Wednesday, March 15, 2023 | Community Ministry, Reflections
by Deacon Jay Albert Deacon Jay Albert at Interfaith Prayer Service for the Homeless While serving at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Lakeview, New Orleans, as my first assignment, I looked for an outreach program that would involve the laity. I wanted a program that...
Thursday, February 23, 2023 | Message from Bishop Duckworth, Reflections
Dear friends, Who’s my neighbor? This is a question we will explore these holy 40 days using Episcopal Relief & Development’s Lenten meditation series. We give you this resource for daily prayer, for use in your churches, or in whatever way fits best....
Thursday, February 16, 2023 | Message from Bishop Duckworth, Reflections
by the Rt. Rev. Shannon Rogers Duckworth During the installation of a rector, a variety of gifts are given to the priest. These include such things as oil, bread, wine, a stole, a prayer book, and water for baptism. Representatives from the parish present these as...
Tuesday, January 31, 2023 | Message from Bishop Duckworth, Reflections
by the Rt. Rev. Shannon Rogers Duckworth “Please take care of yourself, and each other.” This is the signoff used by Lester Holt at the end of every broadcast of the Nightly News. It is a simple phrase, but one that carries tremendous weight and...
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 | Community Ministry, Reflections
“You can’t help anyone if they don’t want help.” I can’t count the number of times I have heard that statement from family, friends and or coworkers who would rather tolerate the inappropriate behavior of an individual under the influence of alcohol or other drugs...
Friday, December 31, 2021 | Community Ministry, Reflections
by the Very Rev. Stephen Crawford, rector of St. Mary’s, Franklin, and member of the Gaudet Fund Committee. Frances Joseph Gaudet is a Saint. It really is a marvelous thing that we would recognize this. It was a hundred years ago (1921) that the Episcopal...
Thursday, August 5, 2021 | Community Ministry, Reflections
by the Rev Séamus Doyle, member of the Addiction Recovery Ministry; permanent supply priest for St. John’s, Kenner, and St. Timothy’s, LaPlace In 1936, in his book, Toward the Future, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrote: “The day will come when, after...
Wednesday, July 7, 2021 | Community Ministry, Reflections
by the Rev, Seamus Doyle, member of the Addiction Recovery Ministry A doctor in recovery provides a guided tour through the brain changes, genetics, and psychology that cause addiction… The Alcoholic / Addict Within is a book that empowers alcoholics and addicts – and...
Wednesday, April 7, 2021 | Community Ministry, Reflections
by the Rev. Seamus Doyle, member of the Addiction Recover Ministry Recently I was half-listening to an interview on NPR about the stress and strain of the past year on people old and young, professionals, etc. In the course of the interview, the interviewee told of a...
Monday, March 8, 2021 | Reflections
When I was studying for my bachelor’s degree, I was looked down upon because I did not follow the prevailing theory on musicianship that was championed by many of the faculty (with the great exception of my bassoon professor). However, I received honorable mention in...
Sunday, March 7, 2021 | Reflections
When I think of home, I think of the kitchen. My family has had many conversations while eating food prepared on the counters. It is the place where we remember where our family has come from: the long trek from Perú to Guatemala and then to Texas and our stories of...
Saturday, March 6, 2021 | Reflections
Sometimes, I have difficulty finding God. Even when I am in church, singing the hymns and sacred songs, praying the historical and biblical prayers, listening to the message from those who have studied the Bible and theology, I don’t always feel close to God....
Friday, March 5, 2021 | Reflections
This verse reminds me of a friend. After only a few days of studying a language, he would begin to complain about the details that made that language difficult. Soon after, he would completely stop studying it. Then, in a bit, he would start the cycle again with...
Thursday, March 4, 2021 | Reflections
The psalms describe several instruments for worship, including brass, woodwinds, strings, and percussion. Regardless of the instrument, the message is the same: praise God! In my career as a musician, I have learned a difficult lesson: do not judge others....
Wednesday, March 3, 2021 | Reflections
In my gardening experience, I have learned that the rain nourishes my plants in different ways: It feeds the plants and washes off any dust or dirt or even excrement. The rain turns that debris into fertilizer, signaling the seeds to germinate, and encouraging fungi...
