A meeting of the Task Force for Exploring Common Mission. Photo: The Rev. Nathaniel Anderson
Exploring Common Mission Episcopalians East and West Engage in Year-Long Conversation The Rev. Vicki Ix Canon for Communications Diocese of Western Massachusetts
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hat can be done better together than apart? For the two Episcopal dioceses in Massachusetts, a steady increase in collaborations in recent years suggests that the answer could potentially be: quite a lot. Both possess a long, rich history of serving God’s people, and have been doing so mostly in parallel over the decades following the founding of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts in 1903, out of what started in 1784 as a single diocese in the Commonwealth. Lately, however, Episcopalians from both dioceses have been coming together in a variety of meaningful ways:
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Tracy J. Sukraw Director of Communications Diocese of Massachusetts public actions and advocacy to end gun violence, and to act for the care of God’s creation at a time of climate emergency, for instance. Joint retreats and professional development events for clergy, and adult Christian formation and discernment programs for the laity. Youth activities and shared ministry networks around outreach with veterans and growing “Good News Gardens.” And more. Bishops Alan Gates and Gayle Harris of the Diocese of Massachusetts and Bishop Doug Fisher of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts began to wonder about the extent of this spirit of collaboration and to discuss the possibility of further exploring current shared
