Dear Friends,
Recently a Jewish friend of mine came to me asking about the parable of the prodigal son, which was part of the lessons a couple Sundays ago. My musings helped me to see that it fit well with today's lessons including from Revelations and John's gospel (with the story of Peter's naked fishing trip and Jesus's reminder to the disciples to "feed my sheep"). But it is the Acts lesson that caught my attention, precisely because of my friend's interest in the Prodigal Son. Why did Luke tell the story and why was it included in the writings chosen for that gospel? Seems to me an answer might have best been stated by that garrulous old Jew (and de facto founder of the Christian Church) Paul, who for all his windy good advice shines most in his mention of the "virtues" - you know "So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." Many might say the story was directed at the "temple police" - the chief priests who should have welcomed Jesus back to Jerusalem (note that Paul might have been considered one of those "police". Another interpretation is that Paul, seeing himself as one of those persecutors of Jesus, was reminding himself of the Virtues, but especially love. Indeed in this Sunday's appointed lessons, the first from Acts tells us "Saul (as Paul was also called), still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women" This interpretation could go on to say that Jesus was telling the "good brother(s)" who stayed home (faithful to the Temple authorities) to demonstrate that love - was in their own best interests. He might even have seen himself as the Prodigal Son! Yet another interpretation is that the story was directed at the "good" brother who stayed home - just as the father loved his returning son, so even more should that brother love his returning brother to gain more of their father's love. Indeed it might have hurt the father a lot that this stay-at-home son did not join in the fun welcoming the Prodigal home. As you recall, the "punch-line" of that parable, per Wikipedia, is about redemption as with the lost sheep and the woman who lost a coin, thus to rejoice for that which was lost is now found. Tony(!) has always helped me to put love up top of the virtues, and the effect has been amazing. For it is us ourselves whom we live with the most and while hardly mercenary, living with love foremost in our minds helps us to love others. This love (caritas in Latin) would have us doing one of those "dramatic reversals" of ideas where we, along with the priests and others at the Temple, might welcome those whom we see oppressing us, with such Love. So too, it might have been that Jesus told the parable about the Prodigal's brother with the idea that in NOT offering the father's love for his returned brother he was only isolating and hurting himself. Indeed in recent musings in one of our spiritual groups, Centering Prayer, we discussed the possibilities of welcoming that which we fear or even hate. Whether it will be sufficient to quell the antipathy of those who receive our love is unclear, but it will enable us fulfill the first part of the Great Commandment to love others as ourselves. So back to the Acts lesson: Ananias, one of Jesus's followers, found Paul blinded, but recognised him as one who as Saul, had persecuted the young Church. Ananias was told in a "vision" to welcome Saul and show him the healing of love, that he might show it to many others. This "road to Damascus" story seems to be where Saul chose to use his other name Paul (many in those days had dual names), and the reason may be that Paul was his "Roman name" just as Saul was his Jewish one (remember that the Temple worked in cahoots with the Roman authorities to maintain their own positions of power). Thus PAUL could be a Gentile to the Gentiles just as SAUL was a Jew to the Jews, speaking of the Way of Love (as our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preaches - see below). Whether we are Jew or Gentile, may we remember that LOVE is the Way. Our LOVE to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events Up at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco we hear of a couple events of interest, including - an organ and piano recital with Benjamin Bachmann TOMORROW at 1pm, to feature the music of Ukrainian and Russian composers. The event is free but a donation to support the work of Episcopal Relief and Development with Ukrainian refugees is requested. - also tomorrow, Grace Cathedral welcomes incoming Vice Dean Greg Kimura - the Cathedral parish will have a Congregation Retreat on the last weekend of May for the first time in several years - The Most Rev Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, will be featured in a conversation with SF diocesan bishop Rt Rev Marc Andrus on Wed May 11 from 5-6pm both in person and via Zoom discussing the topic a "Movement to End Slavery for Good" - for more details see https://gracecathedral.org/calendar-events/the-forum-free-at-last/ (Note that Bp Curry has been a favourite of ours since we saw and heard him preach as a black priest in an affluent and mostly white North Carolina parish, where he proved to be a real spell-binder.) Our own St Matts in San Ardo will be meeting for Evening Prayer at 3:30pm. (Note that because of this we will not be able to join the crowd at the annual Wayside Cross at an idyllic site near Parkfield and our ranch. The event at the Cross will be from 2-4pm with a caravan leaving Mission San Miguel at 1:45pm and led by the parish of St James, Paso Robles.) St James also tells us that they will also be working to support Episcopal Relief and Development's work with Ukrainian refugees (see above). St Matts fellow missions, St Marks in King City and St Lukes in Jolon, will be meeting together at St Marks TOMORROW for services at 10am. There will be a Bishop's Committee after with coffee and cookies. The other St Lukes parish, in Atasacdero, will meet tomorrow morning at 9am in person or via Zoom. Contact their office for Zoom details or see www.stlukesatascadero.org St Lukes newsletter tells us they will participate in the Wayside Cross event (above) and that our own diocesan Bp Lucinda Ashby will be among the picnickers at the Cross. Good Shepherd Church in Salinas tells us that they are having discussion tomorrow to prepare folks for baptisms offered on May 22 and again in fall. The parish also tells us on May 14 at 1pm they will participate in a "Walk of Remembrance" focused on our Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage. St Benedicts Church in Los Osos tells us their Hollister Institute series on Ignatian Spirituality continues on Tuesdays at 10:15am via Zoom. See their websites for complete details on this and their other events. And you may recall that St Bens is having special prayer events for the conflict in Ukraine - again see their websites. St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande also commends donations for Ukrainian refugess at Episcopal Relief and Development at www.episcopalrelief.org tells us they have a donation link for the cause of Afghan refugees and YOU can donate: By mail SLO4Home, Inc. P.O. Box 1446 San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 - or - Online at PayPal at our website: www.SLO4Home.org SLO4Home, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and contributions are tax-deductible for income, gift, and estate taxes. Our EIN is 87-4021839. Starting on Tues May 10 at 3pm the parish's Spirituality of Aging series will explore the wisdom of lifetimes and changes that aging brings, helping being "in the present moment" become an Eternity of Love And on Jun 23 at 6:30pm St Barnabas will begin an Adult Education series with light suppers on Pilgrimage. See St Barnabas' websites for this and all their many events at St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego tells us that as of April 25th, the Voices of our City Choir began hosting weekly rehearsals in the Great Hall of St. Pauls Episcopal Cathedral. For those unfamiliar with Voices of Our City Choir it is a choir composed of people experiencing homelessness. Tomorrow the Cathedral will celebrate St George's Sunday with customary Sunday events except that a tour of their new spaces will be offered in place of the 9am Forum. At 5pm the choir will perform in person and via live streaming their St George's Evensong - you can watch at their website https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bTAvTGrxTEkPesQ8knbjCV9J142Pax9B4Seavz9AO3ED-kFBbQmCD4tlTfBjuu8LlNsv-2pFmjKdVENIFEmggB1W8H00It_mW2IWeQJ5VnXkt0bjZdXKS0lSdqYQYzVJDd4c6R1gntI36rh7ORBoPpEETtJ2VJND&c=WDxDCHbOuV-gwnc6pAo_dYkSH3BMdBUa2KKqB8xflVJkKg7qq2h32w==&ch=vRgpSDFsxAR-_oylReTN9JGRC4zpikKUz70G0pBpOFBtGIkHx0W49Q== followed by St George's Reception in person in the Cathedral's Great Hall. St Paul's Creation Care Series, "God's Love Takes Root in Me" tomorrow at 11:45am in person with focus on children TOMORROW. Note that the Cathedral will be open between 12 and 1 pm Monday to Friday for individual prayer while the conflict in Ukraine continues. And the Cathedral offers Asian American Film Discussion for AAPI Heritage Month Tuesdays in May, 6:30 - 7:45 pm, on Zoom wherein the EDSD Racial Justice Task Force will honor & celebrate AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Month through facilitated discussion and clip viewing of the 5-part PBS series Asian Americans. The Cathedral's Youth Group (high schoolers) will study the gospel together with those from Christ Church in Coronado May 4 at 6pm. On Mau 5 from 6-7pm the Cathedral's Women Together will discuss "Seeing God Anew" in person in the Cathedral's Great Hall. St Pauls Cathedral parishioner and our friend from Integrity work, Brad Lovelace, who passed away too early, will be honoured at the 2022 Distinguished Lawyer Memorial Reception. Permanent plaques recognizing Brad and four other Honoree will be placed in the San Diego county Superior Court Hall of Justice. The Reception will be held May 18 atop Symphony Towers. For more info see https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bTAvTGrxTEkPesQ8knbjCV9J142Pax9B4Seavz9AO3ED-kFBbQmCD0PtbpaOpSTBHy3ay9EaCuwmCDguSu9esrnC38vIR5vs6Cc5NYtmMbhxgCPO384R67qUvJkL6zrKGnB_09Aioy1NRgmLQQ-1cg==&c=WDxDCHbOuV-gwnc6pAo_dYkSH3BMdBUa2KKqB8xflVJkKg7qq2h32w==&ch=vRgpSDFsxAR-_oylReTN9JGRC4zpikKUz70G0pBpOFBtGIkHx0W49Q==
