epiScope

For the people

Faith+Values: No cardboard caskets
By JEFF STRICKLER
Minneapolis (MN) Star Tribune
March 7, 2008

At the Oyate Tawicohan (Way of the People) Funeral Home, Episcopal minister, mortician and Lakota Indian Claudia Windal provides burials for those who can't afford them. But now her mortuary is in danger of going out of business.

Until two years ago, the Rev. Claudia Windal, an Episcopal priest, never even thought about using her spare time to open a funeral home. Now her life is consumed with thoughts about how to keep it from going out of business.

A Lakota Indian who didn't know about her roots until she was an adult, Windal, 58, went back to school to study mortuary science when she realized that it was the best way to provide funerals for people of little means. Fourteen months ago, she opened Oyate Tawicohan (Way of the People) Funeral Home in Minneapolis, the state's only Native American-owned mortuary, and while she does offer traditional Indian burials, her business serves anyone who can't afford to go elsewhere.

"I lose money on every burial. People keep telling me I'm crazy, and some days I'm this close to believing them," she said with a chuckle, holding up a barely separated thumb and forefinger.

It’s all here …

Former S.F. resident championed Indian, non-Indian relations

Rosenthal served on board of directors of Indian Rights Association
David Collins
The New Mexican
2/24/2008

A memorial service is planned for Saturday to commemorate the life of Elizabeth Clark Rosenthal, a former Santa Fe resident who promoted intercultural relations among American Indians and non-Indian communities.

Rosenthal, 87, died Feb. 17 in El Paso. She was born on the reservation of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, the daughter and granddaughter of Episcopalian ministers. She attended reservation schools and later earned a master's degree in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin.

She competed doctoral course work at Harvard University and was later awarded an honorary doctoral degree from the University of South Dakota.

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"They're always expecting you to go away"

'A 300-year ministry' on Standing Rock
By KAREN HERZOG
Bismarck Tribune
Nov 27, 2007

…

A whole generation on the reservation, from their early 20s to about age 40, has been lost to the church, Floberg says, adding that 90 to 95 percent of people on the reservation are unchurched.

The No. 1 spiritual issue, he says, is unforgiveness, the result of a complicated history of guilt and anger; the reservation's No. 1 social problem is unresolved grief, which drives addictions and other ills.

Standing Rock, Floberg said, is a 300-year ministry.

"That's how long it took for Norwegians to change from Vikings to Christians," he said.

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Striving for justice and peace

They're working toward reconciliation
Episcopalians and Native Americans start the effort's second decade.
By DANIELLE ZIELINSKI
Newport News (VA) Daily Press
November 2, 2007

JAMES CITY — - To the steady beat of a drum and the low, resonant hum of a conch shell, bishops of the Episcopal Church and members of Native American tribes marched together to an altar at Historic Jamestowne Thursday.

They were there to pray, to remember their history, and to kick off a decade dedicated to renewing their relationship.

"We gather here today to remember and to recognize and to reconcile the native peoples of this land and those who have come after," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said. "We're here to commit to a second decade of this work — work that is centuries late, long overdue, and far from finished."

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Depraved, evil, unholy
Maybe cathedral can redeem site where slaves were lashed and sold
BY CATHLEEN FALSANI
Chicago (IL) Sun-Times
November 2, 2007

STONE TOWN, Zanzibar -- It was hard to see the hallowed ground for all the minibuses full of tourists jockeying for position in the parking area outside Christ Church Cathedral one recent sweltering afternoon in Zanzibar's main commercial center.

I had come to this place not because of the church itself -- one of only a few in Stone Town, where upwards of 90 percent of the population is Muslim. Instead, what drew me was the history of this place before the cathedral was built in the mid-1870s.

The Anglican Church erected Zanzibar's only cathedral on top of what had been, just a few years before, the main marketplace for the island's flourishing slave trade. It is believed the Stone Town site was the last slave market in Africa when a reluctant Zanzibari sultan closed it in 1873 under pressure from the British government.

The Anglicans purposely built Christ Church atop the former slave market as a statement of redemption and resurrection, as a kind of re-consecration.

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Taking sides

Episcopal Church committee supports Passamaquoddy racino
by: Gale Courey Toensing
Indian Country Today
October 22, 2007

BANGOR, Maine - The Episcopal Committee on Indian Relations has come out in support of the Passamaquoddy Tribe's racino proposal, calling moral objections against the tribe's efforts ''highly hypocritical and specious given the current prevalence of gambling within Maine.''

The Indian Relations committee, a group working within the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, voted unanimously Oct. 8 to issue a statement supporting the Passamaquoddy Tribe's ''Yes on 1'' campaign, a grass-roots effort to approve its racino in a statewide referendum Nov. 6.

