Dear Friends: By now, we had hoped that COVID-19 would be behind us and that we would, at long last, be able to gather as a large group for diocesan convention. However, the number of COVID cases in Erie, where we had planned to hold our conventions, continues to rise, and across our region, health…
Dear Friends: In recent months, I have worked with leaders in both dioceses to reconfigure the roles of the canons on the partnership staff so that we can better respond to the post-pandemic needs of our congregations and communities. Last Thursday, I met with the diocesan councils and standing committees of both dioceses to review…
Dear People of God in Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania: In late May, as COVID-19 cases and deaths declined, I wrote to you with revised guidelines for reopening our church buildings. At that time, I invited congregations to gather outdoors whenever possible and recommended that masks and social distance be required indoors until all…
Dear People of God in Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania: In the last two months, thanks to the increasing availability of effective vaccines against COVID-19, both cases and deaths have declined steadily across our region. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control relaxed its guidance for fully vaccinated people, and state and local authorities…
Dear People of God in Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania, You might remember that when we began our diocesan partnership two years ago, we drew strength from the story of the Exodus. And certainly in this last year, we have often felt like the people of Israel after their escape from Egypt, wandering in…
Dear People of God in Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania: Across our region, COVID-19 cases have begun to decline from the precipitous rates we saw this winter. The vaccine rollout, while still slow, has gained some momentum in both New York and Pennsylvania, and it seems as if the worst of the winter weather…
“If we oriented ourselves toward reconciliation with God, we might orient our interior life to the kingdom of God, so that the kingdom not only becomes a destination, a place we go, a world transformed, but the kingdom is also a place from which we come. It is the source, as well as the…
January 13, 2021 Dear People of God: Earlier this week, the FBI warned that armed protests are being planned for Washington D.C. and all 50 state capitals sometime between Saturday, January 16, and the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20. As your bishops, we write today imploring you to stay away from these…
Dear People of God in the Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York: Like many of you, I watched with disbelief today as an armed insurrection agitated by the President of the United States occupied the U.S. Capitol. I am particularly appalled that some members of this mob, still at large, are displaying flags…
Bishop Sean Rowe preached at this online Christmas Eve service, which included music from St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Fairview, the Cathedral of St. Paul in Erie, and St. Paul’s Cathedral in Buffalo. The service begins at 12:15 in the video after a singalong including favorite Christmas carols.
In his Christmas message, Bishop Sean reminds us that God is with us, right in the middle of all of the difficulty, sorrow, and pain that 2020 has brought. Look for a surprise guest at the end of the video!
Dear People of God: I am sorry to share the news that Nancy Lou Betts Bowman, widow of Bishop David Bowman, ninth bishop of Western New York, died this morning after a long illness. Nancy, who was born in Findlay, Ohio, met David at the Church of the Epiphany in Euclid, Ohio, when he was…
