Emmanuel Church, Boston, Awarded Grant to Help Serve Those Who are Unhoused | | |
The Diocese of Massachusetts was recently awarded a grant of $46,230 from the United Thank Offering (UTO) to update a restroom at Emmanuel Church in Boston for people who do not have reliable access to water. Although Emmanuel Church has been serving unhoused or displaced people for almost 120 years, it was during the recent pandemic that access to water became an acute need.
Stepping Up to Serve
“People living on the street were really in a bind,” says The Rev. Pamela Werntz, rector at Emmanuel Church. “The public health guidance was to wash your hands as frequently as possible, yet those who were unhoused did not have anywhere to do so. Emmanuel and the Cathedral were the only downtown churches that made a commitment to expand our open hours as Boston was shutting down, and we continue to serve people five days a week with access to restrooms, outlets to charge phones, and a place to rest and get something to eat.”
Renovations Soon to be Underway
Due to the extensive use of the men’s bathroom, it is in critical need of upgrading, says Werntz, “Thanks to the UTO grant, we will be better able to meet the unique needs of this population for dignified access to water for washing, drinking, and toileting.” Renovations will include replacing a floor laid in the 1960s and installing a sink that will allow people to take a sponge bath from the waist up or wash a backpack or shoes. While Emmanuel Church houses a small women’s shelter and day programs to assist people who lack dignified and adequate housing, the majority of its guests are men because the Women’s Lunch Place is nearby.
UTO is a nonprofit organization, operating as a ministry of the church, that focuses on promoting a daily spiritual discipline of gratitude and using collected offerings to fund innovative mission and ministry projects. In total, UTO disseminated $1,079,748 in 2025 for projects that address water issues, health issues related to water quality, water needs of the unhoused, or projects that address the historic trauma done to marginalized people around water issues.
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Concerned about Climate Change?
Path to Creation Justice offers Guidance for Congregations Wanting to Strengthen Climate Efforts
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An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice, a Province One initiative to help church communities respond to the climate emergency, is now entering its third year and seeking congregations for its 2025-2026 cohort, which starts this fall. The initiative, sponsored by the Episcopal dioceses of Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts and the Creation Care Justice Network, supports congregations as they progress along a path, which includes prayer, learning, action and advocacy, toward Creation Justice. Churches receive consultation and assistance, and have the opportunity to learn from others.
2024-2025 Cohort Launched Projects, Strengthened Connections
Parishes in the 2024-2025 cohort met with trained companions to set goals, identify partners and resources, and pray together around how to deeply engage in creation care ministries. Among the developments included:
"This was a new endeavor for us that dovetailed very nicely with our property team and goals of becoming more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable,” says Edie Fifield, warden at St. James Church in Keene, NH. “We have brought firm theological underpinnings, worked with outside congregations, and flourished within our own community."
Join the 2025-2026 Cohort!
All Province One congregations are invited to participate in the initiative, which involves monthly Zoom gatherings and ongoing assistance from a trained companion. For more information or to sign up for the 2025-2026 cohort by the end of August, reach out to The Rev. Rachel Field, program manager, at episcopalcreationpath@gmail.com.
| | The Rev. Dorie Goehring Named Episcopal Church Foundation Fellow | | |
The Rev. Dorie Goehring, assistant rector of St. John’s Church in Jamaica Plain, is one of four individuals to receive an Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) Fellowship for 2025. The prestigious fellowships are awarded to individuals “pursuing advanced academic studies and special ministries to educate and equip future clergy and lay leaders.”
Creating "Spaces Where All Can Flourish"
“I'm thrilled to be awarded this fellowship from ECF,” says the Rev. Dorie Goehring. “Joining such an esteemed group of innovators and colleagues churchwide is an honor in and of itself, and is a particular affirmation of my dissertation research. It's my hope that, with this support, I can complete my dissertation and utilize my research to help create spaces where all can flourish and be affirmed in their intersecting identities, especially those most vulnerable.”
In a press release issued by ECF, Jacob Sierra, Senior Program Director and manager of the ECF Fellowship Partners Program said, “The four recipients’ scholarship and ministry projects reflect a preoccupation with equipping leaders with the tools needed to build The Episcopal Church the world needs today. This Church emphasizes the necessity of a diverse, expansive community, is committed to justice and reconciliation, and wrestles with the ethical implications of the modern age. In some way or another, the 2025 ECF Fellows’ work will speak to each of these areas.”
