Episcopal News Service

[Church in Wales] St. David’s Church in Loughor, in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon, Wales, has become the 75th Gold Eco Church in England and Wales. The award was given by the Christian conservation charity A Rocha UK, and reflects St. David’s commitment to walk in step with nature and put creation care at the heart of its mission. While there are more than 8,000 registered churches with Eco Church, St. David’s is only the third gold award in Wales to date and the first in the diocese. St. David’s has adapted its worship to regularly include messages and hymns about creation care, and has changed from printed worship sheets to TV screens. Regular community litter picks and recycling points for harder-to-recycle items have been established for a number of years involving the wider community, and its solar panels and associated battery storage, LED lighting, water saving, and toilet and bin twinning have been described as “great examples to demonstrate to others.” Helen Stephens, Eco Church’s church relations manager, said, “Our huge congratulations to St. David’s Church, Loughor, on their well-deserved gold Eco Church award. Becoming a gold Eco Church is not an easy journey, and they are an example of the dedication and perseverance that is required to reach this accolade. “By remaining focused on the biblical mandate to care for God’s creation and love your neighbor, we hope other churches will join them in taking action to care for this amazing world. We wish them all the best as they celebrate their award.” St. David’s was also praised for improving the limited land around the church for wildlife – including the presence of several bird boxes and feeding stations, bug hotels and a “messy corner” – and also for people, with a recycled church pew from its closed sister church at St. Michael’s for quiet contemplation alongside the fruit trees and herb beds. A Rocha UK aims to equip churches and individuals to create a movement to help restore biodiversity at a local level in this critical decade for the climate. Now, in its ninth year, the Eco Church award scheme brings together a national community of churches addressing the environmental crisis, using a common framework and an online toolkit to learn and speak up together.

[World Council of Churches] The newly published resource “Hope for Children Through Climate Justice: Legal Tools to Hold Financiers Accountable” provides churches and communities essential legal tools designed to hold financial actors accountable for their role in perpetuating the climate crisis. Developed by the Churches’ Commitments to Children program of the World Council of Churches, the resource aims to equip people of faith and partners in WCC’s global constituency with the knowledge on climate litigation, a rapidly growing and impactful way of addressing the climate crisis and protect the rights of young people and future generations. In the foreword of the publication, the Most Rev. Julio Murray, the Anglican archbishop of Panama and moderator of the WCC Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development, points out that our faith calls us to speak truth to power and to seize every available legal measure to protect our planet and its inhabitants. “The urgency of this moment demands that we engage with the law not merely as a tool but as a moral imperative to safeguard human lives and uphold justice,” said Murray. “It is our hope that these resources will empower individuals and communities to advocate for justice effectively, ensuring that future generations inherit a world that is not only livable but thriving.” Read the entire article here.

[Episcopal News Service] The House of Bishops gathered March 19-24 at Camp McDowell in Nauvoo, Alabama, for its annual spring retreat, which centered on discussions of witnessing to the Gospel amid today’s contentious political climate and The Episcopal Church’s future in a secular society. The spring meeting is one of two biannual in-person House of Bishops gatherings. Traditionally, the spring meetings are more retreat-like and tend to occur at church camps. The second meeting occurs in the fall during non-General Convention years, and usually includes participation from the bishops’ spouses. “It’s always an opportunity for bishops to gather, be in prayer together, to reconnect and to consider how we best participate in God’s mission,” Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said during a virtual media briefing. “We were sure to find our grounding in prayer and also to consider the world around us, what’s happening and how we can most effectively both speak to the world around us and to our own diocese in our own context.” This was the first in-person House of Bishops gathering Rowe led as presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church and president of the house.  Each day, the bishops – 116 in person and three virtually – engaged in discussions on various topics ranging from using church property for mission to declining membership. The latest parochial report data shows that The Episcopal Church has decreased from about 2.3 million members to fewer than 1.6 million over the past two decades. “We really looked hard at the statistics – the current reality – what’s happening and where in the church and how we might think about how to address those issues, both together as a House of Bishops, but also in our dioceses,” Rowe said. “We don’t have the same number of resources, but we all have enough gifts to share, and so those conversations are just getting started.” Like last year, the bishops also reviewed and discussed Title IV disciplinary canons and churchwide calls for greater oversight and transparency in disciplinary cases involving bishops. In February 2024, The Episcopal Church, under then-Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s direction, updated its website with a series of informational resources, including chronologies of active cases involving bishops under Title IV. The bishops heard other presentations from leaders on issues concerning the wider church, including theological reflections from fellow bishops. Notably, Atlanta Bishop Robert Wright earned a standing ovation for his reflection on Christian nationalism, which has been growing throughout the United States in recent years. “Christian nationalism is not an imperfect or evolving rendering of Jesus’ life and teachings, nor should it be characterized as simply a difference of theological or political interpretation or emphasis,” Wright said in his reflection, per his notes provided to Episcopal News Service. “This is a deeply embedded, well-funded, strategic and compellingly argued appeal.” During the 81st General Convention in 2024, the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies adopted Resolution A081, “Combat Rising Religious Nationalism,” which requires General Convention to acknowledge and urge The Episcopal Church and its mission-related entities to partner with the Anglican Communion to combat rising religious nationalism. The resolution encourages individuals, congregations, dioceses and other Episcopal affiliates to educate themselves on how religious nationalism harms marginalized groups. “The ‘Christian’ in Christian nationalism is not so much about a religious faith as an ideologically driven identity, even though religious beliefs are cleverly deployed to support its ideological stance on certain political and social issues,” Wright said, in his notes provided to ENS. “Therefore, Christian nationalism is theologically illegitimate and must be called by its proper names: idolatry, blasphemy and heresy.” Rebecca Blachly, The Episcopal Church’s chief of public policy and witness, presented the latest updates on immigration actions in the United States since President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders in January 2025, including restrictions on the asylum process. She shared what could happen to immigration policies in the coming months and highlighted how the church is responding to the legislative changes through litigation, advocacy, education and prayer. More information is available on the Episcopal Public Policy Network and Episcopal Migration Ministries websites. The Episcopal Church’s immigration action toolkit can be viewed here. Blachly also invited the bishops to consider the different ways they can individually respond as church leaders, including making public statements and engaging with local and state government officials.  The bishops gathered both in small table conversations and as a large group to discuss each presentation. Alabama Bishop Glenda Curry said during the media briefing that the bishops also informally shared how they’ve been able to successfully make the Gospel’s message “more relevant or obvious to the world” in their dioceses. “Sharing programs and different ways that they’re trying to address their own context sometimes applies to everybody,” Curry said. “We’re looking for those places where the sharing of the Gospel is growing – the attraction to the church is positive. We’re looking for ways that we can build on each other’s experience.” Scott Bader-Saye, dean and president of the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, presented a theological reflection on faith in institutions. Bader-Saye, who is also a professor of Christian ethics and moral theology, described institutions like churches as nests that serve as containers holding the practices of people trying to accomplish a goal. Those “nests,” he said, can be adjusted and enlarged over time to accommodate new challenges and paradigms. During the media briefing, Indianapolis Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, vice chair of the House of Bishops, described Bader-Saye’s reflection as “sitting in a seminary classroom.” “There was so much depth to his presentation,” she said. “The way I might encapsulate it is that institutions are living, breathing things.” Each morning and at various times throughout the day, the bishops took time to worship together, meditate and reflect quietly. Some bishops expressed themselves through art, including pottery. Baskerville-Burrows said those times of shared spiritual expression throughout the gathering helped bring the bishops “closer to Jesus” […]

[Scottish Episcopal Church] On March 23, the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Mark Strange, joined more than 30 faith leaders across the United Kingdom in sending an open letter to call for bold action on child poverty. The letter was sent to Liz Kendall, secretary of state for works and pensions, and to Bridget Philipson, secretary of state for education. It reads in part, “We write to you as faith leaders from communities across the UK to encourage you to be bold and ambitious in your upcoming Child Poverty Strategy. We welcome the government’s acknowledgement in its manifesto that the UK’s increasing levels of child poverty and reliance on emergency food are a ‘moral scar’ on our nation. Without action this scar will deepen, with an additional 400,000 children set to be pulled into poverty over the next decade.” Strange said, “This letter comes from a place of hope – hope that the call for action on child poverty [will] be heeded by those in power, and that our representatives take the time to listen and learn from those most affected. “Across the Scottish Episcopal Church there are congregations large and small that are doing their part in their local communities to target poverty; from hosting food banks, clothing banks and breakfast clubs, to offering warm spaces in cold weather or simply a place to be welcomed on Sundays or during the week. “This is part of our call to minister, and as people of hope, we are always seeking to do more. This letter calls on our leaders to do the same – to seek to do more to support those whose lives are made that much more difficult due to the grinding effects of poverty.” The full text of the letter is here.

