A Pastoral Message from Bishop Whitworth

Beloved in the Diocese of Massachusetts, 

Greetings from Barbara C. Harris Camp, where I am welcoming the Annual Conference of Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers (ECCC). During this painful time for our nation, it is a balm to be in such a beautiful place, gathered with many who are committed to holy hospitality, formation, and community building. 

Even amid this beauty, my concern and grief for our country grows. This week’s increased ICE activity in Maine has made me worry. Saturday’s killing of Alex Pretti, a Veterans Affairs intensive care nurse in Minneapolis, has made me weep -- and made me angry.

I commend to you the following message from our Presiding Bishop, the Most Reverend Sean Rowe: Acting Faithfully in Troubled Times. I invite you to join him, the hundreds of faith leaders gathered in Minneapolis, and all in our church to pray for those who mourn, for those who fear deportation and detention, for those who suffer for righteousness sake, and especially, for the soul of our nation. 

This is a good time to be in our faith communities, both to pray and to prepare. Today Bishop Rowe will be speaking with the ECCC gathering. This week, I will also be working with other faith leaders locally to create contingency plans to stand against dehumanization and tyranny in our Commonwealth. We must also be ready to stand with our neighbors in every way that we can. Later this week, the Episcopal bishops in New England will gather with our canons and chancellors to discuss strategies for effective collaboration, coordination, and mutual support. 

It is not a time to lose hope or to become paralyzed with despair or fear; it is time to redouble our efforts to live into our baptismal covenant. Our shared humanity depends upon it.

Last night at Compline, we sang a song well-known in the Episcopal camp world. You may know it as well:

Lord prepare me/ To be a sanctuary/ Pure and holy/ Tried and true

And with thanksgiving/ I'll be a living/ Sanctuary/ for You. 

I was struck: our Anglican theology of incarnation teaches us that we are to be living sanctuaries for our God, who made every person in God’s image. God hates nothing God has made. As such, we are called to be sanctuaries for one another as well – to respect the dignity of every human being. This is going to require intentional, sacrificial work in the days to come. Let us prepare for that work, with courage and thanksgiving, together. 

Faithfully, with love,

+Julia

Additional Resources

For more on the actions in Maine and ways to support the Diocese of Maine in its efforts to support those under threat, please see the recent letter from Bishop Thomas Brown, here. 

For more on tangible ways to help in Minneapolis, please see the recent letter from Bishop Craig Loya, here.

If you would like to help immigrants impacted by the current legal emergency closer to home, please contribute to our Diocese of Massachusetts Immigrant Legal Emergency Fund (click here to give).Clergy in our diocese have already dispersed over $70,000 to neighbors in need of legal support and basic necessities and the need deepens. Thank you for your generosity.

Check out the Episcopal Church's Immigration Action Toolkit here.

Learn How Your Congregation Can Become a Supply Hub for LUCE, the Immigrant Justice Network of MA: Hear from Church of Our Savior in Arlington about their experience serving as a supply hub for local immigrant justice work on Thursday, January 29 at 6:30 pm. Join via Zoom (no registration required): https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81867375832.



Explore the Episcopal City Missions Emergent Action Network, which connects Episcopal churches and people across Massachusetts, offering accessible ways to take action.

Protesting Faithfully: A Toolkit for Public Witness

What does it mean to protest faithfully?

The Episcopal Church has released Protesting Faithfully, a thoughtful toolkit for individuals and communities discerning how to engage in public witness rooted in prayer, nonviolence, and Christian values. 

As we navigate moments that call for courage and care, this resource offers both reflection and practical guidance for faithful action. 

Learn more here..

Antiracism Team

Forum on February 15th

A regular monthly antiracism forum will be held this year, with the theme of building a beloved community. Our second forum will be on Sunday, February 15th following the Celtic service.

This Sunday

Parish Prayer List

Please keep the following in your prayers:

Linda Abbene, Mickey, Deven Manthorne, Chuck Manck, Margarette Connor, Barbara Dwyer, Lilyann, John Gilbo, Vance Gilbert, Reny Sparapani, Laurel, Gary Young, Amy, Paul, Heather and Prescott, Ariana, Sheridan, Javy, Faith Aroko and Family, Jesse Hurst and Family, Maureen Joyce, Arthur, Deb Young, Cindy Rhodes, Ron, Allison Mascolo, Melissa Glassman, Max Joyce, Marc Britt, those battling cancer, Mel, Corey MacNeil, Dianne, Jenny, Loretta and Kris, Priscilla Lemons, Deb Papps, Derek Fuller and Family, for the peaceful repose of the soul of Smadar and all victims of war the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and their ministries; the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salem, the Salem Public Schools and for an end to racism, war, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, gun violence and oppression. In thanksgiving, we pray for the ministry of The Reverend Debbie Phillips and her husband, Eric Wagner, this community of faith, for God’s grace and forgiveness, for those with the courage to stand up to tyranny, for creation, for the diversity of people, and for all the blessings of this life.



If you have additions or deletions to the prayer list, please email prayerlist@gracechurchsalem.org by Tuesday at noon for publication in that week's e-news. 

The Parish Prayer List is read aloud each Wednesday at Morning Prayer.