News from our dioceses...
Diocese of Albany
Elevation of the planned addition
New Parish House and Mercy House of Saratoga - We are preparing to construct a new Parish House next to our church. This building will provide church meeting space and offices on the first floor, and the second through fourth floors will house Mercy House of Saratoga. Mercy House of Saratoga is a major mission for Bethesda. It will provide 26 units of housing for people with various disabilities or housing needs. More information on Mercy House of Saratoga can be found on their website.
The Episcopal Church in Cuba
Thanks to a partnership with Christ Church Greenwich (CCG), San Marcos Parish has a new home in Holguin, Cuba. That relationship began in June, 2019 with a mission trip led by CCG Rector Marek Zabriskie. The goal was to explore a companionship relationship with an Episcopal Church of Cuba parish. Bishop Griselda encouraged the selection of the newly planted San Marcos Church, led by Father Gil Fat Roy, in Holguin. Read more >
The Diocese of Long Island
This year, Grace Church is partnering with the Red Hook Initiative, a local organization that is responding to the needs of our neighbors in nearby Red Hook. The Red Hook Initiative (RHI) serves its community in a myriad of ways. Red Hook Farms provides access to fresh produce and farm apprentice jobs to local youth. Grace’s own youth and members of the congregation have helped on the Columbia Street farm. When schools were closed, RHI helped support student learning and tutoring services. Some of our Grace community have participated in Read-A-Loud sessions for the children. In addition, our congregation has donated noise-canceling headphones to the students of Red Hook’s P.S. 676 to assist with remote learning.
The Diocese of New YorkBishop Dean Wolfe introduces Jesse Ramos, the new Interim Executive Director of Crossroads Community Services, and together they discuss the important work Crossroads (https://www.crossroadsnyc.org/) does to combat hunger and homelessness in New York City.
|
Diocese of Central New York
Pictured here on delivery day is L to R: DJ Igelsrud, Kira Dirghalli, Betsy Elkins and Jim Doyle.
St. Paul's, Syracuse cares for it's neighbors with groceries, plants, and Christmas cheer - Parishioners from St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Syracuse shopped, donated, packed and delivered 25 bags of groceries and lovely poinsettias to our YMCA resident neighbors.
The Diocese of Haiti
The Colorado Haiti Project advocates for and invests in locally led initiatives to support the vision of our partner communities in rural Haiti. Here are three current stories >
The COVID-19 curve is accelerating in Haiti. Even with limited testing, over 6,000 cases have been reported to date. Resources such as educational materials, handwashing stations, and locally sewn masks make a life-saving difference. In addition, food security and access to seed for farmers is an urgent challenge in Petit Trou. They’ve listened to local leaders and assessed where they can make the greatest impact, with a community-based health and nutrition program. Visit the website and find out more > The Diocese of Newark
Matt Mitler of the Dzieci Theatre leads a workshop on mime via Zoom. SHARON SHERIDAN PHOTO
Prison Ministry gets creative during COVID pandemic - Like other ministries across the diocese, Prison Ministry spent most of 2020 adapting to the changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic to continue serving prisoners and their families. The year began with an expansion of the ministry’s decades-old program of bringing children for contact visits with parents jailed at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark. The diocese provides transportation for the children, who eat dinner, play board games and visit with their parents for two hours. Read the story >
The Diocese of RochesterJeremy Cooney is a parishioner at Christ Church, Rochester and has recently been elected to represent the New York 56th Senate District. Jeremy got his start working on Capitol Hill for the late U.S. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter and has gone on to work for two New York Governors and the Mayor of Rochester. We congratulate Jeremy as he serves the New York 56th Senate District.
With a deep commitment to creating the Rochester of tomorrow, Jeremy is passionate about investing in quality public schools, affordable housing, universal health care, reducing our carbon footprint, and helping families find pathways out of poverty. Jeremy was gracious enough to share a some of his life, his thoughts, and his beliefs HERE. |
The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe
JNRC (Joel Nafuma Refugee Center) is excited to be launching a brand new two-day online course: Migration Matters! The February Course (English) is Thursday, Feb. 25, 15:00-18:00(GMT+1) (which is 9 am-noon EST) and Friday the 26th 15:00-18:00 (GMT+1) (which is 9 am-noon EST) Please use this link for further information: https://jnrc.it/get-involved/onlinecourses/
And don’t hesitate to contact us with any queries at: service.learning@jnrc.it Looking forward to seeing you there! The Diocese of New Jersey
Combining social and racial justice advocacy and awareness-raising with resource provision to empower under-resourced communities is our urgent priority. The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey is establishing Episcopal Community Services of New Jersey (ECS-NJ) at this extraordinary time in our nation’s history to expand our capacity to meet critical human needs in the cities, towns, and villages our 140 congregations serve, while advocating for meaningful systemic change. ECS-NJ is committed to working to achieve a more just and equitable world. Find out more >
Diocese of the Virgin Islands
Helping Hands at Christmas
Several organizations of St. Paul's Church, Sea Cow's Bay, in the Diocese of the Virgin Islands, came together over the Christmas Season to provide assistance to a number of individuals and families. See the whole story > Transitions in the Diocese Bishop of the Virgin Islands, The Rt. Rev. E. Ambrose Gumbs, D.D., has announced his retirement effective May 31, 2021. Meanwhile, The Rev. Canon Sandye Wilson has joined the diocese to serve as Interim Priest-in-Charge of the Cathedral Church of All Saints. See the whole story > 
Kindness and generosity from the Episcopal Church Women, the Altar Guild, and the Senior Warden, welcoming their new priest, standing with Bishop Gumbs....
The Episcopal Dioceses of Western New York & Northwestern Pennsylvania
Local Indigenous History Is Focus of New Book Study - On Monday evenings at 7 p.m. from January 25 to February 15, people from across the partnership will gather online to discuss " The Thomas Indian School and the 'Irredeemable' Children of New York ," a book that examines the history of the school that the State of New York operated on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation from 1875 to 1957, and some of the history of Indigenous people in our region. " Although the school was in New York, the history presented in the book extends beyond state boundaries and offers insight on systemic issues," says Canon Twila Smith, who will lead the discussion.
The book is available in print and e-book formats. To prepare for the discussion, participants can watch the PBS documentary Dawnland, about the removal of Native American children from their families. The documentary was featured in the partnership's Sacred Ground course , which was the inspiration for the book study. To learn more and sign up, email Canon Smith . 
|
Visit the 12 Dioceses of the province at their websites:
Albany, Central New York, Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, Cuba(no official website yet), Haiti, Long Island, New Jersey, New York, Newark, Rochester, Virgin Islands, The Episcopal Dioceses of Western New York & Northwestern Pennsylvania