The Rev. Goehring's Academic and Pastoral Endeavors
The Rev. Dorie Goehring’s ministry at St. John’s has broadly focused on faith formation and pastoral care, and she is a PhD candidate at Boston College in comparative theology, with focuses in Christianity and Islam, a doctoral minor in theological ethics, and a concentration in Catholic healthcare ethics. Her dissertation is a comparison between contemporary Anglican/Episcopalian and Islamic approaches to prenatal genetic testing ethics, with an eye toward advocating for disability rights.
For more on the Rev. Dorie Goehring’s academic and pastoral pursuits, read her biography on the St. John’s Church website.
| | Diocese Collaborates with Province One School for Deacons | |
This fall, for the first time, the diocese will collaborate with the Province One School for Deacons on diaconal formation. This collaboration will feature weekend retreats for deacons in formation from all the dioceses of Province One coupled with online academic work between retreats. Deacons in formation in the Diocese of Massachusetts will also continue to participate in field education and three additional retreat days at Bethany House to reflect on field education experiences and be trained in topics not covered by the Province One School, such as the diocese’s constitution.
Benefits of the Collaboration
- Fellowship among a larger cohort of deacons in formation.
- Flexibility of the program structure (hybrid), which should make it easier for some to incorporate the learning into already busy lives.
- The opportunity to learn in Spanish, due to the school’s partnership with the Seminary of the Southwest.
“We are very excited about the collaboration as it creates new opportunities, such as a larger, more diverse learning community, while maintaining what we see as being distinctive about our formation program: field work and retreats at Bethany House,” says The Ven. Pat Zifcak, archdeacon for formation at the Diocese of Massachusetts.
The dean of the school, The Very Rev. Charlotte LaForest, believes the program will enrich the experience of all students, “building a network of connection across the region and contexts—urban, rural, socioeconomic—that will help deepen the learning.”
The Diocese of Massachusetts extends a special thanks to faculty who have played a critical role in its formation program over the years. “We deeply appreciate the contributions of faculty who have positively influenced the learning and development of so many deacons in formation,” says Canon Edie Dolnikowski.
Learn More About the Program
Those interested in the formation program should contact Archdeacon Pat Zifcak (pzifcak@diomass.org) or Canon Edie Dolnikowski (edie@diomass.org).
| | Communities for Spiritual Vitality Opens New Cohort | | |
Communities for Spiritual Vitality, a joint program of the dioceses of Vermont and Massachusetts, invites inquirers for a new cohort scheduled for January 2026-January 2027. An initiative of gratitude, hope, and joy, the program is offered as a source of renewal for laity with roles of leadership or service in parishes with part-time or shared clergy support.
Communities for Spiritual Vitality Offerings
- Three in-person retreats.
- An inter-parish formation group facilitated by clergy on Zoom.
- Individual coaching/spiritual direction meetings with a clergy facilitator.
Topics explored in the program include scripture, self-care, hope, grief/loss, prayer practice, rule of life, and nourishing relationship with God in the midst of our lives. Throughout the year, participants learn, practice, and share within a community of support. Those who wish can craft a second year of engagement with one another to deepen connections and explore how to bring these forms back to their parish. The initiative is grant-funded, and retreats are offered at a nominal fee to participants, to be discussed at the information sessions.
For a glimpse into the vision behind the initiative and the experience of the first cohort, read this article by the Rev. adwoa Wilson, director of Communities for Spiritual Vitality.
Join the Next Cohort!
Information sessions on Zoom will be held:
- Saturday, September 6, 9:30-11am
- Wednesday, October 15, 5:30-7pm
Interested lay leaders should email communities@diovermont.org to express their interest and obtain the Zoom link for the sessions.
| | SSJE: Creating Contemplative Spaces to Rest, Heal, and Deepen Connection with God | | |
“Reading headlines every day, it is hard to orient yourself in the changing winds and constant draws on our ability to be faithful and true,” says Brother Lain Wilson, Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE), a men’s religious order in the Episcopal Church, located in Cambridge. “We are bombarded with invitations to react rather than sit and be in the presence of God—resting, restoring, and beginning in little ways to uncover our true selves. This is a tall order even in good times, and it is even more challenging today with our world in crisis.”
To help individuals take time away from the demands of daily life to be quiet, pray, worship, rest and relax, SSJE is offering a variety of programs over the next year. These include self-guided retreats and Quiet Days, program retreats, Saturday programs that allow one to explore new expressions of their faith, and a new online course of practice, study, and companioned formation. View the full program calendar.
Program Highlights
- Quiet Day Offerings: A day at the monastery in rest and prayer.
- Saturday Day Programs: A series of Saturday programs that allow individuals to engage in their faith in new ways, through the practice of embodied prayer, facing hard decisions in discernment, encountering Christ in Creation, or discovering the SSJE’s early history in Boston and Cambridge.
