From Bishop Sean: The Rev. Canon Abbott Bailey Appointed Partnership Canon for Strategy and Chief Operating Officer |
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Dear Friends in Christ:
In my diocesan convention address, I mentioned that I would soon be appointing a full-time, experienced interim canon from outside our dioceses to help provide us with the structure we need to pursue our mission strategy and support our congregations. I am pleased to say that I have now called the Rev. Canon S. Abbott Bailey, a gifted and experienced priest and diocesan leader, as partnership canon for strategy and chief operating officer.
Abbott, who will join our staff at the beginning of January, is just concluding 18 months as interim canon to the ordinary in the Diocese of Virginia, after serving as canon to the ordinary in the Diocese of California from 2018 to 2021. Prior to those positions, she served as the rector of St. Andrew’s in Richmond, Virginia for 10 years; as associate rector of St. Stephen’s, also in Richmond, for two years; and as a school chaplain and co-executive director of an Episcopal Service Corps program. Born and raised in West Virginia, Abbott worked in nonprofit health care, health policy, and health philanthropy before attending Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and being ordained to the priesthood in 2005.
In her new role, Abbott will live and be based in Buffalo. She will function as the chief of the partnership staff, providing structure and support that will allow our canons who have been deployed in congregations to pursue both their diocesan responsibilities and congregational ministries even more effectively. I am particularly eager to work with Abbott to implement our mission strategy collaboratively across both of our dioceses as we transition into the next phase of our partnership.
Abbott is particularly skilled at supporting congregations in times of change, strengthening leaders and exploring new models for ministry. In collaboration with our existing canons, she will coordinate support for congregations and will work with me and our elected leaders to prepare for the evaluation of our diocesan partnership in 2024 and 2025. She will also manage the Title IV process when the need arises.
In addition to the opportunity to work with our dioceses, Abbott tells me she is drawn to our region by her love of the outdoors, and she is looking forward to getting to know the Great Lakes and our region’s parks, forests and rivers with her dogs. I am eager for all of you to have the opportunity to welcome Abbott to our region, and I give thanks to God for the promise of her ministry with us.
Faithfully,
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A Ukrainian Sponsor Circle - And Pierogies - At St. James and St. Peter's |
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Deacon Tom Tripp of St. Peter’s first learned of the work of Ukrainian Sponsor Circles at a meeting hosted by Jewish Family Services of Buffalo. The Sponsor Circle program, started by a coalition of non-profits in partnership with the U.S. State Department, helps organizations navigate the process of sponsoring refugees. When Tripp took the idea to the Rev. Dan Pinti, also of St. Peter’s, and Deacon Diana Leiker, both thought a Sponsor Circle to be a worthy effort for the two congregations.
Leiker, who serves part-time at both St James and St. Peter’s and as archdeacon in the Diocese of Western New York, knew of a family of five who had recently fled Ukraine through one of her daughters, a teacher at the middle school where one of the family’s children was newly enrolled. Leiker’s other daughter works with the family’s sponsoring relative at Erie County Medical Center. And that, says Deacon Tom Tripp, is how the Holy Spirit led St. Peter’s and St. James to the Balanovych family. “Thanks be to God!” he says.
Photo: the Balanovych Family from L-R: Sergei, Masha, Dasha, Olga, Halnyna
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St. David's, West Seneca Hosts Election Day Prayers |
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St. David's, West Seneca hosted an Election Day service of prayers and healing on November 8. Designed by the Rev. Cathy Ritz, the service included healing prayers for the country and its leaders, prayers for each other and our neighbors, and prayers for creation and the earth we inhabit. The Rev. Claudia Scheda and members of the congregation led those gathered in meditations, litanies, and music with opportunities for anointing and candles to light during intercessory prayers.
St. David’s intends the service to become a regular event.
photo: Robin Kozlowski, a candidate for holy orders, lights a candle on Election Day
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St. Paul's Cathedral Hosts Thanksgiving Dinner |
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top: Cathedral member Judy Elliott welcomes Jimmy, a cathedral neighbor, to the Community Thanksgiving Dinner.
below: Deacon Martha Farone (St. Paul’s, Lewiston) joins Bernitha Washington and Lena Baker from TURF, the Urban Redemption Foundation, in packaging up cake for the Community Thanksgiving Dinner.
