Bishop Curry becomes the Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop

See his sermon HERE

Bishop Curry becomes the Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop

See his sermon HERE

Wonderful news for the Diocese of Virginia: Bishop Johnston will not seek to be Presiding Bishop!

This is wonderful news for the Diocese of Virginia: Bishop Johnston will not seek to be Presiding Bishop, which means he will remain as the Bishop of Virginia!

A Letter from the Bishop: Speculation on Presiding Bishop Nomination

12/10/2014

Dear Diocesan Family,

Over the past few months, there have been various news reports, both in print and online, that have named me as a possible candidate for nomination as our next Presiding Bishop. Since those reports have circulated, I and my diocesan staff have understandably received numerous questions and comments about my possible candidacy. Since these questions have persisted up until this time, I am writing to you to set the record straight and end any speculation or concerns.
XIII Bishop of Virginia

While it is true that some of my colleagues in the House of Bishops encouraged me to allow my name to go forward in the search process, and my name was submitted to the Committee, I am very clear and comfortable in my decision not to participate in this discernment. Therefore, I will not be considered as a possible nominee.

Given that the colleagues who encouraged me in this are people whose confidence in me and friendship I value so greatly, I approached this decision very deliberately and prayerfully over a period of time. In the end, the answer was clear; I am convinced that I was called and ordained to be Bishop of Virginia, and I intend to fulfill this great trust, privilege and responsibility for many years to come.

There is no question that the search process for our next Presiding Bishop will be well served, not only by the very fine Committee that is conducting it, but also by a number of exceptionally strong potential nominees. That Committee and all who are in this discernment will be in my daily prayers, and I ask you to include them in your own as well.

I could not ask for anything more than I already am blessed with in being bishop of this great diocese. Serving the Gospel through the ministry of bishop in this iconic place with you is the greatest honor and joy that I could ever know.

Faithfully yours,

The Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston

The Masai Creed, Jaroslav Pelikan's favorite

I was listening to a Speaking of Faith interview with the late scholar, Jaroslav Pelikan on "The Need for Creeds," and was reminded just how wonderful he was, and just how wonderful this interview is as well. If you might have followed some of the blog-land discussion of creeds and such after the Presiding Bishop offered her comments on the strengths and pitfalls of creeds, you might really enjoy this interview. It is archived at NPR.org and you can click HERE to listen, or read the transcript.

One of the best parts of the piece is when Dr. Pelikan discusses his favorite creed of the several hundred that he and a team of scholars found and analyzed for a book on creeds.

Here are his words, describing the creed of the Masai people from the 1960s:

"Among all the hundreds of creeds and confessions in our collection, my favorite illustration of such acculturation is The Masai Creed from East Africa in the 1960s:

We believe in the one High God, who out of love created the beautiful world and everything good in it. He created man and wanted man to be happy in the world. God loves the world and every nation and tribe on the earth. We have known this High God in the darkness, and now we know him in the light. God promised in the book of his word, the Bible, that he would save the world and all the nations and tribes.

We believe that God made good his promise by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, a man in the flesh, a Jew by tribe, born poor in a little village, who left his home and was always on safari, doing good, curing people by the power of God, teaching about God and man, showing that the meaning of religion is love. He was rejected by his people, tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross and died. He lay buried in the grave, but they hyenas did not touch him, and on the third day, he rose from the grave. He ascended to the skies. He is the Lord.

We believe that all our sins are forgiven through him. All who have faith in him must be sorry for their sins, be baptized in the Holy Spirit of God, live the rules of love, and share the bread together in love, to announce the good news to others until Jesus comes again. We are waiting for him. He is alive. He lives. This we believe. Amen."

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

Why should I be an Episcopalian?

Why be an Episcopalian?

Our Presiding Bishop gives a quite wonderful answer:

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.