September 2024

Diocese of Massachusetts prepares for consecration of

its 17th bishop diocesan on Oct. 19 at Trinity Church, Boston

The Rev. Julia E. Whitworth, Bishop-elect

With many hands at work over the summer months, preparations are nearing completion for a joyous celebration in the Diocese of Massachusetts of the ordination and consecration of the Rev. Julia E. Whitworth as its next bishop. The service takes place on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Trinity Church in the City of Boston.  

All are welcome!

The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry will be the chief consecrator at what will be his last consecration service as presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church before he retires later this year.  

General seating: Since seating will be available as capacity allows, advance registration is necessary for general seating. Doors open at 9:30 a.m., with the grand liturgical procession beginning at 10:30 a.m. and the service at 11:00 a.m. A reception will follow the service.

Join a watch party: There will also be opportunities to join from a distance. The service will be livestreamed, and for those who would like to watch the service together with others, regional watch parties are being hosted by church sites around the diocese. 

Hosting watch parties are Christ Church in Andover, the Church of the Redeemer in Chestnut Hill, St. Paul's Church in Lynnfield, Trinity Church in Rockland, St. Elizabeth's Church in Sudbury and Trinity Church in Wrentham. Watch parties open at 10 a.m. at all locations. Registration is not required to attend a watch party, but it will be appreciated as hosts plan for seating and hospitality.

Evensong with seating of the new bishop: The celebration continues on Sunday, Oct. 20 when the new bishop is seated at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston during a 5 p.m. service of Evensong. All are most welcome; RSVP is requested.

Visit www.diomass.org/consecration for all registration and RSVP links, livestreaming and regional watch party details, how to contribute toward gifts for Bishop-elect Whitworth, and more.

Celebrate Bishop Gates:

Upcoming ways to gather and to give, with great thanks

Gather on Oct. 6 at the New England Aquarium for a family-friendly celebration: Come together in celebration and gratitude for Bishop Alan Gates and Tricia Harvey and 10 years of episcopal ministry!

This family-friendly celebration and reception takes place on Sunday, Oct. 6, 12-4 p.m., at the New England Aquarium in Boston. Everyone in the diocesan community is welcome to come for all or part of the afternoon, with aquarium admission included. 

Allston Abbey Campaign to support Anglican Episcopal Community of Learning at BU School of Theology: The Allston Abbey Campaign has been launched in honor of Bishop Alan Gates as he prepares to retire, and everyone is invited to give generously.

Allston Abbey is located on the campus of the former St. Luke’s and St. Margaret’s Church in Boston's Allston neighborhood, and through its learning, worship and ministry collaborations, it is providing space for offices, trainings, worship and gatherings for the Anglican Episcopal Community of Learning at the Boston University School of Theology. 

The Allston Abbey Campaign seeks to raise funds to complete residential facilities for the students, to include four dormitory spaces, plus a kitchen, bathrooms and common space in the lower level of the former parish hall.

New African mission center named in Bishop Gates’s honor: An African mission center has been taking shape at the former Grace Church in Everett, and in July, the Diocesan Council voted to approve naming it the Bishop Alan M. Gates African Anglican Episcopal Mission Center. 

An official opening and blessing of the center, at 67 Norwood Street in Everett, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 4 p.m. The ceremony will also include the installation of the new center’s Peace Pole, displaying “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in multiple languages. Everyone’s prayers and presence are invited for this ministry milestone.

Questions may be directed to the Rev. Canon Jean Baptiste Ntagengwa, Canon for Immigration and Multicultural Ministries, at jbntagengwa@diomass.org.

