October 2023

MA Episcopalians join for sacred listening at

Indigenous Peoples' Day gathering in Worcester

People of the Episcopal dioceses of Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts came together on Oct. 9 for their second annual joint gathering marking Indigenous Peoples' Day, this year at All Saints Church in Worcester. The day included a focus on sacred listening and responding, with lunchtime conversations, a worship service, a formation component for children and advocacy learning opportunities. 

Panelists (pictured from left) were Eric LaForest, a co-chair of the Beloved Community Commission of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts; the Rev. Danielle Di Bona (Wampanoag); Emily Gallagher Pollock (enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma); Delta Carney (Apache/Kiowa/Seneca/Ojibway); and the Rev. George M. Porter, moderator. See more photos courtesy of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts on Facebook here. Photo: Vicki Ix

Upcoming Diocesan Convention called to advance racial justice work and congregational health and wellness: When they gather in Diocesan Convention later this month, eastern Massachusetts Episcopalians will take action on measures that advance ongoing racial justice work in the diocese as well as congregational health and wellness. They also will take time to consider together how they and their congregations are called, in Christ, to collaborate--this year's theme.

Diocesan Convention, the primary representative governing body of the diocese, convenes Oct. 27-28 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel North Shore in Danvers.

A $9-million proposed budget for 2024 will come before the convention, which includes a $92,000 initial allocation to the diocesan Reparations Fund that the convention voted last year to establish. Convention will consider a resolution from the diocesan Racial Justice Commission that further articulates the new fund's purpose, proposes guiding principles for the fund and calls for the creation of a Reparations Fund Committee to oversee it.

A second resolution proposed by the Racial Justice Commission requests annual funding of at least $20,000 for ongoing racial justice work within the diocesan and cathedral staffs.

Also coming before the convention is a resolution calling for the creation of a Healthy Congregations Task Force "to identify the components of a healthy congregation, catalog the resources currently available and recommend additional resources needed to support healthy congregational communities, with a particular focus on mental health supports"  

Find full text of the resolutions in the convention Handbook, here.

Saturday's business sessions follow a discussion program the previous afternoon, open to all who register and featuring guest speaker the Rev. Katie Nakamura Rengers, Staff Officer for Church Planting for The Episcopal Church. 

Rengers will open Friday's afternoon session, also featuring a panel of presenters representing different ministry contexts around the diocese who will talk about the challenges and blessings of collaborating with partners in and outside of the church, followed by small group break-out conversations.

The Rev. Katie Nakamura Rengers

Courtesy photo

There are in-person and online options to participate in Friday's afternoon discussion program. Rengers also will give the keynote address, "Declaring the Dream, Borrowing Courage, Muddling Toward Our Vibrant Future," at 7 p.m. following dinner on Friday.

Saturday's agenda includes a morning service of Holy Eucharist, with Bishop Alan M. Gates's annual address, and all business sessions. 

Delegates, clergy and all with voice and/or vote will participate in business sessions in person, with a livestream available for guest viewing. Information for accessing the livestream will be posted at www.diomass.org/diocesan-convention-2023, where convention information and materials are available.

Let your voice be heard:

Bishop Nominating Committee invites survey participation

The Bishop Nominating Committee invites everyone in the diocesan community to participate in an online survey. The survey is available in English and Spanish here, and will be open until Nov. 1. 

"This survey is designed to gather information from the larger Massachusetts Episcopal community to inform the work of the Bishop Nominating Committee," the survey introduction says. "Specifically, the information provided in this survey will help the Nominating Committee to both write the diocesan profile and to determine which qualities to seek in the candidates for the next bishop."

In its Oct. 17 announcement of the survey, the Nominating Committee also included a note of gratitude to those who participated in the 23 listening sessions held across the diocese and on Zoom in September and October: "Thank you to all who participated in the listening sessions; your ideas, hopes and dreams for our diocese will help guide us in drafting a profile for our next bishop. Thank you to all the parishes that hosted the listening sessions and helped create space for reflective and prayerful sharing."