- Season of Creation Praying with the Earth: “All Creation worships you,” a famous hymn proclaims to God. How does that work, how might your own prayer, in church and in our day-to-day lives, join, facilitate, and aid the rest of Creation’s worship? This retreat offers the opportunity to explore one’s intersection with the rest of creation in multiple sessions guided by Brother Lucas Hall at the monastery, October 2-5.
Monasteries are "Places of Transformation"
“We at SSJE view monasteries as places of transformation, which help us build the future,” says Brother Lain. “We hope that SSJE can be such a place, for the Church, the world, and everyone with whom we engage.” Kelsy Hillesheim, who as a monastic resident lived in the guesthouse for the past two years, reflects on how her experience provided her with a place of refuge to heal and rest: “My heart and soul once again found peace, and with it, room to grow in love of God and neighbor.”
SSJE offers a Discover SSJE Young Adult and Student Scholarship to help defray program and retreat costs for young adults and students, including seminarians.
Sign up for programs and retreats, read “monastic wisdom for everyday life,” and subscribe to a daily meditation on SSJE’s website.
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Ready to Run?: Do you or others in your congregation have leadership skills to share and a desire to serve the Diocese of Massachusetts and wider Episcopal Church?
This year's Diocesan Convention will be electing members of numerous diocesan governing bodies and groups: the Standing Committee; the Diocesan Disciplinary Board that carries out certain requirements of the clergy disciplinary canons; officers of the diocese, including secretary and treasurer; the Cathedral Chapter; the Provincial Conference of New England dioceses; the Barbara C. Harris Center Board of Directors; and the Trustees of Donations.
More information about open positions and the nomination form are available here. Nominations for diocesan elections are due by Friday, Sept. 5, as are proposed resolutions.
The 240th annual Diocesan Convention takes place Friday-Saturday, November 14-15, 2025, at the Boston Marriott Burlington Hotel in Burlington.
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Barbara C. Harris Camp: A Place for Fun, Building Community, and Connecting with One’s Faith
From Christmas in July to finding the missing silverware (the visiting chaplain stole it!) to sleeping in the gym, campers were busy at the Barbara C. Harris (BCH) Camp this summer. Each week visiting volunteer clergy teams led worship and supported counselors in daily cabin formation, and this summer there were two baptisms in Otter Lake.
Nearly 170 campers participated—almost 40 more than last year—and 65 attended family camp, double that of 2024. Here are a few reflections:
“Camp is the place where I can be myself and feel connected to my faith. I don’t have a community like that outside of camp, so it feels really important to me and I take it with me when I leave.” BCH camper
“BCH is more than just a place where kids and counselors spend their summers. It's a place where I've seen people try new things and discover the meaning of home, friendship, and love." BCH summer camp staff member
Check out the camp’s Facebook and Instagram to get the full experience of summer camp.
More opportunities for engaging in camp happen during the year, including youth retreat weekends and a Confirmation retreat. Check the website for more information.
| | Episcopalians Out in Force for Pride Month 2025: Nearly 300 participated in the Boston Pride 2025 parade; other parades and events attracted dozens across the diocese in Topsfield, Melrose, Wakefield, Provincetown, and beyond—underscoring our belief in the dignity and worth of every human being. | | |
Fr. Edgar Gutierrez-Duarte Receives All Chelsea Award
Each year, the city of Chelsea, MA, honors “Chelsea residents, businesses, and organizations who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to improving the lives, welfare and general well-being of Chelsea residents” with an All Chelsea Award. This year, on July 10 at the All Chelsea Awards Gala, St. Luke’s-San Lucas’ Vicar Rev. Edgar Gutierrez-Duarte was presented with the “Special Award” for his faithful service to the Chelsea community “through soup kitchens, food pantries, and various outreach events.” Fr. Edgar was one of seven award winners, all nominated by members of the community.
The award underscored the depth of Fr. Gutierrez-Duarte’s many contributions: “When he arrived in Chelsea in 2007, during the onset of a recession, he recognized the urgent need for change—especially in addressing immigrant issues and food insecurity. Seeing larger groups of residents seeking help, he took action by establishing a Food Pantry with the support of the Greater Boston Food Bank. Under his leadership the church now serves over 800 families each month, and its success led to the creation of a weekly soup kitchen.”
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Diocese Bids Farewell to Three Long-Serving Priests
This summer, the diocese bid farewell to three priests who have served their communities with faith, compassion, and humility over many decades. The diocese wishes them well in the next chapters of their spiritual life and thanks them for their tireless commitment to the Episcopal ministry.
