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Welcoming our nominees: Bishop nominees Brendan Barnicle, Julia Whitworth, Edwin Johnson, Jean Baptiste Ntagengwa and Gideon Pollach gathered at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston on the opening day of their May 7-11 meet-and-greet tour of the diocese. Recordings of the meet-and-greet gatherings held in Barnstable, Taunton, Needham and Andover are available for viewing here.
Photo: Tracy J. Sukraw
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Diocese prepares for election of its next bishop on May 18 | |
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Clergy and lay delegates from the congregations of the diocese will gather on Saturday, May 18 at Trinity Church in Boston for the special convention to elect a diocesan bishop to succeed the Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates as the diocese’s 17th bishop when Gates retires later this year.
The diocese’s Standing Committee will present five priests as nominees for election as bishop. They are:
• The Rev. Dr. Brendan J. Barnicle, Rector, St. Francis of Assisi Church, Wilsonville, OR
• The Rev. Edwin D. Johnson, Director of Organizing, Episcopal City Mission, Boston
• The Rev. Canon Jean Baptiste Ntagengwa, Th.D., Canon for Immigration and Multicultural Ministries, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
• The Very Rev. Gideon L. K. Pollach, Rector, St. John’s Church, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
• The Rev. Julia E. Whitworth, Rector, Trinity Church, Indianapolis, IN.
Members of the diocese had the opportunity to meet the nominees and learn more about them at gatherings held May 7-11 at locations around the diocese. Recordings from the livestreamed gatherings are linked for viewing here. Additional information about each of the nominees is available at www.diomass.org/bishop-search/bishop-nominees.
The electing convention begins at 9 a.m. on May 18 with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Following the service, at approximately 9:45 a.m., the call to order will take place and then the balloting will begin.
Clergy of the diocese and lay delegates (two elected from each of the diocese’s parishes and missions) vote separately as “orders”; a majority of votes on the same ballot from both the clergy and lay orders is required for election.
Pending consent from a majority of the Episcopal Church’s diocesan bishops and a majority of dioceses (via their Standing Committees), the consecration of the bishop-elect is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Trinity Church in Boston.
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Election Eve Prayer Vigil:
The Cathedral Church of St. Paul and Old North Church in Boston invite the diocesan community to join on Zoom for a prayer vigil on the eve of the electing convention, Friday, May 17, from 7 to 7:40 p.m., to pray for the nominees, the electing convention and for God's mission in the Diocese of Massachusetts. Register to receive the Zoom link here. All are welcome.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, giver of every good gift: We thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, and for the witness of your whole church in his name. We thank you for your Holy Spirit, empowering us for ministry. So guide the hearts and minds of all those who shall choose a bishop in this diocese and those who will respond to the call, that we may receive a faithful pastor who will care for your people. May our discernment transform our spirits and draw us closer to you, Almighty God. Amen.
Dios omnipotente, dador de todo buen don, te damos gracias por la bendición de tu Hijo Jesucristo y por el testimonio de toda tu iglesia en su nombre. Te damos gracias por tu Santo Espíritu que nos otorga el poder para realizar el ministerio. Te pedimos que guíes los corazones y las mentes de las personas que han de elegir al próximo obispo u obispa para esta diócesis y también a aquellas personas que van a responder al llamado de Dios, para que de esa manera recibamos a ese pastor o pastora que cuide a tu pueblo. Que nuestro discernimiento transforme nuestro espíritu y nos acerque a ti, Dios omnipotente. Amén.