Read the full announcement here.

New ecumenical and interreligious officer named for the diocese: Bishop Alan M. Gates has appointed the Rev. Dr. Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, Kraft Family Professor and Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College, to serve as an ecumenical and interreligious officer for the diocese.

He joins Jane C. Redmont who has served in the role since 2018.  

Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski and

Jane Redmont Courtesy photos

“I am honored to serve with the people of the diocese in this capacity. In our increasingly polarized age, finding ways for communities of faith to work together for the common good is vitally important,” Joslyn-Siemiatkoski said. “The Diocese of Massachusetts has long supported the work of ecumenical and interreligious relations and I am excited to collaborate with my colleague Jane Redmont as the next chapter of that history unfolds.”

As officers, they serve as official representatives of the diocese at ecumenical and interreligious events, provide updates to the Diocesan Council and the wider diocese on important developments in relationships with religious companions and partners, keep track of official actions of The Episcopal Church which may affect local partnerships and provide advice to the bishops and resources and encouragement to congregations. They also co-chair the diocesan Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations. 

"I am delighted for this opportunity to work with Dan Joslyn-Siemiatkoski for and in our diocesan community," Redmont said. "We know that many here are already building relationships and working for justice and healing with neighbors in our religiously diverse region: in marriages and partnerships, at work and in college residences, in service and advocacy, in friendships that make room for difference and in sharing church buildings with with other congregations, many of which serve immigrant communities. We look forward to hearing more about these grassroots efforts and their challenges and hopes, to serving as resources and to continuing to listen and learn."  

Read the full announcement here.

APIA Episcopalians host "Can You See Me?" learning opportunity with local scholar: The Rev. Dr. Hee An Choi, Clinical Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Boston University’s School of Theology, will be presenting “Can You See Me?: Challenges of Asian Americans/Immigrants as the Third Other.” 

The program takes place on Saturday, Nov. 4, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at the Church of Our Saviour in Brookline. All are welcome to this special event, hosted by the Asian Pacific Islander Americans of the Diocese of Massachusetts.

Refreshments and lunch will be provided. Register here.

Dr. Rowan Williams

Courtesy photo

Join Dr. Rowan Williams for "The Learning Church": On Saturday, Nov 4, the St. Paul Center for Theology and Prayer is hosting former archbishop of Canterbury and prominent theologian Dr. Rowan Williams, whose subject will be “The Learning Church: Theology and Christian Maturity.” The event will be hosted at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with Williams speaking at 10 a.m. and available for questions and discussion until noon. He will join the event virtually from his home in Wales. 

The full day at the cathedral will be a time to grow in community, learn with one another and be resourced for the task of forming disciples in congregations. The program will also include Eucharist, lunch and an afternoon workshop, “Becoming the Learning Church Locally."  

Those unable to attend in person can attend Williams’s talk and Q&A online. Find details and registration at www.stpaulboston.org/rowanwilliams.

In preparation, there will be an online discussion of Williams’s book Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. Register for the Oct. 18 book discussion here.

Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City Episcopal News Service Photo: Mary Frances Schjonberg

Airstrike reported to have hit Anglican-run Ahli hospital in Gaza

[Episcopal News Service]: Al Ahli Arab Hospital, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem that serves patients in Gaza, was hit Oct. 17 by an apparent airstrike, fueling reports of mass casualties and adding to an already volatile situation in the Palestinian territory, as Israeli soldiers prepare for an expected ground assault on the militant group Hamas.

The Palestinian Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, put the initial death toll at 500 or more people. Since then, Palestinian and Israeli sources have disputed the cause of the destruction.

Within hours of the strike, Anglican and Episcopal leaders had issued statements condemning the latest violence for indiscriminately striking a hospital at a time when Palestinians in Gaza were desperate for a safe haven.

