Bishop's Blog

A sermon given at the Clergy Vow Renewal Service, Holy Tuesday, March 27, 2018, at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, by the Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates "...The Gospel which you and I have been given to preach, the sacraments which you and I have been entrusted to mediate, the reconciling love…

Following is the text of remarks by the Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, at the Boston Vigil to #EndGunViolence, sponsored by the diocese's B-PEACE antiviolence campaign and the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, at First Church,…

Relativity was keenly evident. When for a moment one ceased paddling, it seemed for all the world as though our vessels were standing completely still. Look down at the water’s surface and all seemed stationary. Look ahead, downstream, and no forward movement was apparent. Look right, to the far…

I had not anticipated the level of grief.  The departure of Episcopal Divinity School to New York City was announced in February.  The trustees had declared last summer that the school would cease granting degrees in Cambridge as of May 2017.  The decision to partner with Union…

'Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.' [John 12:24] This, after all, is the core of our week. This is the arc of the Triduum for which we are heading. This is Jesus’s own summary of trough…

I have twice been to the top of Cannon Mountain, near New Hampshire’s Franconia Notch. An aerial tramway carries visitors to the mountain’s pinnacle. One of my family visits there was on a clear, sunny day. You could see in every direction, as far as Vermont, Maine, and even Quebec – a stunning…