[Episcopal News Service] St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, Washington, recently opened its doors to a shelter for homeless women. It is one of the latest of a growing number of Episcopal congregations partnering with local organizations and developers to address a nationwide shortage of affordable housing. The congregation at St. Mark’s in the Diocese of Olympia helped fund a $100,000 renovation of two classrooms in a cathedral-owned building that once housed a school. The project was led by the nonprofit Operation Nightwatch, which began operating the shelter in the renovated space in February. The shelter, Donna Jean’s Place, is specifically for individual women, not those with children, and it has the capacity to accommodate up to 20 people at a time who need emergency housing. Another nonprofit had operated a shelter called Noelle House in the cathedral’s parish hall for more than two decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced that shelter’s closure in 2020. The nonprofit has since reopened its shelter at another location in Seattle. The Very Rev. Steven Thomason, dean of the cathedral, began talking with leaders at Operation Nightwatch about a year ago about filling gaps in support for people experiencing homelessness. For years, much of the emphasis locally and nationally has been on getting unhoused people into transitional housing and eventually permanent homes. Such efforts, while important, don’t always address the emergency needs of people who suddenly find themselves homeless, and “there was an increasing crisis in the number of emergency shelter beds in the city,” Thomason told Episcopal News Service. The cathedral agreed to provide about 2,000 square feet in the former school building for use by Operation Nightwatch as a new shelter. Over six months, the nonprofit’s renovation crews added showers, toilets, lockers, a laundry facility and exam rooms for medical and mental health appointments, as well as 20 beds in a communal sleeping area. Donna Jean’s Place, named for the widow of the late founder of Operation Nightwatch, previously opened in April 2024 as a 10-bed facility at a Catholic church in Seattle, but the nonprofit was able to double its shelter’s capacity and add amenities with the move to St. Mark’s. Operation Nightwatch does not limit how long shelter guests may stay, though the average stays are expected to be several weeks to several months. Operation Nightwatch also runs a separate shelter for men, as well as a street ministry providing services and support to people living on the streets. The Rev. Frank DiGirolamo, a Roman Catholic deacon who serves as executive director, told ENS that ecumenical partnerships have helped the 58-year-old nonprofit expand its outreach to people most in need. He hopes Donna Jean’s Place inspires more congregations to get involved. “We’re providing a type of witness to what maybe could happen more often,” DiGirolamo said, “as church communities realize, ‘Hey, we have a basement. We have some funding. We could maybe be welcoming the stranger off the street.’” Homelessness is a pressing issue in many cities and states as they struggle to ensure residents have safe and affordable places to live. The problem partially stems from a sharp reduction in new housing construction in the United States after the Great Recession of 2008, which left a nationwide shortage of nearly 4 million units for sale or rent as of 2019, according to a report by mortgage financing agency Fannie Mae. Pandemic shortages in construction supplies only worsened the problem. Other factors include a national shortage in construction workers, and a July 2022 article by the Economic Policy Institute placed some of the blame on “land availability and exclusionary zoning laws, which restrict the kinds of homes that can be put in certain neighborhoods — maintaining segregation.” Housing shortages affect every state, though studies suggest the greatest impact has been felt in Western states, from Colorado to California, especially for the poorest Americans. The United States’ existing housing supply is estimated to be 7.1 million units short of what is needed to house all low-income renters affordably, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Many Episcopal congregations are embracing local projects that have the potential to begin making small but meaningful differences in their communities. In Louisville, Kentucky, Christ Church Cathedral opened a temporary winter shelter this year for women and children experiencing homelessness. A church in the Diocese of New Jersey is seeking city authorization to build a 17-bed homeless shelter next to an existing outreach facility on church property. And an Episcopal church in Portland, Oregon, is turning a parking lot into a “tiny home village” with short-term housing for people with emergency shelter needs. Other dioceses and congregations are investing in affordable housing projects. In the Diocese of Los Angeles, a 66-unit affordable housing complex for seniors opened last week at a church in Buena Park, California, part of a diocesan initiative. In the Diocese of San Diego, an Episcopal church is providing space on its property for the development of a 78-unit affordable housing building. In King County, Washington, which includes Seattle, more than 16,000 people were experiencing homelessness during an official 2024 count. Addressing their needs is “an incredible challenge,” the city says in an online summary of its system of services. One important component is emergency housing, which now includes the 20-bed shelter at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral. “We’re really just trying to meet the urgent needs of shelter beds in the city,” Thomason said. He added that the cathedral already has plans to expand its support for housing solutions beyond providing emergency shelter. In about three years, it hopes to break ground on its own affordable housing development, which would convert the former school building into about 120 apartments. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

[Church of England] The bishop of Kirkstall, the Rt. Rev. Arun Arora, and the bishop of Croydon, the Rt. Rev. Rosemarie Mallett, have been appointed by the archbishop of York and the bishop of London as joint lead bishops for the Church of England on racial justice. Their role will involve acting as advocates on racial justice throughout the Church of England, including promoting implementation of the recommendations of “From Lament to Action,” the landmark report from the Church of England’s Anti-Racism Taskforce. Arora and Mallett also will serve as joint deputy chairs of the newly created Racial Justice Board, a committee of the Archbishops’ Council that will oversee its work on racial justice. They also will attend the Racial Justice Panel, an external independent scrutiny body that will provide assurance that the work on racial justice is being carried out effectively, in accordance with agreed plans and best practice. Their appointment comes after the General Synod voted to back the findings of the final report of the Archbishops’ Commission on Racial Justice, ensuring crucial resources remain available for racial justice, including a racial justice board, panel, and lead bishop. Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said, “I warmly welcome and celebrate the appointment of Bishop Rosemarie and Bishop Arun as joint Lead Bishops for Racial Justice in the Church of England. “Their leadership comes at a significant moment, as we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the 60th anniversary of the UN’s International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. “This is a time to reflect on the progress made, to acknowledge the work still to be done and the challenges ahead, and to renew our commitment to eliminate racism. “By standing together, we can continue to build a church – and a society – where everyone is treated with dignity, respect, and fairness.” London Bishop Sarah Mullally said, “We are all made in the image of God. It is not just our duty to respond to every person with care and compassion, which it is, but our faith demands that we are seek justice and equity for all. “Bishop Rosemarie and Bishop Arun have set an excellent example in their pastoral roles as bishops and in their work at a national level. I am delighted that they have been appointed to this role and offer my full support.” Mallett said, “I am delighted to be appointed to assist leading the Church of England in its work to deepen our understanding and practice of racial justice, in parishes, dioceses and in our church structures. “Racial justice is at the heart of the gospel, as we seek to serve God, as people of all places and races – all unified by being created in God’s image and saved by the love of his Son Jesus Christ. “There is a lot of good work being undertaken, and our joint leadership roles will enable the church to keep focused on working for a more racially just and equitable church and society. I look forward to working in this collaborative role with Bishop Arun, as we seek to model partnership working.” Arora said, “I am looking forward to working with Bishop Rosemarie in taking forward the continuing work of the church in this Gospel work. As part of my Christian journey, I have been inspired and shaped over decades by the dedication of followers of Jesus in their work for racial justice. “Whether Martin Luther King or Desmond Tutu, Rosa Parks or Jemima Prasadam, Charlie Freer Andrews or Trevor Huddleston, each has pointed to Christ’s example in their discipleship. As co-lead bishop I look forward to continuing the journey that the Church of England has begun and following Christ’s mission to celebrate a God of justice.” Mallett is the lead bishop on social and racial justice in Diocese of Southwark and led work on developing the diocese’s anti-racism charter. She is chair of the Oversight Group for the Church Commissioners’ work on African chattel enslavement and reparatory justice and is also the lead bishop representing the church on the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland trustee board. She served as an Equalities Commissioner for five years in Lambeth and currently acts as adviser to a Croydon community action project, which is focused on reducing violence affecting young people. She also serves as chair of the Southwark diocesan board of education. Arora was co-chair of the Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Taskforce, which produced the report “From Lament to Action.” The report, published in 2021, called for change in the Church of England after “decades of inaction” on racial justice, setting out 47 specific actions for different arms of the Church of England to implement across five priority areas. He is the author of the book “Stick with Love, Rejoicing in Every Tongue, Every Tribe and Every Nation.” He has served in a variety of parish contexts and has also served as director of communications for the Church of England and the archbishop of York.

