Bishop Wolf's Christmas Letter

Christmas 2011

Many years ago, on a sparkling clear Christmas Eve, a friend and I stood beneath the stars on a very cold and silent winter’s night. Our parents and siblings were having dinner inside the house, celebrating one of the eight days of Hanukah. Wrapped in a warm, jacket, barely audible from behind a large scarf, Mark lifted his head to the sky and said, “I don’t know about Jesus, or about what we’re supposed to believe about this night, but I know that something very special has occurred.”

Like Mark, some people will come to our churches this Feast of the Nativity, unsure of what they believe, but knowing deeply within their hearts that something special has occurred.

“Christmas is a time of coming to terms with God’s all embracing and redemptive love for us,” said the Archbishop of Canterbury. Perhaps what my friend Mark described as “special,” was a glimpse of God’s love and embrace, a mysterious “surrounding” for which he had no words.

God’s Word, spoken through a human voice and amplified by a divine heart, is for our well-being and fulfillment. He announces a truth from which we cannot hide, and through our persistent engagement with its message, we discover a new life has been born within. Through Jesus, God holds us and loves us with a loyalty that inspires us to reach out and hold the human family.

In these times of economic insecurity and grave uncertainty, the most important gift that we can give is ourselves; our steadfastness with others, our loyalty to the promises of God’s kingdom, our generosity in stilling the anxiety of others, our capacity to forgive and set free those living in the bondage of shame. The light of God leads us to peoples in whose heart Christ has already found a home, and from which we will discover anew the gift of God’s profound love.

With the pains of poverty or near poverty facing over 40% of our population and the persecution of Christians prevalent in so many countries in the world—we can learn much from the grace and faithfulness revealed through the deep heartache of these, our sisters and brothers, who are so rich in the spirit of Christ.

We may feel powerless to help, but I assure you that they are strengthened by the knowledge that their plight is not forgotten, and that the prayers of others unite us across otherwise insurmountable boundaries. So, we pray for all for whom Christ entered this world and died for its redemption. We pray, and we write letters; we share financial resources, and we spend time in listening. We give and we receive, a hundred fold. Through the power of the Word enfleshed, the Father’s love is born into the world, and into each of us. It is our joy to receive this gift as invitation and opportunity as we join in the long line of saints through whose lives others have experienced forgiveness and liberty.

To my priests and deacons, I know how challenging it is to focus on the word of God, when many look to you to attend to pastoral and liturgical details.  May this holy season of the Nativity give you time for stillness in the face of such  awesome responsibilities, and a deep knowledge of God’s devotion to you who have chosen to follow him in such a wondrous and generous calling.

May you have a Blessed Christmas, a joyous celebration of the Holy Name and the Feast of the Epiphany, and a season that reveals Jesus’ all encompassing love for you. 

Yours Faithfully,

+Geralyn Wolf
Bishop of Rhode Island

Bishop Search: Reflections and Impressions

Today’s post is another in a series of reflections and impressions from members of the Search & Nomination Committee and Transition Committee. This post is from the Rev. Deacon Dorothy “Ricky” Brightman, a member of the Transition Committee. Visit www.episcopalrisearch.org  for more Search Process updates

My church, St. Luke’s in East Greenwich, is also in a time of transition. As we search for a new rector, a sizable group of parishioners is working diligently to define, solidify and enrich our parish ministry – and identify a new leader. The time spent on this transition process often confuses non-Episcopalians, who assume that a new priest will simply be assigned or “rotated in.” They don’t understand that this is a shared endeavor as we struggle and work to build a new church – a new diocese – built on the strengths of the past and the needs of the future. It is important that many are involved and all are knowledgeable about what is going on. When done well, this wonderful process will bring all parts of the parish (and diocese) together in a process of discernment, preparation and waiting.

We have welcomed Bishop David Joslin to our original “Transition Team,” as well as other friends throughout the diocese who have volunteered to work on specific tasks. Our geography is different as well as our worship style, size of church and past experience in diocesan programs. We all don’t sound like Rhode Islanders and certainly don’t share the same snack-food preferences. We represent all of Rhode Island and, as such, will effectively be able to welcome a new bishop into our midst and work to make the pathway straight for her or him. We have even found that it is not difficult to drive over one or two or three bridges to get to a meeting – or travel as effectively from west to east as we usually do from north to south!