During the April Pan-African Conference at St. Thomas's Church in Taunton, the Rev. Joseph Mumita presented Bishop Gates with a carved staff for leaders and elders in the African tradition. The new African mission center was announced at the conference. Photo: Keitha Hassell

Bishop Carol Gallagher announces retirement plans

After six years of service in the Diocese of Massachusetts—two as assistant bishop and four prior to that as a regional canon—Bishop Carol J. Gallagher has announced her upcoming retirement. She plans to complete her work in the diocese as of Dec. 31 of this year and then take sabbatical time ahead of her official retirement date of March 31, 2025.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Carol J. Gallagher Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

“I have been so blessed and honored to serve alongside Bishop Alan Gates these past two years, and am excited to serve alongside of Bishop-elect Julia Whitworth during the coming months. Both as regional canon and as assistant bishop, I have been so grateful for the amazing people of the Diocese of Massachusetts, who are willing to grow in their faith together, trusting in Jesus to renew us all,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher was elected bishop suffragan by the Diocese of Southern Virginia in October 2001 and was ordained and consecrated in April 2002. Following her ministry in Southern Virginia, she has served as bishop in Newark, North Dakota and Montana. She has chosen to retire at this point to concentrate on family time and on continued healing from surgical complications from 2022. She and her husband, Mark, will be remaining in their home in Haverhill and are looking forward to celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in May of 2025.

"Bishop Carol has served our diocese creatively and faithfully since 2018. I am especially grateful for her companionship as bishop these past two years in a time of transition, challenge and opportunity. We wish her and Mark every blessing in the next chapter of their long commitment to God’s people!" said Bishop Alan M. Gates, whose own retirement follows the ordination and consecration of his successor, Bishop-elect Julia E. Whitworth, on Oct. 19. Whitworth assumes full duties as bishop diocesan on Oct. 19.

During this period of transition, Whitworth will be taking time to discern and make plans for episcopal coverage in the new year.  

She said, "I give thanks for Bishop Gallagher’s tremendous ministry in Massachusetts and the wider church! I am delighted that she has planned the timing of her retirement in a way that supports both me and the diocese during this time of transition, and I am so glad that she will not be a stranger to us in the future. I look forward to celebrating Bishop Carol and Mark with you all in the months to come."

Details will be announced as plans come together for opportunities to recognize and celebrate Gallagher and her ministry.

Nov. 2 service to welcome Episcopal Church's 28th presiding bishop

Presiding-bishop elect Sean Rowe preaches at the General Convention closing Eucharist on June 28 in Louisville, Ky. He was elected by the House of Bishops on June 26 and succeeds the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry who concludes his nine-year term this fall. Photo: Randall Gornowich

[Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs]: The planning committee for the investiture of Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe has released a batch of resources to aid Episcopalians in hosting local watch parties for the churchwide virtual event on Nov. 2 at 11 a.m. ET.

The service will be livestreamed on the event webpage as well as The Episcopal Church’s Facebook page.

As previously announced, this simpler, scaled-down service to welcome the 28th presiding bishop is ordered around a smaller carbon footprint and increased churchwide virtual engagement. A prelude showcasing the rich mosaic of The Episcopal Church will kick off at 9:30 a.m. ET with a video “roll call” of dioceses.

The space-limited, in-person component of the service will take place at the Chapel of Christ the Lord in The Episcopal Church Center in New York City—with diverse representation from around the church.

“As we prepare to gather virtually in a few weeks to witness Bishop Rowe’s investiture in a service unlike any we have seen in the past, we remain grounded together in our church’s rich traditions to joyfully proclaim God’s love in Christ to the world," said the Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson, the bishop of the Diocese of Missouri and chair of the investiture planning committee.

Gender Justice Jam/Charla dinámica sobre la Justicia de Género: Episcopalians and others are invited to join a 12-week virtual education and formation series designed to inform and equip advocates for gender justice. The series—grounded in Scripture, theology, prayer, arts and culture—will include discussions with organizers, clergy and other leaders on topics including defending reproductive justice, supporting LGBTQ+ youth and families, preventing gender-based violence, and more.

The series takes place 7-8:30 p.m. ET on Mondays, Sept. 23-Dec. 16. Sign up soon: The registration deadline is Sept. 23 at 6 p.m.