[Anglican Communion News Service] A diverse group of nearly 50 church leaders, representatives of various faith traditions, ecumenical organizations, indigenous communities and climate experts gathered in Brazil’s capital, Brasília, March 18-20 to coordinate efforts for meaningful engagement in the lead-up to COP30, the 2025 United Nations Climate Conference, which will take place in Brazil in November. Their central concern: ensuring that local voices are heard. The meeting brought together advocates from across Latin America and the Caribbean, including Anglican partners such as the Anglican Communion Office, alongside other ecumenical bodies working on climate justice. At the opening prayer service at the Anglican Cathedral of Brasília, faith leaders reflected on the urgency of addressing the climate crisis and the role of faith in driving action. The Most Rev. Marinez Bassotto, primate of the Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil, underscored the importance of hope as an active force for change. “This hope is alive, keeps us moving, and compels us to act today. Waiting for tomorrow drives us to fight now. For those who believe, hope is a verb — it becomes action,” she said. “It should awaken in us an awareness of the deep interconnectedness of all creation, a reciprocal interdependence. This, in turn, must inspire us to an attitude of solidarity and care – a stance that reveals us as children of God.” Participants represented faith communities from across Latin America and the Caribbean, including Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Panama, Bolivia, Honduras, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. Among them were Anglican, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Mennonite, Anabaptist and Reformed churches, as well as national and regional faith-based organizations and Indigenous networks. In addition to exchanging concerns and best practices through panel discussions, the group worked on a “Call to Action” to be presented to the COP30 presidency. With the upcoming global climate summit set to take place in the Amazon region, the impact of the climate emergency on Indigenous peoples was a focal point of discussions in Brasília. “We especially recognize the role of Indigenous peoples, who have lived in the Amazon for millennia, caring for the ecosystem and passing down knowledge through generations to preserve their home,” said Jocabed Solano of Panama, director of Memoria Indígena. “The church, in its commitment to environmental and social justice, must firmly support these communities in their struggle to defend their territories and acknowledge their invaluable contribution to the planet,” added Solano, who also serves on the World Council of Churches Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainability. Roman Catholic Bishop Jerry Ruiz, from Honduras, reflected on the significance of working ecumenically towards COP30. “Regardless of our religious beliefs, I believe that what unites us is the same spirit. We are united by the cry of the earth, the cry of the poor, the need for justice, the criminalized, displaced and murdered communities,” he said. “And this must help us overcome our differences, because it is the Kingdom of God that unites us in the same goal and the same objective.” The event was hosted by the World Council of Churches, ACT Alliance, Christian Aid, Anglican Alliance, Lutheran World Federation, Caritas Internationalis, National Conference of Bishops of Brazil and the Conference of Bishops of Latin America.

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal leaders who represented Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe at the 69th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, or CSW69, meeting in New York City shared their experiences during a livestreamed closing Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in Manhattan. The delegates joined representatives of U.N. member states, U.N. entities and accredited nongovernmental organizations March 10-21 to learn how to increase and improve women’s equality and empowerment worldwide. The Gospel passage read during the Eucharist was Luke 24:1-11, which tells of the women – Mary, the mother of James, Mary Magdalene, Joanna and others – who told the apostles that Jesus was missing from his tomb. “I hear hope and possibility, even in the midst of so much work that is yet [to be] done,” the Rev. Margaret Rose said virtually during the March 21 Eucharist. “For this, UNCSW, for all the women who’ve been here and will be, I give great gratitude.” Some delegates, like Rose, shared their reflections in lieu of a traditional sermon during the Eucharist. Rose is the presiding bishop’s ecumenical and interreligious deputy and former deputy director of The Episcopal Church’s women’s ministries. She was one of the six Episcopal delegates to CSW69, alongside Lynnaia Main, The Episcopal Church’s representative to the United Nations; Rebecca Blachly, the church’s chief of public policy witness; Julia Ayala Harris, president of the House of Deputies; Nicole Hosein, director of Episcopal Relief & Development’s gender initiatives; and Troy Collazo, policy adviser with the church’s Office of Government Relations. CSW69 mostly focused on reviewing the implementation and outcomes of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which was adopted in Beijing, China, in 1995 during the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace. The declaration is a resolution that promotes gender equality and women’s rights through a set of principles addressing 12 critical areas of concern, including economic empowerment and political participation. The church’s goals for the CSW69 were outlined in a statement written by former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry before he retired last fall: Prioritize resources and programs for marginalized women and girls, including LGBTQ+ women, women of color, women with disabilities, migrant women, elderly women and others. Increase access to resources, public services, social protections and infrastructure. Increase access to economic and political power and decision-making. Eliminate all forms of gender-based violence. Address climate change and environmental issues, which disproportionately harm women and girls. “While celebrating progress for and by women and girls in all their diversity in the 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, we lament persistent injustices and call for change,” the statement says. Today, many women worldwide are still vulnerable to physical or sexual violence, and the intentional killing of women and girls, or femicide, is also a global crisis, according to data compiled by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as U.N. Women. Femicide targeting LGBTQ+ women and women of color is also increasing globally. Women worldwide are also paid about 80% of what men are paid for the same work, and that wage gap is higher for women of color. Education access is also limited for many girls. Nearly 130 million girls, most living in poorer countries, aren’t enrolled in school. Girls in Afghanistan are forbidden to attend secondary school. Main said during the Eucharist that CSW69 delegates discussed internalized oppression being a form of gender discrimination and gender-based violence, and that women not calling out gender injustices is “part of being a patriarchal society.” “Every year, CSW seems to fall during Lent. And sometimes I’m asking, ‘Jesus, why do you have this the busiest time of the year for those of us working at the U.N., when we’re supposed to be reflecting inwardly?’ One of my own Lenten reflections this year has been on how I am complicit in my own internalized oppression, that I’m so conditioned by the system that I don’t speak up enough,” Main said. “For that, I ask for forgiveness from our Lord and savior and leave it with him as we reflect together on how Christ redeems our world.” The delegates will share a report back to the church on CSW69 and brainstorm ideas for plans addressing advocacy work for women’s equality and empowerment churchwide during a webinar March 31 from 4-5 p.m. Eastern, called “Beyond Beijing+30: Realizing the Dream.” Register here for the Zoom link. In the meantime, Episcopalians interested in learning more can visit the Episcopal UNCSW web page or email episcopalun@episcopalchurch.org with questions. -Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

