Consecration of the Virginia Theological Seminary chapel - Immanuel Chapel

I was glad to hear that the "new" chapel at my seminary, Virginia Theological Seminary, was consecrated today with the help of our Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, and also Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.  It looks like a glorious new space, and I am thankful that the seminary has retained the shell of the "old" chapel and made it into a meditation garden.  That chapel held a special place for me as I worshipped there every day for three years, and many significant moments happened there including the funerals of several VTS community members, the baptism of my son, and where I heard wonderful preaching, and where I myself gave my senior homily (with great trepidation).  Blessings on the entire VTS Community! May Immanuel Chapel be a place of deep holiness, prayer, and peace.

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

“Peace be to this house, and to all who enter here…”

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori opened the doors of Immanuel Chapel yesterday morning in a service of consecration and dedication; Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, preached. The service leaflet is available as a pdf here, and the VTS press release can be found here.

A 4:00 Evensong, with the Archbishop officiating, and the 25th Presiding Bishop,Frank T. Griswold III, blessing the change ringing bells.

The coming year will be a continued celebration of the chapel, which replaces the chapel that burned in 2010, with events including exhibits, a hymn sing with Alice Parker among others, organ recitals, a storytellers class by Donald Davis, lectures and talks by speakers including Katharine Jefferts Schori and other events: the schedule can be found here.

The morning service can be viewed here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fj-arSLQps

Immanuel Chapel consecrated at VTS - Virginia Theological Seminary

I was glad to hear that the "new" chapel at my seminary, Virginia Theological Seminary, was consecrated today with the help of our Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, and also Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.  It looks like a glorious new space, and I am thankful that the seminary has retained the shell of the "old" chapel and made it into a meditation garden.  That chapel held a special place for me as I worshipped there every day for three years, and many significant moments happened there including the funerals of several VTS community members, the baptism of my son, and where I heard wonderful preaching, and where I myself gave my senior homily (with great trepidation).  Blessings on the entire VTS Community! May Immanuel Chapel be a place of deep holiness, prayer, and peace.

~Chaplain Peter Carey

“Peace be to this house, and to all who enter here…”

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori opened the doors of Immanuel Chapel yesterday morning in a service of consecration and dedication; Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, preached. The service leaflet is available as a pdf here, and the VTS press release can be found here.

A 4:00 Evensong, with the Archbishop officiating, and the 25th Presiding Bishop,Frank T. Griswold III, blessing the change ringing bells.

The coming year will be a continued celebration of the chapel, which replaces the chapel that burned in 2010, with events including exhibits, a hymn sing with Alice Parker among others, organ recitals, a storytellers class by Donald Davis, lectures and talks by speakers including Katharine Jefferts Schori and other events: the schedule can be found here.

The morning service can be viewed here:

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori's 8July09 Sermon in text and wordle

Image created by Peter Carey using www.wordle.net

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori's Sermon in text and wordle

General Convention opening
Ubuntu and the Body of Christ – 8 July, 9:15 am
Gift of the Episcopal Church of the Philippines

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate

Four and one-half years ago, I had the great privilege to join in the consecration of a new bishop, one who told an amazing story about the journey that had brought us all to that place on a cold night in Seattle. At the end of the service, Victor Rivera father, the retired bishop of San Joaquin, wrapped the new bishop his daughter Nedi, in his cope. Some of you may not know that while Victor Rivera was bishop in San Joaquin, and for many years afterward, he insisted that women should not be ordained. He didn’t go to Nedi’s ordination as a priest, and he had never taken communion from her, over the more than 25 years that she served as priest. I asked Nedi later how he had come to change his mind. She said to me, “He didn’t change his mind; he changed his heart.”

Ezekiel is talking about a changed heart, but in an even more radical sense he means a heart transplant. Ezekiel is speaking to a disheartened body, yearning for home, aching to be reconciled, impatient to end their depressed and heartsick state. Any parallels?

Heart transplants are at least possible in this era of history – brain transplants aren’t yet – but Ezekiel is also talking about a brain transplant. His people understood the heart not as the seat of emotion, but the seat of decision-making, the critical faculty of judgment that we talked about yesterday.

Look at the passage and listen again. Ezekiel says the body will be disinfected (I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean), and then comes the surgery (a new heart I will give you, and a new spirit). This is about a new way of understanding and acting, new life that comes from living in a new way.

Read the rest HERE

"Include new province," by the Rev. D. Stuart Dunnan

an interesting (challenging/provocative/controversial/humble) opinion on our Anglican Soap Opera...(from Episcopal Life Online)...

Include New Province
By D. Stuart Dunnan, February 17, 2009

Click image for detail

[Episcopal News Service] As I watch the sad saga of our bishops' legalistic and punitive response to 'traditionalist" bishops, dioceses and parishes who are attempting to leave the Episcopal Church in order to form a new North American Anglican province, I am reminded of the defensive and dismissive response of the Church of England bishops to the Methodist Movement in the 18th century. The result, of course, was the founding and development of a separate Methodist Church, which is now much larger than the 'Anglican" Church (at least as we are now constituted) on this continent.