Meanwhile, the Christian Civic League of Maine announced the formation of a political action committee to oppose the racino. The CCL represents a group of evangelical churches and individuals aligned with national right-wing Christian groups, including James Dobson's Focus on the Family, according to CCL's Web site, www.cclmaine.org.

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Traditional

Athabascan leader, 95, dies
The Associated Press
October 12, 2007

FAIRBANKS -- The first traditional chief for the Athabascan people of the Interior died Thursday at his home in Chalkyitsik. The Rev. David Salmon was 95.

"He was sitting in his favorite chair when he passed," Salmon's granddaughter, Patricia Salmon, told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner for a story posted on its Web site.

He died with family members and friends, including Second Traditional Chief Don Honea Sr. of Ruby, around him, she said.

Salmon was diagnosed with cancer this week and transported home Wednesday.

Family members said he was in good spirits and happy to be back in Chalkyitsik, about 45 miles northeast of Fort Yukon.

Salmon, an ordained Episcopal minister, has been the Interior's first traditional chief since 2003. The position is an honorary, nonpolitical office and is held in high esteem.

The Gwich'in elder was well-known for his work ethic and traditional toolmaking skills, and he was renown for his ministering and counsel, the News-Miner reported.

Salmon's death comes 10 days before the opening of the 2007 Alaska Federation of Natives Convention, where he was scheduled to address delegates. The convention is in Fairbanks.

It’s all here …and may he be gathered to his people in peace.

Tradition and worship

Episcopal Mission incorporates Navajo culture into church services
By Susan Whitney
Deseret Morning News
Sept. 15, 2007

OLJATO, San Juan County — In the heart of Monument Valley, on the Utah section of the Navajo Reservation, a cross rises over the desert. This is St. Mary's of the Moonlight Episcopal Church.

One recent summer evening, as the sun began to set behind the red cliffs, pickup trucks started pulling off the dirt road near the church. About 70 people — grandparents, parents, toddlers, teens — congregated around tables set up in the shade.

Having decided it was too hot for a priestly collar, Father Ian Corbett walked through the crowd wearing a red T-shirt. As he greeted people, he told them they would be worshipping before dinner. Then he gathered everyone into the chapel.

They prayed standing. They began by facing east, because Navajos always start their prayers in the direction of the sunrise, the symbol of new life. Father Corbett led them in prayer for the children. Then, following the path of the sun, everyone turned south. They prayed for the youth. Next, facing west, they prayed for the middle-aged. At the end, they faced north and Father Corbett led them in words of gratitude for their elders.

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Churchgoers have fond memories
By Susan Whitney
Deseret Morning News
Sept. 15, 2007

If you visit the Utah portion of the Navajo reservation, you can meet a number of people who grew up attending school and church at St. Christopher's. In Lillie Henderson's earliest memory, she is being taken on horseback by her parents to stay at St. Christopher's for what she assumes was a summerlong Bible school.

She was not afraid, she says. Everyone was nice, and her older sister was with her. She can remember playing at taking communion, gradually absorbing English words and Episcopal rites at the same time.

Today, she's a deacon in the church. She translates Father Ian Corbett's sermons into Navajo and teaches Christian education in an after-school program.

It’s all here …

Mission and ministry

Clergy in New Orleans Need Counseling
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
August 31, 2007

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Clergymen struggling to comfort the afflicted in New Orleans are finding they, too, need someone to listen to their troubles.

The sight of misery all around them -- and the combined burden of helping others put their lives back together while repairing their own homes and places of worship -- are taking a spiritual and psychological toll on the city's ministers, priests and rabbis, many of whom are in counseling two years after Hurricane Katrina.

Almost every local Episcopal minister is in counseling, including Bishop Charles Jenkins himself, who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jenkins, whose home in suburban Slidell was so badly damaged by Katrina that it was 10 months before he and his wife could move back in, said he has suffered from depression, faulty short-term memory, and difficulty concentrating or sleeping.

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Becoming a priest: an occupation and a calling
by Vickie Evans-Nash
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
8/29/2007

Local woman recounts her road to ministry

Mildred Cox came to the Twin Cities in 1966 after her husband received a job transfer while working with the Red Cross. They brought their family for what was intended to be a two-year stay. Now, almost 40 years later, they have become permanent fixtures to the Twin Cities area. On June 1, Cox completed a doctoral program at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois and became an ordained priest.

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Deacon: Walk on my prayer path
by DENISE FORD-MITCHELL
The Saginaw (MI) News
August 31, 2007

Donna L. Kusky has a prayer labyrinth in the backyard of her Birch Run Township home, and she's inviting guests to check it out.

