Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry brings "Way of Love" to eastern Massachusetts
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Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preaches on Boston Common.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh
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The Episcopal Church's presiding bishop, the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, brought his "Way of Love" message to eastern Massachusetts in the first week of Eastertide, traveling the Diocese of Massachusetts from north to south over the course of four event-filled days of public preaching and gatherings with Episcopal Church ministries, groups and congregations from the Merrimack Valley to Cape Cod.
Curry kicked off his April 26-29 visitation with a high-energy Friday-afternoon stop in Lawrence, spending an hour talking with the middle school girls of tuition-free
Esperanza Academy before making a pastoral visit at Grace Church to hear from Merrimack Valley church and community members affected by last September’s natural gas disaster.
In Boston, he gathered at the
Church of the Holy Spirit in Mattapan with diocesan clergy of color; at Boston University with young adults in their 20s and 30s to hear about the hopes and challenges of their spiritual journeys; and at the Omni Parker House with donors to the diocese's completed
Together Now campaign to offer gratitude and encourage support for shared mission priorities.
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About 300 middle and high school youth and their adult mentors filled the
Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston on Saturday afternoon for pizza, music and a wide-ranging Q&A session with Curry. Later, blustery skies gave way to sunshine just in time for the "Way of Love" Rally staged on Boston Common, where a fluid crowd of about 250 people gathered on the slope behind the historic Shaw Memorial to hear Curry preach.
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Children and youth of
Grace Chapel in Brockton--one of the diocese's newest mission congregations--were lined up in the parking lot to greet him the following morning as he arrived for the festive joint Sunday morning service at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, where Grace Chapel has its home.
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Another 400 people filled
Grace Church in New Bedford on Sunday afternoon for "Our Episcopal 'Big Tent': How Big Is It?"--a panel conversation among Curry, Bishop Barbara C. Harris, the Anglican Communion's first female bishop, and General Convention House of Deputies Vice President Byron Rushing.
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Curry, Harris and Rushing shared experiences of and insights about racism, considered questions of who is on the inside, who is on the outside and who is still on the margins of the church and society, and offered words of Christian challenge and encouragement for these times.
Curry concluded his visit on Monday morning in Brewster, opening the annual diocesan clergy conference with a two-hour conversation session.
All along the way and everywhere, Curry stooped to speak with children, stopped to greet and take selfies with everyone he possibly could and never missed an opportunity to preach what Jesus teaches, which, he said over and over again, comes down to: "Love God, love your neighbor, and while you're at it, love yourself."
"It was a gift that he said 'yes' to this visit, and that he said 'yes' to being available to so many people in so many places: young women growing up in a gateway city; hearing how the church can respond when others didn't following the Merrimack Valley disaster; giving hope to people who feel on the edges of the church; young people who are striving to be the church right now," Massachusetts Bishop Suffragan Gayle E. Harris said following the weekend visit, for which she served as logistical chief.
"Michael Curry is one of the most astute and authentic people I've met, and to experience the kind of leadership that is always pointing us to the power of God's love and justice beyond ourselves, that's a particularly important gift to us in this day and age, and one that he continues to offer all of us because he really believes it," Harris said.
As presiding bishop and primate of the
Episcopal Church, which comprises 109 dioceses and regional areas in 17 nations, Curry is the church's chief pastor and chief executive officer, sometimes quipping that CEO stands for "Chief Evangelism Officer."
The Episcopal Church has heard Curry preach the message of God's unconditional love since his election to a nine-year term as presiding bishop in July 2015. Last May, his message went global and viral when he preached at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In December 2018, it earned him the title of "religious newsmaker of the year" from the Religion News Association, and this May, the Sandford St. Martin Trustees' broadcasting award.
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Presiding Bishop Michael Curry inspires and energizes at breakfast for 20s and 30s adults
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A lively and thought-provoking exchange between young adults and Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry during a breakfast meeting on April 26 highlighted the challenges that people in their 20s and 30s face in their spiritual journeys, and it underscored the need for the church’s renewed engagement with them, according to those who attended.