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Folks,
Because of the workload at the ranch in spring, we have needed a bit of vacation, so this News will be very short. Note however that we do want to send along notice of the special Event below as part of our effort to care for creation, which is a meditative activity even when working on it. This events was sponsored especially by the EarthCare group at St Benedicts Church in Los Osos. We also recommend searching for news on the EarthDay events, and being attuned to the many reports in news sources on our environment, to the extent we are able. In addition, we bid your prayers for the war in Ukraine and the many other conflicts around the globe. Note that the lessons for the week may be seen at http://lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Easter/CEaster2_RCL.html and also that many events can be found at the Deanery page www.sloepiscopalians.org and the webpages of these and other parishes not in the Deanery. See you next week! Bart (and Tony!) Events This Friday, April 22, as part of Earth Day celebrations, St. Ben's Earthcare is offering a special screening of Youth v Gov at 6:30pm, in-person at the church, and on Zoom (you need to register). We will have a few opening remarks from Morro Bay Council Member Dawn Addis about the important role youth can play in public policy. The feature film “Youth v Gov” runs 110 minutes. We encourage attendees to stay for an informal discussion afterwards. You can attend in person or via Zoom. Zoom attendees need to register in advance. Due to special arrangements for this film, it will not be available by recording for later viewing. The post-film discussion will be for in-person attendees only. For more information about the event or to register for Zoom access: https://www.stbenslososos.org/events/youth-v-gov/ More information about the film is available at https://youthvgovfilm.com. Hope you will join the community screening. YOUTH v GOV is the story of the Juliana v. The United States of America constitutional lawsuit and the 21 American youth, ages 14 to 25, who are taking on the world’s most powerful government. Since 2015, the legal non-profit Our Children’s Trust, has been representing these youth in their landmark case against the U.S. government for violating their constitutional rights to life, liberty, personal safety, and property through their willful actions in creating the climate crisis they will inherit. As leaders in the youth climate movement, the twenty-one plaintiffs of Juliana v. The United States of America represent the diversity of American youth impacted by the climate crisis. They hail from 10 states: Florida, Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Louisiana, and New York. These film characters encompass cultural, economic and geographic diversity and many come from marginalized communities, serving as beacons of hope for those who do not have a platform to share their own stories. They are African-American, Indigenous, white, bi-racial, and LGBTQ, and their diversity speaks not only to the impacts of climate change, but to the inclusion required if we are to build a better and more just future together. These young people are activists, students, artists, musicians, and farmers, and their stories are universal. Dear Friends,
This past week, Holy Week, is sometimes referred as Passion Week, and the many lessons for each day's special services remind of the events in Jesus earthly ministry step-by-step. Christians have long marked the week with events famously such as "passion plays" in Eureka Springs Arkansas and Oberammergau Germany and sometimes in other places. NOte that the term passion originates from the Latin for suffering, even though it has morphed into many strongly emotional responses to events, including even the love between two people. Yet we do not want to forget that origin, since it was the love of Jesus for all people that caused him to suffer and die for all. Note that in remembrance Roman Catholics popes have often chosen to walk the "Via Dolorosa" (the Way of Sorrows) in remembrance of Jesus suffering. Yet on this Good Friday commemorating Jesus' death on the cross, this week and its high point, Resurrection Sunday, are in fact cause for celebration as prophesied in this Sunday's lesson from Isaiah, in which a new creation is depicted with some remarkable medical advances (infant mortality will be no more, and a centenarian who dies will be "considered a youth"). And more remarkably yet Paul tells the Corinthians as in Adam