Photos: Presiding Bishop Curry visits Diocese of Massachusetts

The Episcopal Church's presiding bishop, the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, brought his "Way of Love" message to eastern Massachusetts April 26-29, 2019, traveling the Diocese of Massachusetts from north to south over the course of four event-filled days of public preaching and gatherings with Episcopal Church ministries, groups and congregations. Photo galleries follow below.

April 26: Esperanza Academy and Grace Church in Lawrence

Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry kicked off his weekend-long visitation in the Diocese of Massachusetts on Friday afternoon, April 26 with a high-energy stop in Lawrence, spending an hour talking with the middle school girls of tuition-free of Esperanza Academy before making a pastoral visit at Grace Church to hear from Merrimack Valley church and community members affected by last September’s natural gas disaster.

Head of School Jadihel Taveras and the students of Esperanza Academy take a selfie with Bishop Curry.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

On camera: Bishop Curry shares a laugh with Esperanza students during a photo op for assembled media.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Student Leticia Bautista spoke to the gathering about Esperanza's core values: wisdom, integrity, leadership and service.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Curry took questions from Esperanza students on everything from his favorite food to what he likes best about preaching.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

“Some of the things I learned in school I still live by to this very day,” Bishop Curry told the Esperanza students.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

"...[T]he values of showing kindness to each other, the values of learning how to forgive each other when something goes wrong, the values of learning how to be a person of integrity and common decency—that stuff lasts," Bishop Curry said.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Esperanza students Juliana Franco and Andrea Pino, accompanied by Siwatchaya Benjavitvilai and Ancelis Reyes on ukuleles, performed a song for Bishop Curry.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Curry enjoys the students' musical performance.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Gathered at Esperanza Academy: Head of School Jadihel Taveras; The Rev. Joel Almono, Rector, Grace Church, Lawrence; Bishop Alan M. Gates; Presiding Bishop Curry; and Bishop Gayle E. Harris
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

At Grace Church, Lawrence: Bishop Curry, with the Rev. Joel Almono and Sadia Jiminian of Grace Church, listens to stories of those affected by last fall's natural gas disaster in the Merrimack Valley.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

The Rev. Michael Hodges, Rector of Christ Church, Andover, told Bishop Curry that, while no one is glad the gas disaster happened, the event did serve to highlight the need for attention to infrastructure, to social and economic inequities and to the collective failure to care for creation.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

The Rev. Sarah Mato, Rector, St. Paul's Church, North Andover, described how people opened their homes to neighbors and provided meals during the crisis: "It's been revealed how generous the people of St. Paul's and our surrounding communities are. That's been the blessing. ...All that said, there is still a great deal of healing needed in our communities."
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Michelle Hardcastle of St. Paul's Church in North Andover shared her experience of being evacuated during the emergency, and then cooking by hot plate and microwave oven and using space heaters over the next few months while waiting for gas service to be restored. Still, she said, she feels blessed and knows others went through far worse.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

The Rev. Joel Almono of Grace Church spoke about the disaster as "a climate crisis change opportunity" and described how local faith leaders came together to advocate on behalf of people who were without heat, who needed Spanish-language translators to navigate the recovery and response process, and who deserved equal access to energy-efficient appliance replacements.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Susan Almono of Grace Church, Lawrence talked about the natural gas disaster in the context of the climate change crisis, and made a case for acting locally to make a difference globally. "Faith groups can advocate for their communities to make sure rebuilding gets done with creation care and environmental justice as our guiding principles," she said.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Curry responds to those who shared their stories, with the help of Spanish-language translater Alfred Potter.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Curry receives a proclamation from Lawrence's mayor, Daniel Rivera.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Speakers representing parishes and communities affected by the natural gas disaster gather for a photo with Bishop Curry (from left): The Rev. Michael Hodges (Christ Church, Andover); Susan Almono (Grace Church, Lawrence); Michelle Hardcastle and The Rev. Sarah Mato (St. Paul's Church, North Andover); Bishop Curry; Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera; The Rev. Joel Almono and Sadia Jiminian (Grace Church, Lawrence); Alfred Potter, who provided Spanish-language translation; and The Rev. Canon Martha Hubbard.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

April 27: Breakfast with young adults hosted at Boston University

The diocesan 20s and 30s Task Force hosted a breakfast program at which participants in campus and young adult ministries asked Bishop Curry questions and gave him an opportunity to hear about the hopes and challenges of their spiritual journeys.

