Nov. 27, 2025 | VOLUME 37, ISSUE 46

First Sunday of Advent

November 30, 2025

Preacher: The Rev. Jennifer Wagner Pavia

Sunday, November 30: Advent Wreath making after both services

Sunday, November 30, 3:30 PM: Megan Gillespie's Studio Recital in the Sanctuary

Thursdays in Advent, 3:30 - 4:30 PM:

Contemplative Prayer in the Chapel

Friday, December 12, 6:30 PM: Sisters of Bede Christmas Party in Parish Hall. All persons who identify as women are invited

Bible and Breakfast

Tuesdays | 9:30 AM

Luther Hall & Zoom

Midweek Eucharist:

Wednesdays | 7:00 PM

Chapel in the Sanctuary

Adult Forum: Advent Series

Wednesdays | 8:00 PM

Luther Hall & Zoom

The ADVENT WREATH

The Advent Wreath

The Advent wreath is a centuries-old Christian tradition. Potentially overlooked by the candles it holds to light the way for the birth of Jesus, the Advent wreath itself symbolizes many themes and beliefs central to the Christian faith. In parishes, Advent wreaths are placed anywhere on the altar, on a side table, or even hung from the ceiling. In the home, you might place your Advent wreath on an entry or dining table or another location where you, your family, and your guests can enjoy the wreath during the Advent season.

Historians suggest that pre-Christian Germanic peoples would light candles around wreaths in the dark winter months in anticipation of the warmer, lighter months in springtime. This tradition likely evolved into an “Advent wreath” at some point during the Middle Ages, transforming the pagan tradition into a Christian one.

The circular shape of the Advent wreath symbolizes God’s infinite love for us – it is never-ending, just like the true Light of the World, Jesus, who leads us into eternal life with Him. The materials of the Advent wreath similarly lead us to reflect on the everlasting nature of God; traditionally, Advent wreaths have been made of evergreen leaves, such as pine or fir, which maintain their green color beyond the season in which they are collected.

Advent is a season of preparation. Prepare your heart, mind and spirit this season. Prepare yourself to share the great news of hope, peace, joy and love that is evident through the birth of Jesus Christ. Prepare to show this message through your words and actions with those you meet each day.

Week One: HOPE

Today we light the first candle of the Advent wreath. Each candle has a meaning. This first candle is HOPE. God of Hope, as we begin the Advent journey, restore us to faithfulness, and shepherd us through these weeks. Soften us and open us to trust in your love, your goodness, your guiding presence. May we take in your word and bring it to life, giving hope to the hopeless through our words and actions. We ask this through Christ, our Savior and our hope. Amen.

Week Two: PEACE

Today we light the first and second candles of the Advent wreath. Each candle has a meaning. The first candle is HOPE, the second candle is PEACE. God of Peace, form us into your Peace-makers. Enable us to look within ourselves, to make straight our crooked hearts, to patiently and lovingly await changes in ourselves and others. As you gather us tenderly, and hold us close, may we also show that same compassion to the world. Fill our hearts with your peace, and our lives with your love, that these may flow from our lives and into our world. We ask this through Christ, our Savior and our peace, Amen.

Week Three: JOY

Today we light the first, second, and third candles of the Advent Wreath. Each candle has a meaning. The first candle is HOPE, the second candle is PEACE, and the third candle is JOY. God of Joy, in gratitude we remember you as creator of all, yet still mindful of each of your children. Grant us the patience to live in joyful hope, to trust in your abiding presence. Open our eyes to see your healing at work in our lives that we might touch the world with tender, compassionate care. Give us the wisdom, courage and strength to bring the joy of your love to transform the earth and to light the way to a more just and peaceful world. We ask this through Christ, our savior and our joy. Amen.