all die, so too in Christ all shall live by his Resurrection while in the alternative first lesson from Acts Peter makes clear that this Resurrection is not limited to the Jews It is interesting to note that many of the medical advances seem to be taking place, and despite continued suffering and war, there are very many positive things afoot these days. But as with the great artwork that has sometimes come from an artist's sufferings, so too the Passion (suffering) of Jesus can help bring about that new creation - it is for us to take up passionately our crosses and work toward that new creation So on this day that Jesus died, let us most of all remember that he did so to bring more abundant LIFE1 Passionately, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events This Easter Sunday St Matts will be having Eucharist at 3:30pm with Fr Filemon Diaz who will also be serving the combined congregations of St Marks in King City and St Lukes in Jolon at the church in Jolon at 11am. Note that the combined service in Jolon will be followed by potluck and Easter Egg Hunt. As we mentioned last week, the churches of the San Luis Obispo Deanery will have many events and services - too many to recount here - and so we urge all to go to the Deanery's websites www.sloepiscopalians.org We do want to mention some special events, including that beginning thisSunday St James Church in Paso Robles will be adding another service at 8am, to take place on 1st and 3rd Sundays each month. And St James will be leading a car caravan to another favourite event of ours at the stone Wayside Cross, from 2-4pm on Sunday May 1. To join the caravan, meet at Mission San MIguel's parking lot at 1:45. Good Shepherd Church in Salinas (Corral de Tierra) will be having a Good Friday Stations of the Cross while Walking up Even's Peak TODAY at 3pm followed by a soup and bread supper at 6pm. Stations available online at https://goodshepherdcorral.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7cbc9cee2ea785c71ef0cbb3c&id=fe0caa7ce3&e=cc1155f723 and Solemn Liturgy at 7pm with Veneration of the Cross with Taize music. Eve's Peak will again be the destination for the Sunrise service on Easter Sunday at 6am. And the principal celebration of Easter will be at 10am and followed by Egg Hunt. In addition to their many Easter weekend events and special prayer events for the situation in Ukraine (see their websites), St Benedicts Church in Los Osos will be having a Conversation on Ignatian Spirituality beginning April 26 - they tell us that their "conversation will be based on the great (and amusing) book, The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life [www.amazon.com]by Father James Martin. The book is an accessible introduction to Ignatian spirituality, a famous Catholic devotional practice developed in the 16th century by St. Ignatius of Loyola [www.supersummary.com], the founder of the Jesuits. Father Martin, who left a career in corporate finance to become a Jesuit priest, is a prolific and popular writer on Catholic topics. He is an editor-at-large for America, a prominent Jesuit magazine, although he is probably more well-known for his appearances on The Colbert Report. Martin believes that Ignatian spirituality can be adapted for practice by anyone, Catholic or non-Catholic. Come and see whether you agree! You are welcome to join in the conversation even if you don’t read the book. This discussion takes place on Zoom [us02web.zoom.us]. Tuesday mornings at 10:15 starting April 26. Everyone is welcome. St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande, besides many Easter weekend events remind us of their additional fund raising - We try to keep additional fund raising efforts to a minimum, but the Vestry has approved three special fund raising campaigns at St. Barnabas - first, for the local resettlement of Afghani refugees through SLO4Home, second, for the aide of Ukrainian refugees through Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), and finally, a Palm Sunday offering for the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. Contact the parish office for more information. St Barnabas also announces two new Adult Education courses: The Spirituality of Aging – In this series of classes we will look at how to "grow" old, rather than just "get" old, by exploring the wisdom of a lifetime and embracing the changes that aging brings. Age has a different task than youth, or mature adulthood. The task is to reflect on the meaning of life and to prepare for the final surrender of all we are and have been to our Creator and Guide. We move from "doing" to "being", and from "role" to "soul". Age may bring not only the challenge of losses and change but also present moment appreciation of all God has made and done in us. It can open out into the vocation of "elderhood", or sharing our gentle, patient wisdom with family, friends, and situations. We do not have less to look forward to, but more. We may miss our ability to