Keep the Faith: Rev. Paula J. Toland  The Rev. Paula J. Toland [T&G Staff/Rick Cinclair] Posted Jul 21, 2017 at 8:00 PM    I had a heart-warming experience a couple of weeks ago. I was walking down Main Street in Oxford, on my way from the church to get a cold drink. Most days when I am in Oxford […]

By Tamara Sacharczyk, 22News Investigative Reporter Published: July 3, 2017, 3:42 pm  Updated: July 3, 2017, 5:27 pm VIDEO HERE SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A group of religious leaders are participating in a first-of-its-kind pilgrimage down the Connecticut River; a journey that will last 40 days. The Episcopal Churches of New England organized the pilgrimage, which started May 31. […]

BY ANNE-GERARD FLYNN  agflynn413@gmail.com Special to The Republican SPRINGFIELD – A 40-day pilgrimage by canoe and kayak along the 400 miles of the Connecticut River will stop Monday at 8:30a.m. for morning prayer at North Riverfront Park, 121 West St. The pilgrimage, “River of Life,” which began May 31 in northern New Hampshire and is scheduled to end July 9 […]

BY CORI URBAN Special to The Republican John P. McAvoy sat down at a long table at the Greenfield Elks Lodge with a plate of chicken stir-fry and rice. But it isn’t just the hearty food that draws him to the free meal for veterans; it’s the camaraderie with other veterans and opportunity to network. The […]

Bishop Fisher delivers testimony to Joint Committee on the Judiciary July 19, 2017 [Springfield, Mass.]— At its June 19 hearing, the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Judiciary heard testimony on a range of proposed criminal justice reform measures focused on sentencing and correctional services.  The Rt. Rev. Douglas J. Fisher attended the hearing, and […]

BY ANNE-GERARD FLYNN agflynn413@gmail.com Special to The Republican SPRINGFIELD – The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts has asked Mayor Domenic J. Sarno to reverse course and support South Congregational Church as a temporary sanctuary to undocumented immigrants whose deportation has become a priority under the Trump administration. “I ask Mayor Sarno to […]

  For four years, National Public Radio aired a popular series called “This I Believe.” In these programs, people famous and not so famous, did exactly what the title says — they told us what they believed. I am grateful for the invitation to be a regular contributor to this new T&G column. Perhaps the […]

BY ANNE-GERARD FLYNN agflynn413@gmail.com Special to The Republican HOLYOKE – Ask Diane Lessard, a life-long member of St. Paul’sEpiscopal Church, what has made the Rev. Barbara J. Thrall a good rector at the Appleton Street parish for the last 10 years, and the quick response is “everything.” “She is welcoming and caring and kind and […]

The Episcopal Bishops in Massachusetts join the nation in grief over yesterday’s shooting in Virginia as yet another manifestation of the constant, deadly gun violence which confronts us. Our colleague bishops in Virginia and Washington have issued the following letter.  We thank them for the clarity of  their statement, commend it