Week Four: LOVE

Today we light the first, second, third, and fourth candles of the Advent wreath. Each candle has a meaning. The first candle is HOPE, the second candle is PEACE, the third candle is JOY, and the fourth candle is LOVE. God of Love, on this the last Sunday of Advent, as the new day dawns, may we remember how your birth lit the darkness of night with the hope of freedom. the joy of a promise fulfilled. Be with us. Shine your light in our hearts so that we might know your wisdom, see your faithfulness, and believe in your creative, seemingly impossible ways. We ask this through Christ, our Savior and our love. Amen

ADVENT WREATH MAKING

Sunday, November 30 following both services

Stay after either worship service for fellowship and creativity as we make Advent wreaths together. All materials will be provided—just bring yourself! This is a wonderful way to prepare our hearts and homes for the Advent season. We hope you’ll join us! Email Rev. Jennifer at jennifer@stbedesla.org to reserve your space.

MEGAN GILLESPIE'S STUDIO RECITAL

ADULT FORUM: ADVENT SERIES

The Beginning of Another World: Advent Against Empire

with Diana Butler Bass

Join us for a transformative four-week Advent journey exploring how the four gospels speak their own revolutionary word against empire—both in their ancient context under Roman occupation and for our contemporary world shaped by capitalism, militarism, and nationalism.

Advent marks the beginning of the church year—an invitation to step out of the empire's time and into God's time, where the last are first, the mighty are scattered, and a child born in occupied territory changes everything.

This course invites you into an alternative calendar and rhythm. While our modern world races through December toward consumption and productivity, Advent calls us to a different time—a counter-imperial waiting, a subversive hope, a radical reimagining of how God enters the world.

What will we experience? Each week, we'll hear one gospel's unique vision of the birth narrative, allowing Matthew, Luke, John, and Mark to speak in their own voices about what it means for God to show up when empires think they're in control. We'll discover how these ancient texts of resistance offer wisdom for our own moment of political turmoil, economic inequality, and ecological crisis.

CHRISTMAS MUSIC on KXLU 88.9FM

Join St. Bede’s parishioner, Phil Conrad, every Thursday morning for two hours of Christmas music starting 12/4 from 8am - 10am at KXLU 88.9FM or KXLU.com featuring a creative mix of old and new arrangements on LPs and CDs and a radio adaptation of A Christmas Carol with Basil Rathbone as Scrooge!

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER in ADVENT

Contemplative Prayer at St. Bede’s! Starting Thursdays in Advent

A Practice of Stillness and Presence

By Deb Kaufman Giordano

Come and experience Contemplative Prayer in Advent starting on Thursdays. We’ll be gathering from 3:30PM-4:30PM in the chapel. The dates are:

• Thurs., Dec 4

• Thurs Dec 11

• Thurs Dec 18

We’re offering this weekly practice in Advent, because Advent invites us to wait in patience — to slow down, pause and prepare our hearts for the birth of Christ. Contemplative Prayer, an ancient monastic practice, becomes an Advent practice of patient waiting: time set apart to rest, wait, and listen for God in the stillness.

Our time together includes:

• We begin at 3:30PM with a silent walking meditation in the sanctuary and in the garden, to

help shed the energy of a busy day (five minutes)

• We gather in the chapel and open with a short prayer of thanksgiving for our time

together in God’s presence

• We listen to a short reading/reflection on Advent.

• We declare our intentions for the silent meditation by the Facilitator praying this Opening Prayer: ”Ever present God, we thank you for this gift of time. We sit before you in gratitude and in silence: making no petition, seeking no intervention, remaining content simply to be still in your holy presence. Amen.

• We sit together for a 20-minute meditation beginning with Psalm 46:10 —

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Each phrase gently repeated, dropping one word at a

time, until we rest in simple stillness: Be.)

• The 20-minute sit starts and ends with three chimes of a bell; and concludes with the

Lord’s Prayer

• We share in a Lectio Divina which involves three readings of a brief portion of scripture

appointed for the day. During the first reading we will notice any word or phrase that calls to us. During the second reading, we will reflect on what that word or phrase means. During the final reading we will reflect on what that word or phrase might be calling us to do in the days/weeks ahead.

• We adjourn at 4:30PM with a closing prayer.

