Update: Restoration of the Cathedral Close

During the last two years Bishop Wolf, Dean Krauss and the Cathedral Chapter have spent much time seeking God’s guidance through prayer and exploring what other dioceses have done when faced with enormous expenses to restore their cathedral. This has been a particular challenge in such very awkward financial times.

But we believe that God’s people are empowered to boldly solve any problem. As we embraced this attitude, it became obvious that the way forward had to be seen in light of the resources we actually have. Foremost we have a wonderful quartet of ministries which occupy a whole block of the historic district of Providence: The Edwards’ Homes which provide low-income residences; Hallworth House which is a distinguished nursing and rehabilitation facility; the headquarters of the Diocese including the Bishop’s office, staff offices, the headquarters for Episcopal Charities and the Diocesan Resource Center and last but not least, the ancient Cathedral of Saint John.

A committee of representatives from the governing bodies and staff of the Diocese met for several months with John Grosvenor, Principal of Newport Collaborative Architects, to work out a concept plan. That rethinks our use of this entire block, in an attempt to be better stewards of the resource.This plan was presented to the Standing Committee, The Diocesan Council, the Cathedral Chapter and Parish and at the Diocesan Convention in October 2009 It was received with great enthusiasm. It likewise has been very well received by the Architectural Committee of the Providence Preservation Society.

While the plan features the restoration of the Cathedral it also integrates all of the Cathedral Close properties as far as possible for mixed-use development. Parking will be increased substantially and such issues as handicapped access and green considerations are at the forefront. The Cathedral offices and parish activities expect to share a common space with the Diocesan office. There will also be commercial rental space and apartments or condominiums. The garden areas and the charming old cathedral graveyard will be made accessible from North Main Street and at the same time compliment the Rogers Williams National Memorial across the street.

So it is appropriate to take things one more step with the creation of a feasibility study and a design plan. While the concept plan was financed through funds made available to the Bishop, this stage requires support from a broader base. We have a goal of $500,000 to raise for this phase. Your Cathedral Chapter elected to raise a tithe of the amount, $50,000, from the Cathedral Parish. As of this writing four donors have contributed $132, 000 toward the larger amount and the cathedral parish has exceeded its goal with pledges $70,656. $30,000 of this is in hand, making a total of $162,000. Quite a few more pledges are expected from the Cathedral community, and those friends who are committed to this important and ambitious project. Needless-to-say, we welcome prayers and contributions toward these exciting plans from anyone in the Diocesan family and the general public. Don’t miss this opportunity to contribut to new and life-changing ministries.

Contact Dean Krauss at the Cathedral office (401.331.4622) or Bishop Wolf’s office 401.274.4500 x223 for more info

Out of the Box Outreach: St. Martin's and the Providence Preservation Society

On Saturday June 5th St. Martin's, Providence is getting involved with their neighborhood in a new and exciting way.

The Providence Preservation Society (PPS)is holding their 31st annual Festival of Historic Houses, and this year's walking tour features nine houses in the near vicinity of St. Martin's, on the Eastside of Providence. St. Martins, who's building itself is on the National Register of Historic Places,is hosting registration and ticket sales at the start of the tour, and then offering a mid-afternoon lecture for participants at 1:00pm.

What a great way for the St. Martin's family to be an involved and visible presence in their neighborhood. What a fabulous chance to welcome those who might not otherwise enter through the parish doors!

Read more about the PPS Walking Tour, and St. Martin's, in the Projo:
http://www.projo.com/home/content/wk-pps_tour_06-03-10_LOIFGIO_v33.50045ea.html

The Royal School of Church Music's Newport Summer Course for Kids

The Royal School of Church Music in America (RSCM America) is pleased to announce that a weeklong overnight summer course will once again be available in New England! Girls, boys and teens alike will find this new course, in residence at Salve Regina University in beautiful and historic Newport by the Sea, a wonderful setting for a week of fine music-making, fun and fellowship.

The course Music Director is Mr. Benjamin Hutto. Mr. Hutto is the Director of Performing Arts at St. Albans School for Boys and the National Cathedral School for Girls in Washington, DC, where he directs Upper and Middle School choral ensembles, serves as school Organist, and oversees choral music, instrumental music, theater, and dance for the schools on The Close of Washington National Cathedral. He is a past president of RSCM America.

Choristers will rehearse daily with Mr. Hutto and opportunities for small group and individual instruction will be provided. Final choral services will be held at Emmanuel Church, Newport, with Evensong, Friday, August 6 and Festival Eucharist, Sunday, August 8.

The course is open to boys and girls, ages 9-16; the cost is $575, not including music. RSCM members receive a $25 discount. Please Register by June 15th! For more information visit www.emmanuelnewport.org/rscm-newport-course-2010/

The Mission Task Force wants to hear from you, on facebook.

What is important to you, as a Rhode Island Episcopalian? What were you doing when you felt most alive in the spirit? What does your congregation do that you could share with other congregations?

The Mission Task Force is asking, and they have set up a Facebook group to make it easy for you to answer.

The Mission Task Force was established last October by Diocesan Convention, to review and evaluate the mission priorities of our diocese. Our mission priorities have long been the Hispanic Ministry, Episcopal Camp and Conference Center (ECC)), Congregational Development, and Christian Formation, but it has been some time since these programs and focus areas were reviewed. It has also been some time since Rhode Island Episcopalians have been asked as a whole what they feel is most important.

The Mission Task force is spending this year asking just that. You are the diocese and they want to know what you think this diocese as a whole is doing or could do in the future to bring us together as RI Episcopalians and make a difference in the community. They want to hear you reflect and express your sense of purpose, meaning and mission as Christians in the community and the world.