[Episcopal News Service] Grace Community Episcopal Church, a Farsi-speaking church plant of the Diocese of Dallas in Plano, Texas, will host a public Nowruz celebration March 23 with fellowship, food, live music and dancing. Nowruz, the Persian new year – meaning “new day” in Farsi – begins the moment of the Northern Hemisphere’s vernal equinox, marking the arrival of spring and the rebirth of nature. It is the first day of Farvardin, the first month of the Solar Hijri calendar, Iran’s official calendar. This year, Nowruz began today, March 20, at 4:01 a.m. Eastern, marking the year 1403 on the Solar Hijri calendar. “Nowruz always falls during Lent, and you don’t want to get too much away from its message, but you can use this time to reflect on the message of renewal and hope for people,” the Rev. Samira Izadi Page, vicar of Grace Community, told Episcopal News Service. Page, a native of Shiraz, Iran, is also the rector of the Church of the Holy Nativity in Plano, which houses Grace Community, and the founder and executive director of Gateway of Grace, a Dallas-based refugee assistance ministry. Formed in 2016 as an informal weekly prayer group, Grace Community is now believed to be the only Farsi-speaking Episcopal church. The growing congregation of 150 gathers every Sunday afternoon at the Church of the Holy Nativity for worship, lunch and Bible study. Most of the congregants are refugees from Iran. The congregation’s growth reflects the growing Iranian American population in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area – at least 30,000. Yashgin, whose last name is withheld at her request, told ENS that Grace Community is “like family.” “I always feel God’s presence here … everyone is taking their time to serve people who are in need of help, and they give spiritual and mental support. They’re always inspiring me,” said Yashgin, who is from Iran. Yashgin and other volunteers this week have been preparing for Sunday’s Nowruz festivities. They are cooking traditional new year dishes, such as sabzi polo ba mahi (herbed rice with fish), ash-e-reshteh (noodle soup) and kuku sabzi (herbed frittata). The volunteers also set up a half-sin – Farsi for “seven Ss” – a table adorned with seven symbolic objects that begin with the letter س – S in Farsi: Sabzeh – green sprouts, representing rebirth Samanu – sweet, germinated wheat pudding, representing bravery, power and strength Seeb – apples, representing beauty Seer – garlic, representing health and medicine Senjed – dried oleaster fruit, representing love Serkeh – vinegar, representing old age and patience Somāq – sumac, representing sunrise Other added objects that start with the letter “sin” – pronounced “seen” – include “saat” (clock), representing time, “sekkeh” (coins), representing wealth and prosperity, and “sonbol” (hyacinth), representing spring’s arrival. Common half-sin objects that don’t start with the letter “sin” include a mirror for self-reflection, candles for enlightenment, goldfish for progress, and a “book of wisdom,” such as a holy book, the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi or the Divān of Hafez. Hand-painted eggs, symbolizing fertility and new life, are also included on half-sin spreads and may have inspired Easter’s egg decorating tradition.  “The message of starting afresh aligns perfectly with the church’s message of hope and transformation, which reminds all of us that, like the blooming of nature after a harsh winter, renewal and healing are possible even after seasonal struggle,” Page said. “That sense of rootedness – in the renewal of creation – the holistic way of looking at life is so dear to us as Persians and as Christians, and we can transmit that experience and reinforce God’s grace.” Dating back more than 3,000 years old, Nowruz is rooted in Zoroastrianism, the oldest known extant monotheistic religion, which is based on the core tenet, “good thoughts, good words, good deeds.” Formed at least 800 years prior by Zarathushtra Spitama – more commonly known as Zoroaster, Zarathustra or Zartosht – Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion in the Persian Empire until the Arab conquest in the seventh century C.E. The ancient religion’s holy book is the Avesta. Even though modern-day Iran is a predominantly Shiite Muslim nation, Nowruz is the country’s largest public holiday and a symbol of cultural pride for Iranians worldwide. It is also a public holiday in countries that were part of the Persian Empire, including Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Today, about 300 million people of different faiths celebrate Nowruz, including Kurds and other Iranic ethnic groups, and the Persian new year is a holy day for Zoroastrians, Bahá’ís and Ismaili Shia Muslims. The United Nations officially recognizes March 21 as “International Day of Nowruz,” and the holiday is recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2008, former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush hosted the first Nowruz celebration at the White House with a haft-sin in the State Dining Room. Since then, every U.S. president has sent an official presidential message observing Nowruz. President Donald Trump’s message, posted March 19, is here. Dallas Bishop George R. Sumner gives a Nowruz blessing to Grace Community every year. Nowruz is rich in traditions centering around spring, including “khooneh tekouni,” or “shaking the house,” when families deep clean their homes before the new year begins. This practice is commonly known today as spring cleaning. Once the house is clean, families typically decorate their homes with greenery and fresh flowers; hyacinths, pussy willows and tulips are especially popular. “I love that family members spend time together to enjoy Nowruz’s beauty,” Yashgin said. “God has created this world and gives new life to the world by bringing his spirit into everything. Nowruz reminds me that God can restore hope and renew and refresh the nature around us.” Nowruz festivities begin on the last Tuesday of the year, this year March 18, with the Charshanbe Suri fire festival, when participants jump over bonfires three times while chanting “zardi-ye man az toh, sorkhi-ye toh az man” – “my yellow is […]

[Anglican Communion News Service] The Anglican Communion Office has announced the appointment of the Rt. Rev. Victor Atta-Baffoe as the new chair of the Commission for Theological Education in the Anglican Communion. He is bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Cape Coast, Ghana, and replaces the Most Rev. Howard Gregory of Jamaica, who retired at the end of 2024. The commission was created in February 2022, following approval from the Anglican Consultative Council’s Standing Committee. It aims to build upon and expand the work previously undertaken by Theological Education in the Anglican Communion, enhancing networking across seminaries and churches, and developing online resources. Currently, 38 provinces have a nominated CTEAC commissioner. Speaking of his appointment, Atta-Baffoe said, “As I step into the role of chair of CTEAC, I do so with a deep sense of humility, responsibility and hope. Theological education is not merely an academic exercise but a vital means of equipping the church for faithful witness, discipleship and mission. It forms the heart of how we understand and live out our faith in a world that is constantly changing. “…I believe that theological education plays a vital role in fostering dialogue among Anglicans across the world. In a communion marked by both diversity and shared faith, CTEAC has the opportunity to serve as a bridge – helping to connect different theological perspectives, cultural contexts and expressions of Anglican identity. Theological education is not just about imparting knowledge. It is about shaping how we think, pray and relate to one another. CTEAC can help Anglicans understand one another more deeply and engage with both commonalities and differences in faith.” Prior to his election and consecration in 2014, Atta-Baffoe was the dean of St. Nicholas Theological Seminary in Cape Coast for 12 years. He was a member of the Inter-Anglican Doctoral and Theological Commission and Covenant Design Group, and he also was a recipient of the Lambeth St. Augustine’s Cross Award for “Outstanding Lifelong Service to the Church and Society through Theological Education and Ecumenical Relations.” He is also a member of the Judicial Council of the Republic of Ghana. He is also chair of the governing council of the Anglican Network of Institutions of Theological Education Preparing Anglicans for Ministry. He was a member of the “Bishops in Dialogue” consultation and the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order. He is a member of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission. The Rev. Stephen Spencer, director of theology and implementation for the Anglican Communion, welcomed Atta-Baffoe to his new position, saying,  “I am delighted that the Rt. Rev. Victor Atta-Baffoe has agreed to be chair of CTEAC. Bishop Victor has an extraordinary background in theological education and ecumenism, and has a wealth of experience in the commissions arena, having previously served on other Anglican Communion commissions such as IASCUFO. I know that Bishop Victor will guide CTEAC wisely during the next season of its work and look forward to the fruits of that future work.”

[World Council of Churches] World Council of Churches general secretary the Rev. Jerry Pillay expressed deep alarm and grief over the deadly attack on Gaza carried out by Israeli forces March 17-18, killing more than 400 people, as well as airstrikes by the United States in Yemen. “We unequivocally condemn this unnecessary re-escalation of violence, which has led to more deaths and further suffering for innocent civilians, including women and children,” he said about Gaza. “As a fellowship of churches committed to justice and peace, we call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a renewed commitment to dialogue and diplomatic solutions.” Pillay also said the people of Yemen, like those in Gaza, deserve security, dignity and the opportunity to live free from fear and violence. “We also strongly condemn the recent U.S. airstrikes on Yemen, which have further destabilized the region and inflicted additional suffering on an already vulnerable population,” he said. “Military action cannot be a path to peace; rather, it exacerbates humanitarian crises and deepens cycles of conflict.” Read Pillay’s full statement here.

