Author: wwedderburn

[Episcopal News Service] A church in the Diocese of New Jersey is seeking authorization to build a 17-bed homeless shelter next to an existing outreach facility on its property, and the plan is facing local resistance. Christ Episcopal Church in Toms River, a coastal town of about 100,000, is seeking approval of the plan from…

[World Council of Churches] World Council of Churches general secretary the Rev. Jerry Pillay expressed deep sorrow and grave concern over the recent tragic developments in Syria, where, according to some sources, more than 1,000 civilians, primarily from the Alawite community, have been massacred. “We underscore the joint statement issued by the Heads of Churches…

Note: The Church in Wales has issued the following statement about Anthony Pierce, the former bishop of Swansea and Brecon who in February admitted to five counts of indecent assault on a male child under the age of 16. The offences took place between 1985 and 1990, when Pierce was a parish priest in West…

The Rev. Lauren Grubaugh Thomas celebrates a baptism in 2024 at Colorado’s Chatfield Reservoir State Park with members of the new worshipping community Grubaugh Thomas started, Holy Communion. Photo courtesy of Lauren Grubaugh Thomas [Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Lauren Grubaugh Thomas is in the early stages of forming a new worshiping community in Sterling…

[Office of the Archbishop of York] Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell began his Lord’s Prayer tour across northern England with a service of Choral Evensong at York Minster on March 7. The tour will visit cathedrals and churches, exploring the words of the Lord’s Prayer through teaching, reflection and music. At the heart of the…

[Church in Wales] Saint Deiniol’s Cathedral in Bangor, Wales,  has been awarded “The Freedom of the City of Bangor,” the highest honor the City Council can bestow, in recognition of its substantial contributions to the community throughout its long history. The award comes as the city celebrates its 1500th anniversary in 2025. In a unanimous decision…

The Rev. Spencer Reese, vicar of St. Paul’s, Wickford, Rhode Island, and an accomplished poet, is the recipient of the 2025 John Updike Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Photo: Spencer Reese [Episcopal News Service] Episcopal priest and poet the Rev. Spencer Reese last week was awarded the John Updike Award from…

On March 10, 2025, the first day of the 69th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women – CSW69, Julia Ayala Harris, president of the House of Deputies and one of six delegates presenting Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, preached during a livestreamed Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church…

The National Park Service website about the Rev. Pauli Murray Family Home, a National Historic Landmark, has been edited to remove a biography of Murray as well as references to Murray’s transgender and queer nature. Photo: Pauli Murray Center [Episcopal News Service] The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice in Durham, North Carolina,…

[Anglican Journal] The Anglican Church of Canada should consider making major cuts to the size of its governance gatherings and committees, says the report of a commission tasked with reimagining its future. The church is about a quarter the size it was in 1967, but its governance groups remain the same size, the commission’s chair, Archdeacon…