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Coming up
"Hope, Fear & Impatience in the Holy Land: One God, Two Peoples, Three Faiths": Bishop Gayle Harris will lead this discussion program on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 7-9 p.m., at Christ Church in Cambridge, offering her reflections on her visits to Israel and Palestine, and in light of the political ethnic and religious divisions that exist. All are welcome to join the conversation. |
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Also Coming Up
Feb 20: Contemplative Eucharist, Bethany House of Prayer, Arlington, 7 p.m.
Feb 21-March 21: Evensong, Thursdays in Lent, St. John's Church, Gloucester, 6 p.m. Feb 21-March 21: Thursday Lenten Series: Holy Lent--A Season for the Spirit, Parish of the Messiah, Auburndale, 7:30 p.m.
Feb 23: Regional Learning Day: Transforming Congregations Together, First Lutheran Church/Grace Chapel, Brockton, 8:30 a.m. Feb 23: Congregational Business Practices Workshop, St. Mary's Church, Barnstable, 9 a.m. Feb 23: Regional Youth Day, St. John's Church, Jamaica Plain, 10 a.m. Feb 26: Hope, Fear & Impatience in the Holy Land: A Discussion with Bishop Gayle Harris, Christ Church, Cambridge, 7 p.m. Feb 28: Diocesan Council, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 6 p.m. Mar 2: Regional Learning Day: Transforming Congregations Together, St. Andrew's Church, Framingham, 8:30 a.m. Mar 2: Congregational Business Practices Workshop, St. Paul's Church, Lynnfield, 9 a.m. Mar 3: B-SAFE 2013 Orientation for New and Returning Church Partners, Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, 1 p.m. Mar 3: Sisters of St. Margaret Lenten Evensong, Duxbury, 4 p.m. Mar 5-10: Sisters of St. Margaret Women's Retreat Week, Duxbury Mar 5: Strategic Ministries Budget Hearing, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 7 p.m. Mar 9: Episcopal City Mission-sponsored SOCAP Soul Conference, MIT Stata Center, Cambridge, 8 a.m. Mar 9: Eucharistic Visitor Training, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 9 a.m. Mar 9: Congregational Business Practices Workshop, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 9 a.m. Mar 9: Regional Youth Day, St. John's Church, Lowell, 10 a.m. Mar 10: Union of Black Episcopalians Absalom Jones Celebration, St. Bartholomew's Church, Cambridge, 4 p.m. Mar 13: Architectural Transformation Event, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 5:30 p.m. Mar 16: Regional Learning Day: Transforming Congregations Together, Christ Church, Cambridge, 8:30 a.m. Mar 16: Sisters of St. Margaret Lenten Morning of Prayer, Duxbury, 9:30 a.m. Mar 18: "Diversity Transforms Leadership" Dinner and Discussion Program, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 6:30 p.m. Mar 20: Open Budget Hearing, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 7 p.m. Mar 21: Sisters of St. Margaret Lenten Morning of Prayer, Duxbury, 9:30 a.m.
Mar 21: Diocesan Council, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 6 p.m. Mar 22-23: Pre-Confirmation Retreat, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H. Mar 23: Congregational Business Practices Workshop, St. Peter's Church, Weston, 9 a.m. Mar 23: Contemplative Retreat Day--"Solitudes that Leave an Indelible Mark," Bethany House of Prayer, Arlington, 10 a.m. Mar 24: North Shore Voices to End Homelessness Forum, First Church of Swampscott, 2:30 p.m. Mar 30: Easter Vigil, Bishop Shaw celebrating and confirming, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 7 p.m. Mar 31: Easter Day Eucharist, Bishop Shaw celebrant and preacher, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 10 a.m. Apr 5-6: Pre-Confirmation Retreat, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H. Apr 6: Regional Learning Days: Transforming Congregations Together, St. Mary's Church, Barnstable, 8:30 a.m. Apr 6: Building Inspiration: Your Church Property as Mission, Parish of the Epiphany, Winchester, 10:30 a.m. Apr 7: Sisters of St. Margaret Great Paschal Vespers, Duxbury, 4 p.m. Apr 13: Regional Youth Day, Church of the Holy Spirit, Fall River, 10 a.m. Apr 13: Angelica Center for Spiritual Living 2013 Speakers Series: Barbara Brown Taylor, Church of the Holy Spirit, Orleans, 2 p.m. |
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Episcopalians take Ash Wednesday invitation to the streets
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The Rev. Karen Coleman imposes ashes outside St. James's Church in Somerville. |
For the Rev. Karen Coleman, the Ash Wednesday rush hour in Somerville's Teele Square started at 7 a.m.
Positioned outside St. James's Church, its red doors wide open behind her, Coleman, wearing a purple stole over her black coat and holding a bowl of ashes, called out good morning to passersby. It was cold and very bright out. Everyone was bundled up and squinting. With sidewalks narrowly cleared and still treacherous in spots after the previous weekend's snowstorm, all were hurrying down Broadway with their eyes focused on their feet, and they seemed startled by the priest's greeting. Still, most returned it, and some stopped, after reading the "Ashes" sign taped to a folding chair beside her, to have their foreheads smudged and to hear her say something even more startling: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
So goes the solemn ritual that marks the beginning of Lent, the nearly six-week season of penitence and preparation for Easter. By bringing it outdoors, Coleman is among a growing number of church people, ordained and not, participating in a nationwide "Ashes to Go" effort to take the traditional practice into public places.
