Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation holds first public service since March

From Long Island-

It is said that Jesus prepares a place for the faithful, the Very Rev. Michael Sniffen noted during his sermon Sunday.

But he conceded his flock probably wasn’t expecting that place to be a marked circle under a tent outside their church, the stunning Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, as congregants gathered in person for the first time since March. The church had been hosting only interactive online services since the coronavirus pandemic hit.

“It is such a joy — and although you can’t see me smiling, I’m smiling — to be in your physical presence after all of these months,” Sniffen said.

More here-

https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/episcopal-cathedral-of-the-incarnation-garden-city-1.46711461

Official statement from Bishop Provenzano about the White House directive to open churches for public events

From Long Island-

To all the People of God gathered in the Diocese of Long Island, the Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk:

Regardless of the misinformed and politically-motivated direction coming from the White House, the Church will continue to be the Church, caring for the safety of all people and protecting the health and well being of our parishioners. 

The Church will continue to be the Church and our buildings will remain closed until we can begin to safely gather in person.

We will continue to pray, worship, share in formation and education through online platforms, and other electronic communication. 

We will care for God’s people and minister to their needs and not put them at risk. 

More here-

https://www.dioceseli.org/media/diocesan-news/official-statement-from-bishop-provenzano-about-the-white-house?fbclid=IwAR1G8dLI85fcquuRGooKPj40nVLPgFMhPxNIJ-g3WsKLJt0tSwCSpA897TE

also here-

https://huntingtonnow.com/episcopal-bishop-says-churches-will-remain-closed-for-now/

Over a year after Brooklyn church fire, congregants and Episcopal diocese split on rebuilding

From Brooklyn-

Dilapidated green particle board walls still surround the site of the former Emmanuel Episcopal Church, a former historic wooden sanctuary that was nearly 100 years old. The Brooklyn church burned nearly to the ground on Nov. 28, 2018 in a massive, three-alarm fire.

The question of what happens at the dormant site on East 23rd Street in Sheepshead Bay is now embroiled in an internal battle with church elders and the Episcopal Diocese over whether to finance a costly rebuild, combine with another parish, or rebuild closer to where the remaining congregants and prospective parishioners live.

The Emmanuel Episcopal faithful hold their Sunday services in the basement cafeteria of St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church on Ocean Avenue, a few blocks from the church property. This past Sunday, Feb. 23, about 30 people gathered.

More here-

https://www.amny.com/brooklyn/over-a-year-after-brooklyn-church-fire-congregants-at-odds-with-episcopal-diocese-on-rebuilding/

White Episcopal priest proudly sports his dreadlocks

From Jamaica-

A white priest who proudly wears his dreadlocks as he carries out his canonical duties is a rare sight, perhaps never before seen in the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Long Island, New York.
 
The flowing dreadlocks of Minor Canon Rev Adam Bucko are an indication that the hairstyle associated with Jamaica's Rastafarian movement has crossed religious boundaries, light years away from the time when cops forcibly trimmed Rastafarians of their dreadlocks, then a mark of defiance of Jamaican societal norms.

Rev Bucko has been an influential voice in the movement for the recovery and renewal of Christian Contemplative Spirituality and is co-founder of the Reciprocity Foundation, serving homeless and marginalised youth in New York City. As part of his full-time role, he is involved in the development and launch of the Cathedral's new Center for Spiritual Imagination.

“I am excited and energised to be a part of the cathedral team to work on developing programmes that reimagine what our tradition has to offer to the contemporary world,” said Bucko.

More here-

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/white-episcopal-priest-proudly-sports-his-dreadlocks_185640?profile=1373

Sunnyside’s All Saints’ Episcopal Church to close in February

From Long Island-

After the congregation of Sunnyside’s All Saints’ Church dwindled to about 20 members, the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island announced that it will close the church as a parish congregation on Feb. 23.  

The ministries in Sunnyside and Long Island City have been running since 1928. The diocese said that it would examine how to continue to serving western Queens, but given the size of All Saints’ current congregation, which shrunk from 100 members in 1998, it can no longer afford to maintain the property or support staff salaries.

The diocese has no plans to sell the property, located at 43-12 46th St., and it will continue to use the church building for at least a year. 

“Our diocesan director of real estate, Haiko Cornelissen, will be handling rental and lease arrangements. The head of our Congregational Support Office, Canon Claire Woodley, will continue to provide consultation as she has regarding All Saints’ during the last 18 months. The priest-in-charge, the Rev. Gabe Lamazares, will be moving to North Carolina,” said Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island.

