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By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News – April 27, 2022] Leaving IRIS after a dozen years as executive director is, for Meghan Taylor, saying goodbye to family.

Leading the diocesan Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service “has been the joy and pleasure of my life, to be part of a really amazing and wonderful team and to help so many people over all these years,” an emotional Taylor told The Episcopal News in a recent telephone interview.

“But I don’t think I will ever truly leave working with refugees and immigrants,” she added, her voice breaking. “Anybody that’s ever gotten involved in a ministry of welcome never truly leaves it. It is such a transformative and life-changing, amazing experience that I’m sure I’ll continue it in some way.”

For Taylor, that involvement began while she was a second-year student working in the University of St. Thomas Law School clinic in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“My very first client was a woman from Kenya” seeking asylum in the U.S. “She was a little, tiny thing, about 4’9, but the biggest, bravest, strongest woman I’ve ever met,” Taylor recalled.

Read more here.

By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News – April 27, 2022] The Rev. Canon Frank Alton, 70, who retires May 1 as vicar of St. Athanasius Church in Echo Park, says initially he’ll spend some time traveling and writing, and then he’ll be back to serve the church, especially in Spanish-language congregations.

“There is a lack of bilingual or Spanish-speaking clergy to serve as supply clergy. That’s something I want to help with,” Alton told The Episcopal News recently.

“Frank is such a gifted, loving priest,” said Bishop John Harvey Taylor. “As provost of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul, now St. Paul’s Commons, he has essentially been the rector of Echo Park, supporting and encouraging all of its denizens, especially food- and housing-insecure neighbors. We, and they, will miss him as a pastor, advocate, and friend.”

A Los Angeles native and former Presbyterian pastor, Alton has spent more than four decades in ministry. A graduate of what is now Harvard Westlake School, he laughingly recalled being drawn to The Episcopal Church at 14 when his parents left the Methodist Church.

“My parents didn’t think the youth group at the Methodist Church was strong enough for us,” he said. “They gave us each an opportunity to choose another church. I chose St. Alban’s, Westwood. We went one Sunday, and the rest of the family went, ‘Nope.’”

Read more here.

After a two-year Covid pandemic-imposed hiatus, Episcopal Night at Dodger Stadium will be back on Friday, Sept. 23. The home team will play the St. Louis Cardinals, and the game, win or lose, will be followed by fireworks.

Ticket sales will be handled by congregational representatives. Watch here for more information, and save the date.

[The Episcopal News – April 27, 2022] The Rev. Aidan Koh described vibrant and vital outreach ministries to Koreans and Korean Americans in Los Angeles and Orange County during a ministry report to the April 21, 2022, regular meeting of Diocesan Council.

Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor described his recent visit to medical clinics and a homeless shelter in Orange County operated by Korean Community Services. With roots in the diocese, KCS serves the county’s 150,000 Korean and Korean American residents and other neighbors as well. Plans are underway to locate some KCS services, including mental health care, at St. Anselm of Canterbury Episcopal Church in Garden Grove.

Koh said St. Anselm’s computer, yoga, meditation, singing and dancing classes which, pre-pandemic, served about 200 community members weekly, drew the attention of local city officials and led to the partnership. Those classes are expected to resume next month.

“We hope the KCS can also join parish ministry. We expect a very positive synergy and, hopefully, creation of new community programs together,” Koh said of the partnership. The KCS was established by the Rev. Canon Matthew Ahn, the diocese’s first Korean American priest, at St. Stephen’s Church in Hollywood. Ahn, 86, is now retired and attends St. Anselm’s, Koh said.

Read more here. Above: Vicar Thomas Moon Lee and other ministers prepare to lead worship at St. Anselm of Canterbury Church, Garden Grove, on April 24. Photo: John Taylor

By Bob Williams

[The Episcopal News – April 27, 2022] The 1992 Los Angeles riots – which left 63 dead and property damage exceeding $1 billion during five days of reaction to the April 29 acquittal of police officers charged with beating Rodney King – compelled local Episcopalians into action that continues to work for economic and racial justice locally and beyond.

Marking this 30-year milestone is the Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union – founded within six months of the unrest to assist directly with microloans to businesses and individuals lacking access to traditional banking. More about the credit union, including its search for a successor to its founding CEO, is here.

Meanwhile, ongoing initiatives confronting racism were joined in 2021 by the Commission on Gospel Justice and Community Care, formed by Bishop John Harvey Taylor in response to the murder of George Floyd in 2020, to focus on resources for community policing and mental health.

In immediate response to the 1992 unrest, then-Bishop Frederick H. Borsch underscored aspects of “outrage and hope” in calling the diocese to action. (His later 1996 book by the same title added context to the church’s mission of serving society’s most vulnerable members.)

Links to Borsch’s original message to the diocese as well as his testimony to the Christopher Commission, together with key 1992 coverage by The Episcopal News, follow here:

The Episcopal News Update will be on hiatus the first week in May (issue date May 8; usual publication date May 4). Publication will resume for the May 15 issue (publication May 11). As always, announcements and calendar items may be emailed to [email protected].