[Anglican Communion News Service] The Māori Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (Te Hāhi Mihinare ki Aotearoa ki Niu Tīreni, ki Ngā Moutere o te Moana Nui a Kiwa) has hosted a pilgrimage to deepen ties between Māori and Pasefika communities and enable international guests from the Anglican Communion to learn more about Māori Anglicanism and ministry. The province serves as a model of co-governance, having revised its constitution in 1992 to adopt a three-Tikanga system. This structure ensures equal representation at the General Synod for Tikanga Māori (indigenous Māori), Tikanga Pasefika (Polynesian communities across New Zealand and the Pacific), and Tikanga Pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent). Each Tikanga has its own archbishop and primate, all working within a single province. Taking part in the pilgrimage was secretary general of the Anglican Communion Bishop Anthony Poggo, the Rev. Canon Sammy Wainaina from Lambeth Palace, and members of the Compass Rose Society, including Bishop Todd Townshend of the Diocese of Huron, Canada, and the Rev. Doug Horner, representing Pennsylvania Bishop Daniel Gutiérrez. Since 1994, The Compass Rose Society has provided funding towards the work of the Anglican Communion Office and other communion projects. Hosted by the Most Rev. Don Tamihere, archbishop and primate of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, the pilgrimage involved a series of services and community visits, where the group heard more about themes of indigenous Anglicanism, surviving colonization, Moana theology and climate resilience. The pilgrimage began in Hawkes Bay, on the East Coast of New Zealand from Feb. 19-13. A visit was made to Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Tairāwhiti, the bishopric and home of Archbishop Tamihere. Here, the group was immersed in the rich traditions of Māori Anglicanism, where faith and culture are inextricably intertwined. The pilgrims went to the cathedral, where they saw intricate Māori woven designs inspired by the Porourangi Poutama pattern (a pattern favored by Ngāti Porou weavers on the East Coast). They also visited Te Aute College, a prestigious Māori Anglican boarding school. There, principal Rachel Kingi welcomed the visitors with a pōwhiri (ceremonial welcome) and showcased Māori customs including the waiata (song) and haka (dance) performed by the students. Significant time was given during the pilgrimage to meet Anglican leaders and environmental advocates to discuss pressing climate challenges facing the region, which is causing sea level rise and extreme weather events. In Hawkes Bay, the pilgrimage visited the former site of Hukarere Girls’ College in the Esk Valley, which was devastated by the floods caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023. The students were evacuated just hours before a flood rushed the valley and school. The pilgrimage continued to Suva, Fiji, Feb. 24-26. The group heard from the Most Rev. Sione Ulu’ilakepa, archbishop and primate of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, who explained that the cyclone season now lasts all year-round due to climate change. Climate advocate Fe’iloakitau (Fei) Tevi spoke and warned that climate change could destroy up to 80% of coral reefs, threatening vital services for 11 million Pacific people, a region rich in marine life and contributing 57% of global GDP. The church is involved in some influential and impactful work in climate resilience, through the Moana Water of Life conference and the Community Integrated Resilience Assessment (CIRA). Run by young Anglicans in Tonga, CIRA maps each household in a community to ensure all are resilient to climate disasters. It also mobilizes church youth to support people at risk in a disaster scenario. It is now featured in a key report from the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the “human right to a healthy environment.” The pilgrimage also incorporated a voyage on the va’a Uto Ni Yalu, accompanied by some of the youngest certified traditional navigators in the world. Some of them have spent 6-8 months on blue water voyages, navigating to destinations such as Hawaii, the Americas, Chile, Easter Island, Rarotonga and New Zealand. They observed how climate change has altered the coastline in Suva Harbor. Ulu’ilakepa said, “Our voice alone is not strong enough,” urging the pilgrims to amplify the Pacific’s message. “This is a matter of life and death for us.” The final part of the pilgrimage was to New Plymouth Feb. 27-March 2 to attend the biennial Te Matatini Kapa Haka festival, one of the largest gatherings of Māori people and culture. Here, they were guests of Sir Selwyn Parata, chair of Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa and Te Matatini Festival. On their final day, the pilgrims attended a Eucharist at Mere Tapu (St. Mary’s). Once a symbol of colonial oppression for Māori in the 1800s, it has since become a place of peace making. A trip was also made to Te Manu Hononga, an educational center dedicated to Sir Paul Reeves, the first Māori archbishop and governor-general, which offers programs and events supporting the ongoing process of reconciliation for local hapū Ngati Te Whiti, Puketapu, and the people of New Plymouth. The pilgrimage fostered global Anglican connections, showcasing indigenous resilience, faith and climate action. Pilgrims returned with a renewed commitment to partnership and a vision for a potential indigenous chapter of the Compass Rose Society, amplifying Māori and Pasefika voices within the Anglican Communion. Of the visit Poggo said, ““This has been an enriching visit and time of fellowship, where I have learned more about lives and ministry of Māori Anglicans. They honor the land, their heritage and their relationships. Hospitality and community is central to how they live and embodies God’s call to “love your neighbor as thyself.” I have been inspired by the CIRA project and Archbishop Sione’s encouragement to have hope and resilience in the face of climate change. It has also been a joy to pilgrim alongside members of the Compass Rose Society, whose generous support to the communion is deeply valued. I give thanks to Archbishop Don Tamihere and all the communities of Māori Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia for their wonderful hospitality and example to […]

[Church of England] A church on the edge of the Cotswolds has replaced its failing, “unreliable” oil-fired boiler with electric under-pew heaters, thanks to a grant from the Church of England’s Net Zero Program. Holy Trinity, a rural church in the village of Sibford, started out simply considering installing a toilet and level access to the church. But it soon started to think about how its heating could become more efficient, too. The thought swiftly led to an energy audit that recommended the installation of 121 under-pew heaters. “The boiler was unreliable,” said church treasurer David Gill. “Sometimes we’d come to church, and it would have broken down. It also cost us about $2,600 a year in oil. “But the driver was a higher-level view in the community that we wanted to protect and cherish God’s creation, and we couldn’t do that by continuing to use an oil-based boiler. “We are a farming community, and people regard the countryside and their surroundings as something that’s God-given. So, continuing to go to church and burn oil was not consistent with that.” Gill and the Sibford team were determined to see the change brought about and needed to find ways of funding the $50,000 bill. So, they applied for grants and received four from different sources: Oxford Historic Churches Trust, The Benefact Trust and the Diocese of Oxford, and $25,000 from the Boiler Replacement Hardship Grant Fund, made available through the Church of England’s national Net Zero Program. “It was manna from heaven,” Gill said. “It made the difference between doing it and not doing it.” He added, “People are put off from coming to church in the winter if they are not sure if it is going to be warm. I don’t blame them. Why sit in a cold church? We wanted to make sure that everyone was always warm in church.” Three other churches near Sibford had already had the same system installed, so Gill and the team were able to sit on neighboring pews and find out what the system felt like. “It’s like sitting in a car with the heating on,” he said. Having received the grants around Christmas time, the Sibford team was able to move swiftly, seeing the pew heaters installed in just three days. Ash Wednesday was the first time the new system was tried out, and Gill reports the new radiators “worked perfectly” for the occasion. The move is set to make the church building net zero carbon and reduce its heating costs. “It is economically justifiable, but it is spiritually justifiable, too, and that’s the starting point for this,” Gill said. The Boiler Replacement Hardship Grant Fund aims to support churches, or church halls, with limited budgets with funding to help meet the cost of replacing a failed gas or oil-fired boiler with an alternative low-carbon alternative, ensuring that everyone is kept warm. Grants of up to $58,000 are available to cover the difference in cost between a low-carbon heating solution, compared with replacing a failed or failing oil/gas system. Churches are advised to contact their local dioceses to find out more about how the scheme could benefit them. Shannon Carr-Shand, the Church of England’s Net Zero program manager, said, “We recognize churches with old or failing gas/oil boilers face challenges with the cost of replacing them with a low-carbon alternative, and that’s why we have recently launched the Boiler Replacement Hardship Fund. We are thrilled that this will help these churches/church halls from being locked into a fossil fuel heating system beyond 2030.” The Boiler Replacement Hardship Fund is part of the Church of England’s wider Net Zero 2030 Program, which is responding to the church’s ambition to be net zero by 2030 by helping to equip, resource and support all parts of the church to tackle climate change through reducing carbon emissions from the energy used in its buildings, schools and work-related transport. Gill offered some tips to other churches about their heating systems: “You can either wait until your heating system fails and then do something, or you can be proactive and get ahead of the problem. “Every church will need to achieve its own net zero target by 2030, so being proactive about your heating system is the best option. “This means that you have time to apply for grants, do an energy audit, apply for a faculty and be in control of the situation, rather than a victim of circumstances. “Waiting until your system breaks down isn’t such a good move. No one wants that to happen, so make inquiries while your system is still working and explore the options.”

