Announcements

• Ash Wednesday Services

  February 22nd

  12:05pm and 6pm

• The Rev. Anne B. Jolly Elected Bishop Coadjutor of Ohio

  

  The Rev. Anne B. Jolly Elected Bishop Coadjutor of Ohio: First Woman to Be Elected a Bishop in The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio

  [Cleveland, OH] - The Rev. Anne B. Jolly was elected as Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio during the 206th annual convention on November 19, 2022, at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Tower. She was elected on the second ballot after receiving a majority of both clergy and lay votes. The election concludes the year-long process of seeking a successor for Bishop Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., who began his service in the diocese in 2004.

  Jolly is the first woman to be elected a bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. She was one of three nominees. The other nominees were the Rev. Dr. Elaine Ellis Thomas and the Rev. Diana L. Wilcox, both from the Diocese of Newark.

  Currently serving as the Rector of St. Gregory’s in Deerfield, IL, in the Diocese of Chicago, Jolly feels her call is to shape the church so that God’s people are equipped to live lives of faith and share the love and justice of Christ’s “Kin-dom.” As the President of the Standing Committee in the Diocese of Chicago (since 2019), she served as the head of the ecclesiastical authority for two years while the diocese was in an interim period between bishops. She has previously served at Good Shepherd in Austin, TX; St. Paul’s in Chattanooga, TN; and Christ Church in Greenville, SC. More about The Rev. Anne B. Jolly

  Addressing the convention, Jolly said, "I’m so excited and overwhelmed and ready to be with you…I want to thank everyone who has held us all in prayer…I am eager and ready to get there [Ohio] to get to know you, to listen to you, to help us solidify a vision together about how we can do things and be a part of God’s work in changing the world.”

  Pending consent of a majority of the bishops with jurisdiction and the diocesan standing committees, Jolly will be ordained and consecrated on April 29, 2023, at Cleveland Public Auditorium. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will preside. She will succeed Bishop Hollingsworth later next year, becoming the 12th Bishop of Ohio.

  The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio was established in 1817 and is part of The Episcopal Church, a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It comprises the northern 48 counties in the State of Ohio, which includes more than 15,000 Episcopalians in 80 worshiping congregations. The current bishop is the Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., elected on November 15, 2003 and consecrated on April17, 2004.

   

   

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• Pastoral word from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on shooting at St. Stephen’s

  Dear friends in Christ:

  By now you are aware that last night a shooter entered St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, killing two children of God and injuring a third.

  Even as I write, I am on the way to the commemoration of the nine who were martyred in 2015 at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The plague of gun violence in the United States affects us all, and now it has affected a congregation in The Episcopal Church.

  We join together in prayer with Bishop Glenda Curry, Bishop Brian Prior, the clergy and people of St. Stephen’s, and the whole Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. I want to encourage us as a church to offer special prayers this Sunday for those affected by the shooting at St. Stephen’s—and for all victims of gun violence.

  I commend to you the website of Bishops United Against Gun Violence, which has prayers, liturgical resources, and many other kinds of information.

  As the prophet Isaiah wrote (41:10):

  Do not fear, for I am with you,

  do not be afraid, for I am your God;

  I will strengthen you, I will help you,

  I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

   

  I invite you to join me in prayer:

  Eternal God of love, we know that you do not willingly inflict pain upon or grieve your children, and your dream for all is life abundant.

  We come to you now in sorrow and sadness at the death and violence inflicted on our siblings of St. Stephen’s Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. Receive the souls of those who have died. Grant them peace in your arms of love. Be with those who are injured and suffer, those who are grieving, and those who are frightened and dispirited. Help us as a nation to find ways to bring an end to this scourge of violence, which hurts your children and our human family. Give us the strength we need, the courage we must have, and the faith in you that will see us through. All this we pray and ask in the name of the prince of peace—your son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

  Amen.

   

  The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry

  Presiding Bishop and Primate

  The Episcopal Church

• A Message from Bishop Hollingsworth following the church shooting in Alabama

  Dear colleagues and friends,

  As the tragic consequences of gun violence continue to plague our country, we add to our prayers the people of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, and the Diocese of Alabama. We commend to Almighty God the souls of the two victims who have died, and to Jesus’s healing care the one injured and all those who grieve.

  As well, may we commit ourselves ever more fully to advocating for effective gun safety legislation and reducing the culture of violence that continues to put God’s beloved at risk. While we hear throughout holy scripture the encouragement that we not be afraid, we pray that our fear may be replaced with the courage to act boldly.

  Please consider joining with fellow communicants of the Diocese who are participating in the three Zoom conversations about gun violence. The second conversation will be held on Wednesday,June 22 at 7:00 p.m. and will focus on what to do in our local congregations. This conversation will include participants from across Province V. The third conversation will be on Wednesday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m.and will focus on what can be done in support of community and political initiatives. More information is available. While this event is free, registration is required.

  As well, I encourage every congregation to offer a book study of our colleague the Rev. Rosalind Hughes’s excellent book, Whom Shall I Fear? Urgent Questions for Christians in an Age of Violence. I reiterate my offer to reimburse any congregation for the cost of the books.

  May the Holy Spirit empower us to act with increasing confidence in God during this season after Pentecost.

   

  Gratefully,

  The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr.

  Bishop of Ohio