“Initial reports suggest the loss of countless lives, a manifestation of what can only be described as a crime against humanity,” the Anglican diocese that operates the hospital said in a written statement. “Hospitals, by the tenets of international humanitarian law, are sanctuaries, yet this assault has transgressed those sacred boundaries. … An urgent appeal resonates for the international community to fulfil its duty in protecting civilians and ensuring that such inhumane horrific acts are not replicated.”

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry urged Episcopalians to pray for all those harmed or killed in the rapidly evolving conflict, and his written statement offered a personal lament for the Ahli hospital. “My heart aches when I remember visiting al-Ahli Hospital in 2018 during Holy Week to meet the medical teams and all the people of that remarkable ministry,” Curry said. “They were passionately committed to anyone who had need.” Read the full story here.

"Pray without ceasing": Archbishop Hosam E. Naoum, the Anglican primate of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, called for a day of fasting and prayer for peace on Oct. 17. 

"To this end, we pray without ceasing for justice, reconciliation and peace, and an end to hatred and war. We also pray for God to change the hearts of all leaders and decision-makers in our countries and around the world. For we are in dire need of hearts that love, show mercy and are willing to live in unity with others--hearts that respect human dignity and choose life rather than death," Naoum wrote.

Diocese of Massachusetts bishops Alan M. Gates and Carol J. Gallagher, together with the diocesan Office of Immigration and Multicultural Ministries, led a prayer vigil on Zoom on the evening of Oct. 17 attended by about 270 people from the diocese and beyond. A litany written and shared by Gallagher for the vigil is posted on Facebook here.

"Fundamental right to safety": In an Oct. 13 statement Gates and Gallagher voiced their condemnation of the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel and joined their voices with those calling for a de-escalation of hostilities. "We know that violence begets violence; indiscriminate violence must not be used to justify indiscriminate violence. We affirm the value of all human life, and decry toxic rhetoric by anyone which dehumanizes an enemy in order to justify their killing or inhumane treatment. The concept of civilian human lives as acceptable collateral damage is antithetical to our faith. Innocent Israeli citizens and Palestinians alike have a fundamental right to safety," they said.

They called for "prayer, advocacy and generous giving in this moment of crisis for our Christian, Jewish and Muslim siblings in the Holy Land," and commended the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and Episcopal Relief & Development as two "safe and accountable channels for this relief support, now and in the months ahead." 

Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry

Episcopal Church Photo

Presiding Bishop Curry continues recovery after surgery: Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry’s medical team released him from the hospital on Oct. 5 following his Sept. 20 surgery and post-operative recovery, according to a release from the church's Office of Public Affairs. He is continuing to rest and recover at home and is receiving physical and occupational therapy.

Curry expects to resume domestic travel in November on a moderately reduced schedule. Prayers are ongoing for him, his family and his medical team as he continues on the path restoration and healing. Related updates are here.

Screen image from "The Philadelphia Eleven"

Meet the "Philadelphia 11" at upcoming GlobeDocs screening: "The Philadelphia Eleven"--a documentary film by Margo Guernsey and Nikki Bramley that tells the story of the unauthorized ordination of 11 women as Episcopal priests in 1974--will be screened on Sunday, Oct. 29 at 1:30 p.m. at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge as part of the GlobeDocs Film Festival. The filmmakers and the Rev. Malia Crawford of the Church of Our Saviour in Arlington will participate in a post-film discussion moderated by Boston Globe reporter Lisa Wangsness. Find ticket information here. 

Commentary from the late Bishop Barbara C. Harris is included in the film. The Church of the Advocate, which hosted the "irregular" ordinations, was her home parish, and she served as crucifer at the service. The film premiered at the Church of the Advocate in September, and comes out just as the church prepares to mark in 2024 the 50th anniversary of the historic Philadelphia 11 ordinations.

Learn more about the film and watch the trailer here.