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Welcoming During Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
An online discussion on November 17 at 7 p.m
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On November 17 at 7 p.m., Canon Twila Smith will lead an online discussion exploring creative ways to welcome people during Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany using concepts of Invite-Welcome-Connect, with seasonal variations.
RSVP via email to Canon Smith for the Zoom link.
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New York State Council of Churches Awards December 9
Partnership to Receive Social Justice Awards
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The award will be presented at the New York State Council of Churches Seventh Annual Awards and Fundraising Dinner on December 9 at the Desmond Hotel in Albany.
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Dinner and Basket Raffle Fundraiser December 1
Christ Church, Lockport
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On December 1 beginning at 5:30 p.m., Christ Church, Lockport will host a dinner and basket raffle fundraiser to support its altar guild.
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Santa's Sleigh Photo Fundraiser December 2 and 3
St. Mark's, LeRoy
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On December 2 from 6-8 p.m. and December 3 from 2-5 p.m., St. Mark's, LeRoy will hold a Santa's Sleigh photo fundraiser for kids of all ages. Each child will be edited into a high-flying sleigh image with Santa. Photos are $50 for the first person and $10 for each additional person, and proceeds will be split between St. Mark’s and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
photo credit: Jim DeLooze
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Nativity Sets to Be On Display December 3 and 4
Advent, Kenmore
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On December 3 and 4, Advent, Kenmore will host a display of more than 300 Nativity sets from around the world. This free event is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on December 3 and from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on December 4. The sets are different sizes, have different themes, and showcase materials that reflect the cultural areas from which they came. There will also be child-friendly sets to encourage touching and playing.
A baked good sale and a raffle for two Nativity-themed decorative items will also be held.
Call 716-876-6504 for additional information.
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Contemplative Renewal and Spiritual Community
Cathedral of St. Paul, Erie
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On December 7 at 7 p.m., the Cathedral of St. Paul, Erie, will host a conversation on contemplative renewal and spiritual community in the 21st century with the Rev. Adam Bucko, co-founder and director of the Center for Spiritual Imagination at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island. The event is free and open to all.
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Upcoming Retreats at St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo |
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Advent Quiet Day: Fragments of Blessing
December 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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This Advent mini-retreat will offer space for gently entering into the blessings of the season, with time for quiet, prayer, creativity, and peace. Light lunch provided. RSVP via email.
Naming the Holy: Spiritual Travels in the Light of Christmas & Epiphany
December 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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This retreat meets us in that turning point from one calendar year to the next, as Christmas unfolds into Epiphany. Come and see your own spiritual journeys, illumined through the Holy Name of Jesus. Light lunch provided. RSVP via email.
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Organ Concert and Celebration of Ministry December 10
St. James, Titusville
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On Saturday, December 10 at 2 p.m., St. James, Titusville will hold a free organ concert and reception to celebrate the ministry of the Rev. Canon Martha Ishman, who will retire in January. Logan Hamilton will be the featured organist with performances from Helyn Dahle, church organist, and the St. James Episcopal Church Choir.
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United Thank Offering November Gratitude Materials |
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United Thank Offering offers free online resources to help individuals, families, and groups focus on gratitude during November and consider the origins of our Thanksgiving celebrations.
Resources include:
- Liturgy booklet
- November Gratitude Challenge
- Faith formation lessons and crafts to teach elementary-age children about gratitude
- Thanksgiving lesson plan created by Native American Student Services at Oklahoma City Schools
- “Harvest Ceremony: Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth” – study guide created by the National Museum of the American Indian
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Partnership in Prayer Facebook Live Services
Tuesdays and Thursdays at Noon
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The bishop's staff invites people across the partnership dioceses to join them online Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon for virtual prayer on the Partnership in Prayer Facebook page.
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Morning Prayer at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Erie |
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Make Gifts and Pledges to Congregations Online |
Though congregations are now meeting in person, the bishop's office will continue to maintain an online giving platform that accepts gifts and pledge payments for any congregation. The partnership dioceses will absorb payment processing fees so contributions will go entirely to local mission.
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Anyone can subscribe to the leadership newsletter and the general newsletter, which are published on alternate Wednesdays.
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