Priests and Deacons Update

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

      This past weekend I was blessed to be able to attend the Men’s Retreat at CTK.  Over 40 men & boys from around the Diocese came together for two days of prayer, worship, fellowship and fun.  It was a blessed and enjoyable time.  At the conclusion of the retreat, Col. Forest Rittgers was honored as Man of the Year and made an Honorary Canon for his many years of faithful service to the Diocese and his home parish of Christ Church, Schenectady.  I want to thank the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, Calvary Church, Burnt Hills, all those who helped organize the weekend, and those who attended.  I pray this will become an annual tradition.

Earlier this afternoon, I attended the National Day of Prayer Service at the State Capitol.  Men and women of faith from around the state came together to pray and give thanks to God for our many blessings.  Tonight, I will attend an observance in Lake Luzerne.

Effective today, Beth Strickland has taken on the responsibilities as the Diocese’s Clergy Deployment Officer.  She is a communicant of St. George’s, Clifton Park, and a regular volunteer at Christ the King Spiritual Life Center.  Canon Rittgers and his wife Sally are retiring again and moving to be near family in Texas.  He will be assisting Beth during the month of May until they leave for Texas in June.  Please keep Beth in your prayers as she takes on these new responsibilities and works with the many parishes looking to fill vacancies.  Please keep Canon Rittgers and Sally in your prayers as they complete the sale of their home here and the new home in Texas and make the move and transition into a new phase of their life.  We have blessed many time over by their ministry amongst us.

      This weekend is the Clergy Wives Conference at Christ the King SLC.  It is a time of spiritual renewal, fellowship, prayer, and learning for the wives.  The guest speaker is Allyson Tompkins who was a speaker at last year’s convention and presented a daylong conference at Christ Church, Schenectady last fall.  We are blessed to have three clergy wives from our companion Diocese of Down & Dromore attending this year.

The Diocesan Convention is just over a month away.  The registrations are coming in and if you haven’t registered yet, you can register online or down a registration form for mailing in by going to http://www.albanyepiscopaldiocese.org/ministries/convention.

Registration forms for the Youth Rally are online as well.  If you don’t have access to the internet, please ask your parish clergy or fellow parishioner to download the appropriate registration form(s) for you.

The Pre-Convention Information Booklet was mailed yesterday and should begin arriving today.  A package is going to the individual clergy and the parish.  The parish package includes 3 copies of the booklet; one for each deputy.

 There will be four regional pre-convention meetings as scheduled below.  They begin at 7 pm and are for those who will be voting:  canonically resident clergy and parish deputies/alternate deputies.

      Mon, May 5 – Messiah, Glens Falls (S. Adirondack & Upper Hudson Deaneries)

      Tue, May 6 – Cathedral of All Saints (Hudson & Metropolitan Deaneries)

      Mon, May 12 – St. Mark’s, Malone (N. Adirondack & St. Lawrence Deaneries)

Tue, May 13 – Christ Church, Cooperstown (Susquehanna & Western Mohawk Deaneries) 

Next Saturday, May 10^th over 850 people are planning to attend the ordination of 11 new deacons.  The service begins at 3 PM and God willing, I will have the pleasure of ordaining the following men and women as deacons (name and sponsoring parish):  James Brisbin, Christ’s Church, Duanesburg; Allen Carpenter, Cathedral of All Saints, Albany; Nancy Goff, Church of the Messiah, Glens Falls; Frank Lockwood, Zion Church, Hudson Falls; Laura Miller, Christ Church, Walton; Brenda Nickles, St. Luke’s, Chatham; Howard Smith, Christ Church, Schenectady; Donna Steckline, Christ Church, Gilbertsville; David Sullivan, Church of the Good Shepherd, Elizabethtown; Micki Thomas, Zion Church, Hudson Falls; Alicia Todaro, Church of the Holy Cross, Troy.

As these men and women complete their course of study and are ordained, we are inviting individuals interested in Holy Orders to a meeting to register their interest and find out more about the ordination process in the Diocese of Albany.  The meeting is Saturday morning, May 10 beginning at 10 AM at the Cathedral of All Saints.  Bishop Love, Fr. Haskell, Fr. Schofield, and Archdeacon Huth will review the process and expectations for those pursuing and ultimately entering Holy Orders as either a permanent deacon or priest.  If you would like to attend, please let Fr. Schofield, chair of the Commission of Ministry know of your interest.  His email address is  Frpetercc@aol.com  

Regional Confirmations.   Rectors, vicars, and wardens (where there is no assigned clergy) need to send names of individuals to be confirmed or received to Ray Rockwell at rrockwell@albanydiocese.org with a copy to Canon Jerry Carroll (jcarroll@albanydiocese.org) by the date noted for each service.  Full names are preferred for using on the certificates.

18 May – Trinity Sunday, 4 PM at Christ the King Chapel at the Spiritual Life Center.

-     Names for certificates due by May 12.

-         Festive dinner to follow.  To make dinner reservations call 692-9550.  Adults (age 12 and up) $15, Youth (ages 5 – 11 yrs) $ and Youngsters (age 4 & below) free.   Confirmands and those received at the service are free.

1 Jun - Christ Church, Gilbertsville, 3 PM.

-         Names for certificates due by May 12.

-         Notify Dcn Joe Acanfora at Christ Church of how many are attending from your church.  His email is acan4a@frontiernet.net

10 Jun – St. John’s, Ogdensburg, 7 PM

-         Name for certificates due by May 27

-         Notify Fr Rob Longbottom at St. John’s of how many are attending from your church.  His email is mailto:fr-rob@twcny.rr.com       

      St. George’s, Clifton Park has called the Reverend John W. Henry, II, Novi, Michigan, as their next rector to succeed Fr. Bill Hinrichs who retires July 1, 2008.

      I have appointed Linda Stevens, St. John’s, Troy as the Diocesan Missions Coordinator and Chairwoman of the Missions Committee.  Linda has been active in overseas missions ministry at St. John’s and their missionary work in Haiti.  Linda is taking over from Mtr Eileen Weglarz who is taking a new call as rector, St. Marks, Mount Kisco, NY.  Please keep both Linda and Mtr. Eileen in your prayers as they take on new responsibilities, and pray that a heart for missions work and support continues to flourish in our parishes.

      May 19 – 21, I will be at the final residency course of the three-year curriculum for new bishops, and then off to Nashotah House May 22, 23 for the Trustees Meeting and Commencement.  Sue Waldron, St. Michael’s, Colonie, is graduating this year and she will be ordained with other transitional deacons at the Cathedral of All Saints on May 31.  More on that later.

      Your prayers for healing are invited for Dcn Polly Bailey recovering from minor complication of her recent surgery, Fr Robert Clark, retired priest of the Diocese, and for Micki Thomas, Assistant Convention Coordinator with a strained back.

Faithfully in Christ Jesus,

            +Bill