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From Bishop Steve
Dear Friends in Christ,
If you were to ask a random bunch of Episcopalians about their favorite church services or worship memories, you would more than likely hear stories about Christmas Eve. Ironically, there is no requirement for a Christmas Vigil. The Propers are just for the First Service of Christmas. But there is something about the darkness, the candlelight, the Christmas hymns and carols, the birth of a child that pulls us into a place of mystical wonder. For many of us Christmas Eve is our favorite service.
Christmas is the celebration of the Incarnation, God with us and in us. The Incarnation has been called the Anglican Heresy because it is so central to our belief, more popular than Easter. We believe that the Spirit of God is present in us and that through prayer and worship that our spirits are strengthened for our service in the world. Every Sunday service ends with the charge, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” We are sent, filled with the Spirit, to serve the world God has made.
Episcopalians are sometimes criticized for a certain dryness. We are “the people of the Book (of Common Prayer).” We are not renowned for enthusiasm in worship or for public expressions of spirituality. We are chastised for being cold and intellectual. But those criticisms miss the mark. We believe we are given the Spirit in Baptism and “marked as Christ’s own forever.” The Spirit dwells in us, and we spend a lifetime nurturing and sustaining the Spirit in us. We are Spirit-filled people.
All of this is critical for understanding what happens when we gather for worship and for decision-making. Whatever your community looks like on Sunday morning or at a Vestry meeting or at coffee hour, the Spirit of God is present. I like to say, “God is right here, right now.” And worship and decision-making and conversation take place under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes, of course, we’re inattentive. We’re distracted by cares at home or at work, by illness, by noisy children, by unfamiliar music. We forget to pray. We don’t open ourselves to God’s presence. We neglect our mystical connection with God and one another in Christ. But the Spirit of God is still present, still available, still ready to give us aid.
This is why, when we meet in Diocesan Convention or for a Vestry meeting, we always take time to pray. We call on the Spirit to be with us and to be part of our conversing and deciding. We remind ourselves that God is with us, right here, right now, and that when we pay attention our small meeting opens to the presence and purposes of God. Sometimes we fuss about this. We want to get down to business. Remembering that God is present with us is the first order of business for us in whom the Spirit dwells!
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I will be on vacation during August. I’ve asked several leaders of the diocese to offer the opening article for our Newsletter. I’m grateful for their willingness to take this on. If you have concerns about scheduling or appointments, please be in touch with Shawn Slother. If you have emergencies or concerns about worship or governance, please be in touch with Canon Cathy Dempesy-Sims.
Blessings,
Bishop Steve
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Bishop Listening Session Quote
Our listening sessions are rolling along!
We have visited and heard from over 30 of our wonderful congregations this summer!
We would encourage you to share the quote from one of our diocesan youth on your congregational (or even personal!) social media pages to help spread the good news!
Download this week's quote by right-clicking on the graphic image and SAVE IMAGE AS...
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Increasing Available Priests
Part 2 in a Series by Canon Cathy Dempesy-Sims
I was reminded the other day that in a conversation with the vestry at St. Patrick’s in Cheektowaga I said, “if you want a wider choice for clergy coverage, change the time of your weekly service away from Sunday morning.” They listened to me and moved their Sunday morning at 10 am service to 4:30 pm on Saturday. St. Michael and All Angels made a similar decision and hold their principle weekly service on Saturday at 4pm. They have regular coverage by a priest. You, too, can find the “clergy pool” deeper if you move your principle weekly service to a time other than 8 am-10 am on Sunday.
Want to increase your choices for coverage? Move away from Sunday morning.
Or (or maybe, additionally) share a priest with other congregations. There is the more familiar structure of two congregations sharing one priest. For many years, St. Andrew’s Burt and St. John’s Wilson shared one priest... READ MORE
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Worship Leader Training
The Revs. Karen and Kathy Lawler will provide training for anyone needing a new worship leader license on August 22 at the Diocesan Ministry Center from 9am-3:30pm.
Register HERE by August 16.
You you only need a previously issued license renewed (every 3 years), clergy may use this link to request one: RENEW LICENSE
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Sleep Away Camp 2026
REGISTER NOW!
Summer Camp is a long-standing tradition in the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York, and we are delighted to share that planning is underway for this year’s camp.
Sleep Away Camp will be held August 9–12 at the Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center in Bemus Point. Camp is open to all youth currently in 2nd through 12th grade, and campers will be divided into three groups based on grade level to ensure age-appropriate programming and activities.
To register a camper, REGISTER HERE
by July 31st.
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Here Am I, Send Me: The Journey of Jonathan Daniels
The Bishop Holly Chapter of the Union for Black Episcopalians (UBE) invites you to a free viewing and discussion of the award-winning film, Here Am I, Send Me: The Journey of Jonathan Daniels, with the film's creator Dr. Lawrence Benaquist. The movie and lunch will be held at the Diocesan Ministry Center on August 15, 9am-1pm.
The story of Jonathan Myrick Daniels, an Episcopal seminarian from Connecticut who answered the Rev. Martin Luther King's call for northern clergy to come to the South to advocate for racial justice and voting rights, is one we should know. Each year, on August 14th, the Episcopal Church remembers the martyred Jonathan Daniels, who gave his life during the civil rights movement. His sacrificial courage calls us to stand where Jesus stands—in solidarity with the oppressed.
Register by August 10 to attend: REGISTER HERE
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Combating Human Trafficking
Rotary clubs across WNY and Southern Ontario are inviting the public to join the fight against human trafficking in conjunction with Project Mona’s House of Buffalo centering in a second geographical area of Western New York: Lockport.