Imagine the strength and witness of Anglicanism today if the Methodists were welcomed as a preaching order within the Church of England. Surely, they would be more 'orthodox" and we would be more 'vibrant," and together we would be much larger and much more effective for the gospel in the world than we are divided. This, by the way, is exactly what Innocent III achieved when he embraced St. Francis and welcomed his friars into the ministry of the Catholic Church at the beginning of the 13th century, despite the fact that they were preaching such a dangerous 'new" doctrine.

Now, what I wonder is this: What would happen if the Presiding Bishop with the support of the House of Bishops were to welcome the formation of a new province for 'traditionalists" within the Episcopal Church, allowing every diocese, parish and church institution to join this province with a two-thirds vote by the appropriate parish meeting, convention or governing body? She could even stipulate an acceptable window of a year during which this vote would be required to happen.

In this way, both 'sides" of our church could continue in dialogue from protected positions of mutual respect without the present feelings of distrust and fear. Both also would be encouraged to grow by teaching the doctrines and practicing the liturgies they believe in, which they could proceed to do with conviction and enthusiasm. We could, for instance, continue to share the Church Pension Fund and Episcopal Relief and Development, and our primates and bishops could continue to meet on a regular basis to look for areas of agreement, common witness, shared costs and joint projects, but in a way that is more representative, more conducive to collegiality and more focused on results than our present General Convention.

I also wonder if it would not be appropriate for the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Anglican Consultative Council to ask us to do this in one final attempt at unity and civility before they are forced by our actions to actively establish or passively recognize a permanent state of schism between us.

I would hope that the traditionalists would find such an arrangement better than what now is proposed, as it would allow clergy, parishes and dioceses to reorganize without the loss of their properties and the cost of legal action. The risk for the Presiding Bishop, of course, is that too many will want to leave, but at least they will not be completely leaving, and no one will remain because they have been bullied and threatened into submission.

There is also the obvious advantage that such an action on her part and on the part of the rest of the House of Bishops would show true Christian humility and a more genuine openness to the power of the Holy Spirit to build the church and thus to lead the church in his, if not necessarily our own, direction.

-- The Rev. D. Stuart Dunnan is headmaster at Saint James School, St. James, Maryland.

Why should I be an Episcopalian?

Why be an Episcopalian?

Our Presiding Bishop gives a quite wonderful answer:

Pray for Gaza...give to ER&D in support!

Photo/Matthew Davies, Episcopal Life Online

from "Episcope" blog...

On January 1, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori received word about the situation in Gaza. Here are portions of the note she received.

The situation here, as you can well understand, is quite difficult and "tense" due to the very sad specter of the tragic ongoing operations - with the consequent heavy loss of life, with the many hundreds injured, maimed and wounded. Our Al Ahli Arab Hospital in the heart of Gaza City is at an overflow capacity - taking care of all those who either come individually or are being brought in for specialized treatment from the Government's Al Shifaa Hospital. Al Ahli had to release those in a "moderate care" status to meet the heavy demand in the inflow of the wounded and injured.

Thanks to U.S. Aid, the first full truckload of U.S. contributed shipments of needed medical and other humanitarian and food supplies crossed over into Gaza. More assistance will be provided by U.S. Aid when the second list of emergency needed supplies is given to them.

The loss of so many innocent lives, children, women and men has stunned all of us with its shocking realities.

In closing, we do pray that this New Year will be a far more peaceful year on this "Fragile Earth, our Island Home."

Contributions to may be made to Episcopal Relief & Development http://www.er-d.org/. Also checks made out to DFMS with "Gaza" in the notation line can be sent the Church Center, 815 Second Ave., NYC, NY 10017.

Consecration of the Bishop of Texas, C. Andrew Doyle

The Consecration of The Rev. Canon C. Andrew Doyle as the new Bishop of Texas is today and the Diocese of Texas has a wide array of materials posted, and you can even watch the Ordination online through a webcast. The Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori will be the chief consecrator. Some great friends of mine are from the Diocese of Texas and I feel a great connection to that great diocese. It should be quite a wonderful occasion.

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Check it out below:

The consecration will be webcast -- streamed live on the Internet. The webcast will begin at 10:00 a.m. with prelude music. The entire service will be available to download for two weeks following the consecration and a DVD of highlights will be available. As of November 19, Good Shepherd, Tomball and the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin will host gatherings to watch the consecration. Please use this link to stream live on the web Saturday Morning: http://mfile3.akamai.com/54659/live/reflector:37426.mov QuickTime will be needed to watch it. If it is not already installed on your computer, you can download for Mac or Windows free here.

Click here for Quicktime Windows full screen instructions. (.pdf)

Click here for Quicktime Windows full screen instructions. (.pdf)

Click here to download a copy of the worship booklet. (.pdf)

For Consecration Information click here.

