North Carolina Episcopal church celebrates Black History Month with ‘Hip Hop Mass’

[Episcopal News Service] St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, a historically Black parish in Raleigh, North Carolina, will host its first Hip Hop Mass on Feb. 23 as part of its series of educational and celebratory events honoring Black History Month. “We will be bringing hip-hop – which has a tremendous influence worldwide but has not historically…

Former ACNA congregation in Texas becomes second to join Episcopal Church

The Rev. Shawn McCain Tirres is rector of Resurrection Anglican Church in Austin, Texas, which has changed its affiliation from the Anglican Church in North America to The Episcopal Church. Photo: Resurrection, via Facebook [Religion News Service] On Feb. 8, the diocesan council of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas officially welcomed Resurrection South Austin, a…

Episcopal Church lays off 14 as presiding bishop marks ‘major milestone’ in churchwide realignment

The headquarters of The Episcopal Church at 815 Second Avenue in New York City. Photo: Egan Millard/Episcopal News Service [Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe announced staff cuts and the reorganization of several church departments on Feb. 20 as part of an anticipated structural realignment that eventually will reduce churchwide positions from about 143…

Episcopalians cleaning up again after floods hit parts of Kentucky, West Virginia

Students from the University of Pikeville in Pikeville, Kentucky, pass buckets of mud from a flooded basement to be tossed out as they help with recovery from a flood that devastated part of the city of Pikeville and surrounding areas. The Rev. Rob Musick, the school’s chaplain, helped organized the effort. Photo: Rob Musick [Episcopal…

7 times Episcopal and Anglican leaders spoke against Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine

A woman lights a candle during the Palm Sunday mass at the Church of St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Bucha in April 2022. Photo: Reuters [Episcopal News Service] Russia’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbor Ukraine is three years old this month, and Russian aggression dates back more than…

Church of England General Synod commits to greater youth representation

[Church of England] The General Synod of the Church of England has voted to strengthen the role of young adults in shaping the church’s future, passing a motion to embed their voices more systematically in national decision-making. The motion, brought by the National Society for Education, will establish a group of up to 200 young…

Archbishop of York sends prayers for Pope Francis’ recovery

[The Catholic Diocese of Westminster] Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has written to Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, expressing his prayers, along with those of many faithful Anglicans, for the health of Pope Francis during his period of hospitalization. The text of Cottrell’s letter follows. My dear brother in Christ, I wanted to be…

Southwestern Virginia Bishop Mark Bourlakas to resign, become assistant bishop in Virginia

[Episcopal News Service] The Rt. Rev. Mark Bourlakas, who has been bishop of the Roanoke-based Diocese of Southwestern Virginia since 2013, has announced that he is leaving to become an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Virginia. Virginia Bishop E. Mark Stevenson announced that Bourlakas would begin work on June 1 and will have an…

Palestinian delegation meets with World Council of Churches officials

[World Council of Churches] A Palestinian delegation visited the World Council of Churches on Feb. 18 to participate in deep dialogues on justice, peace and the dignity of all people. The delegation was led by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine and head of the Jerusalem…

Presiding bishop outlines coming realignment of churchwide staff, prioritizing service to dioceses

Members of Executive Council participate Feb. 18 in a brainstorming activity on their oversight priorities for the coming churchwide staff realignment. Photo: David Paulsen/Episcopal News Service [Episcopal News Service – Linthicum Heights, Maryland] Executive Council has talked of a “strategic adaptive realignment” of The Episcopal Church’s operations at least as far back as June 2023….