MORE NEWS ON OCCUPY WALL STREET

Episcopal News Service has an excellent account of yesterday's events at OWS in New York City:

Retired Episcopal Bishop George Packard and at least two other Episcopal priests were arrested Dec. 17 after they entered a fenced property — owned by Trinity Episcopal Church, Wall Street — in Duarte Square in Lower Manhattan as part of Occupy Wall Street‘s “D17 Take Back the Commons” event to celebrate three months since the movement’s launch.

Livestream video showed the former Episcopal bishop for the armed forces and federal ministries, dressed in purple vestments and wearing a cross, climbing a ladder that protesters erected against the fence at about 3:30 p.m. and dropping to the ground inside the property. Packard was the first to enter the site. Other protesters followed, including the Rev. John Merz and the Rev. Michael Sniffen, Episcopal priests in the Diocese of Long Island.

Soon after, police entered the area and arrested at least 50 people. Merz reportedly was arrested with Packard. Sniffen was conducting a telephone interview with ENS that ended abruptly. At 11 p.m., he confirmed that he subsequently had been arrested. Just before midnight, Packard’s wife, Brook, told ENS via e-mail that her husband had been released and was on his way home.

Read the rest at the link.

H/T to Jim Naughton at The Lead. Jim's post is headlined The whole world was watching and includes several links to media coverage from around the world.

Bishop George Packard arrested. Photo from the Daily Mail.

O ADONAI

Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Blackfriars in Oxford.

December 18

O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel,
qui Moysi in igne flammæ rubi apparuisti,
et ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.


O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel,
Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush,
and gavest him the law in Sinai,
come to redeem us with an outstretched arm!

Isaiah 11:4-5

But with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

Text of the antiphon from Fish Eaters.

Reposted from last year, the year before...as a tradition.

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.’

But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.

Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26

I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord,* for ever;
with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
I declare that your steadfast love is established for ever;
your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.

You said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to my servant David:
“I will establish your descendants for ever,
and build your throne for all generations.” ’
Selah

Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful one, and said:
‘I have set the crown* on one who is mighty,
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
I have found my servant David;
with my holy oil I have anointed him;
my hand shall always remain with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not outwit him,
the wicked shall not humble him.
I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him;
and in my name his horn shall be exalted.
I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
He shall cry to me, “You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation!”

Romans 16:25-27

Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever! Amen.

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’* But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’* The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born* will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

TWS TO OWS - BUGGER OFF!

From the Rev Dr James H Cooper, rector of Trinity Wall Street:

We are saddened that OWS protestors chose to ignore yesterday’s messages from Archbishop Tutu, from the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, and from Bishop of New York Mark S. Sisk. Bishop Tutu said: “In a country where all people can vote and Trinity’s door to dialogue is open, it is not necessary to forcibly break into property.” The Presiding Bishop said: “Other facilities of Trinity continue to be open to support the Occupy movement, for which I give great thanks. It is regrettable that Occupy members feel it is necessary to provoke potential legal and police action by attempting to trespass on other parish property…I would urge all concerned to stand down and seek justice in ways that do not further alienate potential allies.” Bishop Sisk said: “The movement should not be used to justify breaking the law nor is it necessary to break into property for the movement to continue.”

OWS protestors call out for social and economic justice; Trinity has been supporting these goals for more than 300 years. The protestors say they want to improve housing and economic development; Trinity is actively engaged in such efforts in the poorest neighborhoods in New York City and indeed around the world. We do not, however, believe that erecting a tent city at Duarte Square enhances their mission or ours. The vacant lot has no facilities to sustain a winter encampment. In good conscience and faith, we strongly believe to do so would be wrong, unsafe, unhealthy, and potentially injurious. We will continue to provide places of refuge and the responsible use of our facilities in the Wall Street area. We are gratified by the support we have received from so many in the community.

-The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper, Rector of Trinity Church

Now I probably should post the Rev Cooper's statement without editorial comment, but I can't resist adding my 2 cents. In my humble opinion, the statement is pretty lame. It appears to me that the rector asked for statements from the big guns ahead of time so he could quote them to back up his own words, as though his statement wouldn't stand on its own.