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About 90 people got up early for the gathering with Curry, held at Boston University’s School of Law and hosted by the diocesan 20s and 30s Task Force. The task force was convened by action of last year’s Diocesan Convention and charged with examining and recommending successful models of engagement with adults in their 20s and 30s.
“As a person of color in America, how do you love a country that hates you?” a young woman of color asked Curry, drawing murmurs and nods from around the room. He counseled loving self, loving those who are being put down and loving those who are putting down others.
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Bishop Curry speaks to adults in their 20s and 30s who gathered at Boston University on April 27.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood
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Chloe Abu-Jaber, a member of the 20s and 30s Task Force, said after the breakfast that she was particularly struck by Curry’s response.
"I am Middle Eastern, among other ethnicities, and dealing with racial prejudice never really gets easy to handle. Bishop Curry's reply that we need to strive to love those who shun or scorn us who are different wasn’t what I expected, and I’m still grappling with that answer," Abu-Jaber said. "How can we love those who seem to despise and dislike people who look different? That’s something I’m working on coming to terms with, and will probably take me a while to unfurl fully. But he got my mind working, and these wheels keep spinning after hearing him preach."
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Episcopalians participate in Mother's Day Walk for Peace
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About 200 Episcopalians were among the hundreds who braved rainy weather to march from Dorchester to Boston's City Hall in a public witness against gun violence on Mother's Day.
This is the seventh year that the Episcopal Church has participated in the
Mother's Day Walk for Peace, sponsored by the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute and a fundraiser for its support of families affected by homicide and its efforts to create a more peaceful society.
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Joining Bishop Alan M. Gates for the walk were members of Boston's Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Old North Church, Emmanuel Church, St. Mary's Church, St. Stephen's Church and Trinity Church, along with St. Peter's Church in Beverly, St. Paul's Church in Brookline, the Parish of St. John the Evangelist in Hingham, Christ Church in Quincy, St. Elizabeth's Church in Sudbury and the Parish of the Epiphany in Winchester.
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"Good rules, good organization": Committee invites input as diocesan constitution and canons review gets underway
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A comprehensive review of the diocese's constitution and canons is underway, and the committee charged with the task wants to hear from anyone and everyone who has an interest in any eventual revisions.
Working closely with the bishops and chancellor of the diocese, members of the Committee on Constitution and Canons have been consulting and meeting over the past several months with diocesan governance groups and staff, deanery assemblies and clergy groups to get initial input, and they continue to welcome additional questions and suggestions through June 15, by e-mail to
cccommittee@diomass.org.
Why? Most in the diocesan community haven't read through these governing documents recently--if ever--so why ask for their suggestions? Why are the constitution and canons important? Why revise them?
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"The mission strategy adopted in 2016 asked our diocese to take a look at its governance to see where it works and where it needs changes to make it much more responsive to the needs of the church going forward," the Rev. Christine Whittaker, the committee's chairperson, said in an interview.
Four of the committee's five members are lawyers and all have expertise in Episcopal Church structure and governance. Still, they see responsibility for the task at hand as one they share with the entire diocesan community, they said in interviews.
"In doing this, we really want to consult as widely as possible," Whittaker said. "We're not aiming to go away in a corner and come back with what we as a committee think would be the perfect constitution and canons, and then say to everyone, 'Here you are.' We see ourselves really as the people who will put into effect what our diocese wants and needs."
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Pentecost frontal photo courtesy of Wells Cathedral, UK
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Pentecost Evensong with Dr. Fredrica Harris Thompsett:
MagnificatBoston, a choir of singers from around the diocese, will lead a Choral Evensong for Pentecost at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (138 Tremont Street) in Boston on Sunday, June 9, at 5 p.m.