For questions, feel free to email Deb Kaufman Giordano at: debspirituality777@gmail.com

SISTERS of BEDE CHRISTMAS PARTY

A FAREWELL MESSAGE from BOND HARPER

Rev. Jennifer prays for for Bond Harper as she embarks on the next adventure in her new life in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. All Photos: Penny Jennings

By Bond Harper

As I leave Los Angeles to move to Toronto, I want to express my deep gratitude for the St. Bede's family. We've shared laughter and tears together. We've tackled projects around the church property together. We've served the community together. We've definitely eaten a lot of good food together. Most importantly to me, during the hardest time of my life trying to cope with the reality of slowly losing my beloved husband, I never felt alone. I always had people to call on for anything at any time. I remember each and every one of you who came and visited David at home and in the hospital, those who sent cards or food, and those who gave a warm hug. I'm keeping my US phone number so feel free to stay in touch. Definitely let me know if you visit Toronto and we can check out the sights together (it's a wonderful city!). May our paths cross again and wishing you all the very best!

Heavenly Father, we lift up our dear friend Bond as she embarks

on a new journey in a new country. We thank you for the memories

we share and pray that our friendship will remain strong despite the distance. Protect her from loneliness and fear, and give her courage to embrace

the unknown. Surround her with your love, grant her wisdom for

this transition, and bless her with new friendships and connections

that will provide support and bring new opportunities her way.

May she experience your presence, peace and joy wherever she goes.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

JOYCATCHERS SMALL TREE DECORATING

Trees trimmed will be given to seniors and veterans in assisted living and in hospice care. And if you know someone who could use a remembrance, some joy this season--maybe a friend, a neighbor, someone in our congregation--think about decorating a tree to take to them. RSVPs requested by 11/30, but still RSVP even after that date.

BAPTISM of DARON MATSUURA

An Extraordinary Story

Daron Matsuura’s Experience of Joining St. Bede’s and Getting Baptized

By Daron Matsuura

When asked to share my experience about joining St Bede’s Episcopal church, I was and I am still am quite honored. When Holly, my wonderful wife, told me that she was going start going to church because of a chance meeting with our priest, Rev. Jennifer, and her Chihuahua, Honeybee, and one of our dogs, Hermes, I was very happy for her that she found a place of worship where she felt at home. As Holly continued to attend services, she would ask me if I would like to go with her to church. I would consistently decline each week. Church was not in my DNA. Even though, many years ago, I did come to believe in a higher power and to turn my will over to God, I did not have any desire to be part of any formalized religion or to join any church. I did not grow up in a household that belonged to any church or formal religion, and I suppose this has something to do with my resistance to joining a church or religion. Also, growing up, I had very few friends who were part of any church or religion. Adding to my skepticism was the learned belief that formal religion was responsible for many wars and prejudices in the world, and of course was used as a vehicle for church leaders to get rich in the name of religion.

What happened?

Holly asked me if I would attend the Blessing of the Animals with her and our two dogs, Hermes and Eros. I agreed to attend. The Sunday when I attended the Blessing of the Animals, I felt very comfortable. I was warmly greeted by our priest Jennifer and people of the congregation like Carl and Susan. Everyone made me feel at home and at ease. Also, listening Jennifer’s sermon, I learned that St Bede’s was about love without judgment and about helping people in need. I also agreed to attend the Sisters of St Bede’s Party of Parties dinner. It was a very nice experience to sit together and share food with others in the congregation.

From that night, I committed to return to service. I felt that if I was going to commit to going to church I should fully commit, which meant being baptized. I learned a lot about being baptized from Holly and felt prepared to take the next step to meet with Jennifer. As I learned about the history and reasons for being baptized, I did not feel any pressure from Holly or Jennifer. I only felt love, patience and understanding. I felt ready.

I am so grateful for making this step to be baptized. I feel closer to God and much more a part of the St Bede’s family.

From left to right: Carl Townsend (Daron's Baptismal Sponsor), Reverend Jennifer, Daron Matsuura & Holly Matsurra. All photos: Penny Jennings

SACRED RESISTANCE: Help Immigrant Families

By Alice Short

In recent months, St. Bede’s has made several connections with Sacred Resistance, a standing task force of the Los Angeles Archdiocese that is assisting immigrant families that are living under the threat of deportation and are sheltering in place.

