News

On the brisk, blustery afternoon of Oct. 2, Bishop Alan M. Gates joined the Order of St. Anne and Bethany House of Prayer in Arlington to bless a newly created Mysteries of Joy Garden. The garden is planted where the refectory of the former St. Anne’s School, also known as the Germaine Lawrence School, was located.  The "Mysteries of Joy" are one way of praying the rosary and explore the stories around the Nativity. The garden is still in its early stages, with plans to add a mural on the back of the gymnasium to anchor the space in the artwork and history of the sisters, along with artwork to illuminate and encourage reflection on each of the joyful mysteries. 

With two families of Darby Vassall descendants watching from front-row folding chairs amid a standing crowd of parishioners, guests and curious passers-by, the 11-minute film had its outdoor debut on the anniversary of Vassall's death, in 1861, and as part of a multimedia installation created by researcher and artist Nicole Piepenbrink, it is putting a public spotlight on some historical facts that many at the 1759 church became aware of only recently.   

The Office of the Bishop has issued the following notice:

From July 26 to Aug. 8, Diocese of Massachusetts Bishop Suffragan Gayle E. Harris and Bishop Carol J. Gallagher, who serves as a regional canon in the diocese, participated in the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference of some 650 bishops from across the Anglican Communion, convened by the archbishop of Canterbury.  In a recent interview with Director of Communications Tracy Sukraw, Harris and Gallagher reflected together on their experience at--and exclusion from--Lambeth when it last met in 2008; where and how they found Jesus present at Lambeth this time around; and their side-trip pilgrimages to Gravesend and Turville.  

St. Andrew's Church in Edgartown opened its doors to provide emergency shelter overnight to 43 men, women and children--all reported to be migrants from Venezuela--who unexpectedly arrived on Martha's Vineyard by plane late in the day on Sept. 14 with no notice to island officials.  The migrants themselves seemed to have been uninformed, or misinformed, according to some reports, about their destination.

In the Diocese of Massachusetts, memorial activities at Old North Church in Boston are the focus for public expressions of remembrance and worship, and Bishop Alan M. Gates and Bishop Gayle E. Harris join Old North Vicar-in-Charge Matthew P. Cadwell in raising prayers and offering condolences on behalf of the diocese.