The Rev Zenetta Armstrong, rector at the Church of the Holy Spirit,, Mattapan (pictured on the right, top photo)
The Rev. Will Mebane, rector at St. Barnabas’s Church, Falmouth (pictured lower right)
The Rev. Deborah Phillips, rector at Grace Church, Salem (pictured lower left)
Their reflections:
The Rev. Zenetta Armstrong: “Two of many highlights of my ministry were:
when we received funding from the Lamb family, which we used to renovate a building next to the church, which is now used by ABCD to house their Head Start program and the Neighborhood Family Service Center. The Mattapan Center For Life (45 units elderly housing) was built on the same property with a 202 HUD Grant in collaboration with ABCD. The Rev. Paul Schwenzfeir was rector at the time and I was his assistant, and the church decided to use the money for the community so that it was able to continue targeting the most vulnerable in our society.
And, in collaboration with the Immigrant Family Service Institute, to provide a safe space for a large number of immigrants who were displaced last year. The community responded by providing needed items, such as suitcases, clothing, food, etc. Women and children wanted not just a better life; many were fleeing to save their lives from the violence of gangs in their country of origin. Whatever the immigration policy, it is not a crime to want to live. Whatever we can do to relieve the suffering of God’s people and give them hope, we must do.”
Watch this tribute to Rev. Zenetta Armstrong’s many contributions to the community.
The Rev. Will Mebane: “A highlight of my ministry at St. Barnabas’s and my ordained life:
A hope articulated to me by the Vestry and Search Committee in 2018 was that the parish would once again find itself engaged with the broader Upper Cape Cod community. The buildings and grounds of the campus of St. Barnabas's are now used by an array of organizations to deliver services. The signature program started during my tenure as rector is the collaboration with a local agency to provide shelter in a house previously used as a rectory, for women recovering from domestic abuse and hoping to once again live independently. These women join over 60 other individuals for a free hot multicourse lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week. Mobile vans from a regional health center and an AIDS support group offer information, showers, and clothing on those days as well to the women and other unhoused or neglected persons, while dispensing information and medical care to individuals unable to otherwise access such services.”
The Rev. Deborah Phillips: “As I reflect on retirement from active ministry,
I am grateful how each of the four parishes I served over the last 34 years prepared me for the next. Whether transitioning from teaching to a curate responsible for Christian Education, or as a short-term interim, while I was discerning what's next, or preparing a mission for parochial status, each prepared me for 28 years as Rector of Grace Church Salem. My years in parochial ministry have brought joy and meaning to my life, and enabled me to fall more deeply in love with God. I will miss every aspect of parish ministry (even the challenging parts), yet I am looking forward to being back in the pew at my sponsoring parish of St. John's Beverly Farms. I will continue to walk with God wherever I am led, as I await the adventure that lies ahead.”
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Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe issued the following letter to the church on July 16, as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. [Episcopal News Service] Yesterday, Archbishop Hosam Naoum of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East gave a powerful address to the Church of England’s annual Synod in York about the situation in Gaza and the Holy Land. He spoke of the horrifying humanitarian conditions that the war in Gaza has created, including the continued bombing of hospitals, a desperate lack of medical supplies, and a food distribution system that he likened to the dystopian novel “The Hunger Games.”
In his address, Archbishop Hosam asked for our help, saying, “Where the church is wounded and constrained, we need the wider body of Christ to help us, to be the church in brutal and damaging times.” [Read the letter].
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Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe
Episcopal Church Photo | | |
Navajoland pilgrimage welcomes Indigenous leaders from across Anglican Communion [Episcopal News Service] Nearly three dozen Anglicans and Episcopalians representing Indigenous cultures from around the world have gathered in the Missionary Diocese of Navajoland to begin a weeklong pilgrimage intended to deepen cross-cultural relationships while celebrating Navajoland’s recent elevation to diocesan status.
The 34 pilgrims began arriving July 31 at Navajo Nation, the 27,000-square-mile reservation that includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Their Aug. 1-9 itinerary will include stops at Episcopal congregations and cultural landmarks in each of the Navajoland diocese’s regions. Read the article.
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The Boston Globe A Salem church leads charge to wean downtown off fossil fuels and lower electricity bills: After receiving a surprisingly high electricity bill, Rev. Nathan W. Ives, rector at St. Peter’s-San Pedro Episcopal Church in Salem, led the charge on one of the most ambitious renewable energy projects under consideration in the state. “Heaven and Earth” would involve installing solar panels on the 19th-century church and the development of a geothermal network among 21 buildings in the city. Read the article.