[Episcopal News Service] Clara Rowsey-Stewart and her husband, Arthur Stewart, along with other members of St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church in Darien, Georgia, wanted to make sure that people in their community never forgot one of the most painful events in the history of the region – and of the United States. The congregation recently helped create a monument to what is one of the single largest, if not the largest, auction of enslaved people in American history. The auction, which took place March 2-3, 1859, at a racetrack an hour’s drive north in Savannah, is known as the “Weeping Time,” in part because of the rain that fell nonstop throughout the auction and also because of the tears shed by those forced to leave family members and their community. Those who were sold were the property of Pierce Mease Butler, an Episcopalian who owned a rice plantation on Butler Island, less than two miles as the crow flies from the town of Darien. The auction took place in Savannah because there wasn’t a site large enough near the plantation to hold the number of people auctioned in the sale. The monument is located in Darien, not far from the church on the site of a former school named for St. Cyprian’s first Black priest. Many of the people Butler enslaved were Episcopalians like him and attended the same church, Rowsey-Stewart told Episcopal News Service. “Everyone was an Episcopalian – Pierce, the auctioneer, the auction broker,” she said. Butler was a wealthy man who racked up large debts, and his trustees were forced to sell some of his assets, including a palatial home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, some property in Georgia and 429 people he enslaved on his plantation. While reports at the time had indicated that slave families were not to be separated, Rowsey-Stewart said that wasn’t the case. People were just sold to the highest bidder. Georgia Bishop Frank Logue, in an email to ENS, described the Weeping Time as “the most devastating chapter in the history of enslavement in the Diocese of Georgia.” He added, “Many of those sold were baptized and confirmed members of the same congregation as their owner, Pierce Mease Butler.” Rowsey-Stewart said that when she learned that many current residents of Darien had little or even no knowledge of the event, she and other St. Cyprian’s members decided to create a permanent monument commemorating the Weeping Time and place it near the church. The church paid the costs of the monument’s construction and placement. It stands 70 inches high and is a four-sided obelisk. One side includes a commemoration of the event, another lists the words of the broker’s ad describing the upcoming sale, and a third side includes a drawing of a Black man in chains with the words, “Am I not a man and a brother?” The final side includes the names of people who are important in the church’s history and in whose memory the vestry of St. Cyprian’s erected the monument. They include the Rev. Ferdinand Meshac Mann, Deaconess Anna Alexander and several others. Rowsey-Stewart said that after the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of slaves, some from the Butler plantation returned to the area to live, and they built St. Cyprian’s. When the church was consecrated, Black and white people sat on opposite sides of the nave, she said, separated by a rope strung down the center aisle. In 1873, Mann came to serve that congregation, and he also established a school that bore his name. Among those emancipated slaves who came back were Aleck and Daphne Alexander. The youngest of their 11 children, Anna Ellison Butler Alexander, was born in 1865. In 1907 she was set apart by Georgia Bishop C. K. Nelson as the first and only Black deaconess in the history of The Episcopal Church. During her 60-year ministry across the Diocese of Georgia she helped establish Good Shepherd Episcopal Church and School in Pennick, Georgia. She died in 1947. In 2018, General Convention added Alexander to The Episcopal Church’s calendar of saints, commemorating her on Sept. 24. In 2019 she was designated the patron saint of the Diocese of Georgia. But she has another link to the history of slavery on Butler’s plantation. Rowsey-Stewart said that Alexander’s grandmother, an enslaved woman there, was forced to bear children fathered by the plantation manager, Roswell King, who became a wealthy industrialist and founded the city of Roswell, Georgia. King was crucial to the plantation’s success, she said, since Butler spent much of his time in Philadelphia. “Those slaveholders kind of outsourced the slavery to other people,” she said. Descendants of some of the slaves who helped build the church, most of them now in their 80s, still are members of St. Cyprian’s, she said. The monument, which was placed on land where the old Mann School was located, was unveiled on March 1. Logue was there to help dedicate the monument, and he later said he was moved to see descendants of some of the former plantation slaves help with the unveiling. “This marker honors the pain and suffering those ancestors endured,” he told ENS. “We see the resilience of their trust in Jesus as many of those Black Episcopalians returned to the area and built St. Cyprian’s Church and the adjacent Mann School with their own hands.” While the monument is new, St. Cyprian’s remembrance of the Weeping Times isn’t. This year marked the church’s sixth commemoration of the event. After the dedication, Rowsey-Stewart was joined by other members of Racial Justice GA – the racial justice ministry of the Diocese of Georgia – for a photo. Placing memorials and other markers is an important part of the group’s work, Rowsey-Stewart, the group’s co-chair, said. One of their goals is to install lynching memorials in all the counties of the diocese as a way to confront the area’s racist history. They already have placed one such […]

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Church has named Christopher Lacovara as its new chief financial officer, replacing Kurt Barnes, who is retiring from the top churchwide leadership position after 21 years. Lacovara, a longtime Episcopalian with decades of financial management experience, was nominated by Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe and House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris, and Executive Council appointed him in a voice vote March 17 during an online meeting. The vote in open session followed a discussion in closed session that lasted about a half hour. “I am pleased to welcome Chris as our next CFO,” Rowe said in a church news release after the vote. “He is a committed Episcopalian with a clear understanding of the financial issues facing our congregations and dioceses and brings significant expertise from his work in finance, law and the nonprofit sector. I look forward to working with him as we position The Episcopal Church for the coming decades of mission and ministry.” Lacovara has previous experience practicing law in the nonprofit sector and served most recently as chief financial officer, general counsel and director of real estate development for the New York nonprofit Community Access. He also spent two decades on Wall Street as an investment banker. His academic credentials include bachelor’s degrees from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York; a master’s degree from the Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science; and a Juris Doctor degree from the Columbia University Law School in New York. Under the Episcopal Church’s Canons, the presiding bishop and House of Deputies president, as chair and vice-chair of Executive Council, respectively, make a joint nomination for the position of chief financial officer, and then the Executive Council votes to appoint. Once hired, the chief financial officer reports to the presiding bishop. One of the top responsibilities of the chief financial officer is the ongoing management of the churchwide budget, with support from the Finance Office staff and in consultation with the presiding bishop, other executive church leaders and Executive Council, which is the church’s governing and oversight body between the triennial meetings of General Convention. As chief financial officer, Lacovara will advise General Convention and Executive Council in adopting and revising the churchwide budgets and then will work to match actual revenues and expenses as closely as possible to the budgeted amounts. The chief financial officer’s 2024 salary was $296,317, according to the church’s annual summary of officer pay. The job was advertised with a salary range of $190,000 to $225,000, though Lacovara’s starting salary has yet to be finalized. The search process for the position was facilitated for the church by the human resources and executive search firm Pappas & Pappas. Through a range of recruitment strategies, the firm identified 121 potential candidates, including 30 that it described as “diversity candidates” based on LGBTQ+, race or veteran status, according to a written summary shared with Executive Council. It screened 40 individuals from the potential candidate pool and eventually presented six “high-potential candidates” to churchwide leaders for consideration. Five from that group met the church’s diversity objective. “Chris Lacovara’s depth of experience and his commitment to The Episcopal Church make him the right person to lead our financial strategy at this pivotal time,” Ayala Harris said in the church news release. “His appointment reflects a careful and collaborative search process, and I am confident that his leadership will help ensure the church’s resources are stewarded wisely in service of our mission.” Lacovara is a member of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Bedford, New York. He and his husband, Sam Green, live in Westchester County, New York, with their children. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

