On Wednesday, June 10, the Rt. Rev. Philip S. Wright and Ms. Cecile Reyes of the Anglican Diocese of Belize visited our diocese. After touring portions of Western New York during the afternoon, Bishop Wright spoke at a dinner attended by a variety of diocesan clergy and lay leaders.

Belize faces many of the same challenges shared by other developing nations: poverty, unemployment, homelessness, health issues—including high incidence of HIV/AIDS, increasing crime and alienated youth. Against this backdrop, the Diocese of Belize seeks "to be a Christ-centered, spirit-filled, vibrant and growing community of believers who are making a difference in the lives of all God's people."

Motivated by the rising incidence of swine flu, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control raised the pandemic alert level. On Wednesday, April 29, the diocesan communication office published resources for congregations, including the brochure "Be Aware! Get Prepared! and links to worship practices information.

On that same day, The Episcopal Church issued the following statement:

At noon on April 18, members of the Bishop Search Committee will be commission by the Rt. Rev. J. Michael Garrison during a special Eucharist at St. Paul's Cathedral. The committee is charged with nominating candidates for the position of eleventh Bishop of WNY. Bishop Garrison, who has served as Bishop since 1999, will retire in April 2011 at which time his successor will be consecrated.

For more information about the search process, including the names of those serving on the search committee and a timeline of the process, please follow the WNY Bishop Search link to the right.

Yvonne Curtis and Helen Sam, were ordained to the transitional diaconate by Bishop J. Micheal Garrison on Tuesday, April 15. The pair was called by the congregation of St. John-the-Baptist Church in Dunkirk to serve as priests through the commended ministry team process. God willing, they will be ordained to the priesthood within the coming year.

Youth missioners from diocese around Province II gathered in buffalo April 1-2 for their spring retreat. On Thursday, they met at our diocesan office where they shared Eucharist with Bishop Garrison and some members of diocesan staff. The group enjoyed a brief tour of the building before convening for sharing and planning future youth events for Province II.

Attending (from left to right) were Kep Short & Deb Clarke from the Diocese of New Jersey, Jay Phillippi of WNY, Pat Mitchell of New York, Roger Speer of the Virgin Islands and Ron Rhodes of Long Island. 

Thrill to the live accompaniment of the Great Wurlitzer this Palm Sunday when the Diocese of Western New York presents Cecil B. DeMille's silent film classic King of Kings at North Tonawanda's Riveria Theater.

Bring the entire family. The film will roll at 7 p.m. Tickets are just $10 for adults and $5 for children. Call the Riviera box office at 716-692-2413 to reserve yours today. Also available at the door. All proceeds will benefit Episcopal Relief & Development, which responds to disasters worldwide and helps to raise those living in developing nations out of poverty.

Bishop J. Michael Garrison along with other members of the Council of Episcopal Bishops of New York State met with NYS Governor David Patterson in Albany, NY, on March 2.

• 50,000 to 60,000 men, women and children are served by ECS's 15 member agencies each year.
• There is at least one ECS agency in every county and each deanery of our Diocese.
• Over 100 volunteers help to run the annual campaign each year, keeping overhead costs low.
• ECS helps people 365 days a year and has done so for 42 years.
• All 63 Episcopal churches in WNY participate in ECS in some way.

The first issue of Church Acts Online was published on March 2. It will be published monthly. This interactive e-newsletter contains articles about ministries and events throughout the diocese.

The March issue tells about a local ministry that relieves child hunger, the welcoming of a Burmese refugee family to WNY, a local parish's monthly art shows, an diocesan event that mixed kids, the arts, creation & worship, and upcoming events including the Bishop's Gala, a healling mission, a visit by Bishop John Shelby Spong and more

Read the March issue online

A special prayer service for the family and friends of Ron and Linda Davidson, who died in the crash of Continental Flight 3407, will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 15 at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Westfield, NY, where the Davidsons were members.

The service will be led by the Rev. Gordon DeLaVars. Bishop J. Michael Garrison will also be present. The church is located at 12 Elm Street on the village square. The community is welcomed to attend.

On February 13 Bishop Garrison issued the following statement to the media:

In this time of tragedy for our community and nation I am reminded of two phrases from the Book of Common Prayer.