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The Cape Cod Chronicle Minding Your Business—the Church of the Holy Spirit in Orleans: Every day in the summer, from the lower level of the parish house of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Orleans 400-800 free meals as well as books are disseminated to children and teens. With 40 percent of the kids in school in this region qualifying as low income, this program—Food4Kids— works to alleviate hunger and promote literacy when school is not in session. Food4Kids; a shop offering free clothes; and an art studio at the church are all aimed at enriching the lives of those in the community. Read the article.
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Falmouth News Saint Barnabas’s Launches Drum Majors Fund: In honor of his tireless work for justice, peace, and righteousness, Saint Barnabas’s Episcopal Church in Falmouth has established the Drum Majors Fund for Justice: A prophetic Preaching Series in tribute to Rev. W. H. Mebane Jr. who will conclude his ministry as rector of the parish on September 1. Read more about the fund in this article.
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Provincetown Independent Bruce Mason Goes Forth Into the World to Rejoice and to Protest: When Rev. Bruce Mason, deacon at The Church of St. Mary of the Harbor in Provincetown, relocated to Massachusetts in 2014, he intended to move toward retirement. Instead, his days are full at the church, volunteering at the local soup kitchen and the Center for Coastal Studies, going on beach clean-ups, and protesting with Racial Justice Provincetown. In honor of his many contributions to the community, Rev. Mason was recently awarded the Grace Gouveia Service Award, given annually to an older adult for exceptional community service. Read the article.
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Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations ‘God Gave Me the Desire to Go Back’: How COVID Renewed Churchgoing for Many: Trinity Episcopal Church in Melrose was highlighted in an article on post-pandemic church growth as part of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University’s Lilly Endowment-funded project on impacts of the pandemic. Trinity’s membership has doubled over the past two years. Read the article.
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Aug. 23: Big Question Day: Where is God?, The St. Paul Center for Theology regional centers in Newburyport, Boston, and Cohasset, 10 am-2:30 pm
Sept. 3: New Clergy Welcome Session, The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, Boston, 11:30 am-1:30 pm
Sept. 7: Bishop Whitworth Visits Church of the Advent, Boston
Sept. 7: Installation of a Canon to the Ordinary, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 4:30pm
Sept. 7: Multi-Parsh Cookout for All in the Diocese, St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, Cambridge, 11 am-4 pm
Sept. 13: Young People’s Day, Bishop Alan M. Gates African Anglican-Episcopal Mission Center, Everett, 12-4 pm
Sept. 13: Diocesan Council Retreat, 9 am-3 pm
Sept. 13: Becoming an Episcopal Outdoorswoman, Barbara C. Harris Episcopal Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, NH, 8:30 am-5 pm
Sept. 21: Bishop Whitworth Visits Church of the Holy Spirit, Fall River
Sept. 21: SUN WAY Pilgrimage, Old South Church, Boston, 1-2:30pm
Sept. 23: Clergy Professional Development Day, via Zoom, 5:30 pm
Sept. 23: Metacomet’s Rebellion/King Philip’s War: A Story of its History and Legacy, via Zoom, 7-8:30 pm
Sept. 24: Clergy Professional Development Day, via Zoom, 6 pm
Sept. 27: Ministry Discernment Day, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 9 am-3 pm
Sept. 28: Bishop Whitworth Visits Parish of St. Paul, Newton Highlands
Oct. 1: 2025 Clergy Day, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 9:30 am-3:30 pm
Oct. 4: Voices of Hope—Musical Food Bonanza and Fundraiser, Bishop Gates African Anglican-Episcopal Mission Center, Everett, 1o am-2 pm
Oct. 4: Revival and Resilience: Worship in a Time of Climate Crisis, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Ayer, 9 am-3:30 pm
Oct. 4: Vestry Day, via Zoom, 9 am- 12 pm
Oct. 5: Bishop Whitworth visits St. James Church, Groveland
Oct. 12: A Service of Holy Listening and Morning Worship, 4 pm for service via Zoom
Oct. 13: Indigenous Peoples’ Day Deer Island Pilgrimage, St. Paul’s Church, Natick, 9 am
Oct. 16: Diocesan Council Meeting, via Zoom, 6-8:30 pm
Oct. 18: Vestry Day, via Zoom, 9 am- 12 pm
Oct 18: Pre-Convention Forum, 2-3:30 pm
Oct. 19: Bishop Whitworth visits Trinity Church, Boston
Oct. 21: Pre-Convention Forum, 7-8:30 pm
Oct. 22: Pre-Convention Forum, 7-8:30 pm
Oct. 26: Bishop Whitworth visits St. John’s Church, Westwood
Oct. 30: New Clergy Welcome Session, location TBD (Southern Region), 11:30 am-1:30 pm
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