Kusky said she designed the seven-circle Kusky Labyrinth to enlighten, not to confuse.

The 64-year-old is a deacon at St. Mark Episcopal Church, 3060 Williamson in Bridgeport Township.

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Oakerhater Center dedication set for Sept. 8 in Watonga
Oakerhater Episcopal Center dedication, honor dance
By Carla Hinton
The Oklahoman
September 1, 2007

WATONGA — St. David Pendleton Oakerhater's beloved Whirlwind Church and Mission will soon get a new, permanent home.

Despite some wind damage from recent storms, Oklahoma Episcopal leaders are moving forward with the planned dedication of the Oakerhater Episcopal Center in Watonga.

The center, named after the revered Cheyenne Indian Episcopal clergyman, is to be dedicated at 2 p.m. Sept. 8.

The Rev. Jim Kee-Rees said activities will include a dinner and the Whirlwind Church's annual honor dance in recognition of Oakerhater. In 1895, Oakerhater (1847-1931) became the first American Indian to be recognized in the Calendar of Saints of the Episcopal Church.

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New life

Harvey church garden grows food, hope
By Jim Hook
Chicago Sun-Times/dailysouthtown.com
July 2, 2007

Tomatoes, greens, cucumbers and peppers rise from the fertile soil of a new community garden in Harvey.

The vegetables grow alongside another tender cultivation -- hope.

"This garden has become a symbol of inspiration for people," said Rev. Rod Reinhart, pastor of St. Clement's Episcopal Church, 15245 S. Loomis Ave. "This garden gives people a message of love, order and respect for the entire community.

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Churches see their mission to care for creation
By Angela Gregory
The New Zealand Herald
July 02, 2007

Churches are urging their congregations to take action on climate change and other green issues.

Anglican, Catholic and other denominations are trying to address concerns about environmental challenges caused by global warming.

An Anglican diocesan climate change action group in Auckland is, for instance, running educational programmes on faith responses to "global climate change and the ecological crisis".

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In service of a higher power
Former Hydro One CEO finds new life in God
By LINDA LEATHERDALE, TORONTO SUN
July 2, 2007

Forgive thine enemies is what Rev. Ellie believes in.

Rev. Ellie is Eleanor Clitheroe, the Hydro One CEO who five years ago was ceremoniously fired for allegedly blowing company money on an extravagant lifestyle, including eight memberships to exclusive clubs and some $330,000 in limo rides for her kids and nanny over three years, despite having a $40,000-a-year car allowance.

Clitheroe claims Hydro One's board approved the spending, and her $30-million wrongful dismissal suit is still in the courts.

In an interview, Clitheroe says it was God who helped her through this trying ordeal that left her feeling broken and marginalized.

And so, she's now reaching out to help others, who also feel broken and marginalized.

It’s all here …

Teens on right path
Church program aids troubled tribal youths
By Cristina Madrid, Correspondent
Whittier (CA) Daily News
7/2/2007

WHITTIER - The second eldest of six siblings, 16-year-old Garrick Logg enjoys playing guitar and hanging out with his friends in his hometown of Holbrook, Ariz.

Taking a break from band practice, he along with 14 other teenagers from their Navajo reservation, are looking at new ways to live life without alcohol, drugs and jail in their future, said the Rev. Earl Gibson of Whittier's St. Matthias Episcopal Church.

Once a gang leader, Logg is now leading his church's youth group, which Wednesday served soup to homeless people at St. Matthias.

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Feather meets Cross

Ministry explores Indian and Christian practices
Linda Hanson
Duluth (MN) News Tribune
Saturday, March 03, 2007

Underneath a large cross in the sanctuary, Sid Perrault danced to the beat as the bells fastened around his legs jingled with the rhythm. Nearby, Rocky Makesroomforthem, Gene Boshey and Troy Howes raised their voices in traditional American Indian songs as they beat the drum. The strong, steady drumbeat represents the heartbeat of the creator and it reverberated among the nearly 50 people gathered at the church on a recent Sunday. The Where the Feather Meets the Cross ministry at St. Enmegahbowh Episcopal Church in Duluth incorporates both American Indian practices and Christianity. The church is named after one of the first American Indians ordained in the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota — a man who walked in both Christian and traditional Indian worlds. Many Indian families include a blend of people, both traditional Indian and Christian, said the Rev. Jeff Nelson, an Episcopal priest who is one of the intertribal ministry’s organizers.

It’s behind a subscription “wall” (grrr…) but here ... and Native American missioner Janine Tinsley-Roe sent me this link too.