March 2025

This newsletter is sent to subscribers.

An Important Note about Newsletter Links

We have been experiencing some challenges with some of our direct links within Constant Contact to Zoom and YouTube. If you encounter trouble with a Zoom link, please enter the meeting ID and passcode manually in Zoom. If issues persist, please contact Kathy Traynor for assistance.

A Lenten Invitation from Bishop Rob

Adapted from a message delivered to Episcopal Church of New Hampshire clergy at the Lenten Clergy Quiet Day on March 6.

In direct response to the gathering chaos, ugliness, and banality of our day, I want to invite us into a time of spacious prayer and contemplation.

We are in a time of trial, my siblings in Christ, and I urge us to purge ourselves and to fast from the attractiveness and the lure of magical thinking. There are no signs, no credible or reasonable signs, that things are going to improve before they get worse in our rupturing world. If there is a purgative element to a Lenten fast, this is it. I invite you into such a Lent. It is time, now, to stop believing that any of the parties are going to turn, or rally, or stand up, or stand down from their hardening position in a way that will bring harmony or a sense of political optimism. I am eager to be wrong, but after so many years, I have realized that every prognosticator, on the left, right, or center, has proven mistaken.

Read the entire message here. Download a PDF here.

In The News

Annual Ashes Tradition at St. Andrew's, Hopkinton

On Ash Wednesday, the "Concord Monitor" featured the Rev. Reed Loy's curbside "Ashes to Go" offering at St. Andrew's in Hopkinton.

"We’ve got the full liturgy for Ash Wednesday, but also a recognition that that’s not accessible to everybody, and knowing the meaning that it has for a lot of folks who lean in, particularly in Lent,” Loy told reporter Geoff Forester. Read the story here. (Note that there may be a paywall.)

'Font Relay' Brings Sacramental Church Pieces from Maine to Alabama

If you've never heard of a "font relay," you're not alone. It's what a team of Episcopalians dubbed their successful efforts to transport a baptismal font, a processional cross, and an altar cross from the Fryeburg, Maine home of the Rev. Sinclair "Skippy" Ender, rector of Christ Church in North Conway, to a new church plant in Alabama. Ender had been storing the pieces since a church in Hallowell, Maine, closed in 2021, and had hoped to find them a new permanent home. He offered them in response to a request on the Episcopalians on Facebook page, and when the shipping costs proved too high, 14 volunteers from 11 parishes stepped up to "relay" the items southward. Read the uplifting story in the Episcopal News Service here.

Photo: After driving the font and crosses from Maine to Springfield, MA, on Feb. 3 Ender transferred them to Leslie Williams, who transported them to Danbury, CT. (Facebook)

Around the Diocese

Bishop Visits Grace Church Manchester

On Sunday, March 9, Bishop Rob joined the clergy and congregation of Grace Church Manchester for an official visitation. From left: the Rev. Edward Cardoza, priest in charge; Bishop Rob, and Kara Maslowski.

Bishop Rob Interviewed by Bishop Jake Owensby

The Rt. Rev. Jake Owensby, bishop of Western Louisiana, recently hosted Bishop Rob Hirschfeld on his faith-focused podcast, "The Woodlands." Bishop Owensby's podcast explores "thoughts on navigating life's messy places with faith, hope, and love." The episode with Bishop Rob's interview is available on most podcast platforms. To listen to this and other episodes, subscribe for free here.

Announcements and Updates

An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice 2025

An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice is halfway through its second year. Over the past two years this program has shifted from a small pilot to open enrollment for Province 1. In this time of significant political upheaval and social change, the Path offers a model for grounded community support and activism. Enrollment for the Path is now open for the fall of 2025. If you or your community are looking to deepen your engagement around climate justice, have a committed group of at least three people, and are able to commit to monthly meetings between October 2025 and May 2026, you are invited to explore how the Path may be able to support you. Learn more here.

Holy Week with Jesus Text Messages

The "Holy Week with Jesus" text-message experience is back for 2025. Join in for reflections from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. This text message experience brings the events of Jesus’s final days to your phone—often at surprising hours, making you feel right there in the moment. Participants receive short, powerful Breaking News reflections from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. Scan the QR code at HolyWeekWithJesus.com or text “JESUS” to (833) 510-5006. You'll begin receiving messages on Palm Sunday. See all of our Lent and Holy Week resources here .

The Province 1 Christian Formation Network Conversations with Noted Speakers

Thursdays, March 20, May 15, and June 19, 7 - 8:30 p.m. on Zoom

While hosted by the Episcopal churches of New England, everyone is welcome to join these sessions. Each includes time for questions and conversation as participants learn from each other new ways of sharing our faith.

March 20 - Becoming Intentionally Intergenerational

May 15 - The Gifts and Possibilities of a Parish [Lending] Library

June 19 - Season of Creation as Congregational Development

Read program descriptions here.

Summer Programming at Adelynrood Retreat and Conference Center

A ministry of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross, the historic Adelynrood retreat center is set on 15 bucolic acres in Byfield, MA. Registration is now open for a variety of single and multi-day summer programs, including "Seeing as a Spiritual Practice," "Life Story Writing," and "Rewilding the Spirit." An ideal introduction to Adelynrood is its Annual Open House, Neighborhood Picnic, and Craft Fair on Saturday, May 31, noon - 3 p.m. Learn more here.

Upcoming Events

A World Unraveling: A Day with Brian McLaren

Saturday, May 3, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Grand Ballroom, Westin Portland Harborview, Portland

For 25 years, influential author and activist Brian D. McLaren has navigated the complex interplay between religious faith and contemporary culture in our rapidly changing world. His work incorporates valuable insights from philosophers, poets, scientists, and theologians, addressing pressing themes such as hope, the significance of grieving, and the need for fresh perspectives on thinking, becoming, and belonging during difficult times.

Join Brian and our friends in the Diocese of Maine—a co-sponsor of the event—for an inspiring conversation on remaining hopeful and finding purpose amid the environmental, economic, political, military, and social crises unraveling our world. Lunch is included.

Learn more and register here. Early Bird registration is discounted for those who register by March 31.

Download a flyer to share with your congregation.

Job Openings

Church of Our Saviour is looking for a Children’s Ministry leader—someone to provide education to a small number of 4- to 10-year-old children for the first half hour of worship services each Sunday. This position will have a role in choosing the Episcopal curriculum for each Sunday. Pay is $20 per hour for four hours per week. Candidate must have a life of Christian faith and a love of teaching children. Safe Church training will be necessary. The position will be supported each week by an experienced volunteer. If interested contact the parish administrator, Abbie Law.

Emmanuel Church in Ashland seeks an organist or pianist to assist with Sunday worship by leading the congregation in hymns and service music. The church has a beautiful organ and a grand piano in a great acoustic space, and is a community that loves to sing. Pay is commensurate with experience. To apply, email your resume to Fr. Steve Rugg. Learn more about the position here.

Emmanuel Church—a seasonal chapel in Dublin—is looking for a priest in charge for the month of August to serve this spiritually vital summer community as priest, pastor, and teacher. A rectory is provided as well as a full array of recreational activities in the Monadnock region. Please see the job description, parish profile, and process for application here.

Is your church hiring? If so, email us with the information and/or a link to the job description on your church’s website.