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Looking for an outreach service project? Once again the second Sunday in June will be observed in the diocese as “Diaconate Sunday”—this year as a diaconal outreach day on June 9. Deacons are inviting others to join them in one of their diaconal outreach activities. Contact the archdeacons, the Ven. Chris Beukman (cbeukman@diomass.org) and the Ven. Pat Zifcak (pzifcak@diomass.org), to learn more about available options. | |
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Family Camp is coming up and registration is open for summer camp at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center: Families of all configurations can enjoy an extra-long weekend of activities, worship and family-oriented fellowship during the June 29-July 2 Family Camp session. The summer schedule also includes four week-long youth Overnight Camp sessions, running from July 7 through Aug. 2, 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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Life Together invites celebration of 25-year legacy of service in community: As Life Together, the Episcopal Service Corps program in the Diocese of Massachusetts, embarks on a sabbath year of discernment, the diocesan community is invited to come together on Saturday, June 1 at 4 p.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston to celebrate the rich 25-year legacy of Life Together and its predecessor program, The Micah Project. Whether a friend, alumni, former host site partner or volunteer, everyone's presence will be a gift as the next chapter of Life Together begins. All are welcome. RSVP at bit.ly/tracingthejourney. |
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From left: The Rev. Zachary Kinyua, The Rev. H. Mark Smith, Jocelind Gant, Margaret Walker and Kelsey Rice-Bogdan. More event photos on Facebook. | Life Together and St. Mark's, Dorchester collaborate to serve their neighborhood: About 100 friends and neighbors joined Life Together and St. Mark's Church in Dorchester on Saturday, May 4 for their second annual Dorchester Community Fair, with food, live music, kids’ activities and information from a variety of local community service organizations. A highlight of the afternoon was the official unveiling of a new Little Free Library for sharing books in the neighborhood. The event was supported by a diocesan Mission Strategy Wicked Good Idea Microgrant. |
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Community to gather for memorial service for Canon Edward W. Rodman: Family, friends and colleagues will gather on Saturday, May 25 at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston for the memorial service to remember and celebrate the life and witness of the Rev. Canon Edward W. Rodman, who died in April at age 81. Rodman was known churchwide as a strategist, advocate and activist for social and racial justice, and as an educator and mentor across generations in The Episcopal Church.
In order to plan well for the May 25 service and reception, it will be helpful for the cathedral church to hear from those who plan to attend. RSVP's can be made by e-mail to brothrock@diomass.org.
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The Rev. Canon Edward W. Rodman
(1942-2024)
Diocese of Massachusetts File Photo: Lou Jones
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BIPOC Episcopal community dinner coming up on June 9: St. John's Church in Jamaica Plain will host a summer dinner on Sunday, June 9, 5-7 p.m., for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Episcopalians, ordained and lay, from across the diocese—an occasion for fellowship and a time to support and share with one another over good food in the joy and gift of community as summer begins.
The BIPOC Support Committee of the diocesan Racial Justice Commission is organizing the event and invites all BIPOC Episcopalians to attend. RSVP online here by June 5.
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Local churches to host Jo Clifford's "The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven": During Pride Month in June, Scottish dramatist Jo Clifford will perform her one-person play "The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven" for the first time in the U.S., at three churches in Massachusetts, thanks to several fellow pilgrims who met her and saw her perform the show while in Iona last fall.
"It's imagining the Gospel through the eyes of a transgender person," the Rev. Canon Martha Hubbard said, in an interview, of the play.
Hubbard, the regional canon for the Northern and Western Region of the Diocese of Massachusetts, met Clifford during a sabbatical stay last fall at Iona Abbey, where Clifford performed the play. Hubbard and several others in the group were so moved by the performance, she said, that, once home, they started organizing to bring Clifford and her show to the U.S. for a two-part tour this June—first in Massachusetts and then on to Michigan.
"Jo puts a lot of her own story into this and her own experience as a trans person. For those of us who are not trans, it's a really helpful bringing-along of us, and, at the same time, it challenges us," Hubbard said. "It's faithful and playful and makes you think deeply about inclusion from a Gospel perspective."
Clifford will perform her show at the Church of St. Mary of the Harbor in Provincetown on June 14 at 7 p.m. and then again at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston on June 16 at 5 p.m. First Churches of Northampton, UCC will also host a performance on June 8 at 7 p.m. A $10 donation at the door is suggested.