The preacher will be Dr. Fredrica Harris Thompsett, a teacher and historian, as well as the author of many books, including
Looking Forward, Looking Backward: Forty Years of Women’s Ordination. A reception will follow, with the viewing of a cut from a documentary in production about the "Philadelphia 11," the first women ordained as priests in the Episcopal Church. The filmmakers will be on hand to share more about the project.
"Pentecost is the perfect day to give thanks for the work of the Spirit in the Philadelphia 11 and to pray for courage and faith to be part of the loving, liberating, life-giving mission of God in our own time," said the dean of the cathedral, the Very Rev. Amy E. McCreath.
All are welcome.
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Save the date for Boston Pride: Join Bishop Alan M. Gates and The Crossing congregation of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul for Boston's annual Pride Parade, from Copley Square to Boston City Hall Plaza, on Saturday morning, June 8.
Gathering and line-up details are still to be announced. Contact the Rev. Tamra Tucker at
ttucker@diomass.org with questions or to be added to the Episcopal Church contingent of marchers.
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Episcopal City Mission gets ready to celebrate:
Episcopal City Mission will host its annual celebration, this year focused on the theme “Disrupting Hope,” on Tuesday, June 11, 5:30-8:30 p.m., at Boston University’s
George Sherman Union.
The guest speaker will be Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre, who is professor of social ethics and Latinx studies at Iliff School of Theology, a scholar-activist, author and ordained Baptist minister. Find more information and RSVP online
here.
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The Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas speaks at Clergy Conference.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood
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Black bodies and the justice of God: Clergy attending the annual diocesan Clergy Conference April 29-May 1 in Brewster went deep with guest presenter the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, Dean of
Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Theology, as she led the group back to the historical origins of white supremacy and made the case for its dismantlement, starting, she said, with the interrogation of received history, culture and assumptions about race, as well as Christian theology, and then doing something about it.
"Too often the Christian narrative is a narrative used to legitimate, indeed, to reinforce the color line and project it into eternity," she said.
"Theology doesn't simply emerge out of the air," she said. "It emerges out of the struggles of faith and the struggles that emerge as we try to navigate our own human realities."
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One small starting point, she suggested, might be to do a visual audit of one's church. "In order to disrupt these notions, we've got to begin to show bodies of color and other bodies not as cauldrons of evil and danger but as reflecting the sacredness of God. What parts of God's human creation are imaged in our churches and which are not? What are the stories of the symbols that our churches tell and what stories are excluded?"
Douglas's books include
Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God (2015)
, Black Bodies and the Black Church: A Blues Slant (2012)
, What’s Faith Got to Do With It?: Black Bodies/Christian Souls (2005)
, Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective (1999)
and The Black Christ (1994)
.
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Summer camp registration is open: The
Barbara C. Harris Camp in Greenfield, N.H., aims to be a place where all campers feel accepted and are able to develop authentic friendships, learn important life lessons and gain new perspectives as they live and play in a community centered on Christian values.
The Barbara C. Harris Camp offers five sessions, each six days and five nights, for 4th-12th graders. Financial assistance is available.
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BCH Camp alumni community kickoff: Anyone who used to sing at the Rock, swim in Otter Lake, soak at the Water Carnival, worship in the JDC, eat smiley fries or love a good luau at the Barbara C. Harris Camp is invited to join the forming BCH Camp alumni community.
The group is beginning with a summer afternoon kickoff picnic and park day on the Boston Common on Saturday, June 22. The group will meet at the grassy area by the Parkman Bandstand at 1 p.m. Everyone is invited to bring along snacks and lawn games. Those who cannot come but are interested in future BCH Camp alum events are invited to e-mail Molly Hynes at
mollychynes@yahoo.com.
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Open Guest Weekend, July 12-14: The Open Guest Weekend is designed for families, couples and individuals to unwind from their usual routine, unplug computers, shut off phones and refresh the body and soul in the relaxing natural environment at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center.