More here-

https://qns.com/story/2020/01/15/sunnysides-all-saints-episcopal-church-to-close-in-february/

Muslims touched by kindness of Episcopalians

From Newsday-

The Muslims needed a place to pray until the dental office that they had bought in Deer Park was renovated. 

No one, it seemed, wanted to rent to them, leaders of the group said. Then, after a year of searching for a temporary home, they found an Episcopal church not far from the dental office that was willing to let them use the basement once a week. The room was big and open, ideal for them to lay down their prayer rugs. 

What came to pass in 2013 was much more than a lease agreement between a tenant and a landlord. Over the past half-dozen years, a deep friendship has blossomed between the Islamic Center of Deer Park and St. Patrick’s Episocpal Church. 

“How they arrived at our rectory door, I don’t know, but I like to think it was the hand of God that brought us together,” the Rev. William Mahoney, who spearheaded the agreement, said in a 2017 video produced by the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island. 

More here-

https://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/muslims-episcopalians-deer-park-friendship-1.27453654

Episcopal Bishop of Long Island leads group to border to aid migrants

From Long Island-

The Episcopal Bishop of Long Island left Tuesday afternoon for the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego, where he plans to help several thousand Central American migrants who arrived in Tijuana, Mexico, by caravan and hope to gain legal access to the United States.

“I think it is the American thing to do,” said the Right Rev. Lawrence Provenzano in an interview before he left. “I certainly know it is the Christian thing to do.”

Provenzo said he is leading a delegation of about two dozen volunteers from the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island who will travel to Tijuana throughout the week to help the migrants with physical, spiritual and legal needs.

The volunteers include doctors, social workers, clergy and others, along with the Rev. Marie Tatro, the diocese’s vicar for community justice ministry, he said.

More here-

https://www.newsday.com/long-island/episcopal-bishop-border-1.24224343

LI Bishop To Travel To Border To Aid Migrant Caravan

From Long Island-

Bishop Lawrence Provenzano of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island plans to head to the border to help migrants in the caravan claim asylum.

Provenzano said he will travel to Tijuana, Mexico, in early December, along with at least a dozen other Episcopal bishops to help migrants arrive safely.

Provenzano said President Trump could be a hero if he would reverse course and help these people be processed through the normal channels.  

“He has over and over again enjoyed the endorsement of evangelical Christians. He calls himself a Christian. There is an opportunity for him here to embrace the gospel and act as a Christian.”

More here-

 http://www.wshu.org/post/li-bishop-travel-border-aid-migrant-caravan#stream/0

Leader of U.S. Episcopal Church part of Long Island diocese anniversary events

From Long Island-

He is the first African-American to lead the Episcopal Church in the United States, and electrified millions around the world in May by delivering a memorable sermon at the royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

Now, the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry is helping to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island.

Curry arrived Thursday to kick off the start of three days of meetings and religious services to mark the anniversary. He and other leaders, who are gathering at a hotel in Uniondale, said they plan to address a number of issues including immigration and the #MeToo movement.

In an interview, Curry said the Episcopal Church is dedicated to protecting the rights of immigrants, a group he said is increasingly under attack.

More here-

https://www.newsday.com/long-island/episcopal-curry-diocese-convention-1.23458239

Episcopal, Roman Catholic Bishops Call On Their Flocks To Be Compassionate

From Long Island-

Last week, the bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn published pastoral letters regarding the recent shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, and acts of vandalism against Jews in Brooklyn, as well as the then-upcoming elections and national political climate.

The Rt. Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, the Episcopal Bishop of a diocese that includes Brooklyn and Queens, addressed the anti-Semitic attacks. His letter reads, 

“Last week there was the horrendous anti-Semitic attack on worshippers at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue. Today [Friday, Nov. 2] there is news of several Brooklyn synagogues and Jewish schools being attacked by an arsonist and Union Temple vandalized by graffiti—additional ugly displays of evil that appear to be on the increase in our nation.

“To counter this evil, I call on the priests and deacons of our diocese and the people of each of our congregations to be the personal, outward and visible expressions of God’s goodness for our Jewish sisters and brothers whose lives and worship are being silenced, threatened or disrupted.

More here-

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2018/11/8/faith-brooklyn-november-8-%E2%80%98showupforshabbat%E2%80%99-packs-several-brooklyn-synagogues

Shelter Island priest tied up in home invasion laid to rest

From Long Island-

They honored his memory. They wished his soul peace and rest. But the mourners attending the funeral for the Rev. Paul Wancura Tuesday did not ignore the terrible, violent way he died.

