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The
Bishop's Notebook
26 April 2002
Earlier this week our office had the pleasure of hosting the Hospice
Foundation of America teleconference on dealing with grief in
later life. The HFA always does a terrific job with these live
satellite broadcasts; TV news commentator Cokie Roberts was the
moderator, there was a panel of expert guests and the conversations
were interesting and educational. But for me, some of the most
interesting people, and comments, were from a group of senior
citizens who provided "background" to the panel discussion.
An elderly Japanese gentleman spoke of having recently come to
a new understanding of how is must feel to be of Arab descent
in the US today, when he remembered back to his own experiences
of anti-Japanese sentiment during the Second World War. A nursing
home resident spoke of the cathartic importance of attending funerals
in a world where her social opportunities were now largely defined
by such events. When the experts get to intellectualizing, we
often strive to be profound and use big words and big concepts.
But I was struck by this woman's simple grasp of what is a truth
for her, that "funerals are fun."
I have frequently discussed this same concept with clergy colleagues.
I have found one-hundred-percent agreement that funerals provide
a much deeper opportunity to provide the ministrations of the
Church than do weddings. A colleague or two has actually said
to me that funerals are fun. It is often the simplest expressions
of profound theology that mean the most to us in the long run.
The other day, as I was riding on the elevator I was mulling over
that statement of St. Paul from prison: "I have learned, in whatever
state I am …" A co-worker got on the elevator at an intermediate
floor and I made some sort of perfunctory good-morning sort of
remark. To which she replied: "I thank God for everything, always."
Were he alive today, St. Paul would not have said it better.
David Henritzy
The
Bishop's Photoalbum
19 April 2002
| Images from Bishop Packard's Holy Week and Eastertide
trip to Kosovo and Bosnia |
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Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo
View of "Big Duke"
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Camp Bondsteel, Easter sunrise
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Bishop Packard
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Baptism of 1LT Tracey Sullins at Eagle
Base, Bosnia
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Chaplain John Weatherly
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The
Bishop's Notebook
15 April 2002
Last
week I had the privilege to attend a conference/retreat for
prison wardens sponsored by the Diocese of East Carolina and
organized by one of our state prison chaplains, Joe Dunlop.
What a great experience this was for me! To see this group not
only sharing their faith but coming together in a peace-filled
place where they could give voice to their concerns and dreams
was very moving. This model is a good example of how to care
for those who are usually forgotten. The staff of any institution
has great responsibilities and challenges and these can be magnified
in a prison setting. This retreat was not all work. The wardens
had plenty of time for hiking, fishing and for telling tales
about the "one that got away".
The second half of my week was spent at the first Province III
Prison Conference, held in Richmond, Virginia. Sister Helen
Prejean spoke to us about supporting the moratorium on capital
punishment and called for the Church to continue to work towards
its elimination. On Friday we visited the death chamber with
another one of our fine chaplains, Margie Holms, whose ministry
is with those sentenced to be executed. This was undeniably
one of the most moving days in my life. The death house stands
alone, surrounded with concertina wire and with what seemed
to be hundreds of locked doors. The prisoners are sent here
from death row five days prior to execution. They are not allowed
to bring any personal items with them, including pictures or
even bibles. Their only personal possession is a piece of paper
with their prison information. The killing room was, as America
would have it, nice, neat, sterile and tidy. The electric chair
and the gurney were almost side by side. Most of us took the
opportunity to sit in the electric chair. I could not get my
breath. A sense of evil pervaded the air and the heaviness of
death was palpable. Anyone who spent time in that place could
not help realize that we must work harder and take a more active
role in bringing an end to capital punshment in America.
The Rev.Jackie Means
The
Bishop's Notebook
5 April 2002
This Notebook entry was prepared by Gerry Blackburn, Director
for Military Ministries.
The
following four brief questions in the prologue of Henri Nouwen's
book "The Living Reminder" have been extremely helpful to me
over the years: "What are the spiritual resources for ministers?
What prevents them from becoming dull, sullen, lukewarm bureaucrats,
people who have many projects, plans, and appointments but who
have lost their heart somewhere in the midst of their activities?
What keeps ministers vital, alive, energetic and full of zeal?
What allows them to preach and teach, counsel and celebrate
with a continuing sense of wonder, joy, gratitude, and praise?"
In short, the relationship between the professional life and
the spiritual life of both ordained priests and lay ministers
should be of concern to all of us lest we simply become empty
vessels instead of being "living reminders" of the Christ we
are called to represent in the world.
When Bishop Packard convened the senior military, prison and
healthcare leadership in January 2002, he asked what each of
the three communities needed most in their next respective community
gatherings. The military chaplains recommended that the 2002
East and West Coast Conferences each be a focused spiritual
retreat this year. As a result, military chaplains and spouses
this year will gather around the retreat theme of "The Spiritual
Life of the Spiritual Leader: Tending, Nurturing and Deepening."
Another support is the establishment of a menu item on our Web
page called "The Contemplative
Life." There you will find book reviews submitted by Chaplain
Gary Parker on the three books being suggested as reading for
this year's East and West Coast military chaplains' retreats.
Also, that menu item offers links for spiritual formation and
some excellent meditations on the Christ-centered spiritual
life.
We all want to be faithful servants to our calling. It is the
strong desire of Bishop Packard and his staff that we assist
you by providing helpful spiritual nourishment opportunities.
The periodic conferences that each community (healthcare, prison
and military) has, along with our Web site and other resources
and contacts, hopefully will be supportive of the spiritual
nurture and deepening so needed if we are to be equipped to
be "living reminders" to those whom we serve.
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