Standing Committee begins planning for search and election process following Bishop Gates's retirement announcement |
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Bishop Alan M. Gates
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh
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The diocesan Standing Committee has issued a letter to the Diocese of Massachusetts following Bishop Alan M. Gates's May 10 announcement that he plans to retire at the end of 2024 and is calling for the election of his successor.
"On behalf of the clergy and people of the diocese, we want to express our universal gratitude to God for Bishop Gates’s kindly, pastoral care and service, for his compassionate leadership and for all that has been accomplished by the Holy Spirit here during his tenure," the Standing Committee said in the letter.
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"We believe that Bishop Gates’s faithfulness–particularly in keeping the flock of the diocese in mind with every decision–serves as an example to us all. Thank you, Bishop Gates. Over these next 19 months, Bishop Gates will remain fully engaged as our bishop, and the work of the diocese will continue uninterrupted."
Following church canons, the Standing Committee will be responsible for oversight of the search and transition process.
"Know that the Standing Committee has begun the process of formalizing the plans, including the timeline, for the search, election and transition. In the coming months, many opportunities for involvement in this process by all will occur, particularly through Listening Sessions and through service on two committees: the Search and Nomination Committee and the Transition Committee. Please prayerfully consider being a member of either. Information describing the responsibilities of each will be widely distributed in a future communication," the letter explained.
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Saugus priest embarks on cross-country bicycle pilgrimage |
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The Rev. John Beach, with his wife, Denise, who joined him for the first part of his journey from Seattle; they will meet up again later this summer in Jackson, Wyo.
Courtesy photo
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The Rev. John Beach is a bicycle evangelist–in the sense that he's a Gospel-sharing priest who bicycles, yes, but also because he thinks everyone should have one.
"I invite everyone to get a bicycle," the 65-year-old Beach said during a Zoom interview the other day as he was about to leave on a big trip. He noted that he hasn't owned a car for most of his adult life. He's not much of an athlete, he said, but he does have difficulty sitting still, and physical activity helps keep him balanced. "It's improved the quality of my life, physically and emotionally," he said of cycling.
So much so that on May 15 he set off on a 3,000-plus mile solo bicycle pilgrimage from Seattle that, if all goes according to plan, ought to have him back home in Saugus by Aug. 25.
He's done this once before. In 2012, while serving a parish in Geneva, Switzerland, he took a sabbatical and bicycled for about 2,000 miles through Europe.
"This is bigger," Beach said of this summer's sabbatical ride. It has long been in the works and was announced two years ago to his current parish, St. John's Church in Saugus, where he's been the priest-in-charge for three years. "I'm taking it more slowly as well, with relatively easy days of 40 to 50 miles a day, so it's not going to be a Tour de France or anything like that," Beach said. "I'm delaying retirement so that I can do this now while I'm physically able to do so."
He'll be visiting Episcopal churches and staying in homes and with friends along the way. There will be a couple of family meet-ups, but mostly he'll be on his own. With the exception of his European ride a decade ago, he said, he's never really been alone. "I've always had a large family. Then I went to college and got married and had my own family, and so this is only the second time I've ever been alone. For those of us who are not used to being alone, it's a strange experience."
He's undertaking the bicycle pilgrimage as a "prayerful exercise," he said.
"I'm open to be surprised and, in fact, I realize all my expectations are likely not going to correspond to reality," he said. "I do have expectations of being still and in the stillness hearing God's voice in a way that in the clutter of my life I sometimes find difficult."
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Companions ready Adelynrood for summer of rest and retreat programs open to all |
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A porch at Adelynrood awaits summer guests seeking rest, renewal and reflection.
Photos: Deborah Gardner Walker
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It’s spring, the garden and flowering trees are blooming, and members of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross are readying guest rooms at Adelynrood for summer retreats and courses. On a recent sunny day, about 20 women from throughout the Northeast were lugging linens, making beds and airing out the rooms.
Adelynrood Retreat and Conference Center is set on a pastoral landscape in rural Byfield, 45 minutes north of Boston. Since 1914 when the first guest house was built, it has offered a place of peace for rest, renewal and reflection. It also serves as the headquarters for more than 700 women, known as Companions, organized into 32 chapters from the U.S., Canada, England and India.
