THE BISHOP'S BLOG
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April 29, 2005

Feast of St. Catherine of Siena
Teacher of the Faith, 1380

Thanks be to you, eternal Father, that you have not despised me, your handiwork, nor turned your face from me, nor made light of my desires. In your light you have given me light. In your wisdom I have come to know the truth; in your mercy I have found your charity and affection for my neighbors. What has compelled you? Not my virtues, but only your charity. From The Dialogue, by Catherine of Siena.

I am continuing along the John 10:10 Pilgrimage in New Jersey and, every day, I give thanks for the abundant life that I witness in the congregations, clergy and people of our Diocese. There is new life and new mission in New Jersey, thanks be to God.

A benchmark along the way
I'm making progress on this Pilgrimage to visit all 160 churches that make up this one congregation that we know as the Diocese of New Jersey. I confess that, after a year and a half, I had to count up just how many of the 160 churches I have visited. I was pleased to see that I either have visited or have scheduled visits to 115 of the 160.
    The most important thing to say about those visits is that I am overwhelmingly encouraged by the vitality of the churches in this Diocese. I am also encouraged to believe that I will be able to meet my goal to meet the canonical requirement (Title III, Canon 18, Section 4[a]) to visit each congregation at least once in three years.

Down in South Jersey
On the Fifth Sunday of Easter I was glad to spend the morning at St. Thomas' Church in Glassboro. I had a lot of fun with the children in Sunday School, who had lots of questions about bishops and the Church. They came prepared and they kept me on my toes. We had an overflow crowd in the church for Eucharist and Confirmation. What a lively, diverse, and faith-filled congregation. They are blessed with the leadership of their strong, loving and wise pastor, the Reverend Muriel Hubert.
    I struggled through South Jersey Sunday afternoon traffic (sheesh!) and was a few minutes late to visit The Church of the Annunciation, Lawnside. We had a great celebration, including the baptism of seven year-old Gary — the most eager baptismal candidate I have ever met.
   The Reverend Dr. Georgia Cohen and the Reverend Walter DuVall assisted in the Liturgy. I am very grateful for them and for the lay leaders of this small, but faithful family of God's people, who love to sing God's praises.

And in Washington DC
It was my privilege to represent the Diocese at the Installation and Seating of the Very Reverend Samuel Thames Lloyd III as the Ninth Dean of the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, our "National Cathedral" in Washington, DC, on April 23rd. It was a glorious Liturgy attended by thousands, with several processions, choirs, visitors from around the Anglican Communion as well as ecumenical and interfaith guests. Two and half hours later (!), we had a new Dean for this marvelous institution. Dean Lloyd preached a powerful sermon. In his remarks he called upon the Cathedral to represent a generous, thoughtful and grace-filled vital Christianity; one that is "firm at the center but soft at the edges." He is a personal friend, a gifted preacher and teacher, whose leadership holds great promise for the Cathedral and for the wider Church.

Continuing the fight against racism
On April 27th I joined the Reverend Canon Elizabeth Geitz, the Reverend Haroldean Ashton, Ms. Connie White, and the Reverend Jack Belmont for a taped discussion on our diocesan efforts in anti-racism and in the recruitment of persons of color in the ordination process. Under the guidance of the Reverend Jerry Drino, author of A Resource on Cultural Sensitivity in the Ordination Process, we had a very candid and challenging discussion about what we as a Diocese are doing and could be doing to recruit, train, ordain and support men and women of color for ordained leadership in the Episcopal Church.
    I am pleased that we were one of several dioceses that were invited to participate in this taping of a new video on this topic. It should be available next fall, along with a new Pastoral Letter on Racism from the House of Bishops. It will be my pleasure to talk about our diocesan efforts in anti-racism work at the Province II conference in Latham, New York, on May 13 and 14. Registrations from New Jersey are, shall I say, under whelming, as of today. Please come.

Food for thought

No comment: "I am determined to avoid every assembly of bishops. I have never seen a single instance in which a synod did any good. Strife and ambition dominate them to an incredible degree. From councils and synods I will keep myself at a distance, for I have experienced that most of them, to speak with moderation, are not worth much. I will not sit in the seat of synods, while geese and cranes confusedly wrangle". Gregory of Nazianzen, AD 330-389.

Random remark of wisdom: "You can tell you have created God in your own image when it turns out that he or she hates all the same people you do". Anne Lamott

On hope: "Optimism is the belief that things will get better. Hope is the faith that, together, we can make things better. Optimism is a passive virtue, hope an active one. . . . Hope is the knowledge that we can choose; that we can learn from our mistakes and act differently next time; that history is not what Joseph Heller called it, a ‘trashbag of random coincidences blown open by the wind', but a long, slow journey to redemption, whatever the digressions and false turns along the way". Jonathan Sacks, in The Dignity of Difference.

From my favorite latest song from U2:

Take these hands
Teach them what to carry
Take these hands
Don't make a fist.

Take this mouth
So quick to criticize
Take this mouth
Give it a kiss.

Take this city
A city should be shining on a hill
Take this city
If it be your will.

What no man can own, no man can take
Take this heart
Take this heart
Take this heart
And make it break.

From the song "Yahweh": Lyrics by Bono, with The Edge. From How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, by U2.

Also on the disc changer, along the John 10:10 Pilgrimage:

An Excess of Pleasure, by Palladian Ensemble
Joyful Noise, by The Derek Trucks Band
Kissed by Nature, by Eliane Elias

Right Onward!

+George

The Right Reverend George Edward Councell
XI Bishop of New Jersey