January 12, 2021Aelred Dear Members of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, Since the attack on the U.S. Capitol building last Wednesday, I have been holding our country, her leaders, her people and her ideals of democracy, freedom and justice close in my prayers. The letter I sent to you on Wednesday evening –January 6th— […]
6 January 2021 Dear Members of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, I write to you today on this Feast of the Epiphany and on a day in which we have witnessed violence and unrest in our country as the capitol building in Washington has been overtaken by protesters. Yesterday, in our own capital of Harrisburg, […]
28 December 2020 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA, In my last pastoral letter addressing the Covid-19 vaccine on 14 November, I indicated that we would be ceasing in-person, indoor worship beginning on 21 November and extending through the Christmas season. I know that this was heartbreak for so many of you, and […]
25 December 2020 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA, This Christmas Day, Bishop Scanlan invites us to consider our relationship with God. “God who comes to us as a small child, who comes to us, who needs us, and yet, this small child who can give us the gift of eternity, who […]
Christmas 2020 Dear Members of the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, Christmas Greetings to you and yours! One of our parish priests told me the other day that she is calling this year’s celebration, “A Christmas Like None Other.” I think that is an apt title to mark this year’s holiday in the middle of a pandemic. […]
11 December 2020 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA, During this third week of Advent, Bishop Scanlan talks to us about Anglican Identity. Watch below. For more information about Sources of Authority (in Anglicanism), click here and https://diocesecpa.org/shapedbyfaithwebinars/.
4 December 2020 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA, Bishop Scanlan asks us to examine how we can use the season of Advent to prepare our hearts for the relationship that we live today with Christ. Watch below.
20 November 2020 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA, Bishop Scanlan shares her gratitude for all the work that our diocese has done and that “she believes that this work will make a difference.” Watch below.
13 November 2020 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA, Bishop Scanlan explains triskaidekaphobia and how fears and phobias of Friday the 13th relates to God’s providence. Watch below.
Feast of All Saints1 November 2020 Dear Members of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, On this day in which we celebrate the saints of the Church- those who have modeled for us “virtuous and godly living” (BCP 245)- let us remember our own striving to “lead lives worthy of the calling to which God has […]
10/30/20 – Bishop Scanlan’s Weekly Video 30 October 2020 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA, Bishop Scanlan explains All Saints Day, Halloween, and “souling.” Watch below.
Bishop Scanlan talks about how we are living in community during this time of stress and how we can create a more gracious space for each other.
Bishop Scanlan talks about the needs of children and families during Coronavirus and the importance of “going back to basics.” Watch below.
Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA, Bishop Scanlan shares a few ideas on how we are to move forward during this time. Watch below.
Bishop Scanlan hopes that together, we can “move forward with hope and good spirits” during this difficult and challenging time. Watch below. The COVID-19 Task Force on Theology and Ecclesiology can also be found here https://diocesecentralpa.s3.amazonaws.com/2020+Website/COVID-19/Theological+Task+Force/TF+Theology+Final+Document+09172020.pdf The Parish Resource document can be found at https://diocesecentralpa.s3.amazonaws.com/2020+Website/COVID-19/Theological+Task+Force/Spiritual+Companions+Parish+Resource+Document+09222020.pdf. For COVID-19 resources, visit https://diocesecpa.org/parish-news/coronavirus-facts-precautions-and-prayers/
In Bishop Scanlan’s weekly video, she shares Episcopal Haikus, petitions for your prayers for Diocesan Convention, but, most importantly, she wants to remind you that you matter. Watch below.
Bishop Scanlan’s weekly video returns and she remembers the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and shares with us the heaviness on her heart in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch below.
In the last message of her 21 week video series, Bishop Scanlan reminds us to wear your mask, stay safe, and shares a prayer for the good use of leisure.
24 July 2020 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA,In her weekly video, Bishop Scanlan shares about the challenging times of COVID-19, and the teachings and wisdom of Saint Thomas a Kempis, from his book “The Imitation of Christ”.
Bishop Scanlan asks the question, “how are you experiencing and living into community these days?”