Over breakfast, young adults discuss topics they'd like to ask Bishop Curry about when he arrives.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Katie Ernst of The Crossing at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul introduces herself to a breakfast partner.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Curry arrives at the breakfast.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Sarah Neumann, the co-chair of the diocesan 20s and 30s Task Force, gives a welcome.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Curry returns the group's greeting.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Creation Care, and Bishop Gayle E. Harris enjoy Bishop Curry's remarks.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Timmy Odunuga, a class of 2020 student at Northeastern University, asks Bishop Curry a question.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

"Our goal is justice and kindness," Bishop Curry said to the young adults gathered.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Rowan Pantalena, who serves as the minister for Christian formation and parish administrator at Grace Church in Newton and is a postulant for ordination to the priesthood in Connecticut, asks Bishop Curry a question.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

"Love yourself, love those who are being put down and love those who are putting others down," Bishop Curry said.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Worth getting up early for: Both Bishop Curry and the young adults gathered came away from the program with food for thought.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

April 27: "PB&J" Youth Jamboree with the PB, Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston

About 300 middle and high school youth and their adult mentors filled the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston on Saturday afternoon, April 27 for pizza, music and a wide-ranging Q&A session with Bishop Curry.

The ensemble “Gravy for Jesus” warms up the PB&J crowd: Vocalist Grace Hampton, drummer Avery Nasworthy and pianist Nathan Sangster (not pictured).
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry and friends join the spirit-filled singing as PB&J gets underway.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Diocesan Youth Council members Amanda Ives of St. Paul's Church in Newburyport and Stephenie Cummins of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Mattapan open the program.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry takes questions from middle and high school youth.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

There were plenty of laughs as Bishop Curry engaged with young people from across the diocese.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry listens carefully to a question from a young member of the diocese.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry told personal stories, Bible stories and made connections between Jesus' way of love and the challenges that youth voiced through their questions.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Young people lined up at two microphones to ask Bishop Curry questions.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry speaks to the youth gathered in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry takes a question about what advice he would give to a new high school graduate preparing to head off to college.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry takes another question.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

The gathered youth listen attentively to Bishop Curry.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry thanks the young people for their questions.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

April 27: "Way of Love Rally on Boston Common

Blustery skies gave way to sunshine just in time for Saturday afternoon's "Way of Love" rally on Boston Common, where a fluid crowd of about 250 gathered on the slope behind the historic Shaw Memorial to hear Presiding Bishop Curry preach about the liberating, lifegiving power of walking the way of love with Jesus.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry helps lead the procession from the Cathedral Church of St. Paul to Boston Common for the "Way of Love" Rally.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

The procession makes its way across Boston Common to the rally site behind the Shaw Memorial.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

The Celestial Infernos Steel Band from St. Cyprian's Church in Roxbury keeps spirits high as rally-goers awaited Bishop Curry's arrival.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

"I have decided to follow Jesus": The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Creation Care, and Kevin Vetiac of The Crossing and the Cathedral Church of St. Paul lead the crowd in song.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

The Very Rev. Amy E. McCreath, Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, welcomes everyone to the rally.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Deacon Ema Rosero-Nordalm helps open the rally with a welcome and prayer in Spanish.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop of Massachusetts Alan M. Gates gives an intro: "Bishop Curry is exhorting us to claim our identity as Christians--not so much as members of an institution but as followers of Jesus." The sermon about love that boosted Curry to global fame last year is not limited to the context of a royal wedding but applies to "every human relationship, every hard decision, every bitter controversy and every communal challenge which faces us individually and collectively."
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

As presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church, which comprises 109 dioceses and regional areas in 17 nations, Curry is the church's chief pastor and chief executive officer, sometimes quipping that CEO stands for "Chief Evangelism Officer."
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry preaches: "I want to encourage you in this way of love that I am passionately convinced is the only way to life."
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

People of all ages listen to Bishop Curry preach about the "Way of Love."
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry: "I'm convinced that when Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life,' he wasn't talking about himself. He was talking about the way of love."
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

