Dear Cathedral Congregation,
We are in this journey together, as our note below " Wherever you find yourself today, know that you are not alone. Hold tight to the One Vine. Together with your siblings in ECCT, you are forever rooted in God’s Love, Peace, Justice, Reconciliation, and Hope".
Please see below the message just released by our Bishops.
Lina+
The Very Rev. Miguelina Howell
Christ Church Cathedral Dean
A Message from Our Bishops
"I am the Vine, you are the branches..." ~John 15:5
January 21, 2025
Dear Siblings in Christ,
Yesterday, we commemorated the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, we are reminded of a quote from his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” written in 1963: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”
Yesterday, Donald Trump, our 47th President, was also sworn into office. We pray that he and all of our elected officials will, as our Prayers for National Life in our Book of Common Prayer declare, “have the wisdom and the strength to know and to do God’s will and be filled with the love of truth and righteousness.” Alongside this prayer, we are also feeling deeply King’s observance that “whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly,” especially in the wake of yesterday’s executive orders. As such, we your Bishops want you to know that:
- The Episcopal Church in Connecticut will continue to claim our identities as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ, standing for the very things Jesus stood for, lived for, loved for, died for, and offers to the world through his resurrection.
- The Episcopal Church in Connecticut will continue to be a place where all are seen, loved, and treated as beloved children of God, regardless of their immigration status, race, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or political affiliation.
- The Episcopal Church in Connecticut will continue to be a place in which the legacy of chattel slavery and white supremacy—in the Church, in the country, in world—are named, lamented, repented, and dismantled.
Wherever you find yourself today, know that you are not alone. Hold tight to the One Vine. Together with your siblings in ECCT, you are forever rooted in God’s Love, Peace, Justice, Reconciliation, and Hope.
Be assured of our prayers and support. We are all a part of the One Vine and whatever affects one of us directly affects all of us.
In Christ’s Love,
The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Mello The Rt. Rev. Dr. Laura Ahrens