 Letter from the Rt. Rev. Wayne Wright,
Bishop of Delaware
On Leaving the
House of Bishops' Meeting
September 26, 2007
As I leave the New Orleans House of Bishops' meeting, I am profoundly grateful to be your bishop and for the opportunity to share with the larger church our experience in the Diocese of Delaware. The spirit of this meeting was good. As the bishops met, I was always aware of your support and prayers. Thank you.
We were honored by the presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury and other guests from around the Anglican Communion. They were a living reminder of the friendships that are at the heart of our communion. Their voices brought an important perspective to our work.
Katharine Jefferts Schori will soon celebrate her first anniversary as our Presiding Bishop. She is a strong and thoughtful leader with many personal gifts. This is a good time to serve in the House of Bishops.
All our work was overshadowed by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the challenging work of rebuilding communities. Even after two years, the needs are very great. Almost $1 million was raised from around the Episcopal Church and presented to the Gulf Coast dioceses at a special ecumenical service. The Archbishop of Canterbury was the preacher.
Keep in mind that a Delaware Mission Trip to New Orleans is being organized for early 2008. I hope you will encourage folks to volunteer. Individual congregations may want to organize their own trips or find other ways to help. There is still much to do.
On Sunday morning, Holly and I returned to Grace Episcopal Church, our former parish. I was the celebrant. Gene Robinson was the preacher. The church is now almost completely rebuilt. This recovery was only possible because of gifts made by Episcopalians from around the country. It was a very moving experience. On Saturday Holly drove to Angola Prison. She has been corresponding with an inmate there for many years. She was able to see him for the first time since we moved to Delaware.
The Presiding Bishop asked me to chair to committee that wrote the two documents adopted by this House of Bishops' meeting. I believe that the documents both provide further clarity and point toward next steps in our continuing dialog. [The full text of one of the documents is available at Episcopal Life On-Line, and we expect the other to be available soon.]
Our experience in the Diocese of Delaware helped to inform these documents. They build upon and confirm the approach we have been taking here and the understandings we have gained. There is room for all at our common table.
This was a good meeting. I return to Delaware strengthened and committed to the mission we share in Christ.
Faithfully,
Wayne Wright
Bishop of Delaware |
Fax: (302) 656-7342