While we were in Colorado for Kae’s consecration, Bishops Armando, Denise, Kedda, Rafe, Kae, and I made our biennial retreat together at Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, Colorado. (Bishop Peter was unable to join us, however we are looking for ways to better include him in the college of bishops as he continues to improve from his stroke of three and a half years ago.)  It is appropriate that we met in Colorado because it was there that we first crafted and signed what we call the “Colorado Covenant,” which is our pledge to each other to function collaboratively and cooperatively as followers of Christ. When this document was first crafted in…

Erin Outson who has served me and us faithfully since July, 2019, is moving back to Nebraska to be closer to her family and to begin a new career as a full spectrum doula. Many of you have gotten to know Erin and her work; she will be sorely missed by me and many of you. I am so grateful for her support, especially during the vicissitudes of Covid. We will be splitting the position in two (as it was before I became PB). Mary Vonderheide, a leader at Sts. Clare & Francis ECC here in St. Louis and a CPA, has agreed to take over the part of the Administrator job that relates…

On Wednesday evening, August 4th, I will continue the little tradition we started during Covid of having a Zoom meeting for any ECC member who might like to come and talk together about the Communion. I am open to whatever discussions you might like to engage in. I will be sending a special invitation to this mailing list later in July. You may wish to mark your calendars now. From the Office of the Presiding Bishop

Deacon Joan Crawford, the head of our Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is going to lead interested persons in an Anti-Racism virtual retreat this coming November (dates TBD). I am passionate about the work that Joan and the Commission are doing. I strongly reject the voices that say we should not be looking at systemicracism. The Catholic tradition worked this out in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Social wrongs are not just on the personal level. There are social systems that have oppressed a variety of people from time immemorial. Thank God that the Church finally saw this; it caused a great awakening for justice and the rights of workers in particular. This same kind of analysis can help us…

Due to the restrictions of Covid, the consecration for Bishop Elect Tomasz has been postponed until Saturday, June 18th, 2022, in Poznan, Poland. It is worth noting that in the early church understanding of things, which we follow, the bishop elect assumes all of the non-sacramental responsibilities of their office as soon as they are elected. In our church the pope is not seen as delegating authority to the new bishop; the local church does that at the time of election. So Kae and Tomasz are already walking in their new roles while they await the sacramental celebration of their local churches.  From the Office of the Presiding Bishop

The ECC Rocky Mountain Region will gather on Sunday, September 19th to celebrate the consecration of that region’s first bishop. Members of the Council of Bishops will lay hands on our sister (our third woman bishop) and, with the entire assembly, to invoke the action of the Holy Spirit that Kae may have all the divine gifts necessary to shepherd the church that has called her. This will be a great joy for the church in the Rocky Mountain Region and indeed for the whole Communion!Following this event, the bishops of the Communion will retire to make their biennial retreat together in Colorado. From the Office of the Presiding Bishop

On July 18th at 3:30 PM (CDT), registrants for the 2020 Synod will be gaveled back into session to entertain proposed changes to the Constitution which was passed last October. The Leadership Council, which organizes our synods, is meeting on July 6th. Shortly after that all 2020 Synod registrants will receive word about the agenda and how to log on. From the Office of the Presiding Bishop

Council of BishopsEcumenical Catholic Communion March 16, 2021 As bishops of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, we were distressed by the statement coming from the Vatican yesterday that same-sex unions are “sin.”  (https://apnews.com/article/vatican-decree-same-sex-unions-cannot-bless-sin-077944750c975313ad253328e4cf7443.) The Roman Catholic Church thus continues to ban the blessing of same-sex unions. Our position is different. The foundation of Catholic faith is the reality of the incarnation. By this we mean that the love of God is present in all creation. We measure love by the fruit of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, mercy, faithfulness, and self-control. The moral issue of loving couples is whether or not love is present in this…

A National State of Emergency regarding Covid 19 was declared on March 13. Since that time members of our Communion, our friends and family have suffered the ravages of this scourge. Communities have scrambled to creatively respond to their own worship needs. Pastors and lay leaders have labored to hold their flocks together. Some have fallen sick. Some have died. Some communities have lost their worship space for various reasons, including economic ones. Our chaplains have been under significant strains. Many of us have become weary. Our hope has been tested by realistic projections of what life in our country is likely to be like for the foreseeable future. At the…