A Positively Poetic Priest

"“The listening sessions were enlightening and challenging,” Bishop Sean Rowe of Northwestern Pennsylvania said of the gatherings held between January 31 and March 20. “There is a great deal of enthusiasm for a partnership between our two dioceses, but also some skepticism about why we should change the way we’re doing things now."" ("What's Next" from Rust Belt Episcopal ) Last month, on Monday March 19th, St. John's was host to one of the Listening Sessions for the proposed partnership between the Diocese of Western New York and the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania. All told there were eight listening sessions throughout both dioceses in the last couple of months. This week, on the Rust Belt Episcopal website, an article was published about what is coming next in the process. As it stands now, the next step is for each of the Standing Committees of both dioceses to meet separately and vote on whether the process will move forward. Both votes wi...

This year for Diocesan Convention the theme is Courage and Collaboration in Christian Community. The theme highlights the focus of the program for Convention, which starts today, on the possibility of collaboration with the Diocese of Western New York. No one would disagree that both dioceses are part of the larger Christian community of the world, and no one would disagree that as Christians we are called upon to have courage and to work together with others for the cause of Jesus Christ. The question which this Convention seeks to answer is how we can go about the work of collaboration together in faith and courage in our specific context as neighboring dioceses. St. John's has sent three delegates to Diocesan Convention: Kaycee Reib, Kelly Bruckart, and Jeanne Reib, along with Deacon Dave and myself as its clergy. We are here at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie to represent St. John's in the business of the Diocese and to add to the conversation about how collab...