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The Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross was established in 1884, as a group of women united by prayer and companionship, by Emily Morgan and Adelyn Howard, for whom Adelynrood is named.
As one of three Episcopal Church women’s organizations, it gave a voice to women at a time when women had no voice in the church, according to the Rev. Jackie Schmitt, Companion-in-Charge from Yonkers, N.Y.
“What sets us apart are our aims–our commitment to prayer, social justice and simplicity of life. There is a dynamic vibrancy between prayer and social concerns,” she said.
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Companion-in-Charge Jackie Schmitt and Adelynrood General Manager Sarah van Gulden |
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Registration is open for summer camp season at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center in Greenfield, N.H.: Families of all configurations can enjoy an extra-long weekend of activities, worship and family-oriented fellowship during the June 30-July 5 Family Camp session. The summer schedule also includes four week-long youth Overnight Camp sessions, running from July 9 through Aug. 4, for those completing 3rd through 12th grades.
Part of the mission at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center is that no child or family be unable to participate in camp due to financial need; camperships are available for those who need them. For details and registration, visit bchcenter.org/bchcamp. |
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Diocesan community invited to May 27 new ministry celebration with Bishop Gallagher: A service in celebration of new ministry with the Rt. Rev. Dr. Carol J.W.T. Gallagher in her role as assistant bishop in the Diocese of Massachusetts takes place on Saturday, May 27 at 3 p.m. at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Mattapan. All are invited to join the celebration! If attending, RSVP by May 22 to David Ames at dames@diomass.org so that hospitality can be well planned.
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Tickets are still available to attend the in-person Walking in the Light celebration on May 19, 5-7 p.m. at Christ Church in Cambridge. The event is the culmination of Life Together's efforts this spring to raise $30,000 in individual and parish gifts to support prayerful and prophetic young leaders. Visit www.lifetogethercommunity.org/contribute for more information and to purchase tickets. Event sponsorship opportunities for individuals and parishes are still available. More information is available from Kelsey Rice Bogdan, Life Together's executive director, at kelsey@diomassintern.org.
Know a young adult who cares about social justice, longs to explore spiritual life and wants to live in community with other young adults? Applications are still open for Life Together's 2023-2024 cohort in Dorchester. Fellows receive housing, a cost-of-living stipend and a monthly transportation pass, among other benefits. If Life Together isn't the right fit, the Episcopal Service Corps offers nine affiliated programs across the country, most of which are still accepting applications at https://episcopalservicecorps.org/apply. |
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VT's Canon Brownridge to speak at Pan-African Conference: The diocesan Office of Immigration and Multicultural Ministries and African Clergy Caucus will hold their second Pan-African Conference on Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Mattapan. All are welcome; no advance registration is required.
The guest speaker will be the Rev. Canon Walter Brownridge, Canon to the Ordinary for Cultural Transformation in the Diocese of Vermont.
Questions may be directed to the Rev. Canon Jean Baptiste Ntagengwa, Canon for Immigration and Multicultural Ministries, at jbntagengwa@diomass.org. |
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Bishop Gallagher to participate in Old North program on "The Myth of American 'Chosenness'": An upcoming lecture program on Wednesday, May 31 at 5:30 p.m. at Old North Church in Boston will explore the myth of American “chosenness," with Dr. Catherine Brekus, Charles Warren Professor of the History of Religion in America at Harvard Divinity School, as keynote speaker and Bishop Carol J.W.T. Gallagher participating in a panel discussion. A reception follows. Old North is offering the program together with Old North Illuminated and the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. More information and free tickets are available here. |
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New deacons to be ordained June 3: The diocesan community's prayers and presence are invited for the ordination of new deacons on Saturday, June 3 at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston.
Margaret Lias (sponsored by Emmanuel Church, Boston) will be ordained to the diaconate. Those being ordained to the transitional diaconate are: Joshua (Paddy) Cavanaugh (Emmanuel Church, Boston), Lisa Faber Ginggen ( Grace Church, Medford), Katherine Hoyer ( St. Michael’s Church, Marblehead), Paul Keene ( St. Peter’s Church, Cambridge), Keith Nelson, SSJE ( Society of St. John the Evangelist, Cambridge), Eva Ortez (Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston), Max Sklar ( St. Peter’s-San Pedro Church, Salem), Michael Thompson ( Trinity Church, Melrose) and Kevin Vetiac ( Parish of the Good Shepherd, Waban).