A few of our parishioners have started to work with a handful of families, delivering some household goods and children’s clothing, and the Mission Committee is also working to assist.

They will need a variety of things on a regular basis, and we can help in a number of ways: The families might request some specific household items, which we can purchase, and they continue to need clothing. The children are hoping for school supplies and art supplies.

We are also collecting money to buy some of these supplies. Checks (with the words “fall clothing/assistance drive”) and cash are welcome!

We will be setting up bins at church for people who purchase those items.

ART SUPPLIES : Sketch pads, markers, construction paper, children’s scissors, pipe cleaners, crayons, gel crayons, air dry modeling clay, stamps, stickers

SCHOOL SUPPLIES : notebooks, loose paper, notepads, pens, pencils, markers, crayons, rulers, pencil sharpeners, erasers, highlighters, pencil/pen bags, glue sticks, sharpies

GIFT CARDS : Pizza, grocery stores, Visa gift cards, Target gift cards

HOUSEHOLD GOODS: body wash, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, dish soap, laundry soap, hand soap–soft soap, liquid baby bath soap, diapers size 4,5,6, bleach, canned vegetables, canned fruit, rice, oatmeal, pasta

CLOTHING for 4 Families : The men in these families wear sizes large or XL. The women wear sizes medium and large. The children range in age from 4 to 10. We don’t have exact sizes for them, but many clothing items list age ranges as well as sizes. The families would welcome coats, sweatshirts, shirts, pants and socks– new or gently used.

Thank you!

SACRED RESISTANCE ~ Los Angeles

Who We Are

We are people of faith and conscience standing together against injustice. Rooted in our commitment to resist evil and protect the vulnerable, we work to support immigrants, refugees, and all marginalized communities. Sacred Resistance is a social justice ministry and advocacy branch of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles that was formed after Diocesan Convention voted in 2016 to be a Sanctuary Diocese.

What We Believe

We believe that every person deserves dignity, safety and the right to live without fear. When systems of oppression threaten our neighbors, our faith calls us to act. Our baptismal covenant calls us to "persevere" in resisting evil. We understand that as a sacred promise to stand against the systemic forces that oppress and marginalize any member of our human family– including but not limited to racism, sexism, nativism, homophobia, transphobia, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

We are situated at the intersection of faith and action, recognizing that true sacred practice means protecting the vulnerable and confronting systems that perpetuate harm.

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

FALL STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN for 2026

Did you ever have news so exciting that you could not wait to share it with others? The Good News that fills our spirits with joy is about the radical abundance, abiding love, and healing power that Jesus shares with us when we respond to his call to follow him. All of the gifts that we have been given are ready to burst forth to serve our neighbors and share our love with a world in need.

Stewardship is our grateful response as responsible stewards of the gifts we receive from God. The tradition of giving back to God and to the church comes from the Biblical practice of “tithing,” which means to give back a tenth of our earnings to God (Numbers 18:26). The Episcopal Church sees stewardship as more than simply contributing money to the church; it’s also about contributing time and talents and volunteering for ministry and mission. It’s about reaching out to build relationships from a perspective of abundance instead of scarcity. Please visit the St. Bede's Stewardship page HERE to read Rev. Jennifer's letter and make your pledge online.

Peoples History of Christianity: Chapter Summary

By Susan Holder

Many parishioners who read Diana Butler Bass’s A People’s History of Christianity (our most recent Adult Forum book) found it to be engaging and illuminating, as it built insightful bridges between the past and the present. I wrote up a summary of one of my favorite chapters and Rev. Jennifer asked me to share my summary in the Quill. The words that are bolded indicate chapter subheadings.

A People’s History of Christianity

Chapter 12 - ETHICS: KINGDOM QUEST

In the past Christians typically accepted social structures as part of the divine order. In modern times, however, Christians came to understand that the social order was not necessarily divine—that it actually was riddled with sin—and that they could fix earthly structures to more fully resemble God’s desire for humanity to “live rightly with their fellow humans.”