St. John's Cathedral, Los Angeles, will host a service of ordination for five new transitional deacons at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 11. Bishop John Harvey Taylor will ordain Timothy Paul Hartley, Ryan Michael Macias, C. Susanne Wright-Nava, Stacey Forte Dupré and Brian Joseph Tucker. The prayers and presence of the diocesan community are invited. For the safety of all, the cathedral deans and staff request that those attending and participating be prepared to show proof of full vaccination against Covid-19.

A celebration of life of All Saints Pasadena's rector emeritus, the Rev. Canon George F. Regas, will be held on Saturday, May 7, 2 p.m. All are welcome, and visiting clergy are invited to vest and process (white stoles.) A reception will follow on the quad lawn.

The service will also be streamed live here. Attendance is expected to be heavy, so please plan to arrive early. Parking will be available in the north lot at the corner of Walnut & Euclid and also at Plaza de Las Fuentes, adjacent to the church, which is located at 132 North Euclid Avenue, Pasadena. For more information call 626.796.1172.

By Robert Tobin

Oxford University Press

For much of its history, the Episcopal Church has been regarded as the religion of choice among America’s ruling elite. Since the Second World War, however, the church has undergone a transformation and is now best known for its commitment to progressive causes.

The book provides a narrative of the Episcopal Church’s evolving identity and social activism during the period 1945-1979. It draws extensively on archival materials and periodicals from multiple sources, providing an intimate picture of how Episcopal leaders understood their role and responsibilities during a time of upheaval in American religious and social life. Tobin integrates social history with an understanding of theological language and concepts.

Author: Robert Tobin is a historian and priest in the Church of England. He was raised in Boston and Texas and took his first degree from Harvard. A Fulbright Scholar, he also holds degrees from Trinity College Dublin, Oxford, and Cambridge. He is the author of The Minority Voice: Hubert Butler and Southern Irish Protestantism, 1900-1991.

The book may be ordered online here: use promotion code AAFLYG6

By Anthony Guillén

I am pleased to introduce you to El Librito de la Misa Episcopal if you are not familiar with it. TryTank developed this resource initially beginning with Advent 1 of 2021. The idea of El Librito was to provide an inexpensive, user-friendly resource for parish use; an Episcopal “missalette” that would contain the Sunday liturgy and the propers for each Sunday all in one convenient booklet. TryTank distributed 10,000 copies last year and received lots of feedback about how to improve it and informed us that many clergy/office staff saved between two and eight hours of work weekly by not having to produce weekly service booklets. We listened to the recommendations made and made several improvements to make this second edition an even better resource for your congregations.

This PDF contains the cover and some pages of the inside of the book so you can see the contents of this book and for those who are familiar with the previous edition, some of the changes that were made. Please look at the “indice” to see everything that is included in this 120 page booklet. This second edition contains all of the propers beginning with Pentecost Sunday and going through the entire Pentecost season. At $1.75 each we believe that El Librito is a great value. Please order your copies now. They are scheduled to be shipped beginning Friday, April 29. El Librito is shipped in boxes of 50 and the price includes the shipping.

Me complace presentarles El Librito de la Misa Episcopal si no lo conocen. TryTank desarrolló este recurso inicialmente a partir del Adviento 1 de 2021. La idea de El Librito era proporcionar un recurso económico y fácil de usar para uso parroquial. Un “misal” Episcopal que contendría la liturgia dominical y los propios de cada domingo, todo en un folleto conveniente. TryTank distribuyó 10,000 copias el año pasado y recibió muchos comentarios sobre cómo mejorarlo y muchos clérigos/personal de oficina nos informaron que ahorraron entre 2 y 8 horas de trabajo semanales al no tener que producir folletos de servicios semanales. Escuchamos las recomendaciones hechas e hicimos varias mejoras para hacer de esta segunda edición un recurso aún mejor para sus congregaciones.

Este PDF contiene la portada y algunas páginas del interior del libro para que puedan ver el contenido de este libro y para quienes estén familiarizados con la edición anterior, algunos de los cambios que se le hicieron. Mire el "índice" para ver todo lo que se incluye en este folleto de 120 páginas. Esta segunda edición contiene todos los propios comenzando con el domingo de Pentecostés y pasando por toda la temporada de Pentecostés. A $1.75 cada uno, creemos que El Librito tiene un gran valor. Pida sus copias ahora. Están programados para ser enviados el próximo viernes 29 de abril. El Librito se envía en cajas de 50 y el precio incluye el envío.

Dana Rubin and the Rev. Richard Rubin will introduce their upcoming Grief Recovery Workshop at St. James, Newport Beach, with an information session on Sunday, May 1 at about 12 noon.

The workshop is designed to help those who are mourning the loss of a loved one, the loss of a career, loss of health, or any other loss or grief move beyond those losses.

The Grief Recovery Workshop will start on Sunday, May 15, 12 – 2 p.m., and will run for eight weeks.

For more information, contact the Rubins at 909.675.9732 or [email protected]. St. James' Church is located at 3209 Via Lido, Newport Beach 92663.

