Dear People of God in the Dioceses of Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania: In the last several weeks, COVID-19 rates in our communities have declined dramatically from the record rates we experienced in December and January. Although transmission rates are still considered “high” across our partnership dioceses, it seems as if the worst of…
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: 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…
During the spring and summer of 2020, as the pandemic forced the cancellation of in-person worship across the Episcopal Church, the House of Deputies State of the Church Committee raced to create a new parochial report form, designed just to track the “opportunities, innovations and challenges” that congregations experienced while dealing with the pandemic,” according…
While our church buildings are closed in response to the surge of COVID-19 in our region, Bishop Sean will lead online worship via Zoom each Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. Use this link to join the service. If you are asked for a password, use lakeerie. To join by phone instead of video, dial 646-876-9923…
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…
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 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…
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…
It’s not the warmest way to share the love of God, but it works. A client comes to the door of the food pantry at St. Philip’s Church in Buffalo, knocks, and then steps back to observe a proper social distance. A volunteer answers, asks how many people the client is feeding, and retrieves the…
