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Coming up
Sep 18: Bethany House of Prayer Contemplative Eucharist , Bethany House of Prayer - Chapel of St. Anne, Arlington, 7:00pm
Sep 20: St. Cyprian's Centenary Banquet , Lombardo's, Randolph, 3:15pm Sep 20: Fenway Brass Quintet Ensemble in Residence , St. Peter's Church, Cambridge, 7:30pm Sep 21: Eucharistic Visitor Training, St. Michael's Church, Milton, 9:00am Sep 21: Episcopal Church Women: "Islam 101" Program, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 9:00am Sep 21: St. Andrew's "Rock the Block" and Yard Sale, St. Andrew's New Bedford , 9:00am Sep 24: Concert: Les Petits Chanteurs of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Port-au-Prince, Christ Church, Needham, 7:00pm Sep 28: Fall Resource Day 2013: B-PEACE, Roxbury Community College, Roxbury, 9:30am Sep 29: A Year of the Bible: Exploring the Great Story, Trinity Church, Copley Square, 10:15am Sep 29: Dr. Marc Brettler Talk on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Trinity Church, Copley Square, 2:00pm Oct 1: St. Mark's Burlington People Helping People Pumpkin Patch, St. Mark's Church, Burlington, (All day) Oct 1: Bethany House of Prayer Refreshment Day, Chapel of St. Anne, Arlington, 9:00am Oct 3: Bethany House of Prayer Contemplative Prayer Group, Bethany House of Prayer, Arlington, 10:00am Oct 3: Trinity Church Inquirers' Class , Trinity Church, 6:00pm Oct 5: Episcopal City Mission Annual Corporation Meeting, St. Andrew's Church, Framingham, (All day) Oct 6: St. John's 150th Anniversary Festive Evensong , St. John's Gloucester, 3:45pm Oct 6: St. Bartholomew's Homecoming and Installation of Rev. Leslie Sterling, St. Bartholomew's, Cambridge, 4:00pm Oct 8: Creation Care Season Kick-Off Reception, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 6:00pm Oct 12: Creation Care: Investment and the Church Conference, Christ Church, Needham, 9:00am Oct 15: 2013 Pre-Diocesan Convention Forum: Boston, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 7:00pm Oct 16: 2013 Pre-Diocesan Convention Forum: Newton Lower Falls, St. Mary's Church, Newton Lower Falls, 7:00pm Oct 17: Diocesan Council, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 5:30pm Oct 19: Eucharistic Visitor Training, Grace Church, Vineyard Haven, 9:00am Oct 19: Sustainable House of Worship (SHOW) Workshop, St. Mark's Church, Foxborough, 9:00am Oct 19: St. Bartholomew's Cambridge Benefit Dinner-Dance, VFW Post 1012, Medford, 4:15pm Oct 20: Bethany House of Prayer: Poetry Reading and Song, Bethany House of Prayer, Arlington, 3:30pm Oct 23: 2013 Pre-Diocesan Convention Forum: Trinity Church, Topsfield, 7:00pm Oct 24: 2013 Pre-Diocesan Convention Forum: Christ Church, Plymouth, 7:00pm Oct 25: Global Mission Event: Music and Mission with South Africa, Church of the Good Shepherd, Dedham, 7:00pm
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Episcopalians testify for gun law reform
 | | The interfaith clergy panel, including Rev. Timothy Crellin of St. Stephen's Boston (left). |
It was a long day of statistics and storytelling at the State House on Sept. 13, as hundreds gathered in Gardner Auditorium to give and hear testimony on proposed changes to the state's gun laws.
Sixty-some gun reform bills are before the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, and this was the fifth and final hearing in a road show of hearings the committee held across the state over the summer months.
"Episcopalians have attended these legislative hearings all summer in force, from Barnstable to Springfield, because we are committed to making our communities safe for all people," the Rev. Timothy Crellin, Vicar of St. Stephen's Church in Boston, told the committee. He delivered testimony on behalf of Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, who attended the morning session but had to leave before his panel was eventually called at around 1:30 p.m.
"Last September, gun violence struck at the heart of our diocesan community when 19-year-old Jorge Fuentes was murdered while walking his dog in the early evening outside his home in Dorchester," Crellin said of the young leader who was known by many Episcopalians through their involvement with him in the church's B-SAFE summer youth program.