The Task force has created various opportunities to listen to what you think. In April and May of this year the Task Force held several “Listening Gatherings” across the state to provide space for parishioners and clergy to reflect together in person. Nearly 150 people came to these meetings, but in a diocese of over 20,000 Episcopalians from 56 congregations, that is a relatively small sampling of our collective voice!

In addition to the listening gatherings, the Task Force has set up their Facebook group to facilitate discussion among people who might not have been able to attend any of the listening gatherings. 87 people have joined the Facebook group so far and there has been some lively discussion around topics such as the importance of ministering to our youth, the effectiveness of current programs such as the Episcopal Conference Center, and what in general draws RI Episcopalians closest to God.

You can join in the online discussion too. Share what is important to you, and you will help form and guide the future of your diocese! Join the facebook groupto comment on any of the current discussions or even start your own new topic. Your voice matters.

The Latest eRISEN

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

eRISEN May 27th 2010 issue

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Presiding Bishop's Huffington Post Article: A Lesson from the Gulf Oil Spill

A Lesson from the Gulf Oil Spill: We Are All Connected

Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
Huffington Post May 26, 2010

The original peoples of the North American continent understand that we are all connected, and that harm to one part of the sacred circle of life harms the whole. Scientists, both the ecological and physical sorts, know the same reality, expressed in different terms. The Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) also charge human beings with care for the whole of creation, because it is God's good gift to humanity. Another way of saying this is that we are all connected and there is no escape; our common future depends on how we care for the rest of the natural world, not just the square feet of soil we may call "our own."... Read the full article at the Huffington Post

Join the Hispanic Ministry in Opposition to Arizona-like Immigration Law Under Consideration in RI

24 May 2010

Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

On this Thursday afternoon the Rhode Island House will be considering the proposed new law H 8412. This proposed statute is similar to the new anti immigrant law recently passed in Arizona. If passed, it would put our state alongside Arizona as being aggressively anti-immigrant and, one could say, anti-Hispanic. We are strongly opposed to this law as a Committee working within the Hispanic community here. Our two congregations are also strongly opposed.

There will be a rally outside the State Capitol on Thursday afternoon at 4PM. We have been asked to bring as many people as we can find to this rally – especially clergy. Please consider being there and bringing others. Numbers are important. We want to turn out a large and diverse crowd of people who support the cause of comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants who have committed no crime other than striving to better their situation and that of their family.

Please consider giving an hour or two of your time to stand with our brothers and sisters who must live in constant fear of arrest and deportation.

For the Hispanic Ministry Committee, St. George’s Church, and Mission El Mesias, and the Social Justice Committee:

Father Jose Roberts
Deacon Buck Close
Deacon Ricky Brightman

Let There Be Light; Solar Sister in the Diocese of Ezo

By Katherine Lucey

There are 1.6 billion people on the planet who don’t have access to reliable electricity. That’s one quarter of the world’s population. 70% are women and girls living in developing countries.

They rely on kerosene lanterns and candles for light. They spend hours each day collecting wood to burn for cooking and heat. They spend up to 30% of their family income on energy that is insufficient, hazardous and unhealthy. Unhealthy for people and unhealthy for the planet.

Lack of access to electricity is both a cause and an effect of unremitting poverty. Our companion Diocese of Ezo in the Sudan suffers from acute energy poverty and its devastating consequences, but the Diocese of Rhode Island is working with a social enterprise called Solar Sister to bring light, hope and opportunity to the people of Ezo.

Solar Sister provides women with training and support to create solar micro-businesses, providing much needed household income for the women, and much needed light for their communities.

The most important step to ending poverty is to create employment and income opportunities. Solar Sister does just that by empowering women. The women sell solar lanterns which replace the kerosene lanterns and candles, providing clean, dependable solar light in homes, schools and clinics. Solar light enhances education, improves health and safety and provides economic opportunity, enabling the women to lift themselves, their families and their communities out of poverty.

The women form a by-women, to-women distribution network that is strengthened by women’s natural circles of family, friends and community. This direct-sales network brings the solar technology right to the women’s doorstep and provides income generation opportunities for the women.

In April, the Diocese of Rhode Island is bringing the Solar Sister program to Ezo. Women will be chosen by the Ezo Mother's Union on the basis of their entrepreneurship potential and economic need to become "Solar Sisters". These women will receive a "business in a box" of solar lanterns that bring clean, affordable light to their community. The Ezo program will be the first Solar Sister program in war-torn Sudan, where light is an important element of safety as well as opportunity.

Keep an eye out in future issues of RISEN Magazine for updates about Ezo and the Solar Sister program there. You can also visit http://www.solarsister.org/ for current updates or just to learn more about the organization.


Solar Sister was founded by Katherine Lucey, the wife of The Rev. David Lucey, who is the Rector of St. Michaels Episcopal Church in Bristol, RI.

To learn more about what you can do for our companions in Ezo, or to get involved with our Companion Diocese Committee, please email Mary Ann Kolakowski, our Director of Christian Formation, at maryann@episcopalri.org

RISEN Magazine's Spring 2010 issue "New Growth, Together"

It is spring! This season's Risen Magazine has been printed and mailed so keep an eye on your mailboxes. If you can't wait, you can view it in a fun e-book gadget at the bottom of this page or on the website

RISEN Magazine is The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island's News and special interest magazine. We switched from a newspaper format to the current full color journal in 2007. By doing so, we have been able to focus our attention on producing an award winning print periodical with staying power. Each issue of RISEN centers on a timely theme and features articles that aim to inform, enlighten and inspire. It is published quarterly and has a circulation of around 9,000.

Don't see the ebook reader? Read RISEN on our website instead

The Latest eRISEN

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

eRISEN May 6th 2010 issue

Want to sign up to the eRISEN mailing list? Want to submit your event? Just visit our website