This Lenten season invites diocesan community into exploring "What is Truth?" and "Practicing Truth"

"Practicing Truth"—this year's Lenten preaching series at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston—runs alongside the "What is Truth?" Lenten study series being offered this season by the diocesan Racial Justice Commission, offering a complementary opportunity for Lenten reflection and engagement.

"Every Lent is an invitation to turn toward God and one another in order to amend our lives and receive grace," the cathedral's description of this year's preaching series says. "In our time, turning to God and one another requires undoing old habits that shielded us from the deep transformation to which we are called in order to end racism and other forms of oppression. This year's preachers will draw on Scripture and their lived experience to stir us to a deeper practice of truth and prepare us for Easter joy."

All are welcome to join for the preaching series at 12:15 p.m. on Thursdays, March 3 through April 7, to hear the sermon in person and stay for a light lunch and conversation with the guest preacher, or by livestream via www.stpaulboston.org.

An opportunity for connection and conversation among people of color in the diocesan community is coming up in March, and the co-chairs of the Racial Justice Commission’s Subcommittee on Support for BIPOC Communities and Individuals are hoping for a virtual full house.

The online gathering takes place on Tuesday, March 8, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. (register here for the Zoom link).  

BIPOC Support Subcommittee Co-Chairs: The Rev. Diane Wong and Claudette Hunt File photos

“We are hoping when we say ‘BIPOC’ that Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Latinx people, Asians—all will feel invited to come and participate,” the Rev. Diane Wong of St. John’s Church in Arlington said in a Zoom interview that included her subcommittee co-chair, Claudette Hunt of St. Andrew’s Church in Ayer.

Remembering Archbishop Desmond Tutu: People gathered at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, in person and online, for a Feb. 2 service of remembrance for the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died on Dec. 26, 2021, and whose life and witness were synonymous with South Africa's nonviolent struggle against apartheid.

Others whose lives Tutu touched gave tributes, including Hilary Rantisi, Stewart Ting Chong and Kapya Kaoma. An offering was collected to support the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.

Video of the service is available here.

The Rev. Noble Scheepers (center) gives the sermon, pictured with Bishop Alan M. Gates (left) and Bishop Gayle E. Harris (right). Cathedral Church of St. Paul photo

Sign up by April 1 to join "Encounters in the Holy Land": After two years of postponement due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the fall pilgrimage that Bishop Gayle E. Harris has been leading annually since 2009 is back on the calendar this year. She and the Rev. Manny Faria plan to co-lead the "Encounters in the Holy Land" mission pilgrimage to Israel and Palestine, Oct. 17-28.

The group will visit holy sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Jordan Valley, Nazareth, Galilee, Nablus and Ramallah.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

There will also be opportunities to learn about active mission in the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem through its school, health care and peacemaking ministries.

The deadline for registering is April 1. The group will meet twice before the trip for preparation and community building. Estimated cost is $4,400-$4,600 per person (double occupancy), with all payments due by Aug. 15.

The pilgrimage is an opportunity for anyone who is interested in experiencing the land of the birth of the Christian faith; who is willing to listen and learn from siblings in God who live their faith in a different culture and context; and who want to engage in the mission of God beyond their doorstep.

Inquiries about joining the mission pilgrimage are welcome. Contact David Ames at dames@diomass.org or 617-482-4826, ext. 445.

"Exploring the Doctrine of Discovery for Province I": Bishop Carol J. Gallagher will teach this five-session course, beginning Feb. 27, for the people of the New England Episcopal dioceses, and all are welcome. The online course is being offered through Bexley Seabury Seminary’s Pathways for Baptismal Living program.

Bishop Carol J. Gallagher

The Doctrine of Discovery, originating with 15th-century papal decrees allowing conquest and colonization in Africa and the Americas, was foundational to the decimation of Indigenous peoples and seizure of their lands in the U.S.

The Pathways course will examine the thinking behind the doctrine, according to the course listing, and “how it was justified by Christian church leaders, what happened to the people it touched, how it continues to affect Indigenous people worldwide today and what hope there is for Indigenous people in the future. You will hear Indigenous voices again and again, something that is unusual in Doctrine of Discovery courses. You will learn how the connection with the land and with Creator has given Indigenous people the spiritual resilience [they] have today as survivors of the Doctrine of Discovery.”

Gallagher, a member of the Cherokee tribe, serves as regional canon for the congregations in the Central Region of the Diocese of Massachusetts. Find the course sign-up here.

