Top: Bishop Tom Shaw and the Rev. Anne Fowler join other religious leaders at the State House in support of same-sex marriage.
Bottom: Ken Brooks, music director at St. John's, Jamaica Plain,  and the Rev. Tim Rogers of St. John's, Newtonville lead Gay Pride marchers from the Diocese.
Photos: Maria Plati, Tim Kinnel

Galvanized by a proposed amendment to repeal same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, marchers from several Episcopal parishes braved threatening skies June 9 to take part in Boston's Gay Pride parade, where clerical collars mixed with feather boas.

June 14, after a final push of lobbying and demonstrations at St. Paul's Cathedral and the State House in the morning, the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry, led by its president, the Rev. Anne Fowler, and its supporters rejoiced in the afternoon as the proposed amendment was defeated, falling short by five votes.

Said Bishop Tom Shaw, "Your bishops are pleased with the decision of the legislature. When it comes to issues of human dignity and justice, we celebrate in jubilant spirit with the children of God who have been previously denied justice, and we are especially proud of all the Episcopalians who worked so hard to make this possible."

For information about inviting parishes, see the Gay and Lesbian Clergy Association website.

Photos of the demonstration and Gay Pride>>

Photos from the Globe of the RCFM demonstration>>

Bishop Gayle Harris and ECM director Ruy Costa look on as Governor Deval Patrick addresses the ECM Annual Meeting.
Photo: Maria Plati

Governor Deval Patrick led off Episcopal City Mission's June 12 Annual Meeting at Boston University with a message of thanks to the assembly of 400 ECM supporters for their community service, citing Jesus' commissioning of Peter in the Gospel of John: Feed my sheep.

"I was taught that that message was about taking care of each other, the responsibility that we have as a faith community of looking out for each other, of worrying about each other and bringing that worry to action," the governor said.

Bishop Tom Shaw joined Greater Boston Students for Peace, a coalition of students and allies who oppose the war in Iraq, at a rally at Boston City Hall on June 1 to protest military recruitment in the public schools.

The student group, based at St. Stephen's Church in Boston's South End and assisted by the Rev. Timothy Crellin, vicar, had collected more than 1,000 signed cards from their peers stating officially that they wished to opt out of any draft.

"You all have done a remarkable job and taken a step to do something positive about working against war and the destruction that's going on in Iraq. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank you for all you've done," Bishop Shaw said.

Mayor Tom Menino, Bishop Tom Shaw and the Rev. Kathy McAdams.
Photo: Maria Plati

Bishop Tom Shaw and the Very Rev. Jep Streit, cathedral dean, joined Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to announce the city's new daytime mobile outreach van designed to increase homeless persons' access to health care, substance abuse treatment and housing options.  The new outreach van will be based in Downtown Crossing and the Boston Common.  The announcement was made June 5 on the steps of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, across from the Common.

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The Rev. Daniel Velez-Rivera (left), urban assistant at Grace Church in Salem, represented the Diocese of Massachusetts at the consecration service in Havana.
Photo: Episcopal Life Online

"Asi lo haremos! (We will!)" thundered the standing-room-only congregation at Havana's Episcopal Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, when asked if they would accept as Cuba's first bishops suffragan the Rev. Canon Nerva Cot Aguilera, the first woman Anglican bishop in Latin America, and Archdeacon Ulises Mario Aguero Prendes.

 "It was a very important day for the church in Cuba," said Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who participated in the June 10 rites.  "The presence of so many members of other parts of the communion was a gift."

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Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
Photo: Episcopal News Service

Appearing on the June 8 broadcast of "Bill Moyers Journal" on PBS, the Episcopal Church's presiding bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, talked about being a scientist and a person of faith, the wonder of God's creation and conflict in the Anglican Communion over issues of human sexuality.  The 25-minute segment and a full transcript are available on the  PBS website.

June 22: A Dance for India at Church of the Holy Spirit in Wayland, 7 p.m. Proceeds go to Episcopal Relief and Development's post-tsunami rebuilding efforts.

June 23:  Alewife Deanery June Jubilee Walk and Worship for HIV/AIDS care in Africa, Minuteman Bikeway, 9 a.m. start time from Alewife T station and 10 a.m. start time from both Arlington Center and Bedford Depot; lunch and activities start at 11:30 a.m. at Church of Our Redeemer (6 Meriam Street) in Lexington; 1:30 p.m. outdoor worship with Bishop Gayle E. Harris

Sundays, starting June 24:  St. Luke's Church in Scituate offers a short church service on Peggotty Beach, weather permitting, 7 p.m. 

July 1-Aug. 18:  Summer camp in session at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H.

July 13-15:  Creating a Culture of Peace active nonviolence training program at the Church of the Holy Spirit (204 Monument Road) in Orleans.

Sept. 22:  Save the date for the diocesan Resource Day for Congregational Development at Bentley College, Waltham