The event, titled “Rotary Wants Your Help to Stop Human Trafficking” will take place on Saturday, September 12 from 11:30am to 2:30pm at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County Training Center. Doors will open at 11am and includes a complimentary lunch.
This will be the second of at least 4 geographically-spread training opportunities planned throughout the WNY portion of Rotary District 7090, Rotary’s cross-border district serving Western New York and Southern Ontario. Additional sessions are planned in Erie County and the Southern Tier... READ MORE
Registration due by September 6: REGISTER
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September EFM Classes Forming
Education For Ministry (EFM) is a unique experiential theological education program for laity.
Since its founding in 1975, the program has assisted participants in discovering how to respond to the call of Christian service. EFM helps participants encounter the Christian tradition’s breadth and depth and bring it into conversation with their experiences of the world as they study, worship, and engage in theological reflection together An EFM group of six to twelve participants with a trained mentor meet weekly for two and a half to three hours over the course of a nine-month academic year.
For more information on joining a September class, contact:
Karl Costello, Mentor
716.397.3327
Linda Makson, Coordinator
585.781.4661
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PT Office Manager
St. John’s Grace in Buffalo is seeking a part-time Office Manager (15-25 hours/week).
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. The ideal candidate is hoped to begin on, or as soon as possible after Monday, August 24, 2026.
For a complete position description and application procedure, visit the diocesan website, EMPLOYMENT PAGE
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Episcopal News Service
Stay informed on everything in the wider Church by visiting and/or subscribing to the Episcopal News Service (ENS).
ENS WEBSITE
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Prayer for the Bishop Search
Gracious God, we give thanks for your loving care for the people of the Diocese of WNY and the members of the Bishop’s Search and Transition Committees. Give us wisdom and understanding as we discern your will. We
ask for the gifts of honesty, to speak the truth in love; openness to the gifts and ideas of others and to the Holy Spirit; and willingness, to see your Light shining among us and on the path ahead. Prepare for our Diocese a bishop who will be a faithful pastor, and equip us for the ministries to which we are
called in these changing times. Help us to love and serve your world and one another in the Spirit of Christ, trusting in you to be our steadfast helper and guide; let us pray to the Lord. AMEN.
| | | | Congregational News & Stories | |
2005 Episcopal Youth Event | |
Bigger Than Your Sunday Morning
Ms. Katelyn Nicoloff is a lifetime member of St. Patrick's in Cheektowaga. She also serves on the Bishop Search Committee and as Assistant Director of Sleep Away Camp. She writes a blog on Substack, and this was her entry for Sunday, July 26th, in which she speaks about the role of the diocese in all of our congregations' lives:
"A theme has been coming up in conversations I’ve been having around my diocese lately. A lot of people don’t really know what their diocese is. They know their parish. They know their priest. They know the people they sit with on Sunday morning. But the wider structure — the diocese, what it does, why it exists — is largely a mystery.
And I get it. For most people, church is a local experience. It’s the building down the street, the community you’ve built over years, the familiar rhythm of a Sunday morning... READ MORE
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Fr. Kevin preaching in Stafford on July 26 | |
A Friar Served at St. Paul's
In late spring, Canon Cathy and Bishop Steve received an email from The Rev. Dr.
Kevin Goodrich, a priest and friar in the Anglican Dominican Order. He was asking if the diocese needed a priest to serve one of our congregations on Sunday, July 26, as he
would be traveling from Rhode Island to Canada for the Dominican Order's annual meeting.
St. Paul's in Stafford graciously welcomed him this past Sunday, where he was a big hit, preaching a sermon that struck just the right chord with this small-town, rural congregation.
Many thanks to Deacon Diane Cox for handling the logistics and to Friar Kevin for the visit!
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Summer Carillon Concert Series
Calvary, Williamsville - We invite you to the free Annual Summer Carillon Concert Series.
Calvary’s carillon consists of 44 fixed bells which are struck by clappers connected to a keyboard of batons and pedals.
Concerts will begin in the Kryder Courtyard, moving inside to the air conditioned church for the second half of the evening. Attendees are asked to bring chairs for use in the courtyard.
July 29 at 7pm features Carillonneur Sheryl Modlin (USA, Ohio) followed by Roland Martin and Friends presenting music featuring the newly-acquired harpsichord.
August 5 at 7pm features Carillonneur Julie Zhu (USA, Michigan) followed by the Anderson Saxophone Quartet.
August 12 at 7pm features Carillonneur Michael Gancz (USA, California) followed by Ethan Hart and his Jazz Quartet.
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July Holy Hike at Owen Falls Sanctuary Trail, East Aurora | |
Holy Hikes
St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo - Join us for our monthly hike on August 8 at Stiglmeier Park in Cheektowaga.
We hike rain or shine starting at 10am. All are welcome; carpooling will be available from the Cathedral at 9:30am or you can join us directly at the appointed hike location.
Join us as we will hit the trail to celebrate the Eucharist in nature!
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Friday Concert
St. Peter’s, Eggertsville - Looking for a source of entertainment for the dog days of
Summer? Try your Diocesan Ministry Center on August 14 from 7-10pm with Saving Waves.
The folks at St. Peter’s Eggertsville, as part of their Capital Campaign, are offering a night of music entertainment for your
listening pleasure (and dancing if the music so moves you). Bonus: Father Dan Pinti of St. Peter’s is one of the band members!
Save $5 per ticket by ordering tickets ONLINE by August 7. We’d love to see you there.
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