control the outcomes of our health, life, relationships, but we are invited to a new vision of God as our faithful companion. We can learn to find God everywhere, not just in special places, rituals or times. And little by little the trust this builds in us opens into a joyous, grateful experience of the Present Moment which will become an Eternity of Love. ??his four week series will begin on Tuesday, May 10th at 3:00 pm. This class will be held in the Parish Hall/Forum Room and will not be online. Adult Ed series on Pilgrimage – Join us for a light supper followed by learning and discussion on the topic of “Pilgrimage.” A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. Curiously, some pilgrimages never leave home. Join us at the church starting on Thursday, May 12th at 6:30 pm for this three week series. ??hese classes will not be online. Grace Cathedral in San Francisco will have a full Easter weekend of events, with many so crowded they are requesting that people wanting attend make a reservation and obtain a ticket. See www.GraceCathedral.org Note that Episcopal Retreat facilities are gearing for "the season" and both The Bishop' Ranch near Healdsburg and Camp St Andrews in the Santa Cruz Mountains encourage all to be making their plans. From the Diocese The diocesan offices at Sargent House in Salinas remind us that the Spring Renewal event will take place on April 29 and 30. For the full schedule see https://www.realepiscopal.org/calendar-event/spring-renewal/ At its spring meeting, the Episcopal House of Bishops spoke on Ukraine and anti-trans bills with our Bp Lucinda Ashby in attendance. In addition to the House of Bishops' primary activities of fellowship, study, prayer, and Sabbath, the 133 bishops and bishops-elect present held a business meeting the morning of March 19 that included the passage of pastoral statements/resolutions on the war in Ukraine and anti-trans legislation in various states. Folks,
Most of us have heard of "Virtual Reality", a high-tech alternative to the everyday reality around us. Lately however, In the business and high-tech worlds there is a new if similar notion: augmented reality. I mention this because the lessons for this coming Palm Sunday include a brief gospel lesson for "The Liturgy of the Palms" from Luke's gospel, in which Jesus seems miraculously aware of a colt donkey waiting for him. It all seems spooky and may it was only imgained, a "virtual reality" as in one's devices. But note that it is possible that Jesus might have simply had "augmented" his grasp of reality - something that seems possibly true in very many instances in the gospel stories of his life. You probably know that many preachers and commenters have speculated that Jesus simply was more "in command of the facts" than most, and so recalled seeing or hearing of the donkey, and we may never know if it was so. But augmented perception of reality can be a very useful thing, and some of us have managed to gain such perception simply in prayer and especially contemplative prayer (like the Centering Prayer practices we mentioned). (Note that while there is a downside to such augmentation in the better perceptions of the problems facing ourselves and our world, overall thru faith we can put the problems in perspective and see paths thru them. May we augment our perception of reality by such group prayer practices in order to better serve our neighbours and ourselves! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events Folks, We regret that as we are again travelling for work, we cannot put out a summary of this weeks events in the SLO Deanery and beyond, but hope all will go to the websites we mention for such news, including especially www.sloepiscopalians.org which has been revamped by our friend Leonard Kohout of St Pauls Church in Cambria, but also to websites of parishes further away but more convenient to you. Note as we mentioned last week, our own St Matthews Church in San Ardo will again be meeting this Sunday for Evening Prayer, and as well be having Easter Sunday Eucharist the following Sunday, both at 3:30pm. Folks,
The lessons for this Sunday include from Isaiah talking about new things and a gospel lesson including the story of Martha and Mary (the latter being because she paid attention to matters spiritual at the dinner for Lazarus, who had been recently raised from the dead. As interesting as those lessons might be (imagine dining with some come back from the dead!), it is Paul's lesson that seized my imagination, with his discussion of knowing Jesus. It is striking that Paul, who is not known to have ever met Jesus "in the flesh", should say that Christ Jesus "made me his own", and speak of the "surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." This is especially so given that between those lines he says "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection", thus a contradiction. To make sense of these contradictory statements we suggest the methods of the