[Episcopal News Service] The Trump administration, in its escalating crackdown on both legal and illegal immigration, has halted government funding for migrant shelters, including one operated by the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande’s Borderland Ministries, while suggesting without evidence that the diocese and other organizations sheltering migrants may have broken the law. Rio Grande Bishop Michael Hunn, in an online video, expressed outrage at receiving a letter from the Department of Homeland Security informing the diocese it was halting the federal assistance to investigate potential wrongdoing. The diocese’s Borderland Ministries shelter at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church had temporarily housed up to 25 asylum-seekers at a time in cooperation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection under the previous administration. “I’m insulted by the insinuation that we have been involved in anything illegal or immoral,” Hunn said in the March 14 video, posted to YouTube. “We in the Diocese of the Rio Grande have been practicing our constitutionally guaranteed faith. We are following Jesus Christ by welcoming the stranger and loving our neighbor, and we have done so in partnership with the federal government.” Other shelter operators participating in the federal grant program have received similar letters, according to the Associated Press.  The letters demand that grant recipients provide the identities of the migrants they have assisted and sign a statement affirming they have not broken the law. The letters say all funding will be withheld until compliance with the new requirements. Hunn, in a March 17 interview with Episcopal News Service, said the diocese is consulting with attorneys about the best way to respond. The information that the government is requesting about migrants should already be known to Customs and Border Protection, he said. “They gave us that information” upon bringing migrants to the shelter, Hunn said. “It’s their information that they already have.” The request “doesn’t make sense,” he added, “unless they want to have a chilling effect on people doing this work.” The Diocese of the Rio Grande’s shelter has not housed any migrants since December 2024, due to a sharp decline in border crossings and changes in policy under President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January. The shelter is part of a network of shelters in El Paso that have worked with Customs and Border Protection, part of the Department of Homeland Security, to respond to past surges in migrants claiming asylum and legally entering the country along the U.S.-Mexico border. Under the Biden administration, placements at El Paso shelters were coordinated by an organization called Annunciation House based on information it received daily from Customs and Border Protection. The federal agency then arranged transportation for the migrants from detention facilities to community shelters like the one at St. Christopher’s. Asylum-seekers are legally allowed to remain in the United States while they wait for their cases to be heard. The diocese’s Borderland Ministries has an agreement with St. Christopher’s to reimburse the congregation for using the space. The shelter’s work was initially funded entirely by donations from individuals and congregations. More recently, the Biden administration used federal funds to reimburse the El Paso shelters for some of their costs through Homeland Security’s Shelter and Services Program. The Associated Press reported the program was awarded $641 million in the 2024 fiscal year to dozens of state and local governments across the country and to other organizations like the Diocese of the Rio Grande to help respond to the surge of migrants into the United States. Unauthorized border crossings hit a record high in December 2023, according to the Associated Press, though the numbers dropped sharply after the Biden administration enacted new border restrictions. Such reductions in migration have caused other Episcopal ministries to scale back their efforts. In January, the Diocese of West Texas decided to close its shelter, the Plaza de Paz Respite Center. “The decision was made following a months-long downward trend in migrant neighbor arrivals at the shelter,” the diocese said in a written statement to ENS. “In addition, the future of federal grants awarded to the diocese for the operation of the shelter remains uncertain, fueling concerns about the facility’s sustainability amid rising costs.” “Though shelter operations will cease, it does not mean the end of the diocese’s Immigration + Refugee Ministries,” the diocese said. “The program will continue to provide training, calls to action, and serve as a resource for churches to respond faithfully to the needs of the immigrant community.” Trump has issued a series of executive orders related to immigration since January 2025, including restrictions on the asylum process. He and other officials in his administration also have falsely claimed that disaster relief dollars had been diverted to migrants. The Shelter and Services Program was funded by Customs and Border Protection and facilitated, not funded, by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, according to Reuters. The government’s March 11 letter to the Diocese of the Rio Grande is signed by Cameron Hamilton, FEMA’s acting administrator. It raises what it says are “significant concerns” that federal funding “is going to entities engaged in or facilitating illegal activities.” “The department is concerned that entities receiving payment under this program may be guilty of encouraging or inducing an alien to come, to enter or reside in the United States in violation of law; transporting or moving illegal aliens; harboring, concealing or shielding from detection illegal aliens; or applicable conspiracy, aiding or abetting, or attempt liability.” None of that is true at the Borderland Ministries shelter, Hunn said. “Border Patrol and ICE would bring to us asylum-seekers who were legally present to be in the United State,” he said in his video. “We would care for them up to three days and then take them to the bus station or the airplane to get them to where they were going.” Hunn estimated the diocese has offered temporary shelter to 1,700 of those migrants over the years. “We always checked the documentation to […]

[Melbourne Anglican] St. John’s in Camberwell, Australia, commemorated the 70th anniversary of a fire that destroyed the church by supporting a synagogue that recently suffered a similar fate. The church directed its offering from a March 16 commemorative service to Congregation Adass Israel, whose Ripponlea synagogue was firebombed in December 2024. The gesture recognizes a shared experience of religious buildings targeted by arsonists; St. John’s was almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1955. The Rev. Aaron Ghiloni said Christians should stand alongside those harmed for their religious beliefs, knowing that all were God’s children. In a statement to the congregation, the vicar and church wardens said the donation was appropriate as it resonated with the church’s own experience 70 years prior. The statement said while governments had a responsibility to protect all citizens, faith communities could work to build solidarity governments were unable to accomplish. Ghiloni said the 70th anniversary commemoration honored the resilience of the church community that faced devastation but chose to rebuild. “They could have merged with another church, but they chose to continue meeting and worshipping in the church hall during those years while rebuilding,” he said. Robin Carter, who was 12 when the fire occurred, remembers seeing the burnt shell of the church from her tram on the way to school. “Windows were blackened and the roof was gone. It was a really powerful memory that I’ve never forgotten,” Carter said. She said hundreds of parishioners turned up the next day to see the damage and rally support for the rebuilding effort. Carter said the church community had immediately decided to rebuild, setting up the hall as a temporary worship space by the following Sunday. She said parishioners cleaned approximately 30,000 bricks from the rubble to reuse in the foundation of the new church. Many also pledged to donate money for the next three years to pay for the construction of the new church building. The rebuilt church, designed by renowned architect Louis Williams, was completed in November 1957, just two years after the fire. Carter, who has been a parishioner of St. John’s for over 80 years, spoke about her memories of the church fire and rebuilding at the commemorative service. An article from The Argus, dated April 22, 1955, recorded the fire was set by John Thomas McPhee, who told police he lit fires because of the thrill of seeing the firecarts. McPhee was responsible for burning down three churches and two other buildings, causing nearly $160,000  in total damages, with St. John’s suffering $130,000 of that amount. The commemorative service also included historical displays, photographs and an 11-second color video of the church fire captured by a local resident.