While there will be optional group activities scheduled throughout the weekend, guests may spend their time however they choose. All types of lodging are available, from lodge rooms to cabins. For more information visit
www.bchcenter.org/retreats.
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Bishop Gates blesses the garden at Grace Church in New Bedford.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood
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Garden Blessing: On Sunday, April 28, before hundreds were to gather inside
Grace Church in New Bedford for a panel discussion with Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry, Bishop Alan M. Gates blessed the garden in front of the church.
When Grace Church was rebuilding its tower in recent years, the garden was completely destroyed by scaffolding and construction. The first autumn after the completion of the project, Jerré Croteau, the verger at Grace Church, started to replant the garden with 1,000 bulbs amongst the groundcover.
Since then, he's added more to the garden each year, planting perennials and small shrubs, roses, althaea, daylilies and herbs. He even used leftover stones from the demolition as accents in the garden.
"Many in our church family have told me that it inspires them with peace, tranquility and reflection as they enter God's house," Croteau said. "I rejoice in God's creation, and am so grateful to my rector, Chris [Morck], and our junior wardens for allowing me to do this--and to Bishop Gates for blessing the garden and making it the place I envisioned."
"Previous generations have toiled in that garden and it truly is part of the first introduction to Grace Church for people, it is right in the front," Morck said. "So to have even the briefest time to remember and celebrate those who have come before us, those who are now working in the garden and those who will come after us was a real gift."
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New Parish and Community Center:
The Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole opened its new Parish and Community Center on Church Street with a reception following the Easter Day service on April 21. View the video
here.
It is a renovation, funded by a $2.5-million capital campaign, of the original first church that was built in 1852 and that has occupied the site since the current stone church building was constructed in 1888.
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Screenshot from
Brian Switzer Video
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“This has truly been a labor of love,” the rector, the Rev. Deborah Warner, said in a news release. “Parishioners, including members of the building and capital campaign committees, have been deeply involved in this project for five years.”
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The Rev. Dr. David Killion
Courtesy photo
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David Killian honored for spirituality and justice ministries:
All Saints Parish in Brookline presented the Rev. Dr. David Killian with its 2019 Spirituality and Justice Award on Sunday, April 28.
The annual award honors a person whose deep spirituality is expressed in work for social justice.
It was first given in 1998 to Bishop Barbara C. Harris; other recipients over the years include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Marian Wright Edelman, Dr. Paul Farmer and Byron Rushing.
As the second-longest-serving rector (from 1992 to 2012) in the 125-year history of All Saints Parish, Killian established the Ruah Interfaith Spirituality Institute.
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It organized lectures, seminars and retreats that attracted Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and others to deepen their own spirituality and encounter spiritual practices in faiths other than their own.
As president of the Brookline Interfaith Clergy Association, he worked with spiritual leaders of all faiths on issues of social justice. He led All Saints Parish to participate in the
Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO) to work for racial and economic justice. In 2010 the Ruah Spirituality Institute merged with Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries, where Killian currently serves as board president. Read more
here.
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Celebrating “Where Kids Love, Learn, Grow”: On May 5,
St. Peter's Church in Cambridge celebrated the 25th anniversary of its afterschool program,
Afterworks.
Longtime director Vyonni de Mel (pictured) preached at the morning service, followed by a festive lunch and program with Afterworks families, parishioners and community members.
Photo: Becky Edmondson
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Salem Bay Collaborative Choir Camp: A new music camp, Salem Bay Collaborative Choir Camp, at
St. Peter's Church in Salem, will be introduced this summer for children ages 7–14. Directing the camp is Mary Jodice, Director of Music at
St. Andrew's Church in Marblehead.
Choristers attending the camp will learn music, sight singing and Bible stories, and play movement games. The camp will culminate in a service of Evensong on Saturday, June 29, in which the choristers will be joined by adult singers. Applications are due June 1.
Find more details here.