The first session on Sept. 23 will focus on “A Faith-Based Understanding of Gender Justice” with Aaron Scott, who serves as the gender justice officer for The Episcopal Church, and the Rev. Liz Theoharis of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice. Find all the details here.

This year's Diocesan Convention is a one-day event in Quincy: Online registration is open for the annual Diocesan Convention, to take place on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Marriott Boston Quincy Hotel in Quincy. Materials, including nominees for election to various leadership roles and bodies, resolutions and the proposed 2025 diocesan budget, will be available soon.

The Diocesan Convention is the primary representative governing body of the diocese. It convenes annually in the fall to conduct diocesan business, including election of officers and members of various leadership bodies; approval of a budget for the upcoming year; setting mission strategy; and establishing diocesan policy and procedure by considering and voting on resolutions and approving changes to the diocesan constitution and canons.

It is also an occasion for communication and teaching from the bishops; learning about and participating in shared mission and ministry; fellowship, community building and common prayer; and celebration of the Holy Eucharist together as a diocesan community.

All are welcome to attend; canonically resident clergy and two lay delegates elected from each congregation in union with the diocese participate as voting members.

Prepare for Diocesan Convention at October forums: Pre-Convention Forums, online via Zoom, offer an important opportunity for discussion about the issues and business to come before the Diocesan Convention, including the proposed 2025 diocesan budget and resolutions. Forums take place on:

• Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m.

• Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m.

• Saturday, Oct. 12 at 2 p.m.

• Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.

Find registration and more details at www.diomass.org/diocesan-convention-2024.

Looking for faithful engagement in this election season?

SSJE guides the way to Election Day with "Pilgrimage to the Presidency": With the approach of the U.S. presidential election and politics dominating the news and many people’s thoughts, the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE) is offering "Pilgrimage to the Presidency," a series of pre-recorded videos and live Zoom conversations on the subject of prayer, politics and the Church's role in the public square, all culminating with an in-person and livestreamed vigil the night of Election Day from the SSJE monastery in Cambridge.

This unique "pilgrimage" launched on Sept. 15, and everyone is invited to join Brother Lucas Hall, SSJE, for ongoing weekly videos and conversations with guest speakers about theology, prayer and discernment, along with livestreamed conversations with SSJE brothers and the livestreamed vigil through the night on Election Day, Nov. 5. 

Follow along at pilgrimagetothepresidency.org.

Massachusetts Network for the Poor People's Campaign invites election season engagement: Massachusetts Episcopalians looking for additional ways to engage during election season are invited to partner with the Poor People’s Campaign to “Get Out the Vote” as it aims to mobilize 15 million poor and low-wage voters across the country. Opportunities include local canvassing, text-banking and social media messaging, with training provided. 

The Massachusetts Episcopal Network for the Poor People’s Campaign is encouraging this work as a way to stand in solidarity with and support people on the margins, empowering others to advocate for themselves, and as a way to live into the 2022 Diocesan Convention resolution inviting engagement in the Poor People’s Campaign and Episcopal Church support of it. These get-out-the vote activities also align with The Episcopal Church’s Vote Faithfully program to support voting rights and election engagement in a non-partisan manner. This flier provides more information and can be shared in church newsletters. Questions are welcome to Amelia Slawsby for the Massachusetts Episcopal Network for the Poor People’s Campaign at MAPPCEN@gmail.com.

"Many People, Many Places: The Particularities of Native New England": The diocese's annual Indigenous Peoples' Day Celebration, on Monday, Oct. 14, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m., will be hosted this year by Christ Church in Andover and will include a children's program (ages 5-10) "Celebrating Indigenous People" from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 

Everyone is welcome to come hear Indigenous leaders at the national and local levels describe the unique experiences of the "people of first contact" with the Europeans and join in exercises and discussions with others to ponder what communities might want to consider in their particular contexts. Following a shared lunch, the day will conclude with celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

The guest speaker and preacher will be Janine Tinsley-Roe, MMHC (pictured), an enrolled leader of the Shinnecock and Poospatuck Tribal Nations of Long Island, and former missioner for Native American Ministries for The Episcopal Church.