The LGBTQ ministry at All Saints Church, Beverly Hills, invites the diocesan community to a candid discussion and Q & A on "Staying Healthy in the LGBTQ Community" at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10. The discussion will be led by All Saints parishioner Greg Eichelzer (pictured), a registered nurse (RN) at Cedars Sinai Hospital and a doctoral candidate at the Yale University School of Nursing. All Saints Parish is located at 504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills. The program will be held in Upper Sweetland Hall. All are welcome.

Interfaith marriage is on the rise in the United States and other countries. The Guibord Center will begin "Inspiring Stories: Interfaith Family Choices," a four-part series, on Wednesday, May 5, 4 - 6 p.m.

Participants will hear from interfaith families, whose stories offer a glimpse of how people rely on their deep love for one another and on their spiritual traditions to work through challenges and build flourishing relationships.

In this session, keynote Storytellers (to be announced soon) will share their personal experiences and insights:

Future sessions will explore:

Register for this interactive online conversation here.

For general questions about the event, contact Dr. Lisa Patriquin at [email protected] There is no charge, but donations will be gratefully accepted.

Inspiring Stories is a virtual collaboration between The Guibord Center - Religion Inside Out, an interfaith organization dedicated to opening hearts and minds, and IslamiCity, a global Muslim e-community.

The Gathering - a space for Asian Pacific American spirituality - invites the diocesan community to an Easter journey celebrating Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) voices. "AAPI Alive!" is a 50-day devotional guide beginning on Easter Sunday and ending on the Feast of Pentecost, celebrating the Resurrection and this season of new life through the beauty and strength of AAPI voices. The Gathering, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, hopes that these offerings of prose and poetry, photographs, spoken word, visual art, vocals, and musical performance will connect readers to a celebration of the risen Christ and one another.

AAPI Alive! is available here. For ideas on how to use AAPI Alive! in church groups, send an email to [email protected].

"During this pandemic, the AAPI community has suffered a surge of hate and violence because of what we look like each day in the mirror," said the Rev. Peter Huang of The Gathering. "Fear and anxiety have risen and for many of us, historical and personal trauma have brought us to tears and to our knees. Through this devotional guide, we desire to enter into the Resurrection that brings us healing and celebrates who God created us to be – a diverse, vibrant, thriving community.

"We invite you to make space in your day to receive these offerings of insight, joy, and beauty. May they bring healing and hope to you."

The devotional guide is funded by a grant from Becoming Beloved Community – whose mission is to bring racial reconciliation to The Episcopal Church and its community – and from generous supporting churches and individuals.

For the first time since 2019, Bloy House will host its annual graduation ceremony in person. The May 14 service will be the first to be held at the school’s new campus at the ELCA Southwest California Synod headquarters in Glendale. The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. in the Trinity Room upstairs and will be followed by luncheon in the courtyard.

Bishop John Harvey Taylor will preach and preside at the Eucharist, which will use the proper honoring Frances Perkins, a ground-breaking Episcopalian who served in the cabinet of President Franklin Roosevelt.

Bloy House welcomes family, friends, and alumni who would like to join the festivities. For reservations, contact Tim Reed at [email protected].

Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month with fellowship, food, and music on Saturday, May 7, 3 – 5 p.m. on the rooftop at St. Paul's Commons, 840 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles 90026.

The event will feature conversations with contributors to "AAPI Alive!," an Eastertide devotional guide celebrating AAPI voices and perspectives on Easter as well as music by the Dan Cole Quartet.

All are invited to attend and free secure parking is available. A flyer is here. For information, email to [email protected]. More about AAPI Alive is here.

To register for the "Calling All Servant Leaders" workshop, click here.

By Your Side Vigil Companions, which trains volunteers to be a compassionate presence in the lives of those nearing the end of life, will begin new courses in May and June.

Graduates of the program, which is offered by Episcopal Communities and Services, serve in many ways, according to program coordinator Susan Brown. "The mission of By Your Side since 2011 has been to be supportive of people in palliative care and to be at their bedside at the end of their lives as needed," she said. "The pandemic brought all of us to an acute awareness of life’s fragility, and of the immense value of being companioned. In adapting to the reality of COVID, we redefined being “present” to include presence at the bedside and presence without proximity, realizing that what is most important is connection."

The first new five-week online and hybrid training program will begin on May 19 and continue on Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:30 p.m., until June 16. The second class, on Tuesday afternoons, 2 - 4 p.m., will begin on Tuesday, June 21 and conclude on July 19.

There is no obligation to volunteer at the completion of the training.

To enroll, contact Susan Brown at [email protected], or phone 818.822.6044 for more information. Enrollment is limited to 30 people in each class. A fee of $70 (which includes all materials) is due by the second class. Scholarships are available. CE (12 hrs.) for nurses is available for an added $30 under California Board of Registered Nursing Provider Number CEP 16239.

The African American Heritage Club of Laguna Woods will hold its second annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 25 at the Laguna Woods Village Clubhouse 5, 24262 Punta Alta, Laguna Woods 92637, beginning at 4 p.m.

