service. We call the services Eucharist, which
comes from the Greek for Thanksgiving.
During the first part of the service we hear the word of God through Bible readings and a sermon. We always strive to make our sermons a form of worship that honors the heart as well as the mind, with a lively awareness of our long Christian tradition, a vital connection to the present, and a hopeful openness to the future.
The second half of the service is devoted to giving thanks and remembering the source of our redemption in the life-giving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as we celebrate Holy Communion together.
Just as our church building and land reflect the beauty and history of our area, so we use physical reality to glorify God in worship: bread, wine, candles, special vestments, and—of course—music.
Education
We believe that Christian community is also formed by a prayerful approach to learning together.
Our adult education program includes a lively Bible Study every Sunday morning at 9:30, and regular evening gatherings around different topics. These are always open to everyone. We seek to understand the challenges of our time as they relate to our deepening awareness of Christ’s message in a rapidly changing world. Recent discussion themes have includes: “The Prophetic Imagination” and “Medical Ethics” as well as more experiential workshops such as “Art and Meditation”.
Service and Social Justice
Service to the larger community is one of St. Benedict’s core values. Our church and property—our daily presence in Los Osos-- is an invitation to investigate the Christian vision of life.
St. Benedict’s also reaches out through specific community activities: our thrift store (the “Abundance Shop” on 9th Street) provides inexpensive clothing and useful items to the public as well as providing a resource for recycling unwanted clothing and household items. In addition we regularly provide lunch and donate useful everyday items for the homeless and hungry at the Prado Day Care Center.
Through supporting national programs which provide relief to those in need, such as “Bread for the World” and “The Heifer Project”, we reach out to the world beyond Los Osos.
Our hope is that as we finish our building it will become an increasingly useful resource for the community and community groups of all kinds.
Central Coast Clergy for Justice and Central Coast Interfaith Vocies for Justice both provide a way for us to work with those from other congregations. St Benedict’s is delighted to be actively involved in working for social justice through this local coalition.
Fellowship
In a rapidly changing world we appreciate the need to provide a basic atmosphere of caring and continuity. Friendships rapidly build between church members as they work and play together. Fellowship hour after every Sunday Eucharist is a good time to meet new people and enjoy one another’s company.
St Benedict’s is known as a place for good food and good conversation. We take opportunities throughout the year to gather in each other’s homes for fun and for study, and to celebrate together birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and other milestones in each other’s lives.
We aim to support one another in times of adversity by providing practical assistance with hospital visits, hot food to help in a crisis and personal and spiritual support.
Spirituality
Spirituality might be called the attitude that directs every action towards an awareness of the presence of God. In that sense, we try to make spirituality the essence of everything we do at St. Benedict’s rather than identify it as a specific kind or number of activities. Nevertheless, whether it’s worship, education, outreach, or just community fun, if this attitude of attentiveness to God is to prevail, we acknowledge the need to provide specific times and events for this inner focusing to clarify and deepen. One such event is our annual retreat, which provides a complete change of scene- usually to the Mount Calvary Monastery in the hills above Santa Barbara—where parishioners can immerse themselves in a prolonged period of individual and group inner work.
Spirituality at St. Benedict’s also means an adventurous openness to finding how God is at work in the complexities of contemporary life and its issues. It basically means a commitment to finding a place where the heart and the mind can hear God’s voice and embody it, first, within our own community, and then carry it into the world of daily life.
Inclusion
When we say that everyone is welcome to worship at St Benedict’s, we mean it. As an inclusive, welcoming faith community we invite and welcome individuals and families regardless of age, ethnicity, physical challenges, nationality, sexual orientation or gender preference. Although we are a predominately Anglo community several of our members are fluent Spanish-speakers and we long to have enough others to create a Spanish-speaking service.
St Benedict’s is a long-time supporter of the full inclusion of gay and lesbian Christians in every order (lay, deacon, priest, bishop) and every sacrament and rite of the church.
our leaders
Priest-in-Charge
The Rev. Caroline Hall (‘Caro’) is a graduate of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP). She grew up in the Church of England and had a varied career in social work, education and business in England, Scotland and the US before ordination. She is currently pursuing postgraduate work through the University of Leeds, UK.
Caro maintains a blog of her sermons (and those of others who preach at St. Ben's).
Rector Emeritus
The Rev. Mary Elizabeth Pratt-Horsley is also a graduate of CDSP. She is a gifted linguist who has lived in both Mexico and France and is fluent in Spanish and French. Mary Elizabeth was rector of St Benedict’s from 2001 to 2006 and is now enjoying a very active ‘retirement’.
Associate Priests
The Rev. Brian McHugh was born and raised in Canada. From age 21 to 35 he was a monk in the (Episcopal) Order of the Holy Cross, in which his ministry was mostly teaching, but included being Prior of Mt. Calvary in Santa Barbara. After leaving the Order in 1982, he was a parish priest in Southern Ohio, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Newark NJ, New York, and Arizona. He retired from full-time ministry in 2008 and moved here. Brian is a dedicated blogger. He writes, "I send out an almost-daily Reflection; people can get to it at the blogsite below; and if they want to get it delivered daily, they can subscribe by letting me know."
- Reflections Blog: http://briansalmostdailyreflections.blogspot.com/
- Comment Blog: http://brianstakeontheworldfaithandreligion.blogspot.com/
- Sermon Blog: http://sermonsbybrian.blogspot.com/
The Rev. Donna Ross is the retired rector of St. Paul's in Cambria. Also a graduate of CDSP, she was rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Oberlin, Ohio before coming to Cambria in 1995. For many years, Donna has served as a spiritual director for lay people and clergy, giving support to their varied ministries.
She is currently writing a blog about the Gospel of Mark.
Musician
John Cribb recently returned to St. Ben’s, after serving as our very first musician in 1987/8. He has also served at St. Stephen’s Episcopal, SLO United Methodist Church, Orcutt Presbyterian, Zion Lutheran and First Presbyterian. He has been accompanist for the choirs at SLO High School and Assistant Director of the SLO Vocal Arts Ensemble; and active in community theater as pianist and Music Director for numerous companies. He studied organ with Paul Knox in Dallas and James Bratton at the University of Denver. In addition to his work as a performer and director, John has served on the Board of Directors of the SLO Mozart Festival, Pismo Light Opera Theater, Pacific Repertory Opera, Vocal Arts Ensemble, and SLO Symphony; and as State Secretary of the American Choral Directors Association. When not contributing to the arts, John is a Realtor in San Luis Obispo.
Vestry
Treasurer
Lisa Gonzalez is our bookkeeper as well as Treasurer.our history
St. Benedict’s worships in a converted 1941 army chapel whose spire is the first sight that welcomes drivers as they drive into Los Osos on Los Osos Valley Road.