Find more details and registration here. 

Above left: Bishops, priests, deacons and lay people gathered in a sacred circle as the ceremony of remembrance begins. Above right: After the ceremony tribal historian Eleanor Page escorted pilgrims down to the shore of the South Wattupa Pond. Photos: Jean Baptiste Ntagengwa

Massachusetts Episcopalians join Pocasset Wampanoag leaders in sacred space: On Aug. 8, about two dozen pilgrims traveled to one of the ancestral burial grounds of the Pocasset Wampanoag people on the shore of the Watuppa Pond in Fall River. The gathered lay people, deacons and priests from the diocese, along with both Bishop Alan Gates and Bishop Carol Gallagher, were invited by Chief Edward E. Gray Wolf Page and the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribal Council. Five Pocassets led the pilgrims through a ceremonial welcoming, followed by gathering the group in a sacred circle. There, each of the participants was invited to make an offering and prayer to the ancestors. 

The pilgrims were humbled to be invited so graciously into this sacred space tucked in the woods on a knoll above the pond, and their presence had a deep impact on the Pocassets who expressed their gratitude, according to the Rev. H. Mark Smith, a deacon and member of the working group that helped organize the Episcopal group.

After the ceremony and a walk down to take in the natural beauty of the pond and surrounding area, pilgrims and Pocassets returned to St. Peter’s Church in Dartmouth to have lunch together.

The event was sponsored by the diocesan Office of Immigration and Multicultural Ministries and is a part of the ongoing work being done through the Racial Justice Commission to explore and implement “appropriate ways to foster right relationship with Indigenous Episcopalians and with our Indigenous neighbors” whose ancestors were native to the lands now known as the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, as called for by Diocesan Convention in 2022.

The pumpkins are back in Burlington: This is the 10th year of operation for the St. Mark’s Burlington Pumpkin Patch. It began 11 years ago (the patch took a COVID-year hiatus) with a core team of parishioners who were in leadership training through the diocesan Leadership Development Initiative in 2013.  

They were looking at ways to raise money for People Helping People and support its mission to provide assistance to residents of Burlington who have a need for food, medicine, heat or utilities, and to provide holiday food baskets and gifts for children. According to the parish's pumpkin patch publicity, People Helping People is a well-known, all-volunteer group in Burlington, and so the whole community became involved with the pumpkin patch project. Many hands were needed to unload thousands of pumpkins and gourds. St. Mark's reports that it has been able to donate close to $40,000 over the years to People Helping People. 

Pumpkins for the patch are supplied on consignment by Pumpkins USA, a nonprofit fundraising group which leases Navajo land in New Mexico to grow the pumpkins and then trucks them all over the country for pumpkin sales hosted by churches and other nonprofits. A portion of the profits is sent back to Pumpkins USA to fund schools and support programs on the Navajo reservation as well as provide farm worker jobs.   

Many in Burlington now know St. Mark's as "the pumpkin church." The patch is open every day in October, from noon to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Courtesy photo

WBUR: Afghan refugees on the North Shore find homes through creative plan by church partners: These families moved into the basement of St. Paul's Church in Newburyport a few months after they fled Afghanistan in 2021. The church's rector, the Rev. Dr. Jarred Mercer, is leading an effort to develop a system of housing for the families and others who've been forcibly displaced from their homelands. Read more/hear the broadcast.

Cape Cod Chronicle: Forward-thinking parishioners make investment in the environment: "The Church of the Holy Spirit [Orleans] has really gone above and beyond when it comes to making a difference in our local community, starting with the incredible solar field that provides power for the campus and now this inspirational pollinator garden. It’s a great example of what can be accomplished." Read more (see page 34 of linked Aug. 15 Chronicle).