The celebration is sponsored by the African American Heritage Club. Allan Williams, a bishop's committee member and lay leader at St. George's Church, Laguna Hills, is among the organizers of the celebration, which will begin with a meet-and-greet at 4 p.m., and continue with a show, live entertainment, finger food and dancing until 10 p.m. Formal attire is requested. Tickets are $30. For more information and tickets, contact Williams at 845.399.0279 or [email protected].

Juneteenth commemorates the Emancipation Proclamation, which was issued on Jan. 1, 1863 by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, freeing more than three million slaves living in Confederate states. Many enslaved people in Texas didn't get the news until Confederate armies surrendered near the end of May 1865 and Union soldiers, led by General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865.

The day on which the slaves learned of their freedom has become an annual celebration throughout the United States. Through the perseverance of Opal Lee, "grandmother" of the movement, President Joe Biden signed a bill in 2021 making Juneteenth a federal holiday. The Diocese of Los Angeles, at its 2021 convention, established the holiday as a diocesan observance.

Launching of the new Fred and Barbara Borsch Writing Workshop will be among highlights of NYA’s 39th annual Scholarship Benefit, a reception set for 5 – 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, May 14 at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Pacific Palisades.

All are welcome to share in this gathering that will recognize some 25 NYA students who have applied for more than $90,000 in scholarships to be awarded in the coming academic year. Under the theme “Opening Doors to a Bright Future,” the benefit also will salute NYA’s Class of 2022. Its members have so far received multiple acceptances to some 35 universities including UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, USC, Fordham, Loyola Marymount, the University of Connecticut, Williams College, and the Cal-State campuses. Most NYA high school seniors are the first in their families to attend college.

Tickets, priced at $125 each, may be purchased through the NYA website or by check (address above). Benefit guests are asked to note that this year’s event has been planned in the format of a catered reception and abbreviated program recognizing health considerations as the pandemic slows. The program also will be livestreamed via NYA’s Facebook and YouTube accounts.

Read more about the Borsch Writing Workshop here.

Features blog posts, commentary from Bishop John Harvey Taylor: @edlabishop. The blog may also be read here. 

A new series on Twitter (@ladiocese) and Instagram (#episcopaldioceseoflosangeles) – invites audience responses to questions related to Episcopal Church parish life.

Providing insights into issues of policing in local and national contexts, the Bishop’s Commission on Gospel Justice and Community Care invites all in the diocese to follow its Facebook page and engage in daily posts on topics including countering racism and providing mental health-care options for intervention rather than arrest.

Additional diocesan social media feeds to follow and share include the diocesan Facebook page and YouTube channel and The Episcopal News's Facebook page and Twitter (@EpiscoNews_LA).

At the convention, the Diocese of Los Angeles will be represented by its bishop and by four clergy and four lay deputies. In coming months The Episcopal News will include stories about the bishop's and deputies' specific interests, committee assignments and more. During the convention, The News will report daily from Baltimore. Learn more about General Convention here.

Legislative committees of General Convention have resumed online meetings. Anyone can register to attend meetings as an observer or to testify. Registration must be submitted at least two days prior to a hearing.

Visit the main General Convention page to find a calendar of upcoming legislative committee meetings and list of committee members. Click “More info” next to a hearing for information on how to register to attend or speak. You will receive login details the day before the hearing. Learn more about the legislative committees here.

The 80th General Convention will be July 7 - 14 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Churches consider alternate Good Friday liturgies, Bible translations over concerns of anti-Jewish interpretations (April 12, 2022)

General Convention to consider endorsing 5-part plan to eliminate threat of nuclear war (April 7, 2022)

Toward GC80: Episcopal Church General Convention daily preachers, presiders announced (April 6, 2022)

Middle East resolutions focus on boycotts, apartheid, antisemitism, ‘Christian Zionism’ (April 4, 2022)

Input sought on $101 million 2023-24 church budget; General Convention also to consider process changes (March 15, 2022)

General Convention committee discusses clergy pension assistance as online hearings get underway (February 18, 2022)

Deputies of Color organize for change in Episcopal Church, society ahead of General Convention (September 24, 2021)

More General Convention-related stories from ENS are here.

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service – April 27, 2022] President Joe Biden, as well as former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were among those who paid tribute to Madeleine Albright, the former secretary of state, during her funeral held April 27 at Washington National Cathedral in the nation’s capital.

Albright, who first served in the Clinton administration as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the Clinton administration before later becoming the first female secretary of state in 1997, died of cancer on March 23 at age 84. She regularly attended St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood and was serving on Washington National Cathedral’s governing body at the time of her death.

“She was loved and admired by all who knew her,” Washington National Cathedral Dean Randy Hollerith said in welcoming the funeral’s invitation-only guests. “We say goodbye today to a remarkable human being. Madeleine was a leader, mentor, trailblazer, reconciler and patriot. She was a person of deep faith who always held firm to the highest ideals of her faith and her country.”

