Dear friends,
God is always calling us to mend our relationships through listening, learning, repentance, and acts of love—fulfilling our baptismal vow to “seek and serve Christ in all persons.” This fall, the Diocese of Central New York begins a two-year journey to further our commitment to racial justice and reconciliation, pursuing our vision of “a world healed by love.”
If you have not already done so, I urge you to take part in one of the many Sacred Ground groups forming in person and online all across our diocese. Sacred Ground offers an opportunity to gather with your worshiping community for transformative conversations about race and faith. When our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry visits the Diocese in December 2023, those who have participated in Sacred Ground will be invited to gather with him for a smaller group conversation. Please speak to your clergyperson or district Dean or contact Canon Tom Ferguson (tferguson@cnyepiscopal.org) if you’d like help connecting to a Sacred Ground group.
And as a continuation of this good work, I invite you to prayerfully consider joining me on a Sacred Ground Pilgrimage to the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. From their website:
The Legacy Museum provides a comprehensive history of the United States with a focus on the legacy of slavery. From the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its impact on the North and coastal communities across America through the Domestic Slave Trade and Reconstruction, the museum provides detailed interactive content and compelling narratives.
On this pilgrimage we will also visit key sites of the Civil Rights movement, including the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, the location of historic voting rights marches.
The Pilgrimage will take place February 23-26, 2023, and we’ll be sharing more details in the coming months. Right now, you can indicate your interest (no commitment is required at this time) via this form.
Please keep this diocese’s Sacred Ground work, and February’s pilgrimage, in your personal and congregational prayers, and pray about how you may be called to join in this work. I am grateful for your faithfulness and care as we continue this journey of “learning to love God, one another, and all creation.”
Blessings of peace for the journey,
The Rt. Rev. Dr. DeDe Duncan-Probe
Bishop of Central New York
It is with an open mind and heart I wish to participate via Christ Church in Clayton NY. Thank you for this opportunity to address the history and my life with racism.