QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

My questions missed the anniversary of the consecration of Bishop Samuel Seabury on November 14 by a couple of weeks. In 1784, the Rev Samuel Seabury, rector of St Peter's Church, Westchester, NY, was consecrated first Bishop for the Church of Connecticut by the Right Rev. Robert Kilgour, Bishop of Aberdeen and Primus of Scotland, the Right Rev. Arthur Petrie, Bishop of Ross and Moray, and the Right Rev. John Skinner, Coadjutor Bishop of Aberdeen, Scotland, in Bishop Skinner's private chapel.

Would it be accurate to say that the Scottish Episcopal Church is the mother church of the Episcopal Church in the US, rather than the Church of England? The Church of England is the mother church of the Scottish Episcopal Church, so would the Church of England then be the grandmother church of TEC in the US?

SISTER SARAH SAYS THINGS ARE AFOOT IN HAITI

old pavilion worship space with the beginnings of construction for the new

Things are afoot at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  We have been worshiping under a pavilion in the former cathedral parking lot, located between the old cathedral and the old convent.

However, we have a big event coming up later this month: the consecration of the Diocese of Haiti's first suffragan bishop. After 150 years, this is a big deal.  We are the biggest diocese numerically in the Episcopal Church, so there is a lot of territory to be covered.  The cathedral already needed a more solid worship space, something with doors and walls (I heartily concur as I listen to the downpour outside), and Holy Trinity Music School needs a place to hold concerts since the destruction of the Salle Ste Cecile two years ago.  With the upcoming consecration and the need for space for the guests, this new, much larger pavilion is going to be a real blessing.  If I understand correctly, the sides of the building will not go on until afterwards, which will leave more space around the building open for the congregation.

Canon Oge Beauvoir is the suffragan bishop-elect who will soon make history in the Diocese of Haiti.  Read Sarah's entire post and see the rest of her pictures to find out what else is afoot at the site in Port-au-Prince.

Sarah, a  Sister of St Margaret and an Episcopal priest, is in Haiti to help with the recovery from the earthquake that devastated the country a couple of years ago.

MARIANN BUDDE CONSECRATED 9TH BISHOP OF DIOCESE OF WASHINGTON DC

From the Episcopal Diocese of Washington:

The bells of Washington National Cathedral, silent since the Aug. 23 earthquake, rang out joyfully following the Nov. 12 consecration of the Diocese of Washington’s ninth bishop, the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde.
And though black netting draped across the cathedral ceiling was testament to ongoing repair work, colored light from the stained glass windows filtered through, one of the many expressions of joy that greeted Budde as she took her place as Washington’s first female diocesan bishop.
....

Budde’s husband, Paul, read Coleman’s Bed, a poem by David Whyte. In a sometimes blunt-spoken sermon, the Rev. Linda M. Kaufman also quoted a portion of the poem:

“… Feel the way the cliff at your back
Gives shelter to your outward view
And then bring in from those horizons
All discordant elements that seek a home…”

Asking Budde to stand, Kaufman said: “Mariann, you must find places where you can lean back. … Trust the cliff because its strength goes back. Its strength is the awesome power of God. … I know in the strength of the cliff and the silence you find there you will find the strength of God wrapping his arms around you.”

Blessings and congratulations, Bishop Mariann!

From Peter Carey at Santos Woodcarving Popcicles:

"What I appreciate most about the tradition that is mine is the person of Jesus, the example of his life, the power of his teaching and the mystical presence of the risen Christ that is the spiritual foundation of Christianity. It's a great gift, to have a sense of the presence and the love of a personal God in your life."
~ Bishop Budde of the Diocese of Washington

And they all said, "Amen!"

UPDATE: The Washington Post has a wonderful slideshow of the ceremony.

BISHOP MORRIS THOMPSON IS COMING

 

If you recall, after the walk-about to meet and greet the candidates for bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, I named the Rev. Morris Thompson as my favorite amongst the candidates. If you don't remember, I remind you.

My favorite of all and the one I would vote for if I had a vote is Fr Morris Thompson. He looked good on paper, and I liked him face to face.

A friend who once attended a church where Fr Thompson served applauded my choice.

June -
It's the middle of the night, but just caught up with your blog, not perused for several months. Happy to see that you like Morris for bishop !!
He was an assistant at our church in Ashland, loved by all, and now rectors a large church in Lexington KY, where he is highly thought of. Good friends of ours there have watched, loved and benefited from his pastoral gifts thru the years. They would hate to lose him, but feel he may best serve in wider pastures & offer his gifts as bishop in a diocese that has been through the tribulations that La. has.

And lo! A miracle happened. My favorite was elected as 11th bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana.

I don't know if Christ Church Cathedral will hold all the people who want to attend. Bishop Charles Jenkins, our retired bishop, was consecrated at St Dominic's Roman Catholic Church because it accommodated a larger number than Christ Church. Still, I'm pleased that the ceremony will be at the cathedral. I presume arrangements will be made for an overflow crowd to view the ceremony elsewhere on the cathedral grounds.

No reservations will be taken, so first come, first served with seating. I'll try to get a seat, but I won't arrive earlier than 8:00 AM, when the doors open. Is it possible that my peon of praise here for our bishop-elect might get me a special seat at the ceremony? Probably not, but if a seat is offered, I won't say no. After all, I'm an old lady.

I've wondered whether "ordain" or "consecrate" is the proper term for making a bishop. I've heard opinions in favor of both terms. The invitation states:

"The Most Reverend Katharine Jefforts Schori the Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church will ordain and consecrate The Very Reverend Morris King Thompson, Jr...."

The Via Media applied?

The scan of the invitation is taken from Churchwork, the diocesan magazine.