Diocesan News

After nearly four years serving as assistant for governance and administration, Chelsea Smith will be leaving the diocesan staff on Dec. 2 to complete an accelerated training program to become a software developer.  "We wish her well as she takes this next step in her career," Canon to the Ordinary Bill Parnell said.

In a vote described as historic by many in attendance, the 237th annual convention of the Diocese of Massachusetts, meeting Oct. 28-29 in Danvers, approved the creation of an Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts Reparations Fund "as part of our effort to address our legacy of wealth accumulated through the enslaved labor of Africans and Afro-Caribbeans on our behalf and for our use today."

The 237th annual Diocesan Convention gathered Oct. 28-29, 2022, in Danvers and in person for the first time since 2019. Among the business was the creation of a diocesan Reparations Fund and recognition of Bishop Gayle Harris as she prepares to retire.

Following is the prepared text of the address given by Bishop Alan M. Gates at the 237th annual Diocesan Convention on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022.

On the brisk, blustery afternoon of Oct. 2, Bishop Alan M. Gates joined the Order of St. Anne and Bethany House of Prayer in Arlington to bless a newly created Mysteries of Joy Garden. The garden is planted where the refectory of the former St. Anne’s School, also known as the Germaine Lawrence School, was located.  The "Mysteries of Joy" are one way of praying the rosary and explore the stories around the Nativity. The garden is still in its early stages, with plans to add a mural on the back of the gymnasium to anchor the space in the artwork and history of the sisters, along with artwork to illuminate and encourage reflection on each of the joyful mysteries. 

With two families of Darby Vassall descendants watching from front-row folding chairs amid a standing crowd of parishioners, guests and curious passers-by, the 11-minute film had its outdoor debut on the anniversary of Vassall's death, in 1861, and as part of a multimedia installation created by researcher and artist Nicole Piepenbrink, it is putting a public spotlight on some historical facts that many at the 1759 church became aware of only recently.   

The Office of the Bishop has issued the following notice:

From July 26 to Aug. 8, Diocese of Massachusetts Bishop Suffragan Gayle E. Harris and Bishop Carol J. Gallagher, who serves as a regional canon in the diocese, participated in the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference of some 650 bishops from across the Anglican Communion, convened by the archbishop of Canterbury.  In a recent interview with Director of Communications Tracy Sukraw, Harris and Gallagher reflected together on their experience at--and exclusion from--Lambeth when it last met in 2008; where and how they found Jesus present at Lambeth this time around; and their side-trip pilgrimages to Gravesend and Turville.