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Barbara C. Harris Hymn Sing in the works for June 11: The Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston invites all to mark their calendars and share the invitation for the Barbara C. Harris Hymn Sing on Sunday, June 11 at 4 p.m. (the eve of her birthday).
The event is free, open to all and an occasion to come together to celebrate the legacy of this beloved bishop and raise funds for the cathedral. A reception will follow.
Pictured: Bishop Barbara C. Harris's 2018 memoir, Hallelujah, Anyhow!
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"The Embrace" memorial inspires "Embrace Concerts": "Embrace Concerts" are a new series of musical events at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston. Frequent visits to "The Embrace" –Hank Willis Thomas's bronze sculpture on the Boston Common memorializing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King –inspired Louise Mundinger, the cathedral's music director, to imagine concerts at the cathedral that would embrace listeners with sound. The concerts on the first Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m. feature the Nightingale vocal ensemble and 90 minutes of improvised choral music. All are welcome; stay as long as you wish. The next concert is on June 7. |
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Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preaches at Old North Church in Boston on April 16. Photo: Bethany Versoy
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As Presiding Bishop Curry’s term winds down, committee calls for nominees to succeed him:
[Episcopal News Service] The committee tasked with producing a slate of candidates for The Episcopal Church’s next presiding bishop issued a call for nominations on May 15 based on what it identified as the central challenges facing the church in the coming decade: the need to foster evangelism, discipleship and formation while responding to a changing world filled with environmental crises, violence, war, inequality and division.
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The committee, established under Episcopal Church canons as the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop, emphasized in its introductory letter that the newly released profile for qualified candidates was developed with input from across the church. More than 6,000 people completed the committee’s survey, sharing their hopes and concerns about the future of the church and the world. The committee then interviewed dozens of church leaders, including current and past presiding bishops.
For the next two months, anyone can use the committee’s nomination form to submit names of bishops for the committee to consider. The 20-member committee is chaired by Alaska Bishop Mark Lattime and Steven Nishibayashi, a lay leader in the Diocese of Los Angeles.
Presiding bishops are elected to nine-year terms by the House of Bishops with the consent of the House of Deputies at General Convention. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, elected in 2015, is now in the eighth year of his term. His successor will be elected in June 2024 at the 81st General Convention in Louisville, Ky., and installed as the church’s 28th presiding bishop on Nov. 1, 2024.
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Task Force survey seeks to identify language needs across Episcopal Church: The General Convention Task Force on Translation and Interpretation, formed by Resolution A024, has released a survey to help its work of developing recommendations for determining and prioritizing written materials that should be translated and meetings where interpretation should be provided within The Episcopal Church.
The online survey is available to the entire church but is being directed to all dioceses and to those parishes that have identified that they use languages other than English in their worship, operations and service to their communities.
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Churchwide "It's All About Love" festival set for July in Baltimore: An Episcopal Church “It’s All About Love” festival of worship, learning, community and action is being organized for Sunday, July 9 through Wednesday, July 12 at the Baltimore Convention Center.
Three festival “tents”—devoted to evangelism, creation care and racial reconciliation—will each offer an evening revival worship service and major plenary speaker, plus dozens of daytime workshops, panels, practice opportunities and other ways to engage. Participants can stick with one tent or explore across the tents, following the themes of worship and liturgy, formation, justice and advocacy, leadership, preaching, stewardship, youth and children. Find festival information at www.episcopalchurch.org/ its-all-about-love. |
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The Herald News: Guns from city streets made into garden tools at UMass Dartmouth event: Surrendered guns got a new, more peaceful purpose at an event at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on April 19 that took inspiration from a Bible verse.
“It’s a change for an instrument with the potential for tremendous harm to an instrument of nurturing,” said Bishop James Curry, retired bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.