[Church in Wales] Hundreds of young families from across the counties of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire will receive essential supplies for their children thanks to a grant from West Wales Freemasons to the Plant Dewi charity. Plant Dewi is the Diocese of St Davids project supporting families in their communities. The £60,000 grant – or nearly $78,000 – from the Masonic Charitable Foundation will support the Baby Bundle Bank project to continue distributing much-needed essential items to families with babies under 12 months old who are struggling to purchase clothing, toiletries, blankets, cots, strollers, etc. In 2024 the Baby Bundle Bank gave out 308 bundles. This grant will enable the project to continue for another two years. The project will receive referrals from families and agencies across the region to ensure no baby has to go without. Around 30% of children in Wales live in poverty, and nearly 57% of referrals received for a bundle last year were from families facing financial difficulties. The check was presented to Plant Dewi manager Catrin Eldred by the West Wales Grand master, James Ross, at a ceremony at the St. Davids cathedral. Also attending was St. Davids’ Bishop Dorrien Davies.

[Diocese of West Texas] The Rt. Rev. Angela Maria Cortiñas was ordained and consecrated bishop suffragan of the Diocese of West Texas on March 15 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in McAllen. Cortiñas will work alongside West Texas Bishop David G. Read.  Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe was the chief consecrator. Co-consecrators were Texas Bishop C. Andrew Doyle; former El Camino Real Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, who now serves as managing director of the College of Bishops; Texas Assistant Bishop Héctor Monterroso; Alabama Assistant Bishop Brian N. Prior; and Texas Bishop Suffragan Kathryn M. Ryan. A total of 15 bishops were in attendance for the traditional laying-on of hands. Over 450 in-person attendees participated in the service, with more than 1,300 people joining the livestream concurrently from across the diocese and the country. This was the first consecration of an Episcopal bishop to be held in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. The service incorporated Spanish throughout. In his sermon, Read reflected on living and serving in challenging times: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is what our nation needs. We have this gift of life from God. We know and have experienced how amazing is the gift of grace,” Read said. “We know and have experienced the power of being forgiven, and the power of forgiving others. We know and have experienced the support of blessed, beloved community. We have all that we need, and today, the Holy Spirit gives to Angela all that she will need to do the ministry she has been called to do in this time.”  Cortiñas was elected bishop suffragan for the Diocese of West Texas during a special council at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Corpus Christi Oct. 19, 2024. She is the seventh bishop suffragan to serve West Texas. In her role, she will celebrate the sacraments of the new covenant and confirm, receive and reaffirm individuals within the 87 congregations throughout the diocese. Additionally, she will assist Read in the pastoral care of clergy, clergy families, and retired clergy and their families, and the development and on-boarding of new clergy, curates and seminarians. She will oversee the development of lay ministry, Christian formation and discipleship. “My heart is full of gratitude and love at seeing all the wonderful people who have gathered both near and far to be here for this special day. I am grateful for the God who has called me and the people who have so persuaded me to take on this new ministry. I am particularly grateful for all the people who have formed me as a priest and now as a bishop of God’s church,” Cortiñas said. “I am looking forward to sharing this ministry with Bishop Read and the clergy of the Diocese of West Texas. I have felt the love and the hand of God throughout this entire process and am excited to share God’s redeeming and reconciling love with all of God’s people here in West Texas and beyond.”   Born to Cuban immigrants, Cortiñas is a Florida-native who grew up in Miami in a family of eight children.  She was ordained a deacon in the Diocese of Southeast Florida in 2009 and a priest in 2010. From 2010-12, she was associate priest at All Saints Episcopal Church in Fort Lauderdale and then served as associate rector of St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton from 2012-2017. She served in the Diocese of Texas as rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in College Station from 2017-2021 and as associate rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Austin from 2021-2024. Cortiñas has a 23-year-old daughter, Victoria Fletcher.

[Episcopal News Service] As part of its ongoing commitment to racial reconciliation and education work, 46 people from the Charleston-based Diocese of South Carolina last week embarked on a racial justice pilgrimage to civil rights landmarks, museums and memorials in Atlanta, Georgia, and Montgomery and Selma, Alabama. Downtown Charleston’s three historically Black parishes – Calvary Episcopal Church, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and St. Stephen’s Church, known collectively as the Three Churches United – led the March 6-10 diocesan pilgrimage, which commemorated the 60th anniversary of the three 54-mile Selma to Montgomery marches organized by civil rights activists to demand that voting rights be granted to Black Americans. “These activists knew in the recesses of their hearts and their souls that what they were doing was right, and the way that they were being treated was wrong, especially with the right to vote,” the Rev. Ricardo Bailey, Calvary’s rector, told Episcopal News Service. “The powers that be at the time knew that if voting was accessible to Black folk, then the whole mindset of Jim Crow and racism and segregation were imminently going to be threatened.” The first march, which took place on March 7, 1965, is known today as “Bloody Sunday” because Alabama state troopers assaulted more than 600 nonviolent civil rights marchers, led by John Lewis, as they were crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Two days later, Martin Luther King Jr. led 2,500 marchers over the bridge and said a brief prayer before turning everyone around because of a court order preventing them from making the full march. Later that night, three white Unitarian Universalist ministers who were in town for the march were attacked by Ku Klux Klan members, who killed the Rev. James Reeb. On March 21, nearly 8,000 people gathered at the historic Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma to march to Montgomery after U.S. district judge Frank Minis Johnson ruled in favor of their right to protest. The final march concluded on March 25 with 25,000 people gathering on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol, where King delivered his “How Long, Not Long” speech. The marches led to the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. “What many people fail to realize is that the crux of the Civil Rights Movement – with the loss of lives, the marches, the violence, all of it – really existed around the whole aspect of the right to vote,” Bailey said. “When you’re able to vote, you’re able to vote for people who you entrust with governance over you … You are able to vote people into office who can help to enact, as well as legislate, just laws.” The Rev. Laura Rezac, executive director of Camp St. Christopher in Seabrook Island, with support from the Three Churches United and South Carolina Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, organized the diocesan pilgrimage, which began in Atlanta at the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center of Nonviolent Social Change. From there, the pilgrims – most of whom were parishioners of the Three Churches United – drove together to Montgomery to visit the Legacy Museum – From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration; the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, informally known as the National Lynching Memorial; and the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. “The itinerary and the daily devotions selected for prayer and reflection while on the pilgrimage – everything was chosen with purpose and intention,” Rezac told ENS. “How people choose to act on the experiences they had moving forward in the weeks and months to come will indicate the program’s success. I believe that this group of people will listen to how the Holy Spirit is telling them to use that work in our context here in Charleston.” On March 9, before joining thousands of other people who were also in town to commemorate the Selma to Montgomery marches and Bloody Sunday, the South Carolina pilgrims gathered at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church to listen to Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and founder and executive director of the Montgomery-based Equal Justice Initiative, preach. The Equal Justice Initiative provides legal representation to incarcerated people who may have been wrongly convicted of crimes, low-income people, and people who may have been denied a fair trial. It also founded the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. “He reminded us that it’s kind of become a theme that grace and mercy seem to have been put on trial recently by many of our politicians and judges, and we the church need to do more to follow our scriptural mandate and act justly in love and mercy and walk humbly with God,” the Rev. Michael Shaffer, interim rector of St. Mark’s, told ENS. “Hearing that before going outside to walk across the [Edmund Pettus] Bridge, I felt like we were living into our calling as disciples of Christ.” While marching across the 1,248-foot bridge, the South Carolina pilgrims unexpectedly ran into the 56 pilgrims from the Detroit-based Diocese of Michigan. Bishop Bonnie Perry was part of the group. Woodliff-Stanley, a descendant of slaveholders who lived in Charleston, told ENS that she thought about the courage of people who didn’t let Bloody Sunday stop them from committing their fight for Black Americans’ right to vote. She also said that the interactive Legacy Museum left a large impression on her, making her reflect on U.S. history. “This country sits on top the displacement of Indigenous people, and on top of that is the transatlantic slave trade and the domestic slave trade, and all the wealth and prosperity that was made started with the watery graves of the enslaved Africans [during the Middle Passage],” Woodliff-Stanley said. “Now, there’s an attempt to erase our story of race in America from school curricula … it makes really clear the work before us now, in both reading and seeing these historic sites in person.” Throughout […]