From the Rector

  • Lent Week 4 Devotional

    Lent Week 4 Devotional

    Hello, fellow pilgrims.  Here we are closing out our third week of Lent and entering into our fourth week.  This fourth Sunday of Lent is one of two Sundays known as “Refreshment Sundays”.  One occurs during Advent and is known as Gaudete Sunday, and the other occurs during Lent and is known as Laetare…

  • Lent Week 3 Devotional

    Lent Week 3 Devotional

    Hello, fellow pilgrims.  As I write this, I am mindful that today is a very special father’s day.  In the Episcopal Church (and the Anglican Communion), today is the day that we honor and celebrate St. Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus and devoted husband to Mary—guardian and protector of both.  St. Joseph was…

  • Lent Week 2 Devotional

    Lent Week 2 Devotional

    Hello, fellow pilgrims.  It is week 2 of our Lenten season and week 2 with our Lenten Devotional Wendell Berry and the Sabbath Poetry of Lent. The poem highlighted in this week’s devotional is “Again, I Resume the Long Lesson.”  This poem ties into this Sunday’s Gospel lesson from John 3.  It may not seem so…

  • Lent Week 1 Devotional

    Lent Week 1 Devotional

    I came across a beautiful poem recently that I believe speaks to the Holy Gospel in a such a profound way.  In very few words, it poetically (and quietly) encourages us to follow Christ’s call to walk humbly, act justly, pray unceasingly, and love, not out of any desire for recognition or attention, but…

  • Embracing Oneself as an Icon

    Embracing Oneself as an Icon

    Just as an icon is a sacred image filled with the Holy Spirit; a window into heaven that can portray a person (Theotokos), an event (The Washing of the Feet), or a doctrine (Rublev’s Trinity), we too are sacred images filled with the Holy Spirit.  We were created in God’s beautiful image.  And as…

  • Untitled post 12766

    Ultimately even that distance wasn’t safe. When the Dutch Bishop’s conference read a public statement in all the churches of the nation in July 1942 condemning Nazi racism, in retaliation the Reichskommissar of the Netherlands ordered the arrest of all Jewish converts who had previously been spared. Edith was arrested by the SS on…

  • The Shell Newsletter – December 15, 2022

    The Shell Newsletter – December 15, 2022

    From the Rector   Communion and the Common Cup At the monthly meeting of clergy and senior wardens with our bishops this week, Bishop Sutton spoke about communion practices as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the pandemic our practices around communion shifted dramatically, from not having it at all, to communion only…

  • The Shell Newsletter – December 8, 2022

    The Shell Newsletter – December 8, 2022

    From the Rector   Communion and the Common Cup At the monthly meeting of clergy and senior wardens with our bishops this week, Bishop Sutton spoke about communion practices as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the pandemic our practices around communion shifted dramatically, from not having it at all, to communion only…

  • The Shell Newsletter – December 1, 2022

    The Shell Newsletter – December 1, 2022

    From the Rector   Benedictine Spirituality ~ An Advent Exploration Benedictine principles have guided individuals and communities through the centuries. I hope you will join me this Sunday for the first of three sessions exploring the Way of St. Benedict, the core practices of Benedictine spirituality, and how we can inhabit this spirituality in…

  • The Shell Newsletter – November 10, 2022

    The Shell Newsletter – November 10, 2022

    From the Rector   Praying for our Diocesan Bishop Search On September 17, 2021, Bishop Eugene Sutton informed the diocese of his plan to retire in 2024, and called for the election of a bishop coadjutor to succeed him. The diocese’s Standing Committee is in charge of the election and transition process. A timeline of the search process is listed…