Scores of people filled Caroline Church of Brookhaven in Setauket to praise the priest, who was found tied up last month in his Shelter Island bedroom after a home invasion.

“Every one of us has been horrified by what has happened,” said Episcopalian Bishop of Long Island Lawrence Provenzano, who presided over the service.

More here-

https://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/paul-wancura-priest-funeral-1.18237624

and here-

http://abc7ny.com/funeral-held-for-retired-priest-who-died-after-li-home-invasion/3386542/

Elderly minister dies of wounds suffered during home invasion

From Long Island-

Reverend Canon Paul Wancura, 87, died of wounds suffered as a result of a home invasion at his Silver Beach home three weeks ago.

The Shelter Island Police and Suffolk County Police departments announced his death this afternoon.

The brutal incident, which shocked the peaceful neighborhood and the Island at large, was originally termed by the police departments as a case of home invasion and burglary.

Now, with the Episcopal minister’s death, it has become a homicide case which will be conducted by the Homicide Division of the county department, according to Shelter Island Police Department Chief Jim Read.

Rallying only a week ago from critical condition at Stony Brook University Hospital where he had been since being airlifted from the Island on Monday, March 19, Reverend Wancura, who had a hand amputated,  never emerged from the intensive care unit of the hospital, according to Father Charles McCarron, pastor of St. Mary’s Church.

More here-

http://shelterislandreporter.timesreview.com/2018/04/16/elderly-minister-dies-wounds-suffered-home-invasion/

Diocese: Shelter Island retired minister tied up in home invasion

From Long Island-

A retired minister on Shelter Island was tied up in a home invasion several days ago and found Monday by a friend during a wellness check, authorities said.

The victim, who was not identified by police, was found seated in a chair at his home, not far from Shell Beach, and was airlifted to a hospital, said Town Supervisor Gary Gerth, who spoke to police at the scene. The minister has friends checking on him every three or four days, Gerth said.

“His garage door was open, so his friend went directly into the house and found him tied up and . . . immediately called 911,” Gerth said. “The person was in pretty difficult shape.”

Town police responded there about 12:40 p.m. and found an 87-year-old man injured in what is being investigated as a burglary, said Suffolk police, who are also on the case.

In an email asking for prayers, the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island identified the victim as Paul Wancura, a longtime priest and one of its former archdeacons.


More here-

https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/shelter-island-minister-home-invasion-1.17514316

also here-

https://patch.com/new-york/northfork/87-year-old-man-injured-during-burglary-his-home-cops

Brooklyn church honors activist Ravi Ragbir with Bishop's Cross

From New York-

Immigrants’ rights have been Ravi Ragbir’s cross to bear, even before he faced imminent deportation.

But a Brooklyn church tried to lighten that burden Sunday by honoring Ragbir for “exceptional service to the church and to the community it serves.”

Ragbir received the Bishop’s Cross from the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island in a service at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn Heights.

The rare honor was bestowed in recognition of Ragbir’s work on behalf of persecuted immigrants caught up in mean-spirited federal policy, church leaders said.

That number now includes Ragbir, 43, who faces deportation as early as Saturday, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials detained him last month during a routine check-in.
More here-

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn-church-honors-activist-ravi-ragbir-bishop-cross-article-1.3798548

Medieval-style Bible is a marvel at Garden City’s Episcopal cathedral

From Long Island-

The Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City has a copy of a most special Bible in its keeping — one that took 15 years to make, measures 2 feet by 3 feet, and was produced in the way that Catholic monks made Bibles in medieval times, drawn painstakingly by hand.

One volume of the illuminated Bible is on loan for a year from the Benedictine monks at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, who came up with the idea of creating the first medieval-style Bible of this size in 500 years, since the invention of the printing press.

“There’s a lot of excitement” over the copy of The Saint John’s Bible, which arrived at the cathedral on Nov. 1, All Saints Day, said the Very Rev. Michael Sniffen, dean of the cathedral, which is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island. “When people hear the story and the amount of work that it took to create a Bible, they’re just blown away.”

More here-

https://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/the-saint-johns-bible-calligraphy-cathedral-1.15021472

It's not Iconoclasm, It Is Anti-Jim Crow Racism!

From Long Island-

On Wednesday, August 16th, I accompanied members of my staff to the property of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, to remove two memorial plaques on a tree (or at least the third incarnation of the tree) planted on the property by General Robert E. Lee in the mid-1840s.

It is a fact that General Lee was a founding member of St. John’s Episcopal Church while he was stationed at Fort Hamilton and served as a lay leader (warden) of the parish during that time.

