Dear Friends: Earlier this week, we heard encouraging news about a COVID-19 vaccine that could begin to be available early next year in limited quantities. I give thanks for this source of hope, especially as the virus is now spreading at an unprecedented rate across our region. Although we hope that 2021 will bring some…
At diocesan convention on November 7, Bishop Sean read this citation naming Alfred Price, a longtime leader in the Diocese of Western New York, as an honorary canon of the diocesan partnership. Dear Al, The Buffalo region in general and, more particularly, the Diocese of Western of New York proudly claims you as its own….
Dear Friends, We are all eager to learn who won the 2020 presidential election, and those of us who live in Pennsylvania are especially keen to learn who won the electoral votes of our state. My hope is that every legal vote cast in our state, and elsewhere in our country, will be counted so that…
In his All Saints’ Day sermon, Bishop Sean reminds us that we are, together, bringing forth the kingdom of God in the world.
“When we are asked the question ‘who do you say that I am,’ we can take a humbler approach. We can say that you are the Messiah, the Christ. You will lead us, we will follow,” said Bishop Sean in his sermon on August 23. “And we understand that it is a journey that we…
On July 19, people from across the partnership joined Bishop Sean online to hear updates about what’s happening around the diocesan partnership, how we’re continuing to respond to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, and more about our new Sacred Ground groups that are discussing race and faith. Watch the conversation at the link above…
Dear People of God in Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania: In May, I wrote to you in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by police officers and the protests that followed. I called for primarily white churches such as ours to examine ourselves and acknowledge the ways in which we benefit from an entrenched…
Dear People of God in Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania: In mid-March, when we suspended in-person worship, none of us could have imagined the ways the world was about to change or what would be required of us in response. Throughout these long months, you have been resilient, flexible and collaborative as we have…
“Let’s get some things in order,” said Bishop Sean in his sermon for Trinity Sunday, which took 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 as its text. “Do our work on race justice and relationships with each other. And I don’t mean just read a book, I mean do the work. Sit with each other and talk about these…
Dear People of God in Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania, Like you, I have seen the video of a white police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd while three other officers stood by and watched Floyd die. Like you, I know about the peaceful protests and the spasms of destruction in cities…
Dear People of God in Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania, On Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he is now permitting New Yorkers to gather for worship in groups of ten people or fewer, as long as people wear masks and practice social distancing. Similarly, earlier today Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf moved ten counties…
Dear People of God in the Dioceses of Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania: As the governors of our states begin outlining plans to reopen economies after Covid-19 shutdowns, it is clear that the risks of gathering in groups is still significant, particularly for people who are vulnerable to the most serious effects of the…
