For information and updates about the bishop election process, visit www.mabishopsearch.org, the search and transition site independently maintained by the Discernment Committee.
The Discernment Committee for the election of a bishop coadjutor for the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts is, as of Aug. 5, accepting nominations (until Aug. 26) and applications (until Sept. 23).
"If you are a potential applicant for this position, we are grateful for your prayerful consideration of answering God's call to join us as bishop coadjutor of our diocese," the Discernment Committee says in the diocesan profile it has written to assist applicants in their discernment. "We pray that our shared journey will be filled with Christ's presence and that we will all come to a deeper understanding of God's will for us," the committee writes.
More information about the process, along with the Discernment Committee's profile of the diocese, and the nomination and application forms are available at www.mabishopsearch.org, a Web site devoted to the search and transition process that is being developed and maintained independently by the Discernment Committee.
The current bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts, the Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, announced on Jan. 15, 2013, his call for a bishop coadjutor to succeed him when he retires, the date of which has not been determined.
The bishop coadjutor election is scheduled to take place on April 5, 2014, at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, and the ordination and consecration of the new bishop on Sept. 13, 2014.
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Almighty God, giver of every good gift: We thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, and for the witness of your whole church in his name. We thank you for your Holy Spirit, empowering us for ministry. So guide the hearts and minds of all those who shall choose a bishop in this diocese and those who will respond to the call, that we may receive a faithful pastor who will care for your people. May our discernment transform our spirits and draw us closer to you, Almighty God. Amen.
Dios omnipotente, dador de todo buen don, te damos gracias por la bendición de tu Hijo Jesucristo y por el testimonio de toda tu iglesia en su nombre. Te damos gracias por tu Santo Espíritu que nos otorga el poder para realizar el ministerio. Te pedimos que guíes los corazones y las mentes de las personas que han de elegir al próximo obispo u obispa para esta diócesis y también a aquellas personas que van a responder al llamado de Dios, para que de esa manera recibamos a ese pastor o pastora que cuide a tu pueblo. Que nuestro discernimiento transforme nuestro espíritu y nos acerque a ti, Dios omnipotente. Amén.
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