Episcopal News Service: Massachusetts church collects crocheted, knitted octopuses to comfort premature babies: Joanne Prentice, a parishioner and Sunday School teacher at St. Andrew’s Church in Framingham, fell in love with crochet as a teenager. And as a retired nurse who supports both traditional and holistic medicine, she was excited to participate in her parish’s new Crocheted Octopuses for Preemies ministry when it launched in the spring of 2023. "It feels good to be able to provide them with something that allows them to latch on their little fingers and feel loved and comforted,” Prentice told Episcopal News Service. Read more.

Sep 21: Confirmation Service: Taunton River Deanery, St. Thomas's Church, Taunton, 10:30am

Sep 21-22: "Rev250" Events Celebrating Marbleheaders During the Revolutionary War, St. Michael's Church, Marblehead

Sep 22: Bishop Gallagher visits Christ Church in Waltham

Sep 22: Bishop Gates visits Trinity Church in Wrentham

Sep 23: Online "Christianity Then and Now" Fall Adult Ed. Program sponsored by St. Dunstan's Church in Dover, running biweekly through Jan. 6, 7:00pm, via Zoom

Sep 25: "Ghosts" Course at St. Gabriel's Church in Marion, Wednesdays through Oct. 30, in person and on Zoom, 6:45pm

Sep 25: Diocesan Clergy Day, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 9:30am

Sep 25: Province I Indigenous Peoples' Justice Network Book Discussion, via Zoom, 7:00pm

Sep 26: St. Stephen's Youth Programs 25th Anniversary Luncheon, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 11:00am

Sep 28: Confirmation Service: Neponset River Deanery, Church of the Holy Spirit, Mattapan, 10:30am

Sep 28: Confirmation Service: Mystic Valley Deanery, St. Paul's Church, Lynnfield, 10:30am

Sep 29: Bishop Gallagher visits St. John's Church in Jamaica Plain

Sep 29: Bishop Gates visits All Saints' Church in West Newbury

Sep 29: Fall Dinner for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Episcopal Community, St. Stephen's Church, Boston, 5:00pm

Oct 5: "Becoming an Episcopal Outdoorswoman," Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H., 8:30am

Oct 5: Diocesan Policies Webinar for Wardens & Vestry Members, via Zoom, 9:00am

Oct 5: Confirmation Service: Merrimack Valley Deanery, Christ Church, Andover, 10:30am

Oct 6: Celebration for Bishop Alan Gates and Tricia Harvey, New England Aquarium, Boston, 12:00-4:00pm

Oct 8: Installation of The Rev. Kate Elledge at St. John's Church in Beverly Farms, 6:00pm

Oct 9: Pre-Diocesan Convention Forum, via Zoom, 7:00pm

Oct 11: Pre-Diocesan Convention Forum, via Zoom, 7:00pm

Oct 12: Pre-Diocesan Convention Forum, via Zoom, 2:00pm

Oct 12: Opening and Blessing of Bishop Alan M. Gates African Anglican Episcopal Mission Center, Everett, 4:00pm

Oct 14: Diocesan Indigenous Peoples' Day Celebration, Christ Church, Andover, 10:30am

Oct 15: Pre-Diocesan Convention Forum, via Zoom, 7:00pm

Oct 19: Ordination and Consecration of the 17th Bishop Diocesan of Massachusetts, Trinity Church, Boston, 11:00am, with livestream and regional watch parties

Oct 20: Evensong with Seating of the 17th Bishop Diocesan of Massachusetts, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 5:00pm

Oct 24: Diocesan Council Meeting, via Zoom, 6:00pm

Oct 26: Episcopal City Mission Annual Meeting, in person at All Saints Church, Worcester and online, 9:00am

Oct 26: Diocesan Policies Webinar for Wardens & Vestry Members, via Zoom, 1:00pm

Oct 27: Bishop Gallagher visits Trinity Church in Newton Centre