3 July 2020 Dear members of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, As we enter the fifth month of the COVID-19 pandemic in our region, I write to you with words of gratitude and encouragement; gratitude for your faithfulness in this time, and encouragement to persevere- to “run with patience the race that is set before us.” […]
In today’s video, Bishop Scanlan talks about the differences in the ways we worship during the pandemic, but also how we continue to find new ways to be in community. As members of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, each of us has a part to play in God’s unfolding future. Every voice counts. To that end, […]
29 May 2020 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central Pennsylvania, George Floyd. This is the name of the latest victim of racial violence in our country- violence perpetrated against people of color in brutal and deadly ways, violence that without proportion targets black men- Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Michael Brown, and Alton Sterling to […]
1 May 2020 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA, Bishop Scanlan shares her weekly Friday message below and features the numerous ways members of our diocese can all stay connected online during these challenging times. In the Way of Love, The Rt. Rev. Audrey C. ScanlanXI Bishop
Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA, As you know, Bishop Scanlan has said that it is unlikely that we will be able to meet in person before the end of May. However, in the video message below, the Bishop shares her thoughts on initial preparations towards reopening. For COVID-19 resources and information, […]
10 April 2020 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA, Bishop Scanlan shares a message on Good Friday as we journey together as a community. All diocesan Holy Week Resources are available online at https://diocesecpa.org/holy-week-2020/. Today’s offering is “Good Friday: The Seven Last Words of Jesus,” which features lay and ordained Episcopalians across the diocese […]
27 March 2020 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA,Bishop Scanlan has a message regarding these difficult times, Holy Week and Easter Services. To watch, click on the video below. The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his […]
13 March 2020 Dear Members of the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, The fast-moving pace of the Coronavirus and resulting cases of COVID-19, Wednesday’s upgrade by the World Health Organization of the illness to a pandemic, the Governor’s press conference on Thursday, and President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency today have all come to bear […]
Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It […]
Clergy: please feel free to print copies of this letter for distribution in the parish in lieu of reading from the pulpit. +ACS A Pastoral Letter on the Day of Impeachment December 18, 2019 Dear Friends in Christ, The goal of the Christian journey is unity and wholeness. Through the centuries, as we have best […]
III Advent 2019 Dear Members of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, I often speak and write about the Christian path as opening oneself to transformation. Transformation is the process by which we come to know, deeply, the love of God for us and all creation. We can put ourselves in the path to be transformed, […]
Dear Members of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, As we wake this morning, September 5, 2019, we learn that Hurricane Dorian has regained strength back into a Category 3 storm and is moving slowly to the north, just off shore of the Carolinas. I am sure that you have been following this storm, as […]
Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central Pennsylvania, The last line in Wendell Berry’s bold, prophetic, and inspirational poem, “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” (1973) is this: “Practice Resurrection.” Practice Resurrection. In a complicated world that can overwhelm us on a daily, if not hourly basis; in the maelstrom of political divide, […]
To download this letter, click here. 17 March 2019 2 Lent We bishops of the Episcopal Church were gathered in the hills of North Carolina, at the Kanuga retreat Center near Asheville, on Friday morning when we learned of the terrorist attack in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand that resulted in the death of […]
To download this letter, click here. 11 February 2019 Dear Members of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, Among the record number of 502 resolutions considered at our most recent General Convention of the Episcopal Church (Austin, TX July 2018), was Resolution D034, “Amend Canon IV.19.4- Suspending Statute of Limitations.” This resolution was passed […]
Tuesday 22 January, 2019 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central Pennsylvania, I write to you today to invite your generosity for our brothers and sisters in Pennsylvania who are furloughed federal workers, experiencing the effects of a partial federal government shut-down that has lasted, now, 32 days. The Pennsylvania Food Bank has opened […]
19 December 2018 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) Dear Members of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, In the 8th century Before the Common Era, […]
Report of the Bishop’s Address Team to the Diocese November 30, 2018 Introductory comment: Following Diocesan Convention in October, Bishop Scanlan asked a group of lay and clergy members of the diocese to reflect on what we heard about the Bishop’s vision for the diocese as it was articulated in her convention sermon and address. […]
30 October 2018 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central Pennsylvania, I write today to invite your compassion and action in the aftermath of Saturday’s deadly shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. In these past days, I have written to the rabbis and congregation members of synagogues, temples and Jewish Community […]
16 August 2018 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central Pennsylvania, As the stores begin advertising back-to-school sales, and the hours of daylight grow incrementally shorter, I am led to thinking about the fall and what lies ahead for us in our common life together as God’s people. The time that I spent […]
2 August 2018 Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central Pennsylvania, I am writing to bid your prayers for our brothers and sisters of the Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Harrisburg as they receive the names of persons accused of sexually abusing children in the Church. The Rt. Rev. Ronald Gainer, Bishop of […]