Ever since Christianity became the majority religion in Europe the church found tolerance a difficult virtue to practice. For 150 years following the Reformation, when Christian diversity broke forth in new and unexpected ways, the blood of Protestants and Catholics flowed in the streets of Europe. The idea that Christians might forevermore be divided was unimaginable! Despite these difficulties, Christians were forced to come to terms with (1) Christian diversity, (2) Abrahamic (Jewish/Christian/Muslim) diversity, and (3) East/West diversity.

Strategies were developed to deal with religious diversity. A truly imaginative rendering of tolerance was displayed in 1548 by the Church of St. Martin’s in Biberach, Germany. This church had 2 naves, one Lutheran and one Catholic, and people of different denominations couldn’t help but encounter one another. Over time, people began to learn the art of accepting differences, eventually finding their way to peaceful coexistence. Centuries later, in America, the strategy to manage religious diversity was to implement the separation of church and state.

The idea of equality was likewise not considered a virtue during much of the history of Christianity, despite Galatians 3:28 which states, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” It wasn’t until the Enlightenment that Christians began to allow for social equality and human rights, in the areas of both gender and race as well as social status. Maria Stewart, an African American woman, proclaimed a Jesus who would set free the captives of race, gender and poverty.

Closely related to the issue of equality is freedom, which Bass highlighted in a brief discussion of slavery in the United States. She talked about Harriet Tubman, the most famous and successful conductor on the 19^th century Underground Railroad. Bass also mentioned the story of Samuel Green whose son was freed by Tubman and who became a Methodist lay preacher. Green was described as intelligent, literate, and industrious and locals held him in high esteem. However, once his son escaped, authorities became suspicious and, having found a copy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in his house, he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years of hard labor in prison. He was pardoned after 5 years and visited with Harriet Beecher Stowe (the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin) on his way to Canada, where Green’s son was residing.

In her section on community, Bass began by talking about socialism, which in the 19^th century was a new political idea. Socialism arose as a critique of capitalism’s excesses along with the idea that society could be engineered to be fairer and more humane on the basis of systemic economic equality. Many Christians found this political philosophy reminiscent of Jesus’s teachings on wealth and poverty. Bass introduced us to Vida Scudder, a professor of English literature at Wellesley College, who believed that spirituality and politics were intimately connected in the work of Christ. To her the kingdom of God “resembled an extended monastic community in which men and women were freed from both extreme want and extreme greed.” In light of these beliefs, Scudder enlisted privileged students to live among the poor as a way of imitating Christ. This resulted in her students launching a settlement house in New York City and eventually founding Denison House in Boston.

Next, in the section entitled “Progress,” Bass noted that, whereas Medieval people had believed that the universe was static (where change occurred only when God intervened), modern people noticed that the world was more dynamic than they had previously thought. Modern people saw that people, cultures and social structures changed over time, and they concluded that this was growth, which implied progress. During this time the theory of evolution emerged, producing sharp divisions between most scientists and some religious groups. Bass also very briefly introduced progressive Christianity as a religion of hope where men and women participate in the unfolding of God’s reign in the world.

In the following section, Bass stated that during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, American Protestantism was roiled in controversy between conservatives and liberals; this became known as the fundamentalist-modernist controversy. As the 20^th century progressed, American Protestants who embraced conservative theology retained the passions of evangelization, whereas those who followed a more liberal theology picked up the hope for ecumenism (the principle or aim of promoting unity among the world's Christian churches by advocating for dialogue, cooperation, and reconciliation between different denominations). At the center of everything was John R. Mott (1865-1955), an American Methodist layperson. He served the YMCA for 27 years, recruiting people to give their lives to Christian service and he was “the most widely traveled and universally trusted Christian leader of his time.” As he worked toward Christian unity, Mott dedicated himself to globally expanding existing denominations and eventually established the World Council of Churches. In 1946 he won the Nobel Peace Prize for promoting unity through human understanding.