Grow in gratitude this fall: The United Thank Offering is making available free resources to help individuals, families, Sunday school classes and groups focus on gratitude throughout November. 

According to its website, "This adventure in developing gratitude is written for families, individuals and groups of all sizes who want to step back from the prevailing culture of rushing from holiday to holiday" and "experience the joy and well-being that is part of a life of gratitude. Take some time this month to try living into gratitude, and see how it changes you and your loved ones. And because gratitude is a year-round attitude, you can use this 30-day journey any month of the year." 

Materials include daily text reminders to practice gratitude, a gratitude calendar, a Thanksgiving Day liturgy and activities, bulletin inserts, gratitude journals and children’s sermon prompts. They are all available for downloading here.

Cape Cod Chronicle: St. Christopher's hosts community warming center: Even before an emergency warming shelter was added to plans for a new council on aging building, members of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church were planning to establish a shelter of their own.

Funding for the COA building was defeated at the Sept. 18 special town meeting, but on a recent Sunday parishioners got a preview of how a shelter will operate at the Main Street church during an open house. Read more.

Sippican Week: ‘Faith, fellowship and fun’: St. Gabriel’s hosts pet blessing, costume contest: The Rev. Eric Fialho, rector at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Marion, “holds out hope” that all dogs go to heaven. “I think that God in his wisdom has a place for all living beings who have had breath on this Earth and that includes the spider and everything else,” he said.

And on Sunday, Oct. 8, Fialho did his part to make that happen by holding a blessing of the pets to mark St. Francis Day. This is the third annual pet blessing held at St. Gabriel’s Church. Read more.

Oct 19: Diocesan Council Meeting, via Zoom, 6:00pm

Oct 20: Installation of The Rev. Suzanne Wade at Trinity Church, Bridgewater, 6:00pm

Oct 20: Installation of The Rev. Christopher Whiteman at St. Peter's Church, Beverly, 7:30pm

Oct 21: MA Poor People's Campaign Episcopal Network Social Justice Group Leaders Meeting, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 9:00am

Oct 22: Bishop Gallagher visits St. Bartholomew's Church in Cambridge

Oct 22: Bishop Gates visits Church of the Redeemer in Chestnut Hill

Oct 24: Creation Care Justice Network Meeting, via Zoom, 7:00pm

Oct 27-28: Diocesan Convention, Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Boston North Shore, Danvers

Oct 28: SSJE Saturday Workshop: "Loving Listening," Society of St. John the Evangelist Monastery, Cambridge, 9:00am

Nov 3: Installation of The Rev. Brian Raiche at Church of St. Mary of the Harbor, Provincetown, 6:00pm

Nov 4: St. Paul Center for Theology and Prayer Event with Dr. Rowan Williams, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 9:30am

Nov 4: “Can You See Me?: Challenges of Asian Americans/Immigrants as the Third Other" with Dr. Hee An Choi, Church of Our Saviour, Brookline, 10:00am

Nov 5: Bishop Gallagher visits Trinity Church in Canton

Nov 5: Bishop Gates visits Church of Our Saviour in Middleborough

Nov 8: Province I Indigenous Peoples' Justice Network Book Discussion, via Zoom, 7:00pm

Nov 10: Installation of The Rev. Jennifer Beal at St. Anne's Church in North Billerica, 6:00pm

Nov 11: SSJE Saturday Workshop: "Silence and Solitude," Society of St. John the Evangelist Monastery, Cambridge, 9:00am

Nov 12: Bishop Gallagher visits St. Peter's Church in Weston

Nov 12: Bishop Gates visits St. John St. James Church, at Church of St. Augustine and St. Martin, Boston

Nov 14: Planned Giving Webinar, via Zoom, 6:30pm

Nov 19: Bishop Carol Gallagher visits St. Dunstan's Church in Dover

Nov 19: Bishop Gates visits Trinity Church in Woburn, 10:00am