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A notable niche, filled: On April 28 at Emmanuel Church in Boston, Bishop Carol Gallagher dedicated a new statue of the late Bishop Barbara C. Harris, first woman ordained a bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion. The statue was presented by Emmanuel Church artist-in-residence Ted Southwick. The statue of Harris stands in a pulpit niche next to one dedicated last July that depicts the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, first woman ordained a priest in The Episcopal Church and sponsored for ordination by Emmanuel Church. Emmanuel plans to add four more statues in the pulpit niches in the coming years depicting the Rev. Dr. Suzanne Hiatt, Vida Dutton Scudder, Amy Cheney Beach and "The Unnamed Woman" to represent those women whose names were not recorded in church histories. Courtesy photo
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Provincetown Independent: Holy Spirit, Orleans makes runoff a resource: As agroecologist Peter Jensen, a former Peace Corps permagarden training specialist, worked in Haiti and East Africa for over two decades, “building landscapes back better than they ever were.” Since leaving Ethiopia in 2019 and moving back to Orleans, where he grew up, he has been applying that knowledge to designing gardens that help property owners control runoff.
Runoff is a big problem on Cape Cod, disturbing the thin soil surface layer and taking nutrients away from forests and dragging them toward sensitive wetlands, adding nitrates, phosphates and pollutants from the road to the water table.
Jensen’s work at the Church of the Holy Spirit started a year and a half ago with the design of a runoff control and permaculture project around its solar field. This spring, he was asked to take on the problem of runoff around the parking lot entrance. Read more.
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May 16: Diocesan Council Meeting, via Zoom, 6:00pm
May 17: Prayer Vigil on Eve of Bishop Electing Convention, via Zoom, 7:00pm
May 18: Diocesan Convention to Elect 17th Bishop of Massachusetts, Trinity Church, Boston
May 19: Bishop Gates visits St. Anne's Church in Lowell
May 19: Organ Concert, St. Michael's Church, Marblehead, 5:00pm
May 20: Massachusetts Episcopal Network for the Poor People's Campaign Book Discussion, via Zoom, 7:00pm
May 23: Province I Celebration of The Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, via Zoom, 7:00pm
May 26: Bishop Gates visits St. Paul's Church in Natick
May 29: Province I Conference, via Zoom, 5:00pm
May 29: Installation of The Rev. James Medley at Church of the Holy Spirit, Fall River, 6:30pm
Jun 1: Ordination of Deacons, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 10:30am
Jun 1: Annual Open House, Craft Fair and Picnic, Adelynrood Retreat and Conference Center, Byfield, 12:00pm
Jun 1: "Tracing the Journey" Life Together Celebration of Ministry, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 4:00pm
Jun 2: Bishop Gates visits Church of the Good Shepherd in Wareham
Jun 5: Installation of The Rev. Peter Feltman-Mahan at Church of the Messiah, Woods Hole, 6:00pm
Jun 8: "Challenges and Promises of Asian and Asian American Christians," Presentation by The Rev. James Kodera, Church of Our Saviour, Brookline, 10:00am
Jun 8: Community Gospel Concert and Dinner to Support Church Renovations, St. Bartholomew's Church, Cambridge, 3:00pm
Jun 9: Bishop Gallagher visits St. Cyprian's Church in Boston
Jun 9: Bishop Gates visits Christ Church in Quincy
Jun 9: Sunday of the Diaconate
Jun 9: Summer Dinner for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Episcopal Community, St. John's Church, Jamaica Plain, 5:00pm
Jun 15: Confirmation Service: South Shore Deanery, Church of St. John the Evangelist, Duxbury, 10:30am
Jun 16: Bishop Gates visits Church of the Holy Name in Swampscott
Jun 16: Bishop Gallagher visits St. Paul's Church in Nantucket
Jun 18: Installation of The Rev. Megan Holding at Church of Our Redeemer, Lexington, 7:00pm
Jun 23-28: 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church, Kentucky International Convention Center, Louisville
Jun 29-Jul 2: Family Camp, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H.
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