Week Ending 8/23/21

Things might be happening around the world, but for news associated with the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion,  things were quiet.  All posts continue threads from previous posts. 

 

Masking Up Spreads as Covid-19 Surges 

At least four more dioceses have made updates to their covid-19 protocols for worship that encourage or required congregations to return to masks.  The Diocese of New Jersey has told congregations that all attending worship, regardless of vaccination status or whether that worship is inside or outside should be wearing masks.  Dioceses in three of the hardest hit southern states are also strongly recommending masks.  In Louisiana, the governor has reimposed an mandatory mask requirement for indoor public spaces.  Bishop Morris Thompson, Jr. of the Diocese of Louisiana has thus instructed  all people meeting or worshiping at Episcopal churches to be in masks, and countered anti-masking sentiment by pointing out this was a matter of loving one's neighbor.  In Alabama, Bishop Glenda Curry, praised parishes with near 100% vaccination rates, and encouraged all to be vaccinated.  She instituted mask requirements for any meeting or worship that might involve both vaccinated and un-vaccinated people, and urged parishes to reinstate masking and other precautions should a cluster of infections arise in their parish. The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Mississippi issued an update that strongly recommended masking for all attending indoor public meetings or worship and urged vaccination.  Update has been following Episcopalians' response to the covid-19 surge.   The most recent previous posting was here.

More On the Status of Fort Worth Parishes

Update has posted several notices of what has happened to parishes in the Fort Worth area after the U.S. Supreme Court decided to not hear an appeal on the property cases.  Now the Episcopal News Service has provided an overview that notes the status of parishes more generally.  It covers those parishes that were not directly affected by the decision, as well as those that were. 

Another Parish Serves As Vaccination Clinic

Update has noted local news stories that featured Episcopal parishes serving as vaccination sites for the covid-19 vaccines.  We can now add St. Mary;s by the Sea in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey to that list.  The Episcopal parish had available all three vaccines and twenty people took advantage of the opportunity to get the shots. The Ocean Star carried the story.