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Going, going, nearly gone: The Annual Spring Auction at
St. James's Church in Groveland has a high profile item on the block again this year: a recorded greeting by Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry on the highest bidder's voicemail. Retired Massachusetts Bishop Suffragan Barbara C. Harris did the honors last year.
The live and silent auction event happens on Saturday, June 1, 6-8 p.m.; promises light-hearted socializing and delicious refreshments; and supports the parish's operations as well as its numerous outreach programs for those in need in surrounding communities. Find more information
here.
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Wicked Local Dover:
St. Dunstan’s Church in Dover helps local food pantries: For the second straight year, St. Dunstan’s Church converted its social hall and kitchen into assembly lines to package 10,000 meals for the Outreach Program.
In exchange for a financial donation, the program’s New England manager, Matthew Martin, arrived on Friday, May 3, with everything needed for packaging, from food to plastic bags, scales and sealers. After a quick orientation, the St. Dunstan’s volunteers, young and old, began packaging rice and bean meals. Each bag is nutritionally complete and contains six servings. The only requirements for meal prep include water and a heat source.
According to Martin, the completed meal packages will be distributed to NuDay, a program helping refugees in Syria, as well as local food pantries A Place to Turn in West Natick, the Newton Food Pantry and Boston Health Care for the Homeless.
Read more here.
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Defense Visual Information Distribution Service:
Massachusetts senior National Guard chaplain visits CJTF-HOA, Kenya: The senior chaplain assigned to the Massachusetts National Guard visited Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa and Kenya April 25-28, highlighting one of the National Guard’s lesser-known missions, building enduring partnerships through its State Partnership Program.
U.S. Army Col. Paul Minor met with his soldiers deployed to CJTF HOA and visited Kenya, which is Massachusetts’ assigned country under the State Partnership Program. U.S. forces are in Kenya at the invitation of the Kenyan government. They operate in a close partnership with and hosted by Kenyan military facilities.
“We are here to share and learn best practices with our religious partners,” said Minor. “We aren’t here to presume we have things to teach, but rather things we can learn and ideas we can exchange.”
Read more here.
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New Bedford Standard-Times:
Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry speaks ‘Way of Love’ in New Bedford: The Episcopal Church’s presiding bishop the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry brought his “Way of Love” message to Massachusetts last weekend: Preaching at a rally Saturday on Boston Common and making a stop Sunday at Grace Episcopal Church in New Bedford for a panel discussion on inclusivity and racial justice both in the Episcopal Church and in society.
Nearly 400 people filled the pews of Grace Episcopal Church to hear Bishop Curry join his voice with those of fellow panelists the Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris, who is celebrating the 30th anniversary of her consecration as the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion, and former Massachusetts state representative Byron Rushing, who is serving his third term as the vice president of the Episcopal Church General Convention’s House of Deputies, according to the release.
Read more here.
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Brockton Enterprise News:
Bishop Michael Curry brings a touch of royalty to Brockton church: The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, best known for his passionate sermon at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle last year, brought his message about the unifying power of love to Brockton on Sunday.
The Most Rev. Michael Curry drew fanfare at the Grace Chapel Episcopal/Anglican Church and the First Evangelical Lutheran Church. He delivered a sermon that touched upon the need for peace through the love of God, especially in light of religious hatred and bigotry that has resulted in shootings at places of worship, including at a San Diego-area synagogue on Saturday at the end of Passover, on the heels of the mass slaughter of Christians at churches in Sri Lanka the previous weekend and the massacre of Muslims at the mosque in New Zealand in March. Curry remarked on how Jesus twice told his disciples, “Peace be with you,” after appearing to them following the resurrection, and how that should be taken as a reminder to society.
Read more here.
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Boston Globe:
Episcopal bishop brings message of love from royal wedding to Boston: The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry has a message about living a life guided by love and generosity, a life of giving more than you take and thinking of others before yourself. He’s aware that some may tune him out.
