Youth and Hispanic ministries unite for "Building the Dream"

Ninety young people and adults from a dozen parishes gathered for "Building the  Dream/Construyendo el Sueño," a cross-cultural exchange to showcase youth-led justice-seeking efforts. 

The Jan. 17 event, hosted by St. Luke's-San Lucas Church in Chelsea, was led by the St. Luke's-San Lucas Youth Group and the diocese's Hispanic Ministries, and sponsored by the diocesan Office of Youth Ministry. Parishes from Massachusetts and New York were represented. Dinner was prepared by parents of the youth group, and was followed by a service of Holy Eucharist, with liturgy planned by the youth group in collaboration with the Rev. Edgar Gutierrez-Duarte.  The intent was to provide a transformative learning experience, calling on everyone to commit to taking action toward  justice, peace, mercy and truth.  

"This was such a great event because so many people stepped in and stepped up," said the Rev. H. Mark Smith, Director of Youth Ministry. "The leadership of Hispanic Ministries were great and generous partners, bringing their gifts and relationships to the effort. The people of San Lucas, particularly the young people, took the lead with enthusiasm. The whole community has such a beautiful passion for service. And then adults and young people from a dozen parishes came together and entered risky and critical conversations, speaking their own truths with love. I think Dr. King would have been pleased. I know Jesus is!" Smith said. 

Parents from St. Luke's-San Lucas Youth, with the Rev. Ema Rosero-Nordalm, missioner for Hispanic/Latino ministries, center, prepared dinner.

Smith noted that the feedback he received was overwhelmingly positive. "The event organizers created a safe and welcoming environment for important cross-cultural conversation to take place," he said. "Also, nearly everyone left with their own sense of themselves as a 'builder of the dream' reinforced or deepened, and most also felt their sense of themselves as disciples of Christ was similarly expanded." 

The next diocesan youth event is the High School Retreat at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Feb. 6-8.  Also coming up is a training for adults working with young people, "Youth Ministry and the Internet," at Trinity Church in Bridgewater on Jan. 31.  For more on these and other Youth Ministry events, click here. 

All photos by Michelle Porche. 

Bishop Gates offers benediction at Boston's 45th Annual MLK Breakfast

Faith and government leaders marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the 45th annual MLK Day Breakfast, sponsored by St. Cyprian's Church, together with Union United Methodist Church, at the Boston Convention Center. Gates gave the benediction, saying, "In a year when our mountain of despair seems to have grown higher rather than lower, pray, dear friends, that we will yet carve that tower of hope on the mountain of despair.  Pray that, like Dr. King, you and I might be possessed by righteousness, until that day when righteousness reigns supreme."  The full text of the benediction is available here. 

Speakers included Governor Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Senator Ed Markey and Senator Elizabeth Warren (via video), State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz and Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar of the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church. The keynote was given by Dr. Topper Carew, architect, media consultant, civil rights activist and a research scholar at the MIT Media Lab. 

Read the Boston Globe's coverage of the breakfast here.

This year's Spring Learning Event will be hosted by Christ Church in Needham on Saturday, March 7 and offered by the Diocese of Massachusetts and Episcopal City Mission.  It will include keynotes by activist, community organizer, advocate and urban planner Alexie Torres-Flemming and Dr. Mark R. Warren, Associate Professor, Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs, McCormack Graduate School at UMass, Boston, as well as reflections from Bishop Alan M. Gates and Bishop Gayle E. Harris. Learn more and register here. 

This series opens on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18.  Sign up to receive the daily reflections and download the PDF booklet here. 

Seven new priests ordained at Trinity Church, Boston on Jan. 10: 

Boston.com: Trinity Church, Boston parishioners collect books for Dever School: Frances Robinson and a group of parishioners from Trinity Church in Boston collected 600 new books as holiday gifts for 600 students at the Dever School.