"We continue to tell Jorge's story, share our pain and ask for meaningful reform. And we will keep asking, because we are in this for the long haul," Crellin said. "We are asking in particular for stronger penalties for gun trafficking to keep guns from flowing into our community. Burying Jorge Fuentes, I can tell you, personally was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Please do your part to prevent these tragedies," he said. Read more here.  B-PEACE Resource Day on Sept. 28: There's still time to sign up for the annual fall Resource Day on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Roxbury Community College. The day will be devoted to the diocese's B-PEACE antiviolence campaign, and will include presentations by the Rev. Kathleen Adams-Shepherd of Newtown, Conn., and a Urban Improv, along with workshops for adults and youth on a variety of responses to violence so that everyone will come away inspired and equipped to be peacemakers in their congregations, schools, families and communities. The event is free, but registration is requested and can be done online here. |
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Over the top: Together Now campaign surpasses $20-million goal
 A year and a half after its public launch, and with all congregations participating, the Diocese of Massachusetts' Together Now fundraising campaign reached its $20-million goal over the summer months. "We've done it. We're over the top. Large and small, individually and collectively, we've done it, and we've done it together," Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE said in an August campaign update to congregations and donors. When the pledge tally hit $20,049,826 as of June 30, it was a finish-line moment in what has been a marathon effort counted off in dozens of success stories along the way--up, down and across the diocese--as both individuals and congregations found their way into the campaign and then made it their own. Read the full story here. |
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Summer ends, new school year begins
For kids, youth and their families, September means saying goodbye to the summer, and hello to a new school year. Here is a look back at some of the diocese's summer programs for youth, and a look forward at what's in store for the two independent middle schools associated with the diocese.
The Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center welcomed campers entering grades 4-12, representing 104 parishes. The faith formation focus for 2013 was "Peacemakers," focusing on forgiveness and resolution, and the theme of making peace happen was carried throughout group discussions, Bible study and skits created and performed by campers ( full story).
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Having fun on a B-SAFE field trip.
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In Boston, the B-SAFE program provided fun and educational programming for 461 youth, paid jobs for 103 teens and internships for 15 rising freshmen. B-SAFE was hosted at six Episcopal church and school locations across Boston. Activities to promote reading, math and science were blended with field trips and fun, including a week at the Barbara C. Harris camp (full story).
The schools associated with the Diocese of Massachusetts are planning exciting things for the 2013-14 year. Students at Epiphany School in Dorchester have returned to school after spending the summer at a rigorous academic program at the Groton School. The school is welcoming several former students as teaching fellows this year ( full story).  | | The first day of school at Esperanza Academy. |
Esperanza Academy in Lawrence is celebrating an important milestone this year: 100 percent of students in the school's first graduating eighth grade class have now gone on to graduate from high school. This year, Esperanza is looking forward to expanded sports, art and music programming, and to furthering the school's dedication to Episcopal identity. Three fellows from the diocesan Life Together young adult intern program are serving at Esperanza this year, as co-teachers, coaches and student advisers ( full story). Here's to a happy, productive and blessed school year for all students, parents, faculty and staff.
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A new chapter for The Crossing
This month, The Crossing returns to its weekly Thursday evening worship at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston.
The Crossing is an emergent community that blends the traditions of the Episcopal Church with member-led ministry, creative prayer and meditation and a rich sense of community. The worship service is held in the round, and participants sit wherever they feel comfortable: on the floor, on pillows or on chairs. The sanctuary is softly lit, with candles and lamps in place of overhead lights. Melding modern elements with ancient traditions, The Crossing's worship style invites and encourages the participation of everyone present. The Crossing is now in its seventh year, and moving into a period that its minister of liturgical arts, Isaac Everett, calls its adolescence. The 35-member worship community has spent the past year establishing its organizational structure and determining what they want The Crossing to be, now and in the future.
 | | Video: The Crossing's "conversation chairs" at Boston Pride. |
With a newly strengthened sense of purpose and organization, The Crossing is looking forward to a new year that will bring the arrival of a new priest and a renewed focus on evangelism. A major goal for the year will be raising The Crossing's profile and extending its message of welcome out into the wider community. Through social media, press and creative, interactive forms of outreach, including its new website, The Crossing is setting out to ensure that its message is heard. "We are being intentional about reminding the world we're here and that we're doing work that matters," Everett said. Click here to read more about The Crossing and its mission.
The Crossing meets at 6 p.m. on Thursday nights, at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul at 138 Tremont Street in downtown Boston.