Read more here.

[Global Episcopal Mission Network] Registration is ongoing for the 2022 Global Mission Conference that will be held May 12 – 14 online on the theme of Women in Mission. Sign up now to join with people around the world to celebrate and reflect on the vital role of women’s participation in God’s mission. 

Sponsored by the Global Episcopal Mission Network, the conference will meet for 3 hours via Zoom on each of the 3 days, 1-4 p.m. Eastern Time. Spanish-language translation will be available. 

Visit the conference page here for more information. To register, click here. The conference is free and open to the public, and donations are encouraged via PayPal on the GEMN donation page. Attendees will receive the Zoom connection information upon registration.

Conference plenary speakers will highlight the history of women in mission, Mothers Union work in Africa, women missionaries’ work today, and Anglican women’s work at the United Nations. Workshops will feature the mission work of women in Mozambique, Pakistan, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Colombia, India and Korea. The work of religious orders, Episcopal Relief & Development, Five Talents and the United Thank Offering will be featured, and Mission Spotlights will offer further insight into women’s global work.

A Spanish version of this announcement is here.

By Egan Millard

[Episcopal News Service – San Juan, Puerto Rico – April 23, 2022] The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church closed its last meeting under its current roster on April 23 with a review of the work it has done over the past four years, noting successes, challenges and issues for the next council to address.

Throughout the April 20-23 meeting, members shared their evolving understandings of the council’s mandate to implement the policies of General Convention, which convenes July 7-14 in Baltimore, Maryland, where new members will be elected.

The current council’s term was dominated by a series of crises – the COVID-19 pandemic, political chaos in the United States, the racial justice reckoning after the murder of George Floyd. Each term is normally a triennium, but because General Convention was delayed a year, this one was technically a quadrennium – or, as it was described during a committee meeting, a “pandemium.”

“These have not been easy years for anybody,” Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said before adjourning the meeting. “We have worked faithfully, made hard decisions; every once in a while we bump heads, but we’ve done so with grace. We’ve worked through our problems. We figured out solutions, we figured out a way forward, and it has been an honor and a blessing to be a part of this Executive Council.”

Read more here.

April 20, 2022

(In English and Spanish)

April 20, 2022

(In English and Spanish)

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service – April 22, 2022] The Episcopal Church in North Texas, one year after a legal defeat forced the diocese to relinquish to a breakaway group the last of its former properties and its former identity as the Diocese of Fort Worth, is poised combine with the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. Leadership votes could take place as soon as June.

The plans were unveiled to Diocese of Texas clergy in a Zoom meeting April 20 and announced publicly on April 22 in a joint news release. If approved by the two Episcopal dioceses, their reunion then must be affirmed by a majority of bishops and standing committees of The Episcopal Church. It would not require action by General Convention because the Fort Worth-based diocese once was part of the Diocese of Texas.

“We are being welcomed gratefully and gladly into a diocese that shares our values,” the Rt. Rev. Scott Mayer, bishop provisional of North Texas, said in the news release. “We believe this reunion will strengthen both parties, equipping The Episcopal Church to reach the people of North Texas … more effectively with our message of God’s unconditional love.”

Read more here.

[Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina – April 20, 2022] The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled April 20 that 14 South Carolina churches that were once part of The Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina shall be returned, along with all real and personal property held in trust for the diocese, including the St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center on Seabrook Island.

The churches left the diocese in 2012 and later joined the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and the April 20 news marks another milestone in a nearly decade-long legal journey that included a lower court decision in 2014 which was largely overturned by the state’s high court in 2017 and then further clarified with the decision this week.

Of the decision, the Rt. Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, said: “Their decisions will no doubt bring joy to many in our diocese, but for others, there will be grief in the possible finality of a loss they have been feeling for nearly 10 years.” She also added a hope for the future of the reconciled diocese: “We now walk into a bright future, one in which we will focus on the reconciling power of the Gospel to transform injustice, to heal the brokenhearted, and to build God’s beloved community.”

Read more here.

More reporting from Episcopal News Service is here.

St. Mary's Church in Palms

3647 Watseka Avenue, Los Angeles

St. Mary's Schola Marialis, under the direction of Sean Smith, will sing the Responses by Bernard Rose (1916-1996), Anglican chant psalms, the Evening Service in G by Herbert Sumsion (1899-1995), and the glorious "Surrexit pastor bonus" by Jean Lheritier (c. 1480 - after 1551). Evensong is held on the fourth Sunday of each month at St. Mary's. The church is well ventilated, and no reservations are required.

St. Matthew's Episcopal Church

1031 Bienveneda Avenue, Pacific Palisades

Information and tickets here or 310.573.7422

The Chamber Orchestra of St. Matthew's, under the direction of Dwayne S. Milburn, will present music of Haydn, Aaron Copland, William Grant Still, and Ethan Helm, who with Owen Broder will be a featured soloist in his own composition, Dream Walk Through Istanbul. Also on the program are Quiet City by Aaron Copeland; Out of the Silence by William Grant; and Symphony No. 88 by Franz Joseph Haydn. Masks are encouraged for all audience members. All audience members must show proof of having been fully vaccinated. Proof of vaccine booster is not required at this time.

