Episcopal Diocese of Utah
October Newsletter
October 8, 2021
Liturgical color is Green

People of the Diocese,

Happy Fall! We hope you are enjoying God's creation during this beautiful season. See below for the latest updates from across our Diocese.

Additionally, we would like to hear from you about how your congregation is adapting to these unconventional times. Please continue sending any relevant resources or stories to Nick Cockrell at ncockrell@episcopal-ut.org


First Annual Women's Retreat at Camp Tuttle
Karen Gleeson, Camp Tuttle & Youth Ministries
We enjoyed fellowship, fun and relaxation for a beautiful weekend together in the mountains. 

The weekend started out with social hour, dinner and discussion time which allowed us to really connect with each other. 

We shared stories around the campfire with hot cocoa, played games, had time to relax with journaling and painting. Some of us went on a fun adventure walk to Silver Lake as we needed to take a detour through the woods since mama moose and her calf were taking a rest on the side of the road where we would normally walk. We closed out the weekend with a lovely Eucharist service and meditation time in our outdoor chapel led by Reverend Jennifer Tucker. We will continue this new tradition for another Women's Retreat next September!

Native Voices: A Response to The Episcopal Church’s History with Indian Boarding Schools
October 11, 2021
The Episcopal Church is hosting a panel discussion with Indigenous Episcopalians across the country, including Utah's Forrest Cuch. They will discuss and respond to a statement on Indigenous boarding schools issued by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and House of Deputies President Gay Jennings.
A moderated Q&A will follow the panel.
Monday, Oct. 11 (Indigenous People's Day)
5 to 6:30 p.m. Eastern time
The livestream webinar will be recorded and posted on the Indigenous Ministries Facebook page for later viewing.

St. James Hosts Service for Healing and Remembrance
Midvale, Utah
Last weekend, Deacon Pat Hart led a prayer of healing and remembrance at St. James Episcopal Church in Midvale. The congregation came together to acknowledge the losses of the pandemic and reflected on how we can best move forward.

This comes as the COVID-19 death toll in the United States surpasses 700,000 people.
Living into the Climate Crisis with Resilience

[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas is looking ahead to COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which begins Oct. 31 in Glasgow, Scotland. "This is a moment when we have a chance to make our voices heard, to make...

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www.episcopalnewsservice.org
Blessing of the Animals
St. James Episcopal Church, Midvale Utah
St. Francis of Assisi rejoiced in all the works of the hand of the Lord, and it is only fitting that churches across our diocese and around the world tribute to him by honoring the important pets in our lives.

On Sunday, the people of St. James gathered around their bell tower to celebrate The Feast of St. Francis with the Blessing of the Animals. Father Christopher Szarke offered blessings to a wide variety of pets. Parishioners also had the opportunity to inter ashes in the pet section of the Columbarium at the end of the service.
If your pet hasn’t been blessed yet, there are several churches that will have the blessing of the animals this weekend. The Cathedral Church of St. Mark will hold the blessing of the animals Saturday, October 9th at 4:30 PM. St. John’s in Logan will have the blessing of the animals also on October 9th. It will be held at 2:00 PM. St. Paul’s in Salt Lake City will gather to bless animals at 3:00 PM on Sunday, October 10th.


In case you missed it:
Utah Epodcopalians
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Ordination of Women
We are debuting a special edition of the diocesan podcast “The Utah Epodcapalians” highlighting the gift of a half-century of the ordination of women. The church cleared the way for women to first be ordained as Deacons in 1971. Ordination to the Priesthood came later in 1977. The Diocese of Utah ordained women shortly after the canons permitted it. The diocese has also had a history of women serving our congregations and the wider diocese highlighted by the election of the late Rt. Rev. Carolyn Tanner Irish in 1996 as one of the church’s pioneer bishops.

This podcast features The Rev. Cn. Mary June Nestler, who has now been ordained for 42-years. While now serving the wider church as the course director of St. George’s College in Jerusalem, she continues to be canonically resident in the Diocese of Utah after serving as Canon to the Ordinary in Utah. The priest discusses the challenges ordained women faced and continue to face, our diocesan history, and how the events of 50-years ago continue to help the path to greater diversity today.

You can watch video versions of the podcasts on Youtube or you can tune-in on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Keep an eye out for new episodes!