Author: wwedderburn

[Episcopal News Service] The Seminary of the Southwest announced on Dec. 2 that it had named the Rt. Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce as interim dean and president, effective Jan. 2, 2026. Bruce was bishop suffragan in the Diocese of Los Angeles from 2010 to 2021, and from there she served as bishop provisional in…

A manger scene from Japan will be on display at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Brevard, North Carolina as part of its “No Room at the Inn” exhibit. Photo courtesy of Dolores Brown [Episcopal News Service] Advent has arrived at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Brevard, North Carolina, and the seasonal altar furnishings aren’t the…

[Anglican Diocese of Melbourne] The Diocese of Melbourne’s new archbishop was installed on Nov. 30, beginning a new season for the church and diocese. Archbishop Ric Thorpe became Melbourne’s 14th leader on Advent Sunday, succeeding the Most Rev. Philip Freier, who retired in February after 18 years of service. Elected as archbishop in May, Thorpe…

[Anglican Church of Canada] On Dec. 1, the Anglican Church of Canada issued a statement denouncing Christian nationalism and calling it “a distortion of the gospel of Jesus and a threat to Canadian democracy.” The full text of the statement follows. The Anglican Church of Canada believes that everyone is created in God’s image and…

Indigenous people sing “songs of resistance” as they march following a People’s Plenary held on the final day of the United Nations climate summit, COP30, that took place in Belém, Brazil, Nov. 10-21. Photo: Albin Hillert/LWF [Episcopal News Service] After 12 days of calling for centering environmental advocacy and justice around Indigenous voices at the…

[Church of England] The Church of England on Nov. 30 launched its biggest-ever Christmas campaign – The Joy of Christmas – inviting people everywhere to rediscover the hope and joy at the heart of the season. Running throughout Advent and Christmas, the campaign offers a large range of free resources for families, schools and churches, helping people…

[Religion News Service — Istanbul, Turkey] Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople met at the patriarchal seat in the ancient Phanar quarter Nov. 29 to sign a joint declaration affirming their commitment to achieving communion between the two churches. On the anniversary of the first Council of Nicaea, the two Christian leaders pledged…

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Church is entering a new phase of reckoning with its historic complicity in the federal Indigenous boarding school system, as two church committees that had been examining that history have merged into the new Truth, Justice and Healing Commission on Native Schools. The consolidated commission was formed at a meeting…

Cantate Usquam Pilgrim Singers, a traveling choir based in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, sings with the congregation at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Blairsville, Pennsylvania. Photo: Courtesy of Michael Salmon [Episcopal News Service] The Diocese of Pittsburgh, though based in a large city, has many small churches in rural areas of southwestern Pennsylvania with no…

[Episcopal News Service] The Trump administration, after deploying troops to Los Angeles, Chicago and other major U.S. cities to assist in intensified immigration enforcement operations and deportations, is poised to turn its focus on New Orleans, Louisiana. The city’s immigrant communities are on alert and expressing anxiety about the expected arrival of U.S. Border Patrol…