General Convention committees to welcome public to online pre-convention legislative hearings [Episcopal News Service]: The pandemic prompted dramatic changes in how The Episcopal Church will conduct its 80th General Convention—starting with its schedule. After a one-year delay, bishops and deputies will meet in person July 7-14 in Baltimore, Md., but there's no need to wait until July in Baltimore to offer input on resolutions. Committees are holding some of their hearings online for the first time, beginning Feb. 17.

Testimony during legislative hearings is not limited to bishops, deputies or even Episcopalians, but rather is open to the public. All that is required is advance registration; a computer, tablet or a smart phone; and an Internet connection.

General Convention is both the church's primary governing body and its largest churchwide gathering.

Read the full Episcopal News Service story here.

Find the pre-convention hearings schedule here, and the sign-up form here.

MetroWest Daily News: Volunteers from local churches organize toy drive for Afghan children: Hundreds of toys were dropped off at Karen Montague's doorstep in Wayland in past weeks. She's among many volunteers of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Weston and Trinity Episcopal Church in Concord who have collected donated toys and will personally deliver them to Afghan families who are sheltered in Cambridge, Revere and Lynn, as well as in Manchester and Merrimack, N.H. Read the story.

Feb 16: Devotions with Bishop Gates for Central Region Clergy, via Zoom, 5:00pm

Feb 17: Children's Formation Colleagues Gathering, via Zoom, 3:30pm

Feb 17: Diocesan Council Meeting, via Zoom, 6:00pm

Feb 18: Devotions with Bishop Gates for Northern & Western Region Clergy, via Zoom, 9:00am

Feb 18: Devotions with Bishop Gates for Southern Region Clergy, via Zoom, 5:00pm

Feb 20: Bishop Gates visits St. Paul's Church in Malden

Feb 22: Food Security Network Meeting, via Zoom, 4:00pm

Feb 23: Anti-Human Trafficking Network Inaugural Meeting, via Zoom, 4:00pm

Feb 26: Ordination to the Priesthood: Ben Crosby, St. Paul's Church, Malden, 10:00am

Feb 27: Bishop Gates visits St. John's Church in Winthrop

Feb 27: Bishop Harris visits St. Mark's Church in Dorchester

Feb 28: Indigenous Peoples' Justice Network Meeting, via Zoom, 4:00pm

Mar 2: Ash Wednesday at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, in person and livestreamed, 12:00pm & 6:00pm

Mar 3: Lenten Preaching Series: "Practicing Truth," Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, in person and livestreamed, 12:15pm

Mar 3: Children's Formation Colleagues Online Gathering: 3:30pm

Mar 3: Adolescent Mental Health Network Meeting, via Zoom, 7:00pm

Mar 6: Bishop Gates visits St. John's Church in Saugus

Mar 8: Clergy Professional Development Day: Workshop on Microaggression, via Zoom, 4:30pm

Mar 8: Racial Justice Commission hosts Black, Indigenous, Persons of Color (BIPOC) Support Gathering, via Zoom, 7:00pm

Mar 9: Clergy Professional Development Day: Safe Church Review, via Zoom, 10:00am

Mar 10: Lenten Preaching Series: "Practicing Truth," Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, in person and livestreamed, 12:15pm

Mar 13: Bishop Gates visits St. Elizabeth's Church in Wilmington

Mar 13: Bishop Harris visits Trinity Church in Topsfield

Mar 13: Bishop Harris visits Trinity Church in Boston for Confirmations & Receptions, 5:00pm

Mar 15: Preaching Hope in a Climate Crisis: Lenten Conversation for Preachers, with Margaret Bullitt-Jonas and Jim Antal, via Zoom, 10:00am

Mar 17: Lenten Preaching Series: "Practicing Truth," Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, in person and livestreamed, 12:15pm

Mar 17: Diocesan Council Meeting, via Zoom, 6:00pm

Mar 19: Diocesan Middle & High School Youth Retreat, Parish of the Epiphany, Winchester, 9:30am

Mar 19: Lenten Quiet Day with Margaret Bullitt-Jonas: "Reconciliation: Putting a Burden Down," via Zoom, 9:30am

Mar 24: Lenten Preaching Series: "Practicing Truth," Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, in person and livestreamed, 12:15pm

Mar 27: Bishop Gates visits Trinity Parish in Melrose

Mar 27: Bishop Harris visits St. John's Church in Holbrook

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