Sure, it might be more efficient and easier to accept a new assigned leader or one chosen by a small group of selected and knowing individuals. But that is not the Episcopal Way — as the Rev. Casey Shobe described in his musings a couple of months ago. We are not searching for a CEO to work for and manage the diocese; just as St Luke’s is not looking for a new priest who will take over, solve all problems and move us into the future.

As we watch and wait this Advent, we sit still and listen and pray. Necessary specific tasks will be done, the Search & Nomination Committee will become more intensely involved with its work, and the Transition Committee will anticipate and plan for the fruits of its labor.

One of the blessings of the long search and transition process is the gift of time – time to develop our listening skills, time for everyone to have a chance to be heard. As we listen to others, we learn more about the diocese and also about ourselves. Soon we will learn more about our cast of candidates. It is rare in this hurried world that we have the time to listen to each other, ask real questions and share the voice of the Spirit moving among us. This process for both the parish and diocese is truly worthwhile, and the groundwork we lay down through our discussion and deliberation will build a strong future for us all.

Snapshot of our Bishop Candidates

The application period for candidates to be considered for the 13th Bishop of Rhode Island is over, and the Search & Nomination Committee is very pleased!
“We have attracted a wide range of very talented priests,” says Lora MacFall, chair of the Search & Nomination Committee. “From reading their application materials, it’s clear that they see the Diocese of Rhode Island as an exciting possibility for the next phase of their ministry. Everyone in the diocese should be encouraged by the response we have received in our search. Please continue to pray for the committee as it continues its work.”

In all, 40 individuals have completed the application process. Here’s a quick snapshot of the pool of candidates:

Geography: Four New England states are represented (Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut) as well as 14 others and the District of Columbia. Locations stretch from New England to Arizona and California and from Idaho and Utah to Georgia and Florida.
Age: From the early 40s to the early 60s, most in their 50s
Gender: The group includes 31 men and eight women.
Current positions: Parish rectors and senior associates, cathedral deans and canon pastors (associates), senior diocesan staff members and a seminary professor
Education: Candidates have master’s degrees and doctoral degrees from 14 seminaries.

The Latest e-RISEN, 12/2/11

You can view the latest issue of eRISEN, our biweekly email events calendar, at the link below:

eRISEN: 12/2/2011 issue

Want to subscribe to the eRISEN mailing list? Want to submit your event? Just visit eRISEN on our website.

Bishop Search: Candidate Reviews & Event Planning

Taken from the Bishop Search Process Blog at www.episcopalrisearch.org . Visit their site to learn more about the Bishop Search in RI

[11/30/11] November was a busy month for members of the Search & Nomination Committee and Transition Committee. Members of the Search & Nomination Committee began reading hundreds of documents submitted by the 40 candidates for Bishop of Rhode Island. Candidate files now include a nomination form, application form, answers to four essay questions, Office of Transition Ministry form, resume, autobiography, consent form and letters from three references.

The committee is holding multiple meetings in early December, where they will together begin prayerful discussions of each candidate’s strengths, skills and experiences to determine which individuals best match the priorities outlined in the Diocesan Profile. Based on those discussions, committee members will interview selected candidates using computer-to-computer video technology (Skype).

“Committee members are excited about the quality of talent and experience we are seeing,” says Lora MacFall, chair of the Search & Nomination Committee. “We know it will be a difficult task to reduce the number of individuals being considered and discern which candidates to visit early in 2012, but we also know that the presence of the Holy Spirit in our process will help us.”

Meanwhile, the Transition Committee is making additional progress on planning details of the walkabout with the final candidates next May and finalizing a site for the consecration service in November 2012. Committee members interviewed four priests and laypeople in Rhode Island who have experienced walkabouts in other dioceses. They also conducted an exercise to “imagine” their hopes for the consecration service and then started identifying details that will need to be planned to achieve that imagined outcome.

“The committee clearly wanted to find a single venue big enough for everyone who wants to be there and hopes to announce that location in the next few weeks,” says Cathy Iacobucci, Transition Committee chair. “We also want to have a webcast available for those who can’t be with us, and then make that webcast available through the diocesan website afterward.”

As Christmas and the end of 2011 approach, committee members will continue work on those events as well as the June 2 electing convention and a celebration of Bishop Wolf’s ministry that will occur in late April.

Bishop Wolf's 2011 Convention Address Video