THE HOLY SPIRIT AND BISHOP'S VISITATION

Last Sunday, St. Gregory's hosted the visit of Bishop Greg Rickel, and at the 10 am service, 27 people were confirmed, received into the Episcopal Church, and Reaffirmed their baptismal vows before the bishop. It was an extraordinarily beautiful service. The energy and joy of our new members was palpable; the holy care and reverence of Bishop Rickel as he silently prayed over each person was holy; The proclamation of the gospel with a focus of the presence of the Holy Spirit was engaging. The music and the choral leadership of the choir were uplifting. 

As I greeted people after the service and at the superb Mother's Day Brunch served by the Brothers of St. Gregory's, I heard many people use words like "inspiring," "beautiful," and "moving" to describe their experience of the worship. In an email I received Sunday afternoon, one of our members who was inspired to take pictures wrote the following, which captures the spirit of the many comments I received: "I was so moved by the amount of people who came forward to become part of the body of Christ and to support that beautiful journey, that it occurred to me to take some pictures so that, if you chose to share them with others, they might be moved as well. I am so proud to be part of this church and its mission to bring the love of Christ into the community and the world." 

In our weekly "Making a Difference" stories we faithfully celebrate individuals and ministries that are making a meaningful impact in our life in Christ and our service to the community and world. Today, I want to highlight the ministry of the Holy Spirit—God's very breath and the energizing presence of the risen Christ—flowing through our hearts and worship like a mighty river. Thank you, Holy Spirit!

In Christ,

Andrew+