On Sunday, Sept. 11, Episcopalians from congregations across the diocese marked in various ways the 10th anniversary of the events on that day in 2001 that have so deeply affected all. 

At Trinity Church in Melrose, they rang the tower bells and gathered outdoors

Those attending the Sept. 11 service at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul lit candles to remember those who have died.    Photo:  Tracy J. Sukraw

for prayers before proceeding into the church for the Eucharist.  People from Epiphany Parish in Walpole joined with others in a town park for an observance they called "Under One Blue Sky," organized by the Walpole Ministerial Association.  The Rev. Fred Moser, Rector of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Wayland, helped lead the interfaith memorial service at the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland (read Wayland Patch's coverage here). 

At St. Paul's Church in Nantucket, the bells marking the times of the plane crashes chimed during Bishop Bud Cederholm's sermon.  "Each time we paused in silence, tearfully remembering and reflecting on God's story of deliverance from slavery in Exodus, Jesus' deliverance in the new exodus from slavery to sin and guilt through the cross and hope that comes from his resurrection and the power of the Spirit that moves us to reconciling ministries of compassion and peace," Cederholm said in a Facebook comment.

At the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, an evening prayer service brought the day to a quiet, reflective end, with prayers in Arabic and English, music by cellist Kim Hardy and the MagnificatBoston choir, directed by Mark Engelhardt, and meditations on hope and fear offered by Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE and Tufts chaplain Naila Baloch.

Shaw was traveling alone in Turkey at the time of the 2001 attacks.  He shared his recollections of how the hospitality and comfort that people there extended to him at a time of distress and confusion gave him a sense of hope and possibility--"possibility of us sharing our common humanity, no matter what our faith is or where we come from or what we look like," he said.

It didn't take long after the events of Sept. 11 for war and divisiveness to build up and spread, he observed, "and I have to say there have been times over the last 10 years when I've experienced this divisiveness in our country and I've let my fear obliterate the hope that was there and the possibility of resurrection," he said.

He talked of how Jesus used parables to show how the kingdom of God is revealed through tiny or obscured things--the mustard seed that grows into something mighty; one pearl of great price; a treasure hidden in a field--and said that faith gives people the eyes to see and the ears to hear in seeking out hope and possibility where those things are least expected. 

"The first gift that Jesus gives to us when he rises from the dead is the gift of peace, and the gift of hope that out of the most terrible things there can be not just new life but better life," he said.  "What our God wants us to do is to take that little mustard seed, that little secret, and work with it so that everywhere in this world there is new life and there is transformation."

At the end of the service, members of the congregation waited in a long line to light candles in remembrance of those who have died.

Hurricane Irene, downgraded to a tropical storm as it reached New England over the weekend of Aug. 27-28, caused damage up the coast and across New England--not as much as was first feared in most places but more than expected in others. 

Parish clergy in the Diocese of Massachusetts

The seawall at the Church of St. Mary of the Harbor in Provincetown at the storm's height.  Photo:  The Rev. Terry Pannell

reported widespread tree damage and inconveniences from ongoing power outages in the first days after the storm, but only relatively minor damage to church buildings.

"While we are grateful that we here in Massachusetts have fared well, we are deeply aware of damage to property and loss of life elsewhere on the East Coast and in the Caribbean during Hurricane Irene's early strength.  Please keep all who have been affected in your prayers," Bishop Bud Cederholm wrote in an Aug. 29 e-mail message to congregations.

Gethsemane Church in Proctorsville, Vt., lost its parish hall and slid off its foundation in the Aug. 28 storm. (PHOTO:  Episcopal News Service/Diocese of Vermont)

The Rev. Michael Hamilton, disaster preparedness and relief coordinator for the Diocese of Massachusetts, suggests several ways to lend a helping hand to neighbors in the Diocese of Vermont, where heavy rains and flooding took their toll:

· To learn about ways to volunteer go to www.VTResponse.com 

· Food donations:  Text FOODNOW to 52000 to donate $10 to the Vermont Foodbank, which maximizes each donation into $60 of buying power for families in need, Hamilton says. 