The next section addresses pluralism, which is the belief that multiple religions can be true and valid. In June 2008 the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey reported that 70% of Americans believe that “many religions can lead to eternal life.” Bass mentions the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair where event planners hoped to showcase a liberal version of Christian religion, but a Hindu monk, Swami Vivekananda, unexpectedly stole the show. The monk said, “We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions to be true.”

The chapter ends with a short discussion on World War II where Bass states that “modernity had opened with the hope that wars could be ended, but it closed with the fear that war could end everything.” She talked about the German Lutheran pastor known as Dietrich Bonhoeffer who watched the Nazis gain power in his beloved homeland. The Gestapo arrested Bonhoeffer and during his imprisonment he began to think that religion no longer made any sense. He thought of a “Religionless Christianity” where “God is the ‘beyond’ in the midst of our lives, as opposed to a religion of salvation where human beings would escape the suffering of the world.” On April 8, 1945, Bonhoeffer was hanged by the Nazis and 22 days later Hitler killed himself.

SUPPORT for IMMIGRANTS

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: FOOD DISTRIBUTION

Jessica and her husband Rob head to the food distribution drop off site.

By Jessica Mariglio

During a recent trip to Southern Italy, I found myself intrigued by a tradition tucked into Naples' café culture: il caffè sospeso, the suspended coffee. The practice is simple—you buy an extra coffee and leave it "suspended" for a stranger who can't afford one. Just a small act that leaves a little goodness for the next person who needs it.

Coming back to Los Angeles, I carried with me a desire to continue this tradition of looking out for one another. Having just finished Sara Miles' excellent memoir, Take This Bread, about how distributing food became her path to understanding both hunger and grace, I began thinking about providing nourishment as an expression of solidarity. So when I heard that families in our community were afraid to leave their homes because of the current political climate, I knew I had to get involved.

I started volunteering with CLUE Justice's initiative to feed immigrants sheltering in place. The process is simple—we load cars with fresh vegetables, canned goods, and baby food, then drive to drop-off locations where the provisions can be collected by those in need.

The families served come from Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia—diverse backgrounds united by shared vulnerability. They've stopped attending regular food distribution events not out of choice, but out of fear for their safety.

This work matters because in addition to delivering food, we're sending a message that these families matter and aren't forgotten. When people are too scared to seek help, we can bring help to them. Our own form of sospeso-- one of kindness, if you will.

If you'd like to get involved or learn more, please contact Sithy Bin at sbin@cluejustice.org.

Here is the writeup Telemundo did on CLUE's work. (It's in Spanish):

https://www.telemundo52.com/noticias/local/organizacion-comida-domicilio-inmigrantes-los-angeles/2797060/

Dear friends,

Many of you have shown concern about new immigration policies and how they will impact this vulnerable population among us here in Los Angeles. Below is information about how you can get involved through CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice), an organization that St. Bede's works with and supports. Join us in preparation for this essential work.

Blessings,

Rev. Jennifer+

At the core of nearly every faith tradition lies the concept of a just, harmonious, and loving society where all souls are valued and everyone can thrive.

It is unconscionable that people fleeing violence in other countries would be deported back to those places, regardless of threats to their safety and security.

Because the Trump Administration is threatening immigrant communities across the country (regardless of documentation status), CLUE is working across Southern California to protect immigrant workers and their families in a variety of important ways.

You can join us in this work or support it with your donations knowing that you are doing your part to protect vulnerable people.

SUPPORT CLUES IMMIGRATION WORK

RAPID RESPONSE NETWORKS

If you see ICE Activity anywhere you go, you can report it to the Rapid Response hotlines in your area.

Los Angeles: 888-624-4752
Orange County: 714-881-1558
San Bernardino/Riverside: 909-361-4588
Kern County: 661-432-2230
Central Valley: 559-206-0151

CLUE is working with RRN partners to offer ongoing trainings for faith leaders and community members who want to show up for workers and families being targeted by ICE.