St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church

18631 Chapel Lane, Huntington Beach

Information here

Tickets here

Haydn composed his Lord Nelson Mass during a time of storms and stress, when the world was scary, the future was murky, and music served both to reflect and to relieve the anxieties of the day. In this work, we find some of Haydn's most tempestuous music, and some of his sunniest. The Lord Nelson is considered one of Haydn's greatest achievements, and the Orange County Women’s Chorus is excited to partner with Men in Blaque to present it with full orchestra and some of our favorites soloists. Tickets ($35 general admission; $30 senior (65+); $15 student) must be purchased in advance online.

Proof of vaccination required for entrance.

St. James' in-the-City Episcopal Church

3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010

Information here

Tickets here

All Saints’ Church

504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills 90210

Information: 310.275.01, ext.112 or www.allsaintsbh.org

All Saints’ Choir and Orchestra perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Solemn Vespers, K. 339 and Coronation Mass, K. 317. The Vesperae solennes de confessore (Solemn Vespers for a Confessor) was written in 1780, and intended originally for liturgical use at Salzburg Cathedral — it was also his final work for the cathedral, and written just before his opera Idomeneo. Comprised of six movements with alternating sections for chorus and soloists, it is especially well known for its beautiful "Laudate Dominum" for solo soprano. The Mass in C Major was completed in 1779 in Salzburg, and was first performed in liturgical context. The mass appears to have acquired the nickname "Krönungsmesse" ("Coronation Mass") at the Imperial Court in Vienna in the early 19th century, after becoming the preferred music for royal and imperial coronations as well as services of thanksgiving. "The money we raise will support Episcopal Relief & Development, an agency of the national Episcopal Church, which has a network of Eastern Orthodox churches and other faith-based partners with ‘boots on the ground’ in cities in Ukraine, the border countries of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova as well as other countries providing refugee relief,” says the Rev. Canon Andrea McMillin, priest in charge at All Saints. Tickets: $25 adults / $15 students & seniors. Admission free with Music Guild donor season pass.

St. James' in-the-City Episcopal Church

3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010

Information here

Tickets here

Choir of Saint James offers the uniquely Anglican service of Evensong in the style of the great English Cathedrals on the second Sunday of the month at 4:30 p.m.. Freewill offering. Ticket required to attend.

St. James' in-the-City Episcopal Church

3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010

Information here

Tickets here

Jeremy Filsell is the newly-appointed organist and director of music at St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, where in April 2019 he assumed leadership of the world-renowned music program and its deeply-admired Choir of Men and Boys, following in the footsteps of illustrious predecessors Gerre Hancock, John Scott, and Daniel Hyde. Read more about this artist here. Ticket required to attend.

St. James' in-the-City Episcopal Church

3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010

Information here

Tickets here

Roger Wilkie, violin; John Walz, cello and Edith Orloff, piano, perform Beethoven's Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1, "Ghost" and Smetana's Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 15. Ticket required to attend.

All Saints’ Church

504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills 90210

Information: 310.275.01, ext.112 or www.allsaintsbh.org

Featuring the Tesserae Baroque Ensemble. The phrase “The Myth of Venice” is used by historians to describe a kind of “Venetian Exceptionalism”; in this formulation, art, architecture, and (of course) music was used to glorify the Republic. In a concert featuring cornetts, sackbuts, strings, and singers, Tesserae brings to life the grandiose polychoral music from the late Renaissance and the early Baroque – the Golden Age of Venetian music – as well as other non-Venetian works inspired by this rich musical tradition. This program includes Venetian music by Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli and Monteverdi, as well as works in the polychoral style by Diego Ortiz and Hieronymous Praetorius. Tickets: $30, $ 25 seniors and SCEMS, $10 students. Admission free with Music Guild donor season pass.

All Saints’ Church

504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills 90210

Information: 310.275.01, ext.112 or www.allsaintsbh.org

Sung by All Saints’ Choir Schola: Missa Ascendens Christus in altum and Ascendens Christus in altum (motet) by Thomas Luis de Victoria

Center for Spiritual Development

Meeting via Zoom and/or in person (as allowed by health codes). Register here

Part two of an introduction to desert spirituality through the lives and teachings of the desert fathers and mothers, sponsored by the Orange County-based Center for Spiritual Development. "Little known outside of academic circles, the desert ammas/mothers share spiritual medicine for our anxious, frenzied world: silence, solitude, and stillness. We will meet Amma Syncletica of Alexandria and Amma Mary the Harlot (of Egypt). Their earthy wisdom awakens in us renewed awareness that God’s love has always surrounded us." Led by the Rev. Brad Karelius, who has been a priest in the Diocese of Los Angeles for 50 years. For 45 years he was associate professor of philosophy at Saddleback Community College. He is author of The Spirit in the Desert (2009), Encounters with the World’s Religions (2015) and Desert Spirit Places: The Sacred Southwest (2019). When registering, mark your preference for Zoom or in-person. Cost: $20 per person.

