Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding bishop addresses immigration in Sept. 5 bulletin inserts
In ENS Weekly bulletin inserts for Sept. 5, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori calls on Episcopalians to join in the current debate on immigration. With a reminder of the many biblical admonitions to welcome the stranger, Jefferts Schori also acknowledges the complexity of the issue. "We all agree that American immigration law is broken," she […]
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop preaches in Brisbane, Australia
Greetings from around The Episcopal Church. Today is the day Americans celebrate the beginning of their struggle for independence from England – 234 years of it, to be exact. This annual Independence Day celebration is our reminder of civic freedom. It’s also a prayer book feast, a holy day, born out of the awareness that […]
Presiding Bishop's sermon from Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland NZ
Well, I rejoice with you over the success of the All Whites, and lament their exit. All the hoopla around the World Cup brings to mind another athletic celebration. In 1968 two American athletes stood on the podium in Mexico City and raised their fists. They wanted to make a statement about freedom and their […]
Presiding Bishop's Address on Immigration Reform
Christians understand that we are all aliens and sojourners, seeking our home in God. In a spiritual sense, we are all migrants. As Americans we are a nation of immigrants. All of us, even Native peoples, originated as the human species evolved in Africa, and humanity has been migrating for tens or hundreds of thousands […]
Presiding Bishop's Address on Middle East Peace at Congressional Prayer Breakfast
The Episcopal Church has been praying and advocating for peace in the Middle East for a very long time. Through our partnerships in the Anglican Communion, we have supported the work of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem since its beginnings in 1841. During the Second World War, the Episcopal church in Jerusalem took charge of, […]
Presiding Bishop's Sermon at Southwark Cathedral, London
I come from a notorious place. Gambling and prostitution are legal in Nevada. Ministry there means that many congregations host 12-step programs not just for alcoholics and drug addicts, but for those addicted to gambling. There are a few groups for sex addicts, too. A story quietly circulated when I was there, about a priest […]
Presiding bishop issues pastoral letter to the church
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued a pastoral letter to the Episcopal Church, in which she refers to the Pentecost letter from Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and urges continued dialogue with those who disagree with recent actions "for we believe that the Spirit is always calling us to greater understanding." In his May […]
Presiding bishop expresses concern to Obama over Israel's seizure of aid to Gaza, ongoing blockade
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori June 2 sent a letter to President Barack Obama expressing deep concern surrounding Israel’s interception of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza. Nine activists were killed May 31 when Israeli commandos boarded the six-ship convoy carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has been under a heightened Israeli blockade since the […]
Sermon for Oklahoma IV Conference
We are all connected – in the great circle of life, the sacred hoop, the wonder of God’s creation. Today the church remembers that sacred interconnection of all that is. Maybe part of what is wrong with the church is that we only intentionally focus on that interconnection once a year. It’s a theme throughout […]
A lesson from the Gulf oil spill: We are all connected
This article was first published on the Huffington Post website here. The original peoples of the North American continent understand that we are all connected, and that harm to one part of the sacred circle of life harms the whole. Scientists, both the ecological and physical sorts, know the same reality, expressed in different terms. […]