Diocesan News

Outstretched hands mural photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
Diocesan News
Tim Mossholder on Unsplash The diocesan Racial Justice Commission will begin rolling out new resource materials for congregations at Diocesan Convention in November, following a year of deliberative effort by five subcommittees to lay foundations for the long-term work of…
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Diocesan News
Aug. 24, 2021 Jesus said, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate,…
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Diocesan News

The following pastoral message with COVID-19 requirements and recommendations was sent to congregational and diocesan leadership on Aug. 16, 2021.

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WMA and MA diocesan seals with Episcopal Church shield
Diocesan News
The following op-ed issued by the Episcopal bishops in the Commonwealth was published on July 21, 2021, on MassLive (view here), the digital news platform of The Springfield Republican. As the epidemic of gun violence continues to devastate communities, the Biden administration's prevention…
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deacons ordination
Diocesan News
Courtesy Photo Seven transitional deacons were ordained by Bishop Gayle E. Harris on Saturday, June 5 at Emmanuel Church in Boston. They are (from left): The Rev. Kevin Gordon Neil (sponsored by St. Stephen’s Memorial Church in Lynn); The Rev. Marcia Chanta Bhan (Christ Church…
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Juneteenth
Diocesan News
All are invited to gather online with Bishop Gayle E. Harris for a virtual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 19, 2021, at 4:30 p.m., commemorating the date in 1865 when word of slavery’s end in the U.S. finally reached Galveston, Tex. The Juneteenth event will also mark the Feast of Bernard…
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Gratitude photos
Diocesan News
Update June 17, 2021:  The UTO has decided to postpone this conference to 2022.  After a pandemic year that took so much away from so many people, many are feeling that there’s no better time than the present to celebrate and be grateful for blessings. An occasion for focusing on…
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Helen and Rick Hargreaves
Diocesan News
After more than a year of pandemic-necessitated closure, the diocese’s Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center in Greenfield, N.H., is reopening for family camp weekends this summer, with new interim directors at the helm. The Rev. Deacon Helen and Rick Hargreaves arrived at the end of May to…
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Diocesan News

The following pastoral letter with updated COVID-19 guidelines was sent to congregational and diocesan leadership on May 20, 2021.

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Deacon Holly Hartman on Cuba mission
Diocesan News

The Diocese of Massachusetts has been ordaining deacons for 20 years, and although there are currently about 40 actively serving in congregations and ministries, the order of deacons and their role is still not widely understood.  So this year, the bishops have set aside June 13 as Diaconate Sunday and an opportunity to introduce more people to the life and work of deacons.  Congregations have been invited to request a deacon to be with them and preach during services on June 13, when the church calendar celebrates St. Efrem of Syria, a deacon venerated in both Eastern and Western church traditions.

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