All That Glitters

By many accounts the nation's capital is in the midst of a Golden Age.

The housing market is booming. The median sales price of houses in the city is $480,000 and the median rent is $2,250. Houses routinely sell after a spirited bidding war and less than 10 days on the market. Construction cranes dot the skyline as harbingers of new luxury developments to come. The city has become an attractive destination for celebrity chefs and their legions of followers. At last count, there are over 2,100 restaurants in the city; more than double the number of a decade ago. Read more...

Bishop's Blog: Help Complete the
EDOW Mission Statement

Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy.

-1 Peter 3:15 (The Message)

As Holy Week approaches, our leaders are prayerfully preparing to guide us through sacramental experiences that touch upon the deepest mysteries of Christian faith. For many, the services of Holy Week and Easter strengthen our love and commitment to Christ and make us glad to be part of the Episcopal Church. I know that's true for me. Read more...

In the Diocese

A Voice for the Voiceless

Written by Simon Bautista for Episcopal Church Foundation's Vestry Papers highlighting his work with immigrants in the Washington area

"Luke 4:16-19 is one of the most powerful biblical passages about social justice. Many people, myself included, think this text traces the path Christians should follow to make possible the full establishment of the kingdom of God on earth." Read more...

Spring Cathedral Confirmation

Cathedral Confirmation will be on May 16th at 10am, which will be joyful and celebratory Eucharist with a worship band - bringing together ageless traditions and hymnody in a contemporary music setting. If you are preparing candidates for presentation on May 16, please respond to Cheryl Wilburn by March 27 that you are coming and an approximation of how many you will be bringing. Also please indicate if some of your candidates are youth or young families, so that we may follow-up about their engagement in the service.

While the next Cathedral Confirmation will not be held until November 14th at 10am, we are holding June 20th for an additional confirmation if needed at a site to be chosen. We'll only hold this service if we have a significant number of candidates. If you need to bring candidates on June 20, please respond as above by March 27.

Parochial Reports

Thanks to all who have submitted already, or working under an extension. If you have not submitted it yet, be aware that the deadline was March 1, and you need to touch base with us. Do try to finish it before Holy Week. Information and forms are on the EDOW website. Contact Ann Talty.

Parish Election Forms

It is the season of parish annual meetings and elections. Please be sure to update your records with us so that elected people can receive up-to-date communication. The forms for the vestry election and for certification of delegates are on the EDOW website. Contact is Kim Bujak.

Nominations Now Open for Senior Celebration

Senior Celebration 2015 is your parish's chance to honor an older adult whose service has made a significant contribution to the life of your congregation or ministry. Sponsored by Seabury Resources for Aging, the service of Senior Celebration will take place Wednesday, April 22 at 10:00 a.m. at Washington National Cathedral, with a reception following at St. Alban's Episcopal Church. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde will co-preside. Click here by March 31st to nominate an honoree from your church.

Upcoming Diocesan Events

March 16

Facing the Ongoing Nakba

St. Mark's, Capitol Hill

Come learn about the Nakba ("catastrophe" in Arabic) from two non-profits - one Palestinian, the other Israeli. Representatives of Zochrot ("remembering" in Hebrew) and BADIL (the Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights) will provide an historical overview of the forcible displacement of Palestinians since 1948 and a discussion about the practicalities of return for refugees. All are welcome to this free event at St. Mark's, Capitol Hill. Sponsored by St. Mark's Mid-East Working Group; EDOW's Companion Committee for Jerusalem; Jewish Voice for Peace, DC Metro Chapter; and others. More information...

April 10-12

Silent Spring Retreat

Bon Secours Retreat and Conference Center, Marriottsville, MD

This year's retreat will focus on the theme "Beauty in a Troubled Word: Reclaim the Sacred and Holy in God's Creation." The retreat leader is The Rev. Dr. Joan E. Beilstein, Rector of Church of the Ascension, Sligo. Registration deadline is March 12, 2015. The fee is $325; Scholarships are available. More information...

April 17-18

Live Now Serve Now: Youth and Family Service Day

National Cathedral grounds

Youth and Families are invited to join together from across churches and regions and learn why service and outreach are important parts of a Christian life. Attendees will also participate in a hands-on service project. We will camp-out, worship and service in and around the National Cathedral and St. Alban's grounds. Find out more and register now.

July 12-18

Youth and Young Adult Freedom Ride

Lift Every Voice is a new, three-year initiative of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina for youth and young adults ages 15-22 from across the Episcopal Church. The first of these three years is Freedom Ride, 2015. Read more about this initiative. Find out more about how you can apply.

Parish Events

Ebola Relief Effort

The Sierra Leone Episcopal/Anglican Community Ministry is collecting food items, toiletries, and other essentials through March 31 to support ebola relief efforts in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Items can be dropped off at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Aspen Hill. A list of suggested items is available on the website.

March 13-15

St. Patrick's annual Haitian Art Sale to benefit their work in St. Etienne, Haiti

March 13

7pm: Discipleship in a Sick Society starts at St. Alban's with a lecture: Matthew's World: Being a Jew for Jesus in Greco-Roman Society

7:30pm: Every Friday during Lent, walk the Stations of the Cross. This powerful, contemplative liturgy at Redeemer, Bethesda lasts for about 30 minutes.

March 14

9:30am: Lenten Quiet Day with Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish at the National Cathedral

10am: Lenten Day of Service at St. Paul's, Rock Creek

10am: Discipleship in a Sick Society continues at St. Alban's with the workshop: The "Privileged" Life of the Disciple? The Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer, in Matthew's World and Our Own

March 15

4:30pm: Modern folk duo Friction Farm will perform at St. Anne's, Damascus

5pm: At Redeemer, Bethesda, the musicians of Inscape perform selection from their second major album, American Aggregatge, including works by Bohuslav Martinu, Armando Bayolo and Joseph Hallman

5pm: Washington National Cathedral Artist-in-Residence Stanley J. Thurston leads the Heritage Signature Chorale in a concert of soul-stirring, jazzy, and hauntingly mystical music

March 16

7:30pm: Lenten Taize Service & Healing Rite at Redeemer, Bethesda

March 18

7pm: St. Columba's hosts The Story that Makes Us Whole: God, Evolution, and the Power of Love, a speaker series with lectures by Dr. Ilia Delio, OSF, Professor of Theology at Georgetown University

7pm: Washington National Cathedral, in partnership with DC Environmental Film Festival and Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light, is hosting the Washington premier of Wisdom to Survive, a film on climate change followed by a panel discussion

March 19

7pm: Good Shepherd invites you to a special Lenten series focused on the Holy Land.

Shelley Cohen Fudge, Coordinator of Jewish Voice for Peace - DC Metro Chapter and Steering Committee Member of Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace, and Grace Said from the Palestine-Israel Advocacy Group, Washington National Cathedral will speak.

Prayer List

We ask your prayers of healing for:

Ed Kelaher's grandson (Lucas)

Martha Bonwitt's husband (Bill)

Joseph Trigg's son (Peter)

Margaret Gordon

Joan Beilstein's nephew (Brian)

Robert Tomlinson

Lane Davenport

We ask your prayers of comfort for:

Peter Antoci'smother (Helen) in hospice
Fr. Richard C. Martin - in hospice

Connie Reinhardt's father (Jim)

Lane Davenport's father (Charles)

Video

It's time to...Work 5: Worth