Episcopal Diocese of Albany - Priests and Deacons Update

Business Office: 68 South Swan Street - Albany, NY 12210 - (518) 465-4737
Christ the King Spiritual Life Center: 575 Burton Road - Greenwich, NY 12834 - (518) 692-9550

Shrove Monday
February 7th, 2005

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Saturday over 300 Leaders in the diocese, lay and clergy, invested their time and energy in the largest Parish Leadership Conference of the season. The Chapel of Christ the King was filled to overflowing and five dozen folks enjoyed the video and audio feeds into the Great Hall at the Spiritual Life Center. Fr Tory Baucum was engaging, sensitive, knowledgeable, expanding and gracious. Sustained applause greeted the call to have him return for another teaching series.

Glitches with water pressure were borne cheerfully. Unexpected warm weather took several outside for lunch. (The nearly 50 degree temp contrasted dramatically with Fr Baucum’s arrival in Malone 2 weeks ago with -30!)

There is no doubt that our Diocese has a cadre of committed, enthusiastic, and loving leaders who want to fulfill the Lord’s wishes for His church. I can’t imagine any other diocese that would draw over 600 leaders in the middle of the winter for apostolic mission. Bp Dave and I salute you.

Ray Farrara, of All Saints, Hoosick, has accepted the invitation to lead the Parish Campaign for the SLC and spoke of the promise he sees coming to fruition. Ray told how he and his wife Laura were discussing how they could help one Sunday and the next morning he opened the email from Bishop Dave asking him to consider this leadership ministry.

Bp Dave and I held our first telecast concelebration of the Eucharist both in the chapel and Great Hall. The music ministry under Fr Darius was outstanding, a lovely blend of classical and contemporary music, including Gus Calvo’s rendition of the Collect for Mission on the top of page 101.

Some staff had worked into the wee hours of the night to facilitate this 7th Conference. Thank you to the Staff at Swan Street and at the SLC for the extra hours of loving labor they put in to make this flow smoothly. Special thanks to Canon Jerry Carroll who coordinates multiple arrangements for multiple sites to accomplish this.

It’s hard to believe that just 24 months ago we took possession of some dilapidated barns and abandoned buildings. Even as we were meeting carpenters were moving forward with the construction of the Welcome Center, adjoining the Heliport. I was pleased to announce during the PLC’s the appointment of Matt Baker as a Lay Canon of the diocese. Your vigorous applause confirms the appropriateness of the recognition.

Next Saturday our School for Apostolic Action offers a superior training day, which is fully described below. Great choice for parish growth and development. Deacon Laurie has done a fine job getting this launched.

The funeral Mass for Josiah Donald Garno will be at Noon, on (Shrove) Tuesday, Feb 8th, at Saint John’s, Ogdensburg. All the friends of Scott and Sarah, Fr Bill and Barbara, Art and Tammy are welcome to attend. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall.

In lieu of flowers, Scott and Sarah request that donations be made to a memorial fund honoring Josiah at the Christ the King Spiritual Life Center, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany. The fund is being set up to provide support for the Chapel of the Holy Innocents; a chapel to be used as part of youth ministries at the Spiritual Life Center. Donations should be sent to: Christ the King Spiritual Life Center, 575 Burton Road, Greenwich, NY, 12834, earmarked for the Chapel of the Holy Innocents in Memory of Josiah Garno.

Ash Wednesday is a Fast Day in the Book of Common Prayer. By custom this entails small meals that are meatless. The Prayer Book extends to the weekdays of Lent and the Fridays of the year (outside of Christmastide and Eastertide) the designation of “special devotion”. All of us should be in Church on Ash Wednesday, and support our parish Lenten observances.

Bp Dave was in Mohawk yesterday where Deacon Bill is working diligently; and I was at Oneonta to celebrate and baptize. Enjoyed lunch afterwards with Fr Ken Hunter, Vicky and Paul. Drove on to Utica to watch the grandsons while the kids went to Alpha. Just as I pulled up the power steering failed and the engine began to smoke. Three cheers for triple A.

Tonight to Ogdensburg, Tuesday to Syracuse and Pittsburgh and back on Ash Wednesday night.

Our new Deacons’ Council, as provided by the new canons, will have its first meeting on Feb 18/19 at Christ the King Spiritual Life Center beginning with Evening Prayer at 5:30. The Council members appointed are Deacon Harvey Huth, Deacon Barbara Hanstine, Deacon Peter Sweeney, Deacon Lynne Curtis, Deacon David Ousley and Deacon Peggy Theodore.

We all stand in need of ongoing conversion, repentance and renewal of faith and discipleship. Lent is the season we do this together. We fast, and pray and give alms in concert with our fellow Christians around the world. In a sense, it’s like new believers preparing for baptism and we’ve signed up for the refresher course. The life of grace is rarely stagnate; it goes forward or backward. In Lent we do it together. So when we have hunger pangs, it’s in union with millions of others.

I invite each of us to pray for all those others ‘observing a devout and holy lent’ that for each of us it will be a season of deepened conversion, renewal, faith, repentance and charity.

LORD JESUS, from the beginning of your ministry you called your hearers to repent. Enable us to hear your voice and to obey your call. Let us live this Lent as though it were our first Lent, our last Lent, our only Lent. Amen

In Christ,

+ Dan

The vision of the Diocese of Albany:

One Church
with many missionary outposts
organized around the Great Commandment and the Great Commission,
rooted in the catholic structures of Anglicanism,
moving from membership to discipleship,
and equipping every
disciple to make disciples.

Back to Archive

Disciples Making Disciples