For taking up in Lent:* The Rich and the Rest of Us: Groups and individuals around the diocese are reading this "poverty manifesto" by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West. The study guide and online comment forum are available here. * Praying Our Lives: Subscribe to " Brother, Give Us a Word" to receive a short daily video during Lent from the brothers of the Society of St. John the Evangelist. * Episcopal Relief and Development Sunday: Episcopal Relief and Development is one way the Episcopal Church is at work healing a hurting world. Congregations are invited to use any Sunday in Lent as an Episcopal Relief and Development Sunday. Guidelines and Lenten meditations are available at www.er-d.org. * Carbon fasting: Join the Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast here to receive daily e-mails on ways to be more conscious and conscientious about reducing carbon footprint. * Lent Madness: Having prevailed in their first match-ups, Jonathan Daniels, Ignatius of Antioch, Janani Luwuum, Luke and Lucy have moved on to the next round of this online "devotion" that delves into the church's calendar of saints. Join the daily voting at www.lentmadness.org. |
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Monk in the midst
 In his latest video, Bishop Tom Shaw talks about how the season of Lent is like a valentine.
Watch the video and subscribe to the Monk in the Midst blog here. |
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Churches weather big weekend storm
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Weathering the storm at St. Mary's church, Dorchester |
Power outages caused hardship for many on the South Shore and Cape, but churches reported no significant damage as a result of the big weekend snowstorm that began Feb. 8. Some of their snowstorm photos shared via Facebook are collected on the diocese's public page here.
Diocesan events rescheduled because of the storm are listed here. |
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NewsNotes
Harvard Episcopalians join Hillel to create prisoner ed project: The Episcopal Chaplaincy at Harvard, together with Harvard Hillel, has organized an interfaith coalition of Harvard graduate and undergraduate students committed to mentoring incarcerated women and men who are working toward their bachelor degrees. The program is called Harvard Interfaith Prison Education, and it was founded by Tiffany Curtis, a fellow in the diocese's Life Together program, and Hilly Haber of Harvard Hillel, out of a brainstorming conversation at a Harvard Square coffee shop. Read more. |
 Climate Revival: This ecumenical festival on April 27 in Boston's Copley Square promises to be an inspirational day of preaching, worship, prayers and music to celebrate the splendor of creation and advocate its restoration and renewal. The Episcopal Church's presiding bishop, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, will be among the preachers and participants, also to include Geoffrey Black, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, with video messages from Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of the Anglican Province of South Africa, and author and environmentalist Bill McKibben. The event is being offered by New England Regional Environmental Ministries, with co-sponsorship by New England Episcopal dioceses and the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ. Find more information here.
Join "Green Friends": To be added to the "Green Friends" e-mail list, send an e-mail to Diane Pound at dianep@diomass.org. |
New diocesan staff members welcomed: The Rev. Dr. Edie Dolnikowski, the Rev. Thea Keith-Lucas, Cathy Menard, Esther Powell, Laura Simons and Laura Walta are now in place on the diocesan staff. "Having had several vacancies over a period of time, we are now nearly fully staffed, and we are grateful to have the new energy and experience that each brings. I know our diocesan community joins me in welcoming them," Canon to the Ordinary Mally Lloyd said. Read more here.
 Additionally, Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) in Cambridge has announced that Diane D'Souza has been hired to direct the new Mission Institute, which is a joint venture between the diocese through its Together Now campaign, EDS and Episcopal City Mission. Read more. |
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ParishCircuit
St. Mark's gets award-winning facelift: St. Mark's Church in North Easton received the Easton Historical Commission's Clement  Briggs Award last month for its building preservation efforts--particularly last year's repainting of the building in two-toned Victorian style. Bud Killam, the senior warden of St. Paul's Church in Natick, donated a painting crew from his company, Painters Pride, to do the work, adding a golden sunburst to the church's gable. Read more on Easton Patch, here. |
"Sanctuaries and Sacred Spaces": The Rev. Martha Hubbard, Rector of St. Paul's Church in Newburyport, is leading a tour of Southern England, July 22-31, and says that if you would like to wend your way from Canterbury to London through some of England's most beautiful cathedrals, visit the ancient stone circles of Stonehenge and Avebury and enjoy the beautiful gardens at Sissinghurst and Highclere Castle (made famous by PBS's "Downton Abbey")--then this trip may be for you. Reservation deadline is May 1. Find more information here. |
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NewsLinks
The Rev. Amy McCreath of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Watertown describes Ash Wednesday's "beautiful burning ritual" in the Feb. 10 Globe Magazine "First Person" column.
The Rev. Moses Sowale, priest of Grace Chapel, the Episcopal-Anglican ministry hosted at First Lutheran Church in Brockton, joined this Feb. 7 WGBH radio roundtable to discuss what it's like to share sacred space. Grace Chapel also was one of the four Christian congregations under one roof featured in this Dec. 30 Brockton Enterprise story.
The Rev. Dr. Edie Dolnikowski's departure from St. Andrew's Church in Wellesley to join the diocesan staff was featured in this Feb. 7 Wellesley Townsman article.
The Rev. Christine Whittaker shared her thoughts on parish ministry as she prepares to retire from St. Michael's Church in Holliston in this Feb. 4 Metrowest Daily News story.
Bishop Tom Shaw's visitation to Christ Church in Plymouth was covered in the Old Colony Memorial on Jan. 27.
St. Stephen's Church's Martin Luther King Jr. Service day at the Blackstone Elementary School in Boston was on the front page of the Jan. 24 South End News.
The Rev. Thea Keith-Lucas's call to campus ministry at MIT was featured in the Salem News on Jan. 18. |
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E-News
The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
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