Gerard Manley Hopkins - June 8th

Gerard Manley Hopkins

From "Telling the Stories that Matter" blog

Gerard Manley Hopkins was a poet and so he wrote poetry. It was a natural thing. Not only did he produce beautiful art in words and thoughts but it was, by itself, beautiful in the way he did it. At its very essence, Gerard's art produced art. But he struggled mightily with a variety of sins and compulsions. To add to his pain, he suffered under long bouts of depression and anxiety that often left him feeling hopeless. This depression and dismay led him to write poetry while at the same time despising the product of his pen--such is the nature of most foul depression. He resolved to become a Jesuit and a priest and in this resolution he took his poetry and burned it as an act of sacrifice and renunciation. Apparently, Gerard had decided that the mind of a poet could not be or become the mind of a priest. Though many have insisted he was wrong to think so, perhaps he was right at the time. Perhaps Gerard-who-was had to lay down a part of himself to find Gerard-who-could-be. So, his aims changed but poetry still beat within his heart and his words ("I wake and feel the fell of dark, not day") even now give expression to that dark predator that haunted his waking hours:

I wake and feel the fell of dark, not day.What hours, O what black hours we have spentThis night! what sights you, heart, saw; ways you went!And more must, in yet longer light's delay.With witness I speak this. But where I sayHours I mean years, mean life. And my lamentIs cries countless, cries like dead letters sentTo dearest him that lives alas! away.I am gall, I am heartburn. God's most deep decreeBitter would have me taste: my taste was me;Bones built in me, flesh filled, blood brimmed the curse.Selfyeast of spirit a dull dough sours. I see The lost are like this, and their scourge to beAs I am mine, their sweating selves, but worse.

Read it all HERE at Telling the Stories that Matter




http://santospopsicles.blogspot.com/

Priest becomes federal judge...watch for the spin

I wonder how the news/blogs/angry whiners might spin this Episcopal News in a negative way...?

They'll probably quote from Matthew:

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment that you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. ~Matthew 7:1-5

Seems pretty cool to me!



Read it all HERE

[Episcopal News Service] Emily C. Hewitt, one of the first women ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church, was named March 23 by President Barack Obama to be the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

The court hears cases of monetary claims against the U.S. government. Its highest-profile cases in recent years concerned claims of injury from compulsory childhood vaccinations.

Hewitt was a leader of the effort to open Episcopal Church priestly ordination to women. She was one of the first 11 women ordained to the priesthood on July 29, 1974, before the church's canons allowed women to be priests.

The General Convention, which met two years later, agreed to open the priesthood and episcopate to women as of January 1, 1977. The House of Bishops also agreed at that convention that Hewitt and the other 10 women ordained at Philadelphia, and another four women who had been ordained in 1975 in Washington, could be enrolled in the priesthood by their bishops in completion or conditional ordination services in their dioceses without being re-ordained. Women had been eligible to be deacons since 1970.

More information about the history of women's ordination in the Episcopal Church is available here.

Hewitt, 64, has served on the Court of Federal Claims since her confirmation by the Senate in 1998. Prior to her appointment to the Court of Claims, Hewitt was appointed general counsel to the General Services Administration during the Clinton Administration.

Read the rest HERE.

Advice for those in the Discernment Process - from "Ember Days"

I think that "Ember Days" has some wonderful thoughts, solid wisdom, and a great sense of humor...check out his advice for those in the discernment process towards ordination in the Episcopal Church. I've listed the 9 main points, for details, click HERE.

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From "Ember Days" Blog...

Now that my discernment process for ordained ministry is behind me (and the ministry itself in front of me), I thought I'd offer my advice -- for whatever it might be worth -- to those who are in the process, or at least that part of the process that begins with admission to postulancy and ends with the imposition of episcopal hands. Basically, here's what I learned by doing a lot of stuff wrong.

(1) Have a regular and reliable connection with someone on the Commission on Ministry.


(2) Make sure the expectations for your "program of preparation" are explicit and in writing.


(3) Have an understanding with the Bishop (and other relevant parties) about how the General Ordination Examination will be used.


(4) Be persistent.


(5) Keep your Bishop informed.


(6) Let your sponsoring parish see you from time to time.


(7) Have a copy of the canons handy.


(8) Keep good records.


(9) Keep reminding yourself that the telos of this process is not getting ordained; it's being a priest.


Read the post HERE
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(and one more from me...

If you don't know what telos means, look it up before you go to seminary!

my new video "Who Are You?" on Youtube

Peace be with you!

The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Since I was just ordained to the transitional diaconate 6 days ago, my wife and family are just at the beginning of the adjustment period for learning some of the issues of being a "clergy family" and a "clergy spouse." Luckily, my sponsoring rector and his spouse have been good models for us, as well as several other priests that we know. Also, during seminary my wife made close friends to discuss some of the implications of being a clergy spouse.

I was on the Episcopal Cafe blog and found this entry on "A Priest's Wife Buys Underwear" written by Sara Mcginley, which is just wonderful, insightful and hilarious. I surfed over to her other blog called "Sara Mcginley" and it is also great ...


We are about to move to New York for the summer, where I will be exercising my diaconal ministry mostly serving those in need ... in this case, I will be watching my two young boys (under 5 years old) while my wife pursues a master's degree. After she has supported me in seminary for three years (as well as the discernment process before that!), it is really the least I can do. Do I have some trepidation about being in New York City and have as my charges two energized young boys for 8-9 hours a day? Well, yes I do. I hope to reflect upon this intensive parenting and "incarnational" spiritual practice in this blog, as well as post them in a new blog dedicated to my deacon summer in NYC.

There is a lot to do in NYC and I am excited about the adventure, I'm sure it will be formational for me!