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NewsNotes
Bishops' statements on Syria: The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw SSJE and The Rt. Rev Gayle E. Harris issued a Sept. 6 statement on the evolving situation in Syria. The bishops spoke out against use of military force, and called the church to focus on the victims and the major humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region. "Prayer is powerful and the most important action we can take," the statement reads. "Pray for those who suffer. Pray for our enemies. Pray for our government and for all in positions of power and leadership. Pray that hearts and minds will be led toward right action. Pray for peace." Read the full statement.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori also issued a statement regarding the conflict in Syria. She also urged caution and prayers for peace, stating: "I do not believe further violence is likely to end the tragedy, but rather seems likely to increase or prolong the disaster."
 Creation Care Season 2013: The fourth Creation Care Season
(Oct. 4-Nov. 30) is coming up soon. Check out the Creation Care page for ways congregations and individuals can find new ways to honor, pray with and serve this "fragile earth, our island home." Many Creation Care events are posted on the Creation Care season page, with more to come. One of particular note is the Investment and the Church Conference, where the Trustees of Donations and Episcopal City Mission will host a panel of experts in the field of socially responsible investing, all well-versed in the intersection of investing and climate change issues. The conference will be held on Oct. 12 at Christ Church in Needham. Registration is now open.  Bishop election application period closes Sept. 23: The application deadline is drawing near for those who wish to be considered as potential nominees for bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of Massachusetts. The Discernment Committee is accepting applications until 5 p.m. on Sept. 23. (The period for nominating others closed on Aug. 26, but a nomination is not required for submitting and application.) Details are available on the committee's Web site at www.mabishopsearch.org. "We are excited about the nominations and applications being received," Discernment Committee chair David Urion said in an Aug. 29 news release. "We pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance as we move forward to the next phase of our discernment process--the screening and interviewing of applicants and those nominated--and ask everyone to keep our work in your prayers," he said, noting that the screening process is a confidential one. The committee expects to announce the final slate of nominees in January 2014. Delegation from EDS joins Jonathan Daniels pilgrimage: A delegation from the Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) traveled to the South in August for the annual Jonathan Daniel and All Martyrs Pilgrimage. The pilgrimage remembers Jonathan Daniels, an EDS student who was murdered in Hayneville, Ala., in 1965, for his activism in the civil rights movement. The pilgrimage winds its way from Atlanta to Alabama, tracing the steps of the civil rights movement and honoring its martyrs.
 | | Pilgrims march through Hayneville, Ala. |
Diane D'Souza, Director of Lifelong Learning at EDS, wrote on the EDS blog: "Time slowed down for me in Hayneville, Alabama, where Jonathan died and the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama and its partners hold this annual memorial pilgrimage to mark the deaths of all Alabama civil rights martyrs. The pilgrimage around the town proceeds in a 'stations of the cross' style...It is a powerful circuit to make with three hundred people of all colors and ages."
Read D'Souza's reflection on the 2013 pilgrimage here. Bishops back at work: The church's new program year begins this month with both bishops back at work and in strengthened health after a summer of medical treatments and recuperation for each.  At the end of August, Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, who is being treated for brain cancer diagnosed in May, shared the news that he'd received a good evaluation of the effectiveness of the six-week course of chemotheraphy and radiation that he completed in July.
Bishop Gayle Harris is also back to work, following a leave to recuperate from a major surgery in May to remove an abdominal tumor. That surgery was successful and no further treatment is necessary. Read more here.
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Connie Ng and Ellen Stuart
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New staff members welcomed: The Rev. Canon Connie NgLam has been named the new canon for Asiamerican ministries and began her work at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul on June 1. She comes from the Diocese of California where she served most recently as an associate priest at Christ Church Sei Ko Kai.
Ellen Stuart joined the diocesan staff on Aug. 12 as communications assistant. She brings journalism experience and an array of online media skills to the position, having worked most recently at a Web design and marketing firm. Read more here. |
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Parish Circuit
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Bishop Tom with the Relay for Life team.
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Bishop Tom's Team raises $3,500 for Relay for Life: In
honor of Bishop Tom Shaw, who is undergoing treatment for brain cancer diagnosed in May, a team of 40 people from parishes in the Lower Merrimack Valley Collaborative participated in the Amesbury Relay for Life on Aug. 17. The team, including many families and youth, camped out overnight and took turns running or walking around a track for 24 hours, keeping one team member on the track at all times to represent that "cancer never sleeps."
They were joined on the track by Bishop Tom for the survivors lap, which is the day's opening lap and the kick-off for the 24-hour event.
The team set an original fundraising target of $1,000, a goal that they far exceeded. The youth groups alone raised more than $1,000, and all together Bishop Tom's Team raised a total of more than $3,500. The Amesbury Relay for Life raised more than $60,000. The money will be donated to the American Cancer Society and used for free programs that provide resources to people recently diagnosed with cancer. Read more here.