Additional events are listed on the diocesan calendar here. For more about Holy Week and Easter services in the Diocese of Los Angeles, click here.

Donors may save up to 15 minutes by completing pre-donation reading and answering health history questions here, rather than filling out forms on the day of donation.

Reservations are required. All donors and staff will be screened before entering the facilities.

St. John's Episcopal Church

Vicenti Hall

4745 Wheeler Avenue, La Verne 91750

Reservations here or call 1.800.RED.CROSS (1.800.733.2767)

Sponsor code: STJOHNS

Additional date at this location is Sunday, July 24.

St. John Chrysostom Episcopal Church

30382 Via Con Dios, Rancho Santa Margarita 92688

Reservations here or call 1.800.RED.CROSS (1.800.733.2767)

Sponsor code: STJOHN (note, no "s")

Questions? Contact Gary and Dena Graves, [email protected] or [email protected]

Additional date at this location is Sunday, Oct. 23.

Will your church host blood drives in coming months? Send the information to [email protected] for inclusion in the calendar. Please include the date, times, location and sponsor code.

Led by the Rev. Grant Holmes, honorary assistant priest at St. George's Church, Paris, France; and former vicar of St. Mary's Church in St. Alban's, U.K. Stops include a tour of London, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral; St. Alban's Pilgrim Church Trail; Canterbury, including a boat tour; the Cotswolds; Ely Cathedral; Cambridge; York; Edinburgh and St. Andrew's in Scotland. Highlights will include Evensong services, a private tour of Parker Library at Corpus Christi College (not open to the public), and free time for exploration. Package includes 12 nights' accommodation, daily breakfast, six lunches and two dinners; all guides, entrance fees, touring and transportation. Cost: $4,700 for double occupancy. Airfare, incidentals and additional meals not included. A $500 deposit is required; final payment is due June 17. A brochure is here. For information contact Bonnie Waite at 480.899.8006 or [email protected]

Listings may be sent to [email protected]. There is no charge.

BEVERLY HILLS: Controller, All Saints Episcopal Church. The controller is responsible for all facets of financial management and operations, including accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, cash flow management, insurance, and human resources. The controller is a key member of the senior management staff and reports to the priest-in-charge. The controller also works collaboratively with the vestry, treasurer, volunteer groups, committees, and program staff. A full job description is here.

FILLMORE/VENTURA: Community Engagement and Development Coordinator, The Abundant Table, a non-profit, organic certified farm and BIPOC- and women-led worker collective in Ventura County, California that seeks to transform our food system towards justice, liberation, and increased health for all people, while caring for the land and all who tend the land. Community Engagement and Development Coordinator will be responsible to oversee and coordinate the TAT community engagement and development processes, including management; fundraising; community engagement, coordination and development. 30 hours/week; salary and benefits $32,864.Full job description here.

JULIAN: Camp staff and counselors, Camp Stevens. Working a summer job at Camp Stevens isn't your average position. Our summer team is a collection of adventure creating, critical-thinking, empathy giving, game playing, dishwashing, luggage moving, camper inspiring life-changers. Summer Staff and Counselors complete the summer with experience and training in public speaking, child supervision, time management, scheduling and planning, group and team building, leadership styles, communication, restorative justice, trauma-informed care, diversity, equity and inclusion, anti-racism, feedback, food sanitation and handling, facility maintenance, trail work, outdoor skills, astronomy, health and safety management, and collaboration. Positions are open for Summer 2022. Counselors must be at least 16; staff must be at least 18. Compensation varies. Apply for Counselor Training here. Apply for staff positions here.

LOS ANGELES (ECHO PARK): Credit Union CEO/Manager, Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union. To provide strategic, vision, leadership, and management in all functional areas. Plan, direct and control credit union activities in accordance with credit union plans, policies, directives and activities as established by the Board of Directors. Responsible for ensuring financial stability and member satisfaction commensurate with the best interest of members, staff and credit union. A full job description is here. For more information and to apply, click here.

LOS ANGELES: Executive Director, IRIS (Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Service). The Diocese of Los Angeles is seeking a person who has deep experience in program strategy, development, and expansion that s/he will leverage to strengthen our existing programs and launch new, sustainable programs to better serve the needs of our clients. You will be successful in this role if you can create a multi-year program strategy, evaluate new service opportunities, build and implement programming, inspire and lead the IRIS program team, and take steps to grow the IRIS site with high quality, cost-efficient, and sustainable programming. The Executive Director will manage programs and monitor progress and compliance with the Bureau of Population, Migration, and Refugees, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, California Department of Social Services, Episcopal Migration Ministries and other funders to ensure standards and provision of timely and quality services to refugees and migrants are met. This position is a department head within the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and ensures strong communication and coordination with central office leaders including the Commissioner for Human Resources, Chief Financial Officer, Chief of Staff and the Bishop Diocesan. A full job description with application information is here. Application deadline: May 20, 2022.