“Christians go to church, they expect to hear something about love,” Curry said in an interview April 27. “You can almost go on autopilot and turn it off—until you stop and think about, what are we really talking about?”
At a rally on Boston Common early Saturday evening, Curry urged people — young and old — to love.
“Love is the way,” he said in an energetic talk that lasted about half an hour. “That’s what Jesus came to tell us. That’s what he came to show us. And that’s what I believe this world, and this time in this country, and in this global community — I believe that is the message I know I need. And I got a feeling you do too.”
Read more here.
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Eagle-Tribune:
Bishop Curry meets students, hears gas disaster stories: The Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, brought a message of hope and love of God and neighbor to Lawrence. He began his visit at Esperanza Academy, which holds classes in the parish hall of the adjacent Grace Episcopal Church. The middle-schoolers gave him a welcome fit for a rock star.
All of the students at Esperanza are girls. Most of them are from families with limited incomes. The school was established in 2006 by Grace Church and Christ Episcopal Church in Andover. The school operates independently and offers a rigorous curriculum. The goal is to equip graduates for success in secondary school and college.
"Don't think the impossible is not possible," Curry told the students. "Don't you give up on yourselves."
After meeting with the students and answering numerous questions, he headed next door to Grace Episcopal Church, where he listened to local residents' experiences of the Sept. 13 gas disaster.
Read more here.
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May 15
: Evening Contemplative Eucharist, Bethany House of Prayer, Arlington, 7:00pm
May 18
: Stewardship Training, St. Andrew's Church, Hanover, 9:30am
May 18
: Confirmation - North Shore, Trinity Church, Topsfield, 1:00pm
May 19
: Bishop Harris visits St. John's Church in Beverly Farms
May 19
: Racial Awareness Event, St. Stephen's Church, Lynn, 3:00pm
May 23
: Diocesan Council Meeting, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 5:30pm
Jun 1
: Confirmation - Neponset River, Church of the Holy Spirit, Mattapan, 10:30am
Jun 1
: Deacons Ordination, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 10:30am
Jun 1
: Annual Spring Auction, St. James's Church, Groveland, 6:00pm
Jun 2
: Bishop Harris visits Emmanuel Church in Braintree
Jun 5
: Invitation to Sabbath Retreat, Bethany House of Prayer, Arlington, 9:00am
Jun 8
: Boston Pride Parade, Copley Square to Boston City Hall Plaza
Jun 8
: Garden Work Day Retreat, Bethany House of Prayer, Arlington, 9:00am
Jun 9
: Bishop Harris visits St. Mark's Church in Westford
Jun 9
: Bishop Gates visits St. Paul's Church in Nantucket
Jun 9
: Pentecost Evensong with Dr. Fredrica Harris Thompsett, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 5:00pm
Jun 11
: Episcopal City Mission Annual Celebration, Boston University George Sherman Union, Boston, 5:30pm
Jun 15
: Confirmation - Cape and Islands Deanery, Location to be determined, 10:30am
Jun 15
: Confirmation - All Deaneries, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 10:30am
Jun 16
: Bishop Harris visits St. Peter's Church in Osterville
Jun 16
: Bishop Gates visits Bristol Trinity in North Easton
Jun 20
: Diocesan Council Meeting, 5:30pm
Jun 22-23
: Massachusetts Indaba 2019 Encounter Weekend #2
Jun 22
: BCH Camp Alum Picnic, Boston Common, 1:00pm
Jun 23
: Bishop Harris visits St. Peter's Church in Buzzards Bay
Jun 24-29
: Salem Bay Collaborative Choir Camp, St. Peter's Church, Salem
Jun 29
: Ordination to the Priesthood: Chris Jones, Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, 11:00am
Jun 30
: Bishop Harris visits St. Andrew's Church in Hyannis Port
Jun 30
: Bishop Gates visits Trinity Church in Stoughton
Jun 30-Jul 5
: Summer Camp Session 1, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, NH
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