St. Peter's Church, Beverly celebrates 150 years with 150 backpacks for kids in need
In thanksgiving for 150 years , St. Peter's in Beverly set a goal of
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Presenting a check to Beverly Bootstraps.
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raising $3,000 to purchase 150 backpacks for Beverly Bootstraps' "Back to School Bonanza." Every year, Beverly Bootstraps supplies more than 700 filled backpacks to school-age children in need in Beverly and Manchester. Beverly Bootstraps is a community-supported organization providing emergency and long-term assistance for food, education, housing stability, counseling and advocacy. Beverly Bootstraps' executive director Sue Gabriel is an active parishioner at St. Peter's Church.
Ultimately St. Peter's exceeded its goal and raised $4,247. The funds will go directly to purchasing backpacks and school supplies that allow low-income students to start the school year off right, equipped with supplies they need for academic success. Read more here. St. Cyprian's Church, Roxbury celebrates 100 years Founded in 1913 by a group made up mainly of Caribbean  immigrants, St. Cyprian's in Roxbury is marking its centenary this year with a variety of special services and celebrations. St. Cyprian's Church, built in 1924, is a historic landmark, notable for its beautiful stained glass windows depicting African American leaders. St. Cyprian's will hold a banquet with dinner and dancing on Sept. 20. Bishop Barbara C. Harris will give the keynote address. Click here to learn more.
Bristol Cluster participates in Superstorm Sandy relief
 | | The group from the Bristol Cluster. |
On July 24 and 25, 11 people from the Bristol Cluster parishes (including a group of youth from St. John's in Taunton) traveled to Staten Island on an Episcopal Relief & Development relief trip. Participants ranged in age from 10 to 70. The group spent two days in Staten Island, sleeping at night on the floor of the parish hall of a welcoming church on the north shore, Christ Church in New Brighton.
The Bristol Cluster parishes, in addition to St. John's in Taunton, include St. Mark's Church in North Easton and the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Mansfield.
With the leadership of Darrell Hayes, the New York disaster relief coordinator, the group from the Bristol Cluster pulled out bushes ruined by salt water at one house, weeded and planted bushes at another and shoveled gravel for the foundation of a garage.
"The kids were fabulous and worked hard," said Tinka Perry, the Episcopal Relief & Development coordinator in the Diocese of Massachusetts. "It was great for the kids to learn about giving back, to help others as a way to thank God for what we have."
Read the complete story, including reflections from youth who participated, here.
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NewsLinks
Episcopalians in Cambridge have joined with Advocates for a Common Toilet, a coalition of churches, homeless organizations and businesses that are calling for a public toilet on Cambridge Common, calling it an issue of public health and human dignity. Read the complete Boston Globe story here.
Neighbor bishop Douglas J. Fisher of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts told the Worcester Telegram that casino gambling would hurt Massachusetts communities, calling casino gambling "a tax on the poor." Fisher pointed out that casinos provide primarily low paying jobs without benefits, and that the neighborhoods surrounding casinos experience a spike in crime.
Trinity Church, Boston welcomed Buddhist monk, author and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh this past weekend. The 86-year-old monk led thousands of people in meditation in Copley Square on Sunday, Sept. 21. "The goal is to spread his message that peace begins with each of us," Trinity Boston Foundation Executive Director Louise Burnham-Packard told The Boston Globe. "And it was a coincidence, but a wonderful coincidence, that it's the five-month anniversary of the Marathon bombing. And here we are in Copley Square with the goal of bringing the city together." Also:A Wareham Elks' grant will help "Nights of Hospitality" for the homeless continue at the Church of the Good Shepherd and elsewhere, Wicked Local Wareham reported on July 7. The Rev. Silvestre Romero of St. Peter's Church in Salem commented in the Boston Globe's July 28 story on civic doors opening for Latinos. The Rev. Jane Gould of St. Stephen's Church in Lynn was among those pushing for an increased minimum wage during a demonstration covered July 27 by the Lynn Daily Item. The Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research featured in July this interview with the Rev. Cathy George about her new book, You Are Already Praying: Stories of God at Work. A North End dig hit "pay dirt" at the historical Clough House at Old North Church in Boston, the Boston Globe reported on Aug. 5. Wicked Local Newton shared news on Aug. 18 of the Parish of the Messiah's donation of prayer books to Newton-Wellesley Hospital. The Rev. Adrian Robbins-Cole was introduced as the new rector of St. Andrew's Church in Wellesley in this Sept. 12 Wicked Local Wellesley article. |
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