LOS ANGELES: Coordinator for Capacity Building, Outreach and Volunteers, Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service. IRIS is a program of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and the Southern California based affiliate office of Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM). IRIS offers refugee resettlement assistance, intensive case management and immigration legal services to the low-income refugee and immigrant community of the greater Los Angeles region. The Coordinator for Capacity Building, Outreach and Volunteers will work across IRIS’ departments to build comprehensive community capacity and engagement to support IRIS’ efforts to support refugee and immigrant integration throughout the greater Los Angeles region. This position is responsible for: recruiting, training and supervising volunteers and co-sponsors; tracking and maintaining data; working with IRIS staff, donors and partners to coordinate donations of household goods; coordinating IRIS community engagement efforts including education and outreach to program partners, faith groups, educational institutions, and other community partners; and develop and distribute materials to engage local stakeholders around resettlement service activities that positively impact refugee and immigrant communities in the region. Full job description here.

LOS ANGELES: Preferred Communities Afghan Intensive Refugee Case Manager, IRIS (Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Service). Responsible for coordinating medical and/or mental health services and provide case management to individuals with refugee and asylum status who have significant physical and/or mental health conditions. The PC Afghan Intensive Case Manager will be part of a specialized team within IRIS that focuses on intensive case manager for the agency’s most vulnerable clients. The position will work to promote self-sufficiency and goal attainment for clients, through connections to ongoing programming and mainstream supports, in compliance with IRIS programs and contract guidelines. This position reports to the Refugee Program Supervisor and IRIS executive director. Full job description and application instructions here.

LOS ANGELES: Executive Director, Commission on Schools. The Diocese of Los Angeles and the Commission on Schools are seeking a lay or ordained person with school, preschool, and/or parish leadership experience to be a part of the diocesan staff beginning Summer 2022. Being an Episcopalian is not required but is preferable, and a non-Episcopalian must be willing to fully understand, articulate, and support the ministries of Episcopal schools and preschools. The position is 1000 hours per year, benefits eligible, with the work schedule to be determined by the needs of the position with respect to the school year and diocesan considerations. Please send a cover letter, resume, and a reference list to Canon Anilin Collado via email at [email protected] or by postal mail at 840 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90026 no later than April 30. A job description is here.

LOS ANGELES: Seminary Dean and President, Bloy House. The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles is recruiting an individual to serve as dean and president of Bloy House, the Episcopal Theological School of Los Angeles. Over its 50-year history, Bloy House has trained generations of lay leaders, priests, and deacons, moving flexibly with the needs of the diocese and the changing realities of academic seminaries. Our vision is that Bloy House will now put greater emphasis on lay formation and will provide an integrating hub for the many excellent existing, but disparate, formation programs in the diocese, as well as visioning new initiatives and expanded constituencies. A full job description is here.

LOS ANGELES: Preschool Director, St. James' Episcopal School. The preschool director oversees the Grammercy Place Preschool and is the supervisor for the St. Andrew’s Place preschool site director. The preschool director is responsible for curriculum, evaluation, professional development and parent and family engagement and communications for both preschool campuses. Website is here. Full job description here.

PACIFIC PALISADES: Live Stream Manager. St. Matthew's Parish is an inspiring house of worship situated in beautiful Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. The Director of Program Ministry seeks a part-time Live Stream Manager who is an experienced audio/visual consultant to partner with our ministry team to broadcast our live Sunday morning worship service and special services. A full job description is here. Please email your resume to [email protected]. Learn more about St. Matthew's here.

PACIFIC PALISADES: General Maintenance Worker, St. Matthew's Church and School. St. Matthew's is a vibrant community that includes both a Church and a School situated in beautiful Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. The Director of Facilities and Operations seeks a full time maintenance staff member with maintenance experience. This is a "hands-on" position and the ideal candidate will have repair maintenance and event setup experience, great people skills and a history of providing the highest level of customer service. A full job description is here. Please email resume to [email protected].

THOUSAND OAKS: Assistant Principal, St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School. Duties include helping with admissions, development, parent relations, student supervision, and program development. Candidate must have a college degree, a teaching credential, and a minimum of five years working in a school. Administrative experience is desirable. If interested, please send resume to [email protected].

WOODLAND HILLS: Receiving Supervisor, West Valley Food Pantry. The Receiving Supervisor is responsible for coordinating the daily staging and oversight of a drive-through food delivery operation. Empathy and kindness to the clients should be part of this individual’s makeup. The Receiving Supervisor is the Food Pantry’s liaison with donating markets, and should cultivate excellent communication with the market's managers. Relationships with our volunteers is paramount, and a positive demeanor is a necessity. The Receiving Supervisor is responsible for accepting, tracking and inventory of all incoming deliveries and donations, in cooperation with the Warehouse Assistant. Full job description here.

The Episcopal News Update is published on Wednesday afternoons. News items, job listings, calendar items, questions and comments may be sent to [email protected]. Weekly deadline is Tuesday at 12 p.m. Photos are welcome: please include them as attachments (rather than embedded in a document). To subscribe, click here.

— Janet Kawamoto, editor