Diocesan News

On Jan. 30, Episcopal City Mission (ECM) presented its annual Burgess Urban Fund grants to 20 Massachusetts grassroots community organizations working against social injustice.The Burgess Urban Fund was established in 1975 to improve the lives of the urban poor and oppressed. Grants are intended to…

Team Patriots rallied for a successful Super Bowl Challenge--a charitable contest launched a week and a half ago by the bishops of the dioceses of Massachusetts and Olympia to see which diocese could raise the most money for Episcopal Relief and Development by gametime on Sunday.Final tallies show…

As the New England Patriots prepare for their Super Bowl match-up with the Seattle Seahawks, the bishops of the Episcopal dioceses of Massachusetts and Olympia have issued a challenge to their respective dioceses to a competition of their own--this one charitable.“As many of us prepare to cheer the…

Starting on Monday, Jan. 26, Emmanuel Church at 15 Newbury Street in Boston is opening its parish hall on Mondays and Fridays as a temporary day shelter for homeless people who need a place to come in out of the cold.Nearby Old South Church (UCC) opened a similar emergency weekday drop-in space…

The diocese's ongoing B-PEACE antiviolence campaign is beginning the new year with an action plan focused on gun law reform, youth jobs and leadership training for teens--three areas where the church's participation is needed and ones for which congregations and individuals involved in the campaign…

Bishop Alan M. Gates ordained seven new priests on Saturday, Jan. 10 at Trinity Church in Boston.  Courtesy Photo Pictured with Bishop Gates (far left) they are: (front, from left) The Rev. Jeffrey Dodge,…

The Board of Trustees of Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) in Cambridge announced today that it has accepted the decision of the Very Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, President and Dean, to not seek a renewal of her contract when it expires at the end of June."We accept her decision with gratitude…

A message from Religious Leaders for the Long Island Refugees:In this cold and holy season we ache for the homeless people of Boston who are suffering as a result of the abrupt closure of the Long Island Bridge. Working with service providers and city officials, we have identified a critical, unmet…

Numerous churches, parks and public squares were wreathed in candlelight last week during vigils held across the country on the second anniversary of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings. The vigils, including local ones co-sponsored by Episcopal churches and organizations in Medford, Boston and…

In the aftermath of events in Ferguson, Mo., the bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts issued the following message on Dec. 2, 2014, calling for prayer, dialogue and renewed dedication to issues of racial equity and justice:Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us;…