As 2015 draws to a close, I look back at all the amazing things that have happened both in my life spiritually and physically. It has been a year of ups and downs for sure!
In the last edition I spoke about accepting the mantle of the office of the Presiding Bishop for the International Old Catholic Churches. It has certainly been an interesting ride since then. I am so very blessed to have so many fine men and women of God surrounding me during this transition. They have been supportive, patient and kind throughout this bumpy ride.
Speaking of the International Old Catholic Churches, many of you may already be aware, but for those that aren’t I want to mention a few things that have been going on in our jurisdiction. The biggest news by far has come from the Diocese of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (which covers New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania). The Cathedral Church fo the Diocese, Saint Miriam, has purchased a rather large property that contains a former Lutheran church, preschool building, cemetery and several acres of land that will be used to build an even larger facility later this year and into next year. The entire project comes with a rather large price tag, however, the good people of Saint Miriam have stepped up to the plate and have given from their hearts to this project. You can see an interior picture on the next page.
As part of our continued commitment to bring in and train good men and women of faith, our church implemented a 6 month discernment period on top of all the other requirements to help further weed out those who are looking for a quick ordination or those who are flighty. We have already seen some come and go due to this process, however, the number of quality applicants has grown.
Over the next few months, we will be adding to our numbers in the church. Men and women who are already ordained and who are incardinating from other jurisdictions will begin to show up on our website. We are thrilled to have each and every one of them and hopefully they will take time to write something for Convergent Streams from time to time.
Things are also looking good outside our jurisdiction. Father Rick Romero has continued releasing his Faces and Places videos on Universal Spirit Broadcasting Network after a brief pause. You will find his ad about the newest interviews in this quarter’s magazine. It is also good to have articles from our regular contributers and from some new faces.
As always, if you want to write for Convergent Streams, we would be happy to hear from you. You can find more information on the web at http://www.convergentstreams.org.
Blessings!