The local arm of Swords to Plowshares, an anti-gun violence group, organized a demonstration on the university’s quad of transforming old guns into garden tools. The event was sponsored by the UMass Dartmouth Episcopal Campus Ministry and the LeDuc Center for Civic Engagement. Read more here.
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Boston Globe and WGBH News: Mayor Wu announces $16.5 million in federal funds to address homelessness: The Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston hosted Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Senior Advisor Dr. Richard Cho for a May 4 press conference announcing more than $16 million in HUD funding and vouchers to help address unsheltered homelessness in Boston. The cathedral church's MANNA staff and the BACHome Council helped secure these vital funds and were on hand for the announcement. Find coverage of the announcement in the Boston Globe here and WGBH News here. A recording of the press conference is online here. |
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May 18: Clergy Professional Development Day: Workshop with The Samaritans, 9:00am, and Safe Church Review, 1:00pm, St. Andrew's Church, Marblehead
May 18: Diocesan Council Meeting, via Zoom, 6:00pm
May 19: Life Together "Walking in the Light" Celebration with Silent Auction, Christ Church, Cambridge, 5:00pm
May 20: Practical Aspects of Congregational Leadership Seminar: Accounting and Chart of Accounts, via Zoom, 9:00am
May 20: Pan-African Conference, Church of the Holy Spirit, Mattapan, 10:00am
May 20: Confirmation Service, Church of the Good Shepherd, Wareham, 10:30am
May 21: Bishop Gallagher visits Trinity Church in Stoughton
May 21: Bishop Gates visits Grace Church in Vineyard Haven
May 23: Race, Church, and Healing Workshop Session 6, via Zoom, 6:00pm
May 24: Creation Care Justice Network Meeting, via Zoom, 7:00pm
May 27: Confirmation Service, Christ Church, Quincy, 10:30am
May 27: Celebration of New Ministry of Assistant Bishop Carol Gallagher, Church of the Holy Spirit, Mattapan, 3:00pm
May 28: Bishop Gates visits St. Mary's Church in Rockport
May 30-Jun 2: "The Enneagram and Your Spiritual Journey," Adelynrood Retreat and Conference Center, Byfield
May 31: "The Myth of American 'Chosenness'" Lecture Program, Old North Church, Boston, 5:30pm
Jun 3: Diaconal Ordinations, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 10:30am
Jun 3: Open House, Adelynrood Retreat and Conference Center, Byfield, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Jun 4: Bishop Gallagher visits Church of the Good Shepherd in Waban
Jun 4: Bishop Gates visits St. Paul's Church in North Andover
Jun 7: "Tending Your Soul: The Abiding Image" Quiet Day, Adelynrood Retreat and Conference Center, Byfield, 9:00am
Jun 7: Creation Care Justice Network Meeting, via Zoom, 7:00pm
Jun 10: Confirmation Service, St. Andrew's Church, Wellesley, 10:30am
Jun 11: Bishop Gallagher visits St. David's Church in South Yarmouth
Jun 11: Bishop Gates visits St. Luke's Church in Fall River
Jun 11: Barbara C. Harris Hymn Sing, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 4:00pm
Jun 15: Diocesan Council Meeting, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 6:00pm
Jun 17: Confirmation Service, Grace Church, North Attleboro, 10:30am
Jun 18: Bishop Gallagher visits Bristol Trinity Episcopal Church in North Easton
Jun 18: Bishop Gates visits St. Andrew's Church in Hanover
Jun 19: Multicultural Juneteenth Celebration, via Zoom, 3:00pm
Jun 21: Creation Care Justice Network Meeting, via Zoom, 7:00pm
Jun 23: Multicultural Celebration of World Refugee Day, Grace Church, Lawrence, 6:00pm
Jun 23: Ordination to the Priesthood: The Rev. Janelle Hiroshige, Parish of the Epiphany, Winchester, 6:00pm
Jun 24: St. Paul Center "Why Go To Church?" Program, Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, St. Paul's Church in Newburyport and St. Thomas's Church in Taunton, 10:00am
Jun 25: Bishop Gates visits St. Paul's Church in Newburyport
Jun 25: Refugee Immigration Ministry Walk for Refugees, Lake Quannapowitt, Wakefield, 4:00pm
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