With 50 days of Easter to celebrate, some Episcopalians share their on-the-spot greetings of the season. 

Children in Plymouth were invited to Christ Church on Good Friday for a live-action stations of the cross program organized by the local Interfaith Clergy Association.  The children moved from area to area inside and outside the church, meeting characters from the Passion story:  Pilate, the Centurion (played by Christ Church's interim priest, the Rev. Ted Cole, pictured at left side of the cross), Simon of Cyrene, Veronica, Jesus' mother, Mary, and Joseph of Arimathea.

Resurrecting a storied past:  The Boston Globe goes underground with an archaeologist studying tombs under Old North Church in Boston in this April 6 story with video.

EDS's new dean:  Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge has named the Rev. Dr. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale as its new dean and president.  Read the March 30 Cambridge Chronicle article  here.  EDS's announcement, along with video responses from members of that community, are here.

 

Community impact: 

This March 28 SouthCoastToday.com post covers a St. Luke's Church celebration of the Rev. Susan Lee's 20 years in ordained ministry and her impact on the community, especially Cambodian newcomers to Fall River.
 
Building from the base:  The efforts of St. Stephen's Church in Boston to help community youth navigate the college application process are featured in this March 18 South End News article. 

Pop goes the sermon:  Andover chaplain Anne Gardner updates the medium for her message in this March 17 Boston Globe feature.

 

Members of the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops attending a regularly scheduled meeting March 13-18 in Hendersonville, N.C., unanimously approved a pastoral letter, in which they characterize the current economic crisis as "an invitation into a deeper simplicity, a tightening of the belt, an expanded Lenten fast and a broader generosity." Read the letter here. 

 

Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, a member of the pastoral letter writing committee, said upon his return from the meeting that he hopes church members will use the letter as a tool for self-examination and guidance.
 
"I do think this pastoral letter provides some real spiritual and theological context for people as they think and pray about how the current economy is affecting them and affecting our Christian witness," Shaw said.
 
Bishop Shaw shares some reflections on the economy, faith and giving in this March 11 video.
 
Congregations and organizations in the diocese continue to reach out in a variety of ways to support individuals and families who are struggling in these hard economic times; they're posting them here.

 

In Swahili, the message reads: "Furahia Mthama Siku"--Happy Mother's Day--and it comes inside cards that Jubilee Ministries is offering for sale, each with a handmade necklace, to support the orphan feeding program of the Mother's Union in Maseno, Kenya.
 
The card project is one of two ways that Jubilee is focusing attention this spring on continuing need in East Africa and celebrating the ongoing mission partnerships that are helping to meet that need.
 
On May 16, Bishop Shaw will join Jubilee supporters, longtime and new, at St. Peter's Church in Weston for "Jubilee Celebrates Africa," an evening of food, music, storytelling and live and silent auctions to raise money for projects in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.  Tickets are now on sale.
 
Read more.

 

The same economic factors causing enrollment concerns for summer camps across the country are giving a boost to conference center operations at the diocese's Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center in Greenfield, N.H.
 
As for summer camp, it's too soon to tell.  Registration is open now, and there is plenty of financial aid available.  "The big message that we're trying to get out there is:  There is money available.  Take it," says camp and conference center executive director John Erdman.
 
An experienced summer camp staff has been hired, and construction of a new gym begins this month.
 
Read more. 
  

"Partners":  The Brookline, Chestnut Hill, Dover, Needham, Newton and Wellesley congregations that make up the Charles River Deanery have launched a quarterly newsletter, "Partners," to "help us better share our gifts and our gratitude."  To sign up or submit news items, e-mail CDRpartners@parishofstpaul.org.
 
What's diomasslitmus.org?  Glad you asked.  It's the diocesan Liturgy and Music Committee's new Web site.  Along with a calendar and other resources and links for liturgy planners and church musicians, it features propers for the upcoming May 17 trial observance of a feast day for Andronicus and Junia.  Who are Andronicus and Junia?  Go to www.diomasslitmus.org and find out.
 
Calling all artists:  ECVA (The Episcopal Church and the Visual Arts) has issued a call for entries for an online art exhibit to coincide with the Episcopal Church's General Convention, set for July 8-17 in Anaheim, Calif.  Learn more here.

 

Help Old North Church secure a grant and its steeple:  Old North Church in Boston is eligible for a preservation grant that would pay to properly secure its storied steeple, but it needs to secure online votes first.  American Express, with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has identified eligible sites and invites the public to vote online through May 17 for its favorites at www.partnersinpreservation.org/boston.  The winner of the public vote is guaranteed a grant up to $100,000.

 

Quarter contest update:  Back in February the Governor's Office set up an online poll to determine which Massachusetts sites might be nominated for depiction in a new series of quarters from the U.S. Mint, and Old North Church was in the running.  One assumes that Episcopalians voted early and often, but the Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial received the most votes in the end.