Ed: Hey, you hang out at the Brogue?

PB: Why yes, I do. As a genuine Irish priest (I grew up in Belfast), I have a natural affinity for the Old Brogue/Katies, which reminds me of the Northern Ireland pubs where my father used to sell Guinness in the 60's. I have breakfast at Katie's every Thursday in the hope that someone will come by and want to have a conversation. If there's a question you've always wanted to ask a priest but you never got around to actually entering a church, Thursday morning is your chance! I'm there from 8 to 9 am; just look for the woman in the collar and the notice that says "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You". We really mean it! For those who prefer their conversations in the afternoon, my colleague Ben Shelton is at Starbucks on Tuesday  from 4 to 5.

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Ed: What's new at the church?

PB: Plenty! The members of St. Francis are energetic and creative, so there's always something going on. This fall we sent a small group of volunteers to a girls' home in southern Virginia to paint and clean. We had a Bluegrass Sunday in November where Larry Rice and The Big Cheese led us in toe-tapping worship. We'll have two traditional Anglican services of Lessons and Carols (think King's College, Cambridge) on January 6 to celebrate the season. And we are raising money to send a group to South Sudan in April, to visit a school we have supported since 1998. If you want to know more about St. Francis without coming to church, you can listen to our sermon podcasts each week through iTunes (St. Francis Episcopal Church free podcast), Facebook (facebook.com/stfrancisgf), or our web site, stfrancisgreatfalls.org. Recent topics have included the presidential election, zombies, and God's instruction to "Keep calm and carry on".
 

Ed: What do you like/dislike about GF?
PB: One of the best things about Great Falls is the way the churches work together for the common good through the Great Falls Ecumenical Council. We collaborate on Good Friday and Easter services; we take turns providing bagged dinners for the Salvation Army Grate Patrol in DC and Sterling; we ring the bell for the Salvation Army outside Safeway in December; we hold a joint Vacation Bible School in the summer. Four of our eight member churches work together on training and supervising Stephen Ministers, church members who are carefully trained to accompany people through difficult times in their lives. Outside of the churches I am very encouraged to see the new Senior Center Without Walls provide social and cultural events for our beloved elders, a group that can easily be overlooked in a community like this. The one thing that baffles me about Great Falls is how we can be barely 25 miles from the center of Washington and still have our power cut off at the lightest breeze.

Ed: Did you ask Santa for anything?

PB: Every year I ask Santa (or St. Nicholas as I call him) to help us at St. Francis provide a warm and welcoming church home for all visitors, especially those who come to us for the first time at one of our five Christmas services. Our motto is "There's a place for you at St. Francis", and I really believe there's a place for everyone here; our tradition provides a uniquely broad umbrella under which people of all viewpoints may feel comfortable.

Ed: And your New Year's Resolution is ...?

PB: To practice my viola more so that I don't embarrass my colleagues in the McLean Orchestra; to give thanks every day for the blessings of community, faith, friends, and family; and now that I'm a voting citizen, to pay more attention to local issues of justice and poverty.

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And of course, I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.