If you want to be trained to be a rapid responder and you live in Orange County, Los Angeles or the Inland Empire, contact Sithy Bin at sbin@cluejustice.org.

CLUE WELCOME NETWORK

CLUE is cultivating its vast network of houses of worship to create a network of congregations that provide respite, and even longer-term shelter, to migrants released into Southern California.

Over 30 congregations are already participating in the CLUE Welcome Network that houses asylum seekers and refugees. We receive referrals from CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights) for asylum seekers in need of shelter, from legal service providers that are seeking sponsors for people being released from detention, or direct walk-ins. Some congregations in the network provide temporary shelter or short-term housing, and others support those efforts with gifts of supplies, transportation, etc.

Thank you for standing in intimate solidarity as we seek to build a society where everyone is safe and lives with dignity.

If your congregation is interested in joining the network, offering housing or supplies or services, please contact Sithy Bin at sbin@cluejustice.org.

In faith and solidarity,

Rev. Jennifer Gutierrez

A PRAYER for IMMIGRANTS from BISHOP TAYLOR

PRAYER FOR PEACE IN THE HOLY LAND

ST. BEDE'S ONLINE GIVING PORTAL

Visit the St. Bede's website and at the top of every page, look for the "Donate" button. When you click on the "Donate" button, you will be transported to St. Bede's Vanco eGiving and Payment Process Site.

Vanco is an industry leader in online payments. More than 40,000 churches, faith-based groups, nonprofits, schools, and educational organizations trust Vanco to securely complete transactions every day. Vanco complies with PCI Level 1 standards, the highest security standard in the payment processing industry.

You are invited to set up one-time or recurring gifts using credit, debit, or bank transfer on Vanco's secure payment processing platform. Giving online through the Vanco site saves time and the hassle of remembering to bring your offering. In addition, you decrease the expense incurred by St. Bede’s from handling and processing checks and cash.

FROM THE EPISCOPAL NEWS

A newsletter serving the Diocese of Los Angeles

Left: Bishop Chet Talton in recent years. Right: Bishop Chet Talton, pictured on Oct. 22, 1994, at the consecration of Cathedral Center in Echo Park. Photo: Bill Youngblood

Bishop Chester Talton, retired suffragan of Los Angeles, dies at 84

By Bob Williams

The Rt. Rev. Chester Lovelle Talton, retired bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles who later provisionally led the Fresno-based Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin – died the evening of Nov. 20 at his Altadena home with loved ones at his side. He was 84 and had been in declining health after recent spinal surgery and subsequent hospitalization.

Survivors include his wife, April Grayson Talton, and his daughters, Kathy Talton-Wilson (Ray Wilson) and Linda Talton, and sons, Fred (Tamu Talton) and Ben (Janai Nelson), and eight grandchildren: Noemi, Quinton, Jacob, Kimathi, Jendaya, Karryne, Nandi, and Osei Talton. Bishop Talton is predeceased by his first wife, Karen Warren Talton, whom he married in 1963 and who died in 2003.

A service celebrating Talton’s life and ministry is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 27, at St. John’s Cathedral, 514 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles. Condolences may be sent to family members in care of the Bishop’s Office, 840 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90026, or bishopsoffice@ladiocese.org.

“Chet Talton was a pioneer, a prophet, and a pastor for the ages,” Los Angeles Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor, said the evening of Nov. 20, having visited Talton and administered last rites that morning. “Being elected bishop was an act of justice; but he lived his whole life that way. Traveling around the diocese, I encounter so many who describe their pride at having been confirmed by Chet — the warm voice, the loving smile, the gentlest of old-school slaps,” added Taylor, whom Talton ordained to the priesthood in 2004.

“With April at his side, he navigated a rough year with calm and courage, first kept from their home by the wildfires, then a succession of health challenges,” Taylor said. “Thanks to April, his passing was as gentle as it possibly could have been. As his friend Michael Curry wrote when he heard the news, “As the indigenous saying goes, a great oak has fallen.”

EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE

Mothers train to become at-home therapists for their children with disabilities at the Diocese of Jerusalem’s Princess Basma Center.

