177th Annual Convention:
Registration Now Open
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Attention Convention Delegates. Convention registration is now open. Please visit
http://convention.diocesefl.org
for updated Convention information. All Delegates, Alternates and Clergy should have received an email correspondence regarding Convention earlier this week. If you did not receive this important email, please email Diocesan Communications Director, Emily Stimler at
[email protected]
to be added to the distribution list.
Please also be advised the deadline for nominations and resol
ution submissions is this
Friday, November 15
. Please visit the
Convention Website
to nominate someone to serve on a Diocesan Committee or Commission, to receive a Bishop’s Cross Award, or to propose a resolution.
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Ministry Exploration Day: November 16
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Are you exploring the Holy Spirit’s movement in your current vocation? Are you interested in further exploring both lay and ordained ministry? If so, the Diocese of Florida is sponsoring a Ministry Exploration Day, to be held on
Saturday, November 16
at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Jacksonville. Click
here
to download the event flier and click
here
to register. We hope to see you there!
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Join the Bishop's Institute for
A Door to Easter: Pilgrimage to Antigua, Guatemala
March 31 - April 7, 2020
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Of all the pilgrimages the Bishop’s Institute might organize for the Episcopal Diocese of Florida—
why
to the city of Antigua in Guatemala? And
why
in the week leading up to Holy Week and including Palm Sunday?
Someone has described the beauty and atmosphere of Antigua in Guatemala as ‘Charleston, South Carolina, on steroids’. Antigua is the first capital of Guatemala and founded by the Spanish in 1524. It is situated on a much more ancient Mayan city now called Iximche.
Synonymous with the founding of Antigua were some of the first Holy Week
procesiones
in South America. In much of the Catholic world, especially in Spanish speaking countries,
procesiones
are staged to mark the days of Holy Week leading up to Easter. As Marta Bausells noted in
The Guardian UK
newspaper
:
‘Antigua . . . leads the pack, with spectacular procesiones that are among the world’s most iconic. Antigua’s parades are a voluptuous, baroque, often dramatic affair—and not a brief one . . . . . A parade can easily come out at 3pm and finish at 2 am’.
We have chosen the week leading up to Holy Week yet including Palm Sunday for a quieter, yet perhaps all the more moving Lenten preparation for Easter, and one in time to deliver us ‘home’ to our own church communities for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Day. In our week preceding Holy Week we will have opportunity for prayer, meditation, the Eucharist, visiting churches and cathedrals while still discovering the natural beauty of Guatemala, the holy shrines, the textiles, and many Mayan sites.
Click
here
to download the trip brochure.
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Memento Mori: A Quiet Garden Morning for Advent
December 14, 2019
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Memento Mori: A Quiet Garden Morning for Advent
December 14, 2019
Led by The Rev. Donavan Cain
The 17th century Anglican cleric Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667) who lived and preached during the turbulent days of the English Civil War wrote a popular book called The Rule and Exercise of Holy Living (1650). Even more popular was the book that followed a year later called The Rule and Exercises of Holy Dying. In our time a Roman Catholic nun, Sr Theresa Aletheia Noble, FSP, has revived the ancient tradition of remembering death--- encouraged by the Bible, the early Church Fathers, and many saints throughout the ages. She wrote a book for Lent called Remember Your Death: Memento Mori Lenten Devotional (January 2019).
Fr Donavan Cain, Rector of All Saints' Church, Jacksonville, was so taken by Sr Theresa Aletheia's book he made it the focus of the Lent 2019 study series in his parish. In the program he led church members through what Jeremy Taylor set forth for instruction in The Rule and Exercise of a Holy Dying and assisted them in focusing on the important place of hope in death at the core of our faith in Jesus Christ. It was all devotion, scripture, theology and discussion and had nothing to do with funeral planning.