sort of contemplation we find in silence, as in the silent moments of Centering Prayer (many of you know we find this practice very helpful). CP suggests to us that to better perceive reality we might welcome it, and this includes the reality of some of our favourite badges of honour, such as Paul's pride in being a devout devout in his Jewish faith. That pride and the accolades of respect and even some wealth that might have gone with it he had come to, in his own words, "regard as loss" and even as rubbish. I feel certain that in his contemplation of his situation he welcomed the chance to live and die for God in Christ, including for his flock. He is even willing to share in Christ's sufferings, in the hope of resurrection for himself and for the emerging church. When we are confronted with the contradictory ways we perceive "reality" (as Lily Tomlin once joked, "a collective hunch") we find it useful in contemplative prayer to welcome the realities, for as Isaiah recounts God telling the Jews, God is telling us of a "new thing". May we be still and know that God is God! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events Folks, this past week we were able to enjoy Centering Prayer with the folks at the weekly practice of the Community of Divine Love (CDL), along with our more frequent group at St Stephens Church and the special study of The Lord's Prayer led by Rev Caro Hall at St Benedicts Church (there is one more study session this coming Thurs). For all the events, see the various websites, including the CDL site at https://www.cdlmonks.org/ - it has not yet appeared on the Deanery website. Note that we can recommend all of these prayer events. Other Events Don't forget other parishes regular prayer events, including our own St Matts in San Ardo, where we have Evening Prayer at 3:30pm tomorrow, and those of our neighbouring missions, St Lukes, Jolon where SuRay will lead Morning Prayer tomorrow at 10am, and St Marks in King City also at 10am. Note that the following Sunday St Lukes will join at St Marks for Palm Sunday services, while we will continue with Evening Prayer at St Matts. Then on Easter Sunday Fr Filemon of St Marks will lead the joint services at St Lukes. Also on Easter Sunday, Fr Filemon will lead services at St Matts, again at 3:30pm. Yes, the Son also Rises in the Evening at St Matts St Baranabas Church in Arroyo Grande has a number of events sest for Easter - the parish website for all the details. They are also continuing with their regular weekly program of Bible Study following the Tuesday Morning Prayer service at 9am. Both are available via Zoom, as is their Centering Prayer (which Tony! and I have enjoyed in the past). Their CP is a regular event as well on Fridays at 4pm. See their websites for details. St Barnabas and St James Church in Paso Robles remind us that to help the people of Ukraine actively one should visit the websites of Episcopal Relief and Development to learn what is going on and then donate at www.episcopalrelief.org/ukraine-crisis and note that St Benedicts Church in Los Osos has had special prayer services for the people of Ukraine. St Bens rector has a special connexion to that part of the world and to hel they are sending donations to sending money to Caro's sisters church in Nowy Sacz, Poland. Please put "Ukraine" on your check or on-line gift. (A huge percentage of the refugees are now in Poland.) St James also is having a full roster of services for Holy Week, from Palm Sunday thru Easter - see their websites for all the details. In addition to regular services St Benedicts Church in Los Osos will continue with the Hollister Institute which occurs on an ongoing basis on Tuesdays at 10:15am. See their websites for details and note that their Holy Week schedule is available at https://www.stbenslososos.org/worship/easter-and-holy-week/ and note that St Bens newsletter tells us that "COMING UP April 22, at 6:30pm, in celebration of Earth Day, a pre-release showing of the film You th V. Gov [www.youthvgovfilm.com]. In-person and on Zoom." See their websites for details. Good Shepherd Church in Salinas tells us Bp Lucinda will preach tomorrow as well as confirming young people (and some older ones) for in a formal Confirmations. See their websites for their many activities. As most of you know from the News, Cindy Castle of St Lukes in Atascadero holds weekly Taize music and prayer events on Zoom Sunday evenings at 7pm and is now joined by Brother Dennis of the Community of Divine Love who have Taize music on Fridays at 7:30pm. For full details email Cinday at <castlewood16@gmail.com> and Br Dennis at info@cdlmonks.org. From the Diocese Our new Diocesan Communications Director, Carole Bartolini, has sent out the following, her first newsletter: MEET CAROLE BARTOLINI, THE NEW COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR AT THE DIOCESE OF EL CAMINO REAL Hello everyone! I am thrilled to be joining the Diocese of El Camino Real as Communications