Being in harmony with creation

This issue of Episcopal Life, with a focus on the environment, invites us to reflect upon the mystery of God’s Trinitarian life in relationship to the wonder of creation. A much-loved saint associated with the natural world around us is Francis of Assisi. Francis is the author of a text known as the Canticle of […]

Pentecost message from the Presiding Bishop: Growing in Truth

Resurrection: larger than anything we can fit in our consciousness

The Sixth Sunday of Easter:The Feast of St. Philip and St. JamesMay 1, 2005All Saints’ ChurchWindsor, Ontario Isaiah 30:18-212 Corinthians 4:1-6John 14:6-14 My task this morning of breaking open God’s word is somewhat complicated because of the nature of this congregation.  First of all, there are the clergy and people of All Saints’ Church who […]

Some reflections on Pentecost

Our recent meeting of the House of Bishops produced a remarkable convergence summed up in a Covenant Statement which has been seen by many as the fruit of the Spirit’s activity among us. What emerged is far more than words on a page but a fundamental disposition rooted and grounded in a force that transcended […]

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany elected Pope: Presiding Bishop’s statement

Along with many others, both within and beyond the Roman Catholic Church, I offer my prayers for Pope Benedict XVI as he takes up the august responsibility of his office. I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide him in his words and his actions and that he may become a focus of unity and […]

Pope John Paul II dies at 84: A message from the Presiding Bishop

His Holiness John Paul II died this afternoon at the age of 84 after battling with health problems for months. Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, upon news of the Pope’s death, issued the following statement: With the death of his Holiness John Paul II, Bishop of Rome, the world has lost one of its great Christian […]

Living the mystery of resurrection

For me, over these years as a priest and now a bishop, the Great Vigil of Easter has been the most powerful and engaging event of the liturgical year. The dramatic interplay of darkness and light – the darkened church, the new fire, the lighting of the paschal candle, have provided a visual and sensory […]

An Easter message from the Presiding Bishop

Jesus’ resurrection plays havoc with the known, the safe, the familiar, the predictable and opens the way for what is real. And what is real is the unbounded and death-defying love of God which overcomes all estrangement and division and overleaps the chasm between life and death. It is an enduring and tenacious love that […]

Middle East: A message from the Presiding Bishop

In this season, which for Christians speaks of resurrection and new life, our hearts are lifted by new hopes, however fragile, for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Important and encouraging steps are being taken by both President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon toward resolution of the Israeli/Palestinian crisis. President Bush and his administration […]

Freedom in the Spirit

Some years ago, I visited a newly consecrated Greek Orthodox church and was given a tour by the priest. We stopped in front of a large mosaic depicting the risen Christ standing on the battered-down doors of hell. He is extending his hands to a man and a woman, representing Adam and Eve, who seem […]