A young rally-goer gets a boost to see Bishop Curry.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry's enthusiastic preaching about God's unconditional love is infectious to many gathered on the Common for the rally.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry: "Love is the only way to the heart of God."
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry: "Love is the way. That's what Jesus came to tell us. That's what he came to show us. That's what I believe this world, in this time, in this country and in this global community, I believe that is the message I know I need, and I got a feeling you do too."
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry: "I don't care how religious it sounds. I don't care how mega the church is. I don't care who the preacher is. If it's not about love it is not about God. Don't be ashamed to be people defined as following Jesus in the way of love."
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry's sermon was punctuated by laughter, applause, calls of "amen" and the ring and rattle of tambourines and maracas here and there throughout the crowd.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry: "Love God, love your neighbor, and while you're at it, love yourself."
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Bishop Curry invited everyone to take a selfie with a few neighbors; in this case, Massachsuetts Bishop Suffragan Gayle E. Harris, the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers and Massachusetts Bishop Alan M. Gates.
Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

April 28: Grace Chapel and First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brockton

Children and youth of Grace Chapel in Brockton--one of the diocese's newest mission congregations--were lined up in the parking lot to greet Bishop Curry on Sunday morning, April 28 as he arrived to preach at a festive joint service at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, where Grace Chapel has its home.

Bishop Curry is welcomed to Brockton with a bouquet of flowers and a high five.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Overcome by the excitement of Bishop Curry's arrival in Brockton.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Curry poses for a photo with the youth of Grace Chapel.
Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Alan M. Gates and a young friend confer on Bishop Curry's arrival.
Bridget K. Wood

Bishop James Hazelwood of the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America helps lead the service.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Grace Chapel's vicar, the Rev. Moses Sowale, leads the congregation in song.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Joint choirs lead the hymn singing.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Bud Cederholm, retired bishop suffragan of Massachusetts, is on hand to celebrate. He helped Grace Chapel get its start as a continuing Episcopal Church presence in Brockton, his hometown.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Pastor Jeffrey Johnson of First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brockton, which hosts Grace Chapel, gives the children's sermon.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Grace Chapel youth are prayerful song leaders.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Curry preaches the sermon.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Curry: “I don’t know who said it first. …I heard it when I was a teenager from Jimi Hendrix: ‘When the power of love overcomes the love of power then the world will know peace.’ …When Jesus rose from the dead, the first words out of his mouth were: Peace be with you. When the power of love overcomes the love of power then the world will know peace, and we just need reminding.”
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Grace Chapel Boys' and Girls' Brigade members make a presentation.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

The Grace Chapel congregation presents Bishop Curry with a traditional Yoruban hat.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

April 28: "Our Episcopal 'Big Tent': How Big Is It?" Panel at Grace Church in New Bedford

Nearly 400 people filled the pews of Grace Church in New Bedford on Sunday afternoon, April 28 to hear Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry and distinguished fellow panelists Bishop Barbara C. Harris, the Anglican Communion's first female bishop, and General Convention House of Deputies Vice President Byron Rushing share experiences of and insights about racism, consider questions of who is on the inside, who is on the outside and who is still on the margins of the church and society, and offer words of Christian challenge and encouragement for these times.

A full house assembles at Grace Church in New Bedford on April 28 for the panel, "Our Episcopal Big Tent: How Big Is It?"
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

The Rev. Chris Morck, Rector of Grace Church, gives a warm welcome.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Moderator Katie Ernst gets the conversation going by asking the panelists to discuss the perceptions and reality of the church's inclusivity based on where one finds oneself: at the center vs. along the margins.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Curry: "You think the tent is bigger when you're at the center, but when you're on the edge, it's not that big because it doesn't feel like there's room for you. ...I've gotta tell you, it's work to be a minority in the majority culture, whether that's racial, or whether that's gender, or that's orientation, or whether that's political."
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Barbara C. Harris: "I think for this really to be a big tent we have to more fully live into the words: Come in under the broad umbrella of faith. Period."
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Panelist Byron Rushing explains his belief that it is essential to understand that the call to be a church for everyone is a countercultural idea, given that most Americans still live in segregated communties.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

Bishop Barbara C. Harris shared words of wisdom from her mother: "Pray to God and ask people."
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

The panelists receive a standing ovation before Bishop Curry offers the final blessing.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood

May 07, 2019