133 Bishops Walk into a Retreat Center...

Did you know that (almost) all the bishops of the Episcopal Church met last week? There was a House of Bishops meeting at Camp Allen in Texas. It was their first in-person meeting since COVID-19 first hit!

(By the way: the name “House of Bishops” is less like Game of Thrones’ House Lannister and more like the U.S. Congress’ House of Representatives.)

Women Bishops attending the House of Bishops Spring Gathering. Photo by Frank Logue.

Our bishops meet twice a year as the House of Bishops to pray, share resources and information, and discuss important topics. This year, they released two pastoral statements about timely issues.

Here in Connecticut, Bishop Ian and Bishop Laura sent these statements to the leadership this week. Ideally, clergy and lay leaders are supposed to disseminate these within our parishes.

(Fun fact about the Episcopal Church in Connecticut: the Dean of our cathedral, the Very Rev. Miguelina Howell, is one of the chaplains to the House of Bishops!)

Statement on Ukraine

The first a statement about the conflict in Ukraine, including a statement of the bishops’ prayers. Click to download it:

Statement_on_war_in_Ukraine_FINAL.pdf

Download PDF • 168KB

Resolution on Gender Identity

The second is a resolution of support for transgender and non-binary people and their families. The bishops urge everyone in the Episcopal Church “to create safe spaces and shield all people form harassment based on gender identity.”

Flying the Pride flag, as we decided to do year-round, is only a first step toward creating such spaces. As we head toward Southington Pride’s second annual celebration, I urge you to really think about how we, as a St. Paul’s community, will take up the bishops on their urgent request.

This second resolution is much shorter, so I’ll include the whole text here, as well as the link to download the official statement.

Resolution adopted by the House of Bishops:

In light of the baptismal covenant’s promise to see Christ in all persons, and the recent and any actions by elected officials in Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Missouri, Florida, Arkansas, Ohio, North Dakota, Mississippi, South Dakota, Nebraska, Indiana, South Carolina and any other states, municipalities, and school districts targeting transgender children and their families, we, the Bishops of The Episcopal Church gathered at Camp Allen, Texas, in March 2022, voice our love and continued support for all persons who identify as transgender or non-binary and their families. We decry legislative initiatives and governmental actions targeting trans children and their families. We urge all in our Church to create safe spaces and shield all people from harassment based on gender identity.

Resolution_adopted_by_HOB_FINAL.pdf

Download PDF • 116KB

It's Not Too Late

How have you been celebrating Black History Month?

I have to admit that, with COVID and school and transitioning back to in-person worship, February has been flying by. At the very least, I usually try to read a memoir or history book about a Black person or Black history in February. (The book has to be written by a Black author, as well.) Even that hasn’t happened this year.

But! We have more than a week left in the month. It’s not too late!

And this week I happened across a resource from an Episcopal parish not too far from us.

Christ Church Trumbull (CCT) has formed what they call the CCT Anti-Racism Alliance. It’s led by five young women in their parish who’ve been inspired to take transformative action in their context. I’m really moved by the work they’re doing.

Luckily for us, they created a Black History Month resource full of information, prayers, reflections, and resources. You can download their Black History Month Reflection Guide, created by Vanessa Woods, here.

Celebrating Black History Month isn’t a box for us to check or something we should get credit for. Instead, it’s one of many small commitments I make, one part of my work to undo the systematic racism that’s instilled in me by our world.

What are you doing for Black History Month this year?

Oh, and by the way, I’m still going to read a book. I just downloaded the audiobook for Dear White Peacemakers by Osheta Moore.

Recycling Our Masks

Do you remember when Regan and Hannah presented this fall about our amazing pilgrimage trip to Wyoming? They told the story of our trip, day by day.

I frequently think about one of the moments Regan described, when we saw a herd of buffalo by the side of the road. On this particular day, we saw a baby buffalo eating a blue surgical mask. There, in the midst of vast plains and enormous mountains, we were confronted with another layer of cost of the pandemic.

Where will the billions of masks we're producing go??

Landfills.

Oceans.

The mouths of baby wild animals.

So, I found a way for us to recycle some of those masks.

If you have used surgical, KN95, N95, or dust masks, bring them to St. Paul's! We're returning to in-person worship on Sunday, February 6th. Starting that day, please bring in your disposable masks and deposit them in this recycling box. It's right by the main door to the sanctuary.

We need to fill up this whole big box, so collect used masks from your family and neighbors, too!

(And please don't put any other PPE in this box; it's disposable masks only.)

We wear our masks because it's our responsibility to care for our neighbor (Leviticus 19:18, Mark 12:31). But it's also our responsibility to be good stewards of God's creation (Genesis 1:15). This is the best option I've found for doing both in this circumstance.

To read more about how the mask recycling process works, check out Terracycle's Zero Waste Boxes website.