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Bishop Alan M. Gates issued the following message to the diocesan community in remembrance of the late Bishop Barbara C. Harris, marking the 90th anniversary of her birth on June 12. Matthew Cavanaugh …

The following update from Canon to the Ordinary Bill Parnell was e-mailed to clergy, wardens and treasurers on June 10: As businesses and public spaces are beginning to open in Massachusetts, we know you are anxious about what the lessening of restrictions will mean for our congregations and…

Bishop Alan M. Gates ordained four deacons and five transitional deacons over the course of June 5 and 6.  Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the service happened in a new way this year--online and in small in-person groups. The Liturgy of the Word portion of the service took place over the…

“A clinical researcher, a philanthropic strategist, a music teacher, a marketing manager, a monk, a clinical social worker, a registered nurse, a faith-based community organizer, and a public safety officer walk into a bar.”   It has become my tradition to begin diaconal ordinations with…

When houses of worship were allowed to resume in-person services May 18, Massachusetts issued a detailed set of guidelines designed to curb the spread of coronavirus: Attendance is limited. Worshipers and staff must wear masks. Cleaning is required after each service. Coffee hour is canceled. But…

Bearing candles and signs with messages like “if you’re not livid, you’re not listening” and “when one can’t breathe, none of us can breathe,” hundreds of people gathered outside of St. John the Evangelist Church Tuesday night for a solemn vigil in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. “We…

Nine bishops from across the Episcopal Church’s New England dioceses slammed President Donald Trump on Tuesday for posing with a Bible in front of a church in Washington, D.C., calling the move “disgraceful and morally repugnant.” “His tactic was obvious,” the bishops who helm the church’s…

Sometimes praying, sometimes chanting slogans and sometimes even stung by pepper spray and tear gas, clergy and other faith leaders were among those who protested the killing of George Floyd by a police officer on Memorial Day (May 25) in Minneapolis. Religious feeling also crossed the barricades…

With the COVID-19 pandemic threatening the Cape, Tameeka Reid, of Yarmouth, stayed mostly at home, donning a mask to run to the grocery store for essential items. But the death of George Floyd while in custody of Minneapolis police officers had her joining protesters Saturday on Hyannis Village…

The bishops of the seven New England Episcopal dioceses on June 2 issued the following joint statement in response to President Trump's photo op at St. John's Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C., characterizing it as "cynical" and calling out "the abomination of continued…