Diocese of New Jersey’s $1 million gift will support Diocese of Jerusalem medical ministries

By ENS Staff

The Diocese of New Jersey, at its diocesan convention on Nov. 21, announced that it was giving $1 million to the Diocese of Jerusalem to support the Anglican diocese’s medical ministries in Gaza and other Palestinian communities “where the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza has been catastrophic.”

Funding for the gift comes from the Trenton-based Diocese of New Jersey’s Jane O.P. Turner Fund, which was originally designated for a children’s hospital, according to a diocesan news release. It was announced with a joint pastoral letter from New Jersey Bishop Sally French and Archbishop Hosam Naoum, the bishop of Jerusalem and primate of the Anglican province in the Middle East.

“Jesus calls us to care for those who are in need and to be agents of healing, reconciliation and hope,” French and Naoum said. “As siblings in Christ and fellow members of the Anglican Communion, we believe our mutual ministries can meet this moment and bring relief and healing to the people of Gaza and the Palestinian Territories.”

The Diocese of Jerusalem operates Al Ahli Arab Hospital, a charitable hospital in Gaza, which has struggled to continue treating patients amid power outages, food and water shortages, and Israeli bombardment during the Israel-Hamas war. The hostilities in the densely populated Palestinian territory, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israeli communities, have lessened since Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease fire last month, yet recent gunfire and strikes have threatened to disrupt the truce.

French and Naoum emphasized that more than 19,000 children have been killed in the two-year war, and many of the survivors have needed treatment for lost limbs.

The New Jersey gift will be used to rebuild and sustain pediatric care at Ahli Hospital, expand services at Princess Basma Center in Jerusalem and Gaza, support family wellness for parents and caregivers of children and adolescents suffering from debilitating and lifelong conditions, and strengthen psychiatric and trauma care.

The Episcopal Church has long worked through its partners in the Anglican Communion, including Naoum, to assist in the region and by offering financial support through the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and The Episcopal Church’s Good Friday Offering.

Students at St. Mary’s, an Episcopal school for Indigenous girls on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, are seen in an undated photo from the G.E.E. Lindquist Papers, held by the Burke Library Archives at Union Theological Seminary.

Indigenous boarding school research groups merge as Truth, Justice and Healing Commission

By David Paulsen

The Episcopal Church is entering a new phase of reckoning with its historic complicity in the federal Indigenous boarding school system, as two church committees that had been examining that history have merged into the new Truth, Justice and Healing Commission on Native Schools.

The consolidated commission was formed at a meeting in early November in Phoenix, Arizona, by consensus of the two bodies, one created by General Convention and the other by Executive Council. The two already had been coordinating their schedules. Now, as a unified body, members are planning the next steps in what has been a multiyear effort with significant churchwide support.

Starting in 2026, the commission will prioritize connecting with tribal leaders and tribal historic preservation officers, “to gain their guidance on how these different phases of work need to be conducted,” Leora Tadgerson, co-chair of the new commission and a member of the Bay Mills Indian Community, told Episcopal News Service by email. “We understand that each community may have their own individual process, and we are dedicated to honoring each.”

The newly combined commission is taking shape in the months since South Dakota Bishop Jonathan Folts, a commission member, issued an apology in August to the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe for his diocese’s past involvement in church-run boarding schools. Those schools were established starting in the 1800s to assimilate Indigenous children into white society at the expense of their Native American identities, languages and cultures.

Boarding school students endured a wide spectrum of experiences. Some were forced to attend the schools, run by the federal government and Christian denominations, while other families voluntarily sent their children to receive what often was the only education available. In some cases, they faced a nightmare of mistreatment, abuse and even death far from home. Other boarding school survivors recall no physical abuse but still experience trauma from the family separation and deprivation of their culture and identity.

Churchwide leaders began committing The Episcopal Church to reckoning with that past in 2021 after hundreds of unmarked graves were discovered at boarding schools in Canada. At the time, the U.S. government launched an investigation into similar sites in the United States, a decision welcomed by The Episcopal Church’s presiding officers.