December 6, 2020
To All God’s Beloved in Minnesota,
Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I write to you today to inform merry makers in every corner of Minnesota that I have granted permission to one Nicholas, saint of the church and Bishop of Myrna, to minister in our diocese, beginning on December 6.
By ancient tradition, no bishop may function in another bishop’s diocese without the express consent of the seated bishop. Our beloved brother Nicholas requested permission to travel far and wide throughout the bold north, having heard reports of the stunning beauty of the north woods, the rolling prairies, the river valleys, and our more than 10,000 lakes, and having been assured of the overwhelming presence of niceness, and distinct absence of naughtiness, among our people, particularly Minnesota’s children.
Having made a list (and checked it twice, I’m assured) the bishop intends to travel by sleigh all across Minnesota in the coming weeks. Among the faithful throughout the world, he has a towering reputation for generosity toward children, the poor, the sick, and all who are marginalized or forgotten. I am grateful for his willingness to teach us something deeper of God’s inexhaustible loving faithfulness, and I hope his example among us will inspire a renewed outpouring of generosity toward one another and the world around us.
I hope you will welcome our episcopal guest with the hospitality and kindness I have known and come to love in you. You may recognize him by the distinctive twinkle in his eye, which will not be obscured by the mask he has assured me he will wear at all times. He looks forward to traveling, gifting, and generally ho-ho-hoing his way across our vast and glorious diocese.
Given under my hand and seal this fourth day of December, in the year of Our Lord 2020, and in the first year of my consecration.
