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Diocesan News

A Grace

V. The eyes of all wait up thee O Lord R. And thou givest them their food in due season V. Thou openest thine hand R. And fillest all things living with plenteousness Bless O Lord these gifts to our use and us to thy service, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  This grace, an …

Trinity Sunday Reflections

“So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this, Trinity is none afore or after other; none is greater or less than another. But the whole three persons are co-eternal together and co-equal.” – the Athanasian Creed, BCP, page 865 I …

Updates on St. Stephen’s, Douglas

Today’s Epistle is simply updates on Monday’s fire at St. Stephen’s, Douglas.  I wish to start with a note of gratitude. The Rev. John Caleb Collins, Vicar of St. Stephen’s, Douglas, has shown exemplary leadership with his congregation and community over the last 48 hours. And people from around the diocese, the Episcopal Church, and …

Vacation Bible School 2023

VBS Across the Diocese of Arizona This summer, many churches across the country will be hosting Vacation Bible Schools to encourage children and youth to explore their relationship with God. Here are a few VBS programs that are taking place in Arizona. St. Francis in the Valley – Green Valley 600 S La Canada Dr., …

Gun Violence

“A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” – Jeremiah 31:15  The past few weeks, I have felt overwhelmed at the images and stories of mass shooting upon mass shooting. School in Tennessee. Sweet …

2023 Memorial Day Thoughts

by Deacon Michael Douglas, Vietnam Veteran “This is the day we pay homage to all those who didn’t come home. This is not Veterans Day, it’s not a celebration, it is a day of solemn contemplation over the cost of freedom.”  Tamra Bolton Historically, young men and women have joined the military over the years …

Title 42… Again

 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit …

Hydrogen: God’s gift to planet Earth

by David Spence, MD Electric vehicles are flooding the market these days.  For those of us who take the threat of climate change seriously as part of our Christian responsibility to be good caretakers of the world that God created, this is a tremendous opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint.  But there are also zero-emission …

The Making of Kings and Queens

As the branch of the Anglican Communion in the United States, the Episcopal Church has a mixed identity with the English church, and Great Britain more generally: are we rebels who reject our colonial forebears and the relationship of the monarch with the Established Church? Are we American Anglophiles, who idealize the heritage of our …

A Veteran Ministry Call to Action! 

Calling parishes & volunteers to assist with the “Feed the Vets” Ministry at the new US Vets Housing Center in Phoenix!  In late May 2023, the US Vets Center Grand Village, which houses disabled veterans, homeless veterans & veterans in need in the Phoenix area will relocate from Grand Avenue in west Phoenix to a …

Gratitude

I’ve been listening to Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants while driving around our diocese.  I just got to the chapter called “Allegiance to Gratitude” where she contrasts the experience of beginning the school day saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the Onondaga Nation’s practice of beginning …

Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

by The Rev. Anderia Arok Lual On April 15, 2023, armed clashes erupted between the Sudan Army forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in heavily populated parts of Khartoum, and spread to other cities including in the Darfur region. Khartoum residents are struggling to provide aid to those injured during the indiscriminate firing of …