“Each of us is carrying racism,” said Gabrie’l Atchison, “and the way that racism exists within societyis carried within each of our bodies.” Last Sunday, Atchison, who serves as both missioner for administration on the staff of the partnership dioceses and president of the Bishop James Theodore Holly Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians, offered a…
Joseph Croskey, a member of Christ Church in Oil City, is experienced in the slow work of dismantling racism in a predominantly white community. “Even close friends here in rural western Pennsylvania will say ‘I don’t understand what Black people are talking about. I’ve got it hard, so does everybody else, and I don’t do…
2021 may be receiving mixed reviews from humans, but at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown, New York, everyone agrees it has been a good year for dogs. Last spring, the parish partnered with the Mental Health Association (MHA) of Chautauqua County to create Father Bernard’s Blessed Biscuits, all-natural dog treats produced by a social…
by Melodie Woerman The season when congregations ramp up their program schedules and students head back to school is an especially meaningful time of year for the four priests in the Dioceses of Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania who teach, or have taught, at local universities. The four are: The Rev. Shawn Clerkin, vicar…
St. Luke’s Church in Jamestown, New York, is not just trying to change the way the city eats, it’s trying to change the way it thinks about food. Led by its rector, the Rev. Luke Fodor, whose passion for fresh vegetables is such that people send him produce-themed birthday cards, the parish has donated money,…
Like members of many worshipping communities, the people of St. Andrew’s, Burt have become well-versed in the art of Zoom church during the past pandemic year. But even as in-person worship resumes, the congregation has no intention of returning to its pre-pandemic ways. “We’re not going back,” says St. Andrew’s senior warden Doug Wintersteen. “We’re…
Early in the pandemic, St. Philip’s, Buffalo began holding services online as a way to gather while COVID-19 made it unsafe to be together in person. Now, what began as a short-term solution has become a long-term commitment to a new way of worshipping. The congregation has transformed its space, installing technology that will allow…
by the Rev. Carol Carlson One of the ways to make a new year genuinely new is to learn to simply see things differently from our usual modes of observation. My own usual modes of observation had never included professional hockey games until last weekend; but as part of the pickup choir from Praise Cathedral…
Six years ago, the people of St. Paul’s, Harris Hill, prepared for Christmas by filling tote bags with books for the children of Buffalo Public School 6. The next year, they added hats and gloves to the bags, and the year after that, socks. This year, the bags were so plentiful that they lined the…
Last week, more than 225 people from across the region participated in the Emmaus Gatherings, a series of five meetings designed to invite participation in the development of the partnership’s mission strategy. “This was amazing,” said Cheryl Wild of Epiphany, Grove City, and Memorial Church of Our Father, Foxburg. “I felt connected with people because…
Bishop Sean is often heard to say that Episcopalians need to experiment for the sake of the gospel. Last month, St. David’s in West Seneca did just that when its rector, the Rev. Claudia Scheda, and several parishioners experimented with a new kind of prayer ministry. The idea originated when a member of the congregation…
In this new video, Bishop Sean offers an update on what’s happened since April, when the partnership of the Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York got underway. He invites everyone to convention in Erie on October 25 and 26, but don’t expect business as usual! Convention begins with registration and continental breakfast from…