Director and I'm looking forwards to helping the parishes in our diocese connect with their parishioners and the communities they serve. I believe video and other multimedia can be extremely helpful in introducing The Episcopal Church to people who are curious about our beliefs, worship, and how our church might fit into their own spiritual journey. I’m excited to see what we will accomplish together. The Episcopal Church has been a part of my life from early on. I was baptized at Saint Timothy’s in Mountain View and confirmed at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. I relate to Bishop Lucinda for her warm and gracious approach to the faith - she makes it clear that everyone’s spiritual development is unique to them and that all paths are valid and welcome. In particular I admire her amazing leadership of our diocese during the trials of her first two years. I am honored Bishop Lucinda and her staff have chosen me to be a member of the team at the Diocese of El Camino Real. I look forward to meeting parishioners in all the other parts of the diocese. HOUSE OF BISHOPS: GIVE ME JESUS! Bishop Lucinda attended the March House of Bishops meeting at Camp Allen in Texas March 15 to 21, 2022. All bishops of the Episcopal Church, active or retired, make up the House of Bishops. This governing body of The Episcopal Church is made up by the nearly 300 active members and they will meet again this summer during General Convention. There were 133 bishops gathered in retreat for the first in-person meeting since September 2019 so there was a lot of ground to cover! Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's sermon from the House of Bishops welcomed the bishops back and talked about what the old spiritual "Give me Jesus" meant to him growing up and what it means to him in the current day world. The Presiding Bishop's remarks have been lightly edited for clarity and you may read his full remarks here in English or En Español [7d9cfaf1-7990-33ca-7d9c-ecb5243f9721.jpg] AT SPRING MEETING, HOUSE OF BISHOPS SPEAKS ON UKRAINE, ANTI-TRANS BILLS In addition to the House of Bishops' primary activities of fellowship, study, prayer, and Sabbath, the 133 bishops and bishops-elect present held a business meeting the morning of March 19 that included the passage of pastoral statements/resolutions on the war in Ukraine and anti-trans legislation in various states. Click here to read more in English | Haga clic aquí para leer más en español For more information about The Episcopal Migration Ministries and Episcopal Relief and Development programs to help aid Ukraine please click the name of the organization above or go to RealEpiscopal.org. [ef231e0b-6186-24d7-6ae0-15dec5c864c5.png] REGISTRATION FOR SPRING RENEWAL IS LIVE ON THE EL CAMINO REAL WEBSITE! Spring Renewal is our new annual gathering for the Diocese of El Camino Real! Spring Renewal is for worship, thanksgiving and celebration! Spring Renewal is for shared learning and growth! Spring Renewal is for everyone in our Diocese! We invite you to participate by either joining a “Watch Party” in your parish, or another parish, or individually in your own home. The registration link is below, and you will be able to select if you’re participating in a Watch Party or participating at home. Either way, we are glad you will be there! Register Now! [51766de2-e3b1-2b75-4d3e-a0d3f7fb68f9.jpg] THE 2022 SPRING RENEWAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER IS BISHOP SEAN ROWE The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe was ordained bishop of the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2007 and became bishop provisional of Western New York in 2019. He previously served as bishop provisional of the Diocese of Bethlehem from 2014 until 2018. Rowe was 32 in May 2007, when he was elected bishop on the first ballot. For almost 12 years, he was the youngest bishop in the church. The bishop is known for his research and work on organizational learning and adaptive performance in the church. He earned a Ph.D. in organizational learning and leadership at Gannon University in Erie in 2014. He serves as parliamentarian for the House of Bishops, chair of the Episcopal Church Building Fund, and vice chair of the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, and Constitution and Canons. He also serves on the House of Deputies Committee on the State of the Church. "SEARCHING REALEPISCOPAL.ORG? TRY THE "I" By popular demand, the search feature at realepiscopal.org just got a lot easier to find. The "Info" link at the right side of every web page now takes visitors to the search bar where you can easily search for resources, news, or more. See the example below with a high-tech arrow to find the "i" location. To suggest an improvement for the website, contact Carole Bartolini, Communications Director, at carole@realepiscopal.org. [0326d82b-95a3-db07-cb49-e85c901766d9.png] |
WILLIAM BARTOSH
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