Are we truly 'a country where all people can vote'? I don't think so. Even now, evidence shows that Republican governors work overtime to make it difficult for certain certain citizens to vote.

Folks keep saying the protestors should be barred from this place or that place because of 'health and safety' concerns, or because 'it's complicated', but it's really not. OWS seeks a place of refuge, and why not let them have the barren plot of land until the spring? They may even decide to move along before spring. Isn't the church to be about offering refuge? I know the folks at Trinity are not bad guys, and I know Trinity does much good in the community and around the world, but they chose to take the safe side against OWS, which means that they lost the opportunity to stand in witness with them against power and corruption.

I think of the Magnificat:

And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

Don't blame me for the headline. Blame my friend who must not be named.

UPDATE: Since her husband is in jail, Brook Packard posted at Occupied Bishop, Bp. Packard's blog, giving an account of her day. Please follow the link in her post to Elizabeth Drescher's report at Religious Dispatches, which provides further information.

BISHOP GEORGE PACKARD - OVER THE FENCE

From Mother Jones:

After Bishop Packard tumbled over the fence, he climbed onto a wooden bench and waved for the crowd to follow. Other priests mounted the ladder while the the crowd yanked up the base of the fence to make a large opening. Someone cut the lock on a gate, and dozens of people streamed inside, talking, dancing to rap music from a boom box, and urging the rest of the crowd to join them. But the party couldn't last. The police, taken off guard at first, came pouring through the gate with flex cuffs and arrested everyone who didn't flee, including Packard. I personally witnessed about a half dozen arrests in progress, but the final tally will probably be higher.

God bless Bishop Packard! What a mensch!

Mass arrests of Occupiers.



Pray for those who were arrested. Pray for the police.

Thanks to Ann Fontaine at Facebook.

HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY, 'DOUCE'!

From WWLTV:


Yesterday, Grandpère and I attended a luncheon in honor of Emiline Bourgeois, who is featured in the video. Major Emiline Bourgeois, USA (Ret.) will be 100 years old on Christmas Eve. Emiline (or 'Douce', as her family and friends call her) is a friend and distant relative of mine. Douce's mother, 'Bijou', and my grandmother, Aimée, were cousins and good friends. They'd visit back and forth between Thibodaux and New Orleans, sometimes for a month or so, because travel wasn't easy back in the day.

We enjoyed a lovely luncheon yesterday, arriving a little late, after first going to the wrong restaurant - the story of our lives, and more so as we grow older.

Below is the honoree getting ready to sip her tea.

Douce is pictured below with her younger sister Cora Lee, who is a mere 95 years old. The family has good genes. Their mother lived to be 93, I believe, and their father, Emile, lived to be 99. He made a wonderful vegetable garden until well into his 90s, with not a weed to be seen. His secret to a long life was, 'Work hard, and don't worry'...words to live by surely.

The gathering at the long table of members of the party, with a few missing from the picture. You recognize Grandpère's bald pate at the far end of the table.

The youngest member of the party with an early Christmas present, which happens to be a bunny.

And a good time was had by all. In the spring, family members from all over the country will gather for a crawfish boil, which will be another birthday celebration for Douce.

A POST AND A COMMENT ON OCCUPY WALL STREET AND TRINITY CHURCH

From Bishop George Packard this morning at Occupied Bishop:

Brook and I travel down to Duarte in a few minutes and what awaits us I do not know. I do know that for me and the OWS I know no violence is intended, only peaceful disobedience if it comes to that. You can follow the live stream from noon to five on WBAI radio.

And speaking of "coming to that" I am still baffled that the Episcopal Church of which I have been a member all my life could not--through Trinity--find some way to embrace these thousands of young people in our very diminishing ranks. (Every year for the last five years we have lost 14,000 members.) Just as we pioneered an awareness of the full membership for the LBGT community what's happening here? How hard would it have been for Trinity to convene legal counsel and say, "Give us some options so that a charter could be granted over the winter months?"

