CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA: Presiding Bishop pays Maundy Thursday visit
Episcopal News Service. April 10, 2007 [041007-03]
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was the preacher and celebrant for the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania’s annual Renewal of Ordination Vows and Blessing of Oils liturgy at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Harrisburg on Maundy Thursday, April 5.
In her sermon, Jefferts Schori used the metaphor of the arrow, saying it is an instrument which can be used for many purposes, and whose flight can be difficult to control. Noting that arrows can bring everything from death to messages of love, she challenged the clergy and others present to think about the arrows they send in the course of their work, and how those might be more closely targeted and effectively used.
She also said that “in 99.5% of Episcopal churches, God’s work is getting done in a marvelous variety of ways, both at home and abroad.”
Following the liturgy, Jefferts Schori and the Rev. Carlson Gerdeau, canon to the Presiding Bishop, joined diocesan Bishop Nathan Baxter, retired diocesan Bishop Charlie McNutt, and the clergy of the diocese for an informal luncheon followed by a question-and-answer session described in a diocesan news release as “relaxed.” Subjects ranged from the future of the Anglican Communion to discussions of how to work through tensions in local parishes.
In answering one question, Jefferts Schori noted that “people get angry when they are hurt, when they are unsure, or when confronting a change that challenges their foundational assumptions.”
“I know it seems counterintuitive, but this anger also creates an opportunity for engagement,” she said. “Part of it is listening, but part is also reaching out, and that can be very hard sometimes.”
Asked about the recent House of Bishops meeting, Jefferts Schori said she was impressed by the amount of progress made at the bishops’ March meeting, and said that a new understanding of the Episcopal Church’s common interest may be evolving.
The Presiding Bishop’s visit meant that the Episcopal Church’s two presiding officers have visited the diocese in less than a week. On March 31, Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies, was the speaker at a wardens’ conference at Trinity Church, Williamsport.