Robert Grosseteste, one of the outstanding English bishops of the thirteenth century, rose to preeminence in the Church from humble beginnings in Suffolk. He distinguished himself as a scholar in all branches of study — law, languages, sciences and theology. He was appointed Master of the Oxford School, and first teacher of theology to the Franciscans, when they established a house in Oxford.
I serve on the North American board of the Community of the Cross of Nails, an international group committed to reconciliation. It was founded after Nazi German bombers largely destroyed the city center of Coventry, leading Provost Richard Howard to call for forgiveness instead of anger. This led eventually to a reconciliation between English and German people after the war. The resulting CCN is an important ministry and a significant one for Christians. It’s particularly critical in our current age with its division and polarization. Recently, the Rev. John Witcombe, Dean of Coventry’s Cathedral in England and head of CCN’s worldwide ministry, visited Ukraine. He went to be a witness to the realities on the ground there, and to see how the Gospel is relevant to a very violent situation.
Born March 3, 1819, in New York City, Alexander Crummell struggled against racism all his life. As a young man, he was driven out of an academy in New Hampshire, dismissed as a candidate for Holy Orders in New York, and rejected for admittance to General Seminary. Ordained in 1844 as a priest in the Diocese of Massachusetts, he left for England after being excluded from participation in diocesan convention.
Recently I preached on Herod’s killing of John the Baptist, an act of political violence that remains with us 2,000 years later. That same Sunday we were reminded that political violence continues to be an issue here with the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and the murder of at least one person attending the rally. The implications of this act continue to resonate through our society as I write this.
Jonathan Myrick Daniels was born in Keene, New Hampshire, in 1939. He was shot and killed by an unemployed highway worker in Haynesville, Alabama, August 20, 1965. From high school to graduate school at Harvard, Jonathan wrestled with the meaning of life and death and vocation. Attracted to medicine, the ordained ministry, law and writing, he found himself close to a loss of faith when his search was resolved by a profound conversion on Easter Day 1962. Jonathan then entered the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
We have a new bishop. The Rev. Phil Labelle was elected on May 18th on the fourth ballot. It wasn’t a particularly close election. Of the four candidates, he led from the first ballot. It was mainly a matter of the two people with the fewest votes removing themselves from the race. Once that happened after the third ballot, it was over…
John Johnson Enmegahbowh, an Odawa (Ottawa) Indian from Canada, was raised in the Midewawin traditional healing way of his grandfather and the Christian religion of his mother. He came into the United States as a Methodist minister in 1832. At one point, Enmegahbowh attempted to abandon missionary work and return to Canada, but the boat was turned back by storms on Lake Superior, providing him a vision…
We have just returned from a week in New Jersey and New York. We spent a very pleasant time with Anne and Brian in the former. Then we met Dave, Kayla and Zahava at Kayla’s father’s impressive apartment in Manhattan. We spent some time at the Met and the World Trade Center memorial. It was good to get away for a few days, but I’m happy to be back.
Of Dame Julian’s early life we know little, the probable date of her birth being 1342. Julian first experienced visions when she was thirty years old. She had been gravely ill and given the last rites; suddenly, on the seventh day, all pain left her, and she had fifteen visions of the Passion. These brought her great peace and joy.
As we enter into Easter season, it’s appropriate to think about our future. In terms of the diocese, this revolves around the election of a Bishop. The Prayer Book (p. 517) outlines the role of the diocesan Bishop. “You are called to guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church; to celebrate and to provide for the administration of the sacraments of the New Covenant; to ordain priests and deacons and to join in ordaining bishops; and to be in all things a faithful pastor and wholesome example for the entire flock of Christ. With your fellow bishops you will share in the leadership of the Church throughout the world.”