The fact also is that he was a gifted engineer and a brilliant military strategist whose tactics are still studied and taught in military academies. Most historical accounts provide a picture of his integrity, honesty, leadership, and valor. And except for leading the army of the Confederacy against the United States in an effort to preserve slavery, and therefore committing treason, he was by most accounts an outstanding historical figure.

So why in heaven’s name would anyone seek to remove his image or a plaque in his memory on a tree he planted on church property in Brooklyn?

More here-

http://www.dioceseli.org/media/diocesan-news/its-not-iconoclasm-it-is-anti-jim-crow-racism

Bay Ridge Episcopal Church Removes Plaques Honoring Confederate General Robert E. Lee

From Brooklyn-

In the wake of riots and a murder in Virginia related to the removal of Confederate monuments, the Episcopal church this morning removed two plaques honoring Confederate general Robert E. Lee on church property in Bay Ridge.

“I think it is the responsible thing for us to do,” Bishop Lawrence Provenzano told Newsday. “People for whom the Civil War is such a critical moment — and particularly the descendants of former slaves — shouldn’t walk past what they believe is a church building and see a monument to a Confederate general.”

The plaques commemorated a spot where, according to legend, Lee planted a tree while he was stationed at Fort Hamilton as a member of the Army Corps of Engineers during the 1840s, before he became a Confederate military leader. He was a vestryman at the congregation of St. John’s Episcopal Church, located at 9818 Fort Hamilton Parkway near the army base.

The church is known as “the Church of the Generals,” because of all the military men who have worshipped there. By curious coincidence, another Confederate general, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, was baptized there.

More here-

http://www.brownstoner.com/brooklyn-life/robert-e-lee-brooklyn-st-johns-church-bay-ridge-fort-hamilton/

Wantagh Episcopal church founds outreach center in Seaford

From Long Island-

Barbara Rice Thompson, a 56-year-old North Wantagh resident, was the editor of Penthouse magazine for more than 25 years before she was laid off in January. But months earlier, she had spoken with the Rev. Christopher Hofer, the rector of the Church of St. Jude, about how she wanted to “give back on a more real level — other than providing porn,” she said with a laugh.

When she learned that her church was working on opening a mission center at St. Michael and All Angels in Seaford, Rice Thompson said that she felt as if her prayers had been answered. One program — the Mother and Child Ministry — touched her, she said.

“My father was an aerospace engineer at the Grumman factory, and when I was about 10, he lost his job,” she recalled. “He was delivering newspapers on Sunday mornings and pumping gas on Saturday afternoons because he had five kids, and that’s what he had to do ... we were the family in church who was getting the Christmas basket.”

More here-

http://www.liherald.com/stories/Wantagh-Episcopal-church-founds-outreach-center-in-Seaford,88975

Episcopal bishop discusses priest’s arrest with church leaders

From Long Island-

The Episcopal bishop of Long Island met Sunday with parishioners of a Long Beach church after its priest was arrested Friday on child pornography and drug charges.

The Rev. Christopher King, 51, the priest at St. James of Jerusalem Episcopal Church, was arrested after investigators found five videos of boys between about 2 and 12 years old engaged in sex acts on a computer at his church residence, authorities said. Detectives also found methamphetamine, Xanax and numerous drug-related paraphernalia, police said.

Bishop Lawrence C. Provenzano first spoke privately with about a dozen leaders of the 137-year-old congregation and then held a 45-minute question-and-answer session with more than 40 parishioners in the middle of the worship service that he decided to preside over.

More here-

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/episcopal-bishop-meets-with-parishioners-about-arrested-priest-1.13066312

Long Beach Episcopal priest fired after child porn arrest

From Long Island-

The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island on Saturday fired a Long Beach priest charged with possessing child pornography and drugs, officials said.

The Rev. Christopher King, 51, the priest at St. James of Jerusalem Episcopal Church, was arrested Friday after investigators found images of boys engaged in sex acts on a computer at his church residence, authorities said Saturday.

King also had crystal methamphetamine in his West Penn Street home office and bedroom, authorities say in court records.

“The diocese and the entire Episcopal Church have a zero-tolerance policy with respect to criminal conduct of any kind, including the allegations made against Father King,” Bishop Lawrence C. Provenzano said Saturday in a statement. “As a result of these allegations, I have today terminated Father King’s license to function as an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Long Island.”


More here-


http://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/bishop-long-beach-episcopal-priest-fired-after-child-porn-arrest-1.13063774