The Office of the Bishop will close for Easter Break on Friday, March 29 and reopen on Tuesday, April 2.

Have a Blessed and Safe Easter Weekend!

Bishop Owensby's Executive Assistant, Holly Davis, is on maternity leave from January to April 2024. However, the other Diocesan Staff members are available for any questions you might have.

Click here to see who to contact.

Diocesan Convention registration begins tomorrow, March 22, and will remain open until April 26. Everyone who plans to attend any of the Convention events should complete the short registration form. Look for a separate email tomorrow with Instructions and a link to begin the online registration process. The registration form will also be available on the diocesan website. Questions? Contact Joy Owensby.

The Diocesan Convention meets once a year to discuss the church year going forward, elect people for various positions, and hear from people of all walks of life. There are some pieces we approve and vote on, including the budget for the year and different resolutions. If you have a resolution to be considered for our 2024 Diocesan Convention, please submit no later than May 1, 2024, to Mary Shaddock Jones via email.

• The 45th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana will open May 3, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. with Eucharist at St. James, Alexandria, followed by a catered reception in the Parish Hall.
• On Saturday, May 4, Convention registration will commence at 9:00 a.m. in the Pineville Convention Center at Country Inn & Suites. The business meeting begins at 10:00 a.m.
• Childcare will be available for all Convention events.
• As we move closer to the date of Convention and more information becomes available, we encourage you to stay informed on the latest updates by visiting the Convention Hub on the diocesan website.

Nomination Forms Due April 15

2024 Diocesan Nomination forms for Disciplinary Board, Standing Committee, and Trustee to University of the South are open. The deadline for submissions is April 15. The nomination form can be found here.

Annual Report and Necrology Forms Due April 15

The 2024 Annual Report and Necrology forms are open. The deadline for these forms is April 15. Both forms can be found here.

Summer is right around the corner, and it’s not too late to sign your child up for an experience like no other at Louisiana’s premier Episcopal summer camp!

Selected as one of “America’s Best Summer Camps 2023” by Newsweek, Camp Hardtner isn’t just about games; it’s about making memories, finding joy, and discovering new things about yourself.

Campers will find an experience that will stick with them all year long and possibly for life. An experience of relationship, community, belonging, and self-worth–all built upon the foundation that God’s love surrounds us and transforms our lives.

You can sign up by clicking here.

Mark your calendars now: the Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, will visit our diocese September 20-22, 2024. His agenda will include a diocesan-wide event, a gathering for clergy only, and preaching at Sunday morning worship.

Given his recent health issues, keep in mind that his itinerary will be limited to what is appropriate for his energy levels and continued well-being, and his travel will be restricted to the diocesan see (the Alexandria area).

We are very excited Bishop Curry will be with us, and we will provide more details about his visit as they become available.

Have you seen the calendar of events on the new diocesan website? Find diocesan events for various categories: Bishop's Visitation, Youth Events, Christian Formation Workshops, and more. Explore the diocesan calendar of events by clicking here.

What happens when you take just about every character from every play about the old South and throw them all into a moldy mansion surrounded by a sinister garden of man-eating flora? More importantly, why is a church producing a play about murder?

“Murder isn’t silly, but this story is, and we want to show our community that church can be a fun place to be – as well as a spiritual home,” said the Rev. Michael Cannon.

St. Paul's in Shreveport is proud to present their third production in the inaugural season of their theater ministry. This will be shown April 5 and 6 at 7:00 p.m. and April 7 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and free for seniors and students.

Join Rabbi Judy Ginsburgh on April 6 for this interesting and informative event at the Jewish Temple in Alexandria. This class is free and open to the public, but reservations are required by emailing here.

The Camp Hardtner Board of Trustees and Daniel Chapman are planning a day to go around the camp and prepare it for the summer. This will be hosted Saturday, April 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

You can sign up by scanning the QR Code or clicking here.

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.

The 10 women selected to represent Presiding Bishop Michael Curry at the 68th meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women have been busy in a wide variety of activities since the annual event began on March 11.

Most of them have spent time in sessions and side events in New York, as they engaged with the meeting’s priority theme, “accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.”

The Commission on the Status of Women is the largest event hosted by the U.N. in New York, and it is one of the largest gatherings of women globally.

You can read more by clicking here.

Photo: Some of the Episcopal delegates, along with people assisting them, gather in front of this year's UNCSW logo.

For 102 years, donations to the Good Friday Offering have directly supported ministries of the Anglican Communion Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.

In a letter, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry talked about speaking to the Rev. Canon Faiz Basheer Jerjes and his colleague, Sinan Hanna, of St. George’s Anglican Episcopal Church in Baghdad—the only Anglican church in Iraq. After a moving conversation, Fr. Faiz asked one thing of our church: “Please don’t forget us.”

You can read the full letter, donate, and learn more by clicking here.

Bishop Jake is providing a Lenten Devotional each Wednesday at his newsletter “The Woodlands.” The devotional is called “Wisdom of the Psalms.” Subscribe for free by clicking here. You will receive the devotional in your email inbox each Wednesday morning.

The written version of the devotional is available to everyone. Paid subscribers can listen to the audio version and will receive additional offerings. (Proceeds from paid subscriptions are used for alms. If a paid subscription is not for you right now, but you would like access to the audio, just shoot Bishop Jake an email.)

In addition to the Wednesday devotional all subscribers (free and paid) receive a reflection on Holy Scripture each Friday morning along with occasional special offerings.

If you are looking for something new to try this Lent, you can start following Lenten Meditations. Here are just a few examples:

• From the parishioners of St. Mark's Cathedral in Shreveport: their meditation can be found here.
• From Episcopal Relief and Development: their meditation can be found here.
• If you are looking for something a little different, you can participate in Lent Madness and see which saint will win the Golden Halo. You can learn more by clicking here.