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June 1, 2026

Happy Monday!

A plaque in St. Paul’s & Trinity Parish in Tivoli honoring Robert R. Livingston, co-drafter of the US Declaration of Independence now buried in their churchyard. 

Later this month we’ll launch a Season of Freedom to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. 

The season will celebrate this moment for reflection, truth-telling, and renewed moral imagination. We’ll begin on Juneteenth and continue through Sunday, July 5. 

The Cathedral will observe throughout the next year; the Diocese of New York will begin its own 250th anniversary celebration at diocesan convention in the fall.

We hold these truths to be self-evident.  As a nation we have always struggled towards the ideals the Declaration proclaims. The promises of dignity, equality, and freedom have existed alongside exclusion, enslavement, and dispossession. 

For many, freedom had to be won across generations, and continues to be at stake now. To begin this season on Juneteenth— the observance of the end of slavery in 1865– reminds us that liberation has always been unfinished work.

• Congregations and leaders in the Diocese of New York helped weave the civic fabric of the United States.  

• Our national history has played out at St. Paul’s Chapel in lower Manhattan, St. Phillips in Harlem, St. James in Hyde Park, and at the West Point Chapel. Our nation’s founders are buried in our church yards on Wall Street, in the South Bronx, and in Tivoli.

• From signers of the Declaration to writers of the US Constitution to leaders like John Jay, Pauli Murray, and Eleanor Roosevelt, the history of our Diocese and the history of our nation are entwined.

• Their example reminds us that, as people of faith, we are called to confront what is broken and to nurture what is possible. 

Over the next several weeks we’ll share opportunities for art, prayer, pride, prophecy, music, public witness, storytelling, and community gathering. We hope to create space for both recall and possibility. 

• The season will include key moments, such as Juneteenth, Pride, and Pauli Murray’s Feast Day on July 1; as well as opportunities to engage in our local communities.

I’m excited that we can celebrate together. I hope you’ll join us and share with your communities. We’ll have materials and invitations to share in the weeks ahead. 

I’m grateful to the Public Witness Task Force for leading our planning.

Grace & Peace,

Pride!

Today begins Pride month.

We practice an expansive faith every day— and this month gives us the opportunity to celebrate our LGBTQ+ siblings. 

The Episcopal Church is open and affirming because our welcome reflects our experience of a loving God. “You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.” (Psalm 139)

• Our Baptismal Covenant commits us to seek and serve Christ in all persons and to respect the dignity of every human being.

Throughout the month, we’ll celebrate in communities across the Diocese.

• Staten Island celebrated on Saturday.

• The Cathedral is hosting a fourth year of Iconic Pride, with a full schedule of events running through July.

• The Poughkeepsie Pride March will be on Saturday, June 13.

• The NYC Pride March will be on Sunday, June 28.

Let us know about other events— and send pictures. We’ll share with the Diocese.

Across EDNY.

On Saturday morning we hosted the annual Wardens’ Conference at St. Joseph of Arimethea in White Plains.

Canon Alissa Newton and Chief of Finance & Operations Judi Allen led the day-long event with a focus on the role of wardens. Special Projects Coordinator Zach Tallman coordinated.

On Friday morning, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law immigration protections— including a provision making all of our churches sanctuary once more.

The Governor invited us to join the signing ceremony and gave the ceremonial pens to attendees.

I’ve given the pens we received to Vice-Chancellor Mary Rothwell Davis for her leadership in the advocacy for the legislation and to the Rev. Richard Witt, whose three decades of prophetic leadership on immigration has made our work possible.

> Are you honoring someone in your community this summer?

Celebrating a milestone for years of service, a retirement, or a major birthday? Let us know. My colleague Arlene Bullard and I will send letters of appreciation.

This week, I’m attending the College for Bishops at the Roslyn Conference Center in Richmond, Va.

I was not able to attend last year because of family obligations.

• On Saturday, Bishop Shin & I will participate in the diocesan confirmation service at the Cathedral. The Rev. Br. Luis Hernandez-Rivas will preach. Thanks to Arlene Bullard for coordinating.

• Also on Saturday, I’ll participate in the retreat for the Property Support Committee for Trustees of the Diocese. Thanks to Committee chair Kristin Miles for organizing.

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