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…
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…
