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Dear Friends in Christ,
Tomorrow, Friday, May 10th, I will be in New York city to preach at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine to celebrate the Feast of Li Tim-Oi, the first Asian woman to be ordained a priest in the Anglican Communion. In preparation for this sermon, I have reflected on the symbolism of being the first to accomplish something like ordination to the priesthood. The impact of this kind of breakthrough belongs to the group who see themselves finally represented in the accomplishment.
As the first Japanese-American female priest and now the first as a bishop, I have learned that the impact of being the first brings with it a unique responsibility and obligation. I am forever indebted to the Nisei couple, Willie and Yoshi Tahara, members of St. Mark the Evangelist, Hood River, who shepherded me through the process. To this day I will never know what kinds of conversations they had or sacrifices they endured to ensure I was given as fair an opportunity as possible to be formed as a priest. What is clear, whenever we look back and wonder “How did I get here?”, is realizing we did not do it alone. When we arrive at the destination we prayed about, it is rarely because we traveled alone.
On June 1st, our entire diocese is gathering at St. Paul Episcopal Church in Salem to celebrate our life together. We are calling this a Renewal Gathering because it is time - after all that Covid has wrought - to be community in-person and to celebrate our life in Christ. It is time to rejuvenate our relationships with one another as members of the Body of Christ. It is time to learn how we have continued to grow in mission and ministry even in challenging times. Over the past several years we have done great things because of our faith. It has not been easy making our way back from the pandemic. Even now, we are undoing habits that work against community building and deep connections. This is why I look forward to coming together as a diocese and remembering who we are and why we are a community of faith. We cannot fulfill God’s call alone. We need each other.
I invite you to mark this date on your calendar and sign-up to be with us for a day of celebration in community. Our guest speaker will be The Rt. Rev. Robert Wright, Bishop of Atlanta, and I am looking forward to hearing his words of hope and challenge for our diocese. Come hear about the good work happening across our diocese as we continue to build up the body of Christ. We, none of us, can accomplish this on our own. We have been created to help each other, to support one another and to grow in faith as we pray together and help those in need.
See you on June 1st!
Yours in Christ,
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