Reflections on the service of repentence at St. Thomas African Episcopal Church

from the VTS Anglican Communion Commentary

10/8/2008
On Saturday, October 4 a number of us from VTS attended a Service of Repentance at historic St. Thomas Church in Philadelphia. The service was part of a solemn two-day observance which constituted a public apology for the Episcopal Church’s involvement in the institution of transatlantic slavery. The service was mandated by the 2006 General Convention resolution A123 which declared that slavery was, is and will always be a sin. The resolution asked the Presiding Bishop to call for a “Day of Repentance and Reconciliation.” The Rev. C. David Williams, president of the Union of Black Episcopalians, said that the Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s call for a “Day of Repentance” was “extraordinary.”

In her sermon the Presiding Bishop seemed to let no one off the hook. We heard of the sources of J.P. Morgan’s wealth, even as he initiated the Church Pension Fund. A farm dependent on slaves is part of the early history of Trinity Church in the City of New York. The Presiding Bishop told those gathered that slave labor was utilized in the building of Virginia Theological Seminary. Our church, North and South, benefited from the institution of transatlantic slavery, and there is no shortage of guilt from the top down. The stains of slavery run so deep that a “Day of Repentance and Reconciliation” calls for more days, long days of conversation, repentance and reconciliation. Virginia Theological Seminary will spend the rest of its days dealing with its own stains and involvement in the institution of transatlantic slavery.

In writing resolution 123, John Vanderstar, Executive Council member, said: “I strongly believe that the church needs to confront its past and change its future.” As I listened to the Presiding Bishop’s sermon, I thought of our church and the Anglican Communion and the need we have to “confront” the past and to “change” the future. Our church always needs days of repentance. What are we doing today that will require an apology from those who come after us in the future?

- Barney Hawkins

Episcopal Church to apologize for slavery: from the Philadelphia Inquirer

Rev. Absolom Jones

from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Posted on Fri, Oct. 3, 2008

Episcopal Church to apologize for slavery

By DAFNEY TALES
Philadelphia Daily News

talesd@phillynews.com 215-854-5084

In what has become the cause du jour this year, the Episcopal Church will publicly make amends for its part in the trans-Atlantic slave trade with a "Day of Repentance" today and tomorrow.

The two-day event at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, at 6361 Lancaster Ave., Overbrook, was mandated by a resolution at the church's General Convention in 2006.

The event begins today at 1 p.m. with presentations on the church's role in the slave trade. Tomorrow, the services are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will conduct the service at the church, founded in 1792 by Absalom Jones, a former slave and the first black Episcopal priest.

Jayne Oasin, staff officer for the New York-based Episcopal Church Center, said that the church can't deny its complicity in slavery even after the trans-Atlantic slave trade was outlawed in 1808.

She noted that some historic Episcopal churches were built using slave labor and that members owned or profited from industries associated with it.

"Slavery went against God's law of equality and justice," she said. "This apology is made to the descendants [of those] who were wronged."

The Rev. Martini Shaw, rector of St. Thomas, said that it's fitting to host this event at the oldest black church.

"I'm absolutely ecstatic and excited about it," he said. "When anyone enters reconciliation and the sacrament of repentance, that is always a good thing," he said.

In part, the resolution declared that the "peculiar institution . . . was and is a sin and a fundamental betrayal of the humanity of all persons who were involved."

The Episcopal Church's apology comes in the wake of several apologies made by government and religious entities recently.

In 1995, the Southern Baptist Church was the first religious organization to denounce its role in slavery. Last year, Virginia became the first state to issue a public apology; several states, including New Jersey and Maryland, followed. Last July, Congress issued an apology.

Critics who oppose the acts of contrition say that it's an attempt to seek reparations and stroke white guilt.

But Shaw sees it as redemption for all those who were involved.

"You can forgive a person for the actions taken. We shouldn't forget slavery, but to forgive the perpetrators." *

read it all HERE

Virginia Theological Seminary Commencement, 2008 Online

I'm sitting here at my desk, trying to grade the last few papers before the onslaught of exam grading after I administer the exam this weekend, and also working through the last details of the my first opportunity to preside at a wedding. Amidst all these end of year tasks, I remembered that my seminary, Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) is having its commencement exercises. So, I clicked on the link HERE, and am watching it. So, check it out. My beloved professor and advisor, Roger Ferlo, will give the commencement address, and you can also check out last night's Mission for the Church service at which the Presiding Bishop preached HERE.

It brings me all back to only 1 year ago and my own commencement...wow, lots has happened since then! NYC for the summer, ordination to the diaconate, beginning a new job, new city, new school, having our third child, ordination to the priesthood, and on and on....

I hope and pray that in this time of the end of the school years that all of us can take time to reflect on the year past, and give thanks for God's grace through it all. Peace be with you!

Some images from a year ago are below:

Interview with the Presiding Bishop

There is a short and wonderful video interview with the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori on KOCO TV in Oklahoma City. See it HERE.