· Contribute through Episcopal Relief and Development and learn about its ongoing efforts on numerous fronts:  www.er-d.org.   

In her opening sermon to the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops, meeting Sept. 15-20 in Quito, Ecuador, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori referenced recent natural disasters, including Hurricane Irene and wildfires in Texas, saying that it is through disaster that doors of the human heart and social structures are opened.  Read more.  Bishop Gayle E. Harris is representing the Diocese of Massachusetts at the meeting. 

Friday, Nov. 4, the opening evening of Diocesan Convention, will be a road trip to Fenway Park where the diocesan community will honor Bishop Bud Cederholm on the occasion of his retirement.

Find all the details here.

A limited number of dinner tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis until Sept. 23 or they are gone, whichever comes first.  Sign up here or contact Diane Pound (dianep@diomass.org or 617-482-4826, ext. 349) with any questions. 

Read messages of thanks and congratulations to Bishop Bud and post your own here.

Join Bishop Bud for "Moving Planet":  Bishop Bud Cederholm invites Episcopalians to join him in making a witness for the planet on Saturday, Sept. 24 as part of a wider "Moving Planet New England" event focused on moving beyond fossil fuels.  He asks Episcopalians to bring signs and banners and gather with him at 2:30 p.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (138 Tremont Street) in Boston, to then join various other parades making their way to Columbus Waterfront Park for a rally.

Creation Care Season:  Last year's Diocesan Convention voted to urge congregations to observe late Pentecost (Oct. 2-Nov. 26) as a "Creation Care Season" and to take up offerings in support of the Green Grants Initiative.  Resources, including a bulletin insert, to help congregations in their worship and study during Creation Care Season, and throughout the year, are available here.

Church remembers Walter Righter:  The Rt. Rev. Walter C. Righter, retired bishop of the Diocese of Iowa, died on Sept. 11 and his life was celebrated during a Sept. 15 service in Pittsburgh, near where he had been living.  Most remember Righter as the subject of a heresy trial, brought about when a group of bishops filed a 1995 presentment against him because he had ordained an openly gay man to the diaconate in the Diocese of Newark in 1990.  An ecclesiastical court eventually ruled that Righter had not violateed church law or "core doctrine" and the charges were dismissed. 

While living in retirement in New Hampshire, he made Confirmation visitations in Massachusetts parishes from 1997 to 2003, and endeared himself to many who came to know him as a "gentle, dear man with a wonderful sense of humor," recalled diocesan staff member Suzette Phillips, adding:  "His New Hampshire license plate read:  HERETIC."

UBE says "Come and See":  The Massachusetts Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians is reaching out to all black Episcopalians in the Diocese of Massachusetts with a hand of fellowship and an invitation to learn more about the organization and discover what God is doing to expand common mission and strengthen connections.  For more information, contact the Rev. Leslie Sterling at ammaleslie@gmail.com.

Signs for these times:  The familiar blue, white and red "Episcopal Church Welcomes You" street signs have undergone a redesign and are now customizable and available for purchase, in both English and Spanish, via www.episcopalchurchmarketplace.org.  Episcopal Church director of communication Anne Rudig says the new design is intended to be simpler, larger and bolder.  "There is a definite curb appeal in the updated look," she said.  Also familiar to the signs but now gone:  rust.  The promotional materials say the new signs are manufactured to better stand up to the elements.

Crucial first responders:  Massachusetts National Guard chaplain Paul Minor of All Saints' Church in Belmont and Kimberly Potts of St. James's Church in Amesbury reminded a recent Home Base conference that clergy play a key role in veterans' care.  The conference was covered in this Aug. 15 Boston Globe story.

Toe-tapping, hip-swaying end to summer on the Vineyard:  So said the Martha's Vineyard Times on Sept. 7 of the annual Labor Day weekend outdoor service at Grace Church in Vineyard Haven.  And after all that there was a picnic on the lawn.