Bishop Howard was so taken by hearing of Fr Cain's offering that he asked him if he might offer it more widely. So it is this same study that Fr Cain will offer us in the Diocese during Advent on
Saturday December 14
, under the aegis of the Bishop's Institute and via the hospitality and welcome of our St John's Cathedral. One of the great themes of Advent is 'the four last things', i.e. Heaven, Hell, Death and Judgement. Memento Mori: 'remember your death'- but equip yourself with hope, and with faith and with the love of God.
Registration includes the $12 for lunch that is provided. To register:
click here.
(Discount for parish groups of four or more attending. Limited scholarships available.)
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Critical Donations Needed
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The Downtown Ecumenical Services Council
(DESC)
has critical clothing needs to continue to help families fighting poverty. Specifically, DESC needs men’s shoes, children’s clothes and any coats. All of these items tend to be in short-supply year-round, but the supply is particularly low as we head into the cold season.
To donate, please email
[email protected]
.
DESC was founded in 1981 when several downtown churches joined forces to help homeless people and working poor families. The organization seeks to proclaim the love of Jesus Christ by providing basic needs for those in emergency situations. The center is accessible on Ocean Street in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church and served more than 12,000 families with food, clothing and financial assistance last year.
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The Bishop's Institute Monthly Newsletter
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Interested in keeping even more informed with Bishop's Institute news and events? We encourage you to subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter!
Led by The Rev. Cn. Douglas Dupree, The Bishop's Institute for Ministry and Leadership offers quality educational offerings at the local level for the training of priests, deacons and lay leaders and to provide continuing education for both clergy and laity. The Bishop's Institute also provides educational resources for parishes within the Diocese to be of assistance to them in developing their various ministries and educational offerings within the parish. The monthly newsletter contains both biblical and spiritually focused articles written by the Rev. Cn. Dupree and various other community members.
Click here
to subscribe!
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Self Defense Class for Women:
November 16
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Episcopal Church of the Redeemer (
7500 Southside Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32256)
is hosting a Self Defense Class for Women on Saturday, November 16 at 10am in the Parish Hall. Please wear comfortable clothing and sneakers. Light lunch to follow. There is a $20 suggested love offering for
Her Song
- a local nonprofit restoring the lives of sex trafficking survivors. To RSVP, please text 904-537-9141. Click here for the
event flier
.
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December 6-8, 2019
Yoga and Christian Contemplative Prayer Retreat
Camp Weed & Cerveny Conference Center
Imagine being surrounded by over 500 acres of north-central Florida’s most beautiful nature, while listening to sacred Christian music, calming your body in a loving yogic practice, quieting the mind and preparing to share the communal silence of contemplative prayer in the presence of your Creator.
Come experience the delightful blending of the physical practice of yoga with the enduring traditions of Christian contemplative prayer. Learn how to cultivate inner stillness and receptivity to the Indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit.
No yoga experience needed. This retreat works for those trying yoga for the first time and for those who regularly practice yoga. Chair yoga is also an option.
Click
here
for more information and to register.
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December 4, 2019
5:30 - 8:30pm
Christmas in the Cathedral
District
Downtown Jacksonville
Cathedral District Churches are opening their doors for our inaugural
FREE
walking tour and welcoming the public to experience their churches decorated for Christmas. Docents will greet you inside each Sanctuary, and you will be treated to the sounds of choirs and Christmas music while on route.
Hop-on-hop-off transportation for families with small children and the elderly will be provided at no cost; and secured free parking! There will be festivities for children, a live Nativity Scene, an authentic Bethlehem Market selling handmade crafts, unique gifts, jewelry and baked goods; our food court will feature the Signature “District Christmas Cocktail”, Beer and Wine. More information can be found at
https://cathedraldistrict-jax.org/christmas-in-the-cathedral-district/
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- Diocesan Website Updates: Need something updated on our website? Please email our Director of Communications at [email protected] with any updates and include the URL of the page where the changes are needed.
- Looking for a job? Visit the employment page on our website for some of the current opportunities. Click here
- Listing a job? Email [email protected] with the job description and position contact information to be posted on the employment page.
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Diocese of Florida | 325 N. Market Street | Jacksonville, FL 32202 | 904.356.1328
www.diocesefl.org
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