I had proposed that to the Rector and I still think it was a solution. Occupy Wall Street gets a home over the winter (one that would offer food for the Homeless and a clinic--truly bring alive dead space) and Trinity would have the assurance that the lease would return to them safe and sound come Spring. Everybody wins.

Which brings me to Archbishop Tutu's second statement. I see no conflict in anything he said with the first statement, really. As I've said to my Occupy friends, "Let's not delude ourselves in thinking the Archbishop would give you permission to break the law. However, he more than anyone knows what creative tension is brought to a cause for justice when you do." His first statement includes a plea for Trinity not to arrest. But the phrase in his statement--I can only assume it was Trinity which portrayed this to him--was that "their door to negotiation was always open."

Readers, that is plainly not true. Even when Occupy tried over the past three weeks to discuss other prophetic alternatives there was no answer. And that condition continues as we board transportation for Duarte Park now.

From Brook Packard in the comments at the Episcopal Café:

The irony that the church traditionally chants the O Wisdom Antiphon on December 17th is not lost on many.

Trinity's handling of this over the past 3 weeks has been a stunning exercise in assumption and rigidity. It has given OWS things OWS neither asked for or really needed. Having had the privilege of getting to know a core group of this "leaderless yet leaderful" (Cornel West) movement I can tell you they are not in need of pastoral care. OWS's structure is more like church than any parish I know.

The one thing this movement needs desperately is a home. And Trinity -with holdings of over 10 billion dollars-can provide that easily.

OWS has requested repeatedly for meetings with Trinity. Had the leadership stepped forward and negotiated OWS- a movement essential to the discussion of income inequality and a true democracy-could be supported in valid way rather than the cosmetic PR-oriented ways Trinity has concocted.

The irresponsibility of the misleading comments of Katharine Jefferts Schori and Mark Sisk indicate how out of touch The Episcopal Church has become and why it has lost one-third of its membership in a decade. Reading the bishops statements one hears the sound of a few more nails in TEC's coffin. It is limited for Jefferts-Schori and Sisk to parrot Trinity's talking points without looking at the plans or reading Occupy Theory. The past 3 weeks could have been an enormous opportunity for the dying TEC and Trinity to embrace the wind of passion and commitment OWS has brought with them.

My husband, Bishop George Packard will join the occupation of what is a "dead zone" in lower Manhattan. Of that I am enormously proud in the best sense of the word. OWS has plans to make this space a garden, to use it as a home for discussion of the occupy principles, and for actions that include occupying foreclosed homes for homeless families. The institutional church will be left behind. Although cynically, I suspect there will be some sort of OWS Lenten study published next year.

I pray that Trinity has a change of heart and opens the gates tomorrow. If not, I pray the NYPD will not be overly zealous with their clubs, sprays, and zip cuffs.

As for the bishops' comments...well, with 20,000 of us leaving TEC each year, is anyone really listening?

Posted by Brook Packard | December 16, 2011 7:18 PM

The post and comment speak for themselves. Pray for the the protestors and the law enforcement officers as they meet at Duarte Square.

UPDATE: Tweets say that Bishop Packard and a priest were arrested. The man in purple this TwitPic looks like the bishop.

UPDATE 2: Jim Naughton posted the picture below at The Lead of Bishop George Packard and the Rev. John Merz as they were arrested this afternoon at Duarte Square.

O SAPIENTIA

Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Blackfriars in Oxford.

December 17

O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High,
that reachest from one end to another,
and orderest all things mightily and sweetly,
come to teach us the way of prudence!


O Sapientia, quæ ex ore Altissimi prodiisti,
attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter
suaviterque disponens omnia:
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiæ.

____________________

Isaiah 11:2-3

The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
_____________________


In the Sarum [Anglican] use, all eight antiphons are used, beginning on December 16 and ending on the 23, leading up to the First Mass of Christmas, the Eve of December 24. In the Roman use, the observance begins on December 17, but only the first seven antiphons are used, and the observance ends, as with the Sarum use, on December 23.Reposted with slight editing from last year, and the year before, and...and.... The reposts are a Wounded Bird tradition. I know it's not 2006. The O Antiphons are timeless.

Text of the antiphon from Fish Eaters.

BISHOPS WRITE LETTERS

H/T to Ann Fontaine at The Lead:

Letters from The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori and The Rev. Mark Sisk:

Statements from the Rt. Rev Mark S. Sisk and the Presiding Bishop Concerning
Occupy Wall Street, Trinity Church and Duarte Square

From Bishop Sisk

December 16, 2011

As many of you know, Trinity Wall Street is being challenged to provide a small parcel of parish-owned land, Duarte Square, to the Occupy Wall Street movement for encampment or other undefined use.

Trinity has clearly shown its support for the wider goals of the Occupy Wall Street movement, and has aided protesters directly through pastoral care and extensive use of parish facilities. They have said "yes" to requests for meeting space, bathroom facilities, private conference rooms, housing referrals, and pastoral care, and continue to look for ways to provide direct support to those who identify with the movement in Lower Manhattan. Providing private land without facilities for indeterminate usage, however, poses significant health and safety concerns, and is beyond the scope of Trinity's mission. To this, the parish has reasonably said, "no."

In and of itself, a request for use of a parish space by an outside group would not necessitate a bishop's involvement. But alarmingly, some clergy and protesters have attempted to "take" or "liberate" the space without Trinity's consent, and have clearly indicated their intent to engage in other attempts to do so in the coming days.

While many tactics of the Occupy movement have proven effective and creative, I feel it necessary now to reiterate our Church-wide commitment to non-violence. The movement should not be used to justify breaking the law, nor is it necessary to break into property for the movement to continue.

Together, let us pray for peaceful articulation, in word and deed, of the issues of justice and fairness that have brought the Occupy movement into the national conversation.

+Mark

The Rt. Rev Mark S. Sisk, Bishop of New York

------------------------

From the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate

December 16, 2011

Trinity Church, Wall Street, has provided extensive practical and pastoral support to the Occupy Wall Street movement. The Trinity congregation has decided that the property known as Duarte Park is not appropriate for use by the Occupy movement, and that property remains closed. Other facilities of Trinity continue to be open to support the Occupy movement, for which I give great thanks. It is regrettable that Occupy members feel it necessary to provoke potential legal and police action by attempting to trespass on other parish property. Seekers after justice have more often achieved success through non-violent action, rather than acts of force or arms. I would urge all concerned to stand down and seek justice in ways that do not further alienate potential allies.

+Katharine
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church

Well, now we hear from the bishops on the matter of the use of Duarte Square. Why? What is the purpose of the Presiding Bishop and the Bishop of the Diocese of New York in writing the letters? Why is the national office of the Episcopal Church involved? Why is the Diocese of New York involved? Did Trinity Church ask them to write letters on their behalf, or did the two bishops take it upon themselves to write the letters?

I can't say they make me proud. That Bishop Sisk and Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori encourage non-violence is absolutely right and proper, but what does the Presiding Bishop mean by her caution against 'acts of force or arms'? The only persons armed are the police. The bishops ask non-violence of the Occupiers, and now that they've involved themselves, perhaps they might use the moral force of their words to ask the police to use restraint. The great majority of incidents of violence that I've heard about and seen on video were from unnecessary use of force by the police.

But alarmingly, some clergy and protesters have attempted to "take" or "liberate" the space without Trinity's consent, and have clearly indicated their intent to engage in other attempts to do so in the coming days.

Are the bishops, in their alarm, advising 'some clergy' or all clergy that they are not to side with the Occupiers? What about the rest of us?

Solutions are available for the health and safety concerns. Why not allow the Occupiers to use the small plot of land? Or, if the Occupiers settle, look the other way and ask the police to stand down.

Or, in the spirit of radical justice, Trinity might consider returning Duarte Square to Native Americans, and then the property would no longer be Trinity's nor the Episcopal Church's problem.

The more I read the bishops' letters, the angrier I get. In the end, I think they are shameful.

UPDATE: The New York Times has a story on Trinity Church and the Occupiers.

THE ANGEL OF THE NORTH IS COLD...SO COLD....

 

I'm so glad I visited the angel in July and not now.

Thanks to Ann for the photo of the angel in the snow.