Bishop Shaw Goes to Washington
Episcopal News Service. January 31, 2000 [2000-025B]
(ENS) In February, Bishop M. Thomas Shaw of Massachusetts will go boldly where no other sitting bishop has gone before -- to a month-long stint as a congressional intern.
Saying that he wants "to discover something of what the role of the church should be in public life," Shaw will join the corps of college students who make up the majority of interns eager to get an insider's look at the nation's Capitol. He will work in the office of Rep. Amo Houghton, a New York Republican, who told The Boston Globe that he plans a full schedule for Shaw.
Houghton said he was trying to arrange for Shaw to spend time with White House officials and Cabinet members, as well as Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who is a noted civil rights advocate, and Rep. Tom Lantos, a California Democrat who is a Holocaust survivor. Houghton also said he would take Shaw with him on a visit to his home district to see how a member of Congress interacts with his constituents and later take the bishop to a Renaissance Weekend gathering of opinion-makers in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
According to the Globe, Shaw chose Houghton's office because the two have been friends for about 15 years, since Houghton attended a retreat at the Cambridge monastery where Shaw lives. Shaw performed the marriage ceremony for Houghton and his wife, Priscilla Dewey Houghton.
Shaw, a member of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, has declared that he will wear his monastic robe at least part of the time during his internship.
He has taken a one-month leave from his diocesan duties. While he is in Washington, Suffragan Bishop Barbara Harris will administer the diocese.