Announcements

Upcoming Office Closure

The Office of the Bishop will close at noon on Friday, December 20 for the Christmas and New Year holidays and reopen on Thursday, January 2. A newsletter will not be released on December 26 or January 2.


Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas!

A Full-Hearted Life by Bishop Owensby

"I resist the idea that faith is a form of irrationality. I’m confident that God gave us a mind so that we would use it." — Jake Owensby


Faith and reason go hand in hand. It's okay to question, to think, and to seek understanding. God welcomes our whole selves—mind included.


Bishop Owensby's new book, A Full-Hearted Life, is available now.
 
 

Diocesan Events

Christmas Eve with Bishop Owensby

Bishop Owensby will preside at the 5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve service at St. Mark's Cathedral in Shreveport.

Clergy Day

Save the Date: 46th Annual Diocesan Convention

46th Annual Diocesan Convention

Knowing Jesus: Live the Gospel, Spread the Gospel

April 4-5, 2025



  • The 46th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana will open Friday, April 4, at 5:00 p.m., with Eucharist at St. James, Alexandria, followed by a catered reception in the Parish Hall.
  • On Saturday, April 5, Convention check-in will commence at 9:00 a.m. at Best Western of Alexandria Inn & Suites & Conference Center, 2720 N MacArthur Drive, Alexandria, Louisiana 71303, 318-445-5530. The business meeting begins at 10:00 a.m.
  • Childcare will be available for all Convention events.
  • Convention delegates and alternates should be elected at each church’s annual meeting in January and their names submitted to the diocese for certification no later than January 27. An online certification form will be made available in early January.
  • Stay informed on the latest updates by visiting the Convention Hub on the diocesan website. 
Around the Diocese
 

St. James, Alexandria Messy Church

Messy Church met for the first time at St. James this month, with the young and young-at-heart journeying together through the four gospels from each Sunday of Advent, taking part in crafts, games, stories, and an opportunity for outreach by creating Blessing Bags to add to the church’s Blessing Box for neighbors in need.


They concluded their time together with a meal shared at Christ’s Table (pictured right), having already shared in a delicious lunch together following the service.


Details for future Messy Church gatherings can be found listed under Events on St. James' Facebook page.
 

Want to see your congregation or organization featured?

Share your ministry stories, announcements, and events with us through the Digital Hub on the diocesan website.
 
Outside the Diocese

Heavenly host of colonial-era angels revealed at Boston church just in time for Christmas

Through a painstaking and possibly once-in-a-lifetime paint restoration project underway at Old North Church in Boston, a host of colonial-era angels is coming into view, one by one, for the first time in over a century, and just in time for Christmas.


“The revelations thus far have been really amazing,” lead conservator Gianfranco Pocobene said. “I’ve been doing this work for something like 40 years now, and it’s one of the most amazing projects I’ve been involved in.”


The 16 cherubic depictions were painted by Old North Church member John Gibbs, beginning in 1727, and are positioned high up against the nave’s barrel-vaulted ceiling, in the arch spandrels above the second-floor galleries.
Read More
 
Resources & Formation
 

From Bishop Owensby

Trusting

The key is knowing who to trust.
Read More
 

The Episcopal Church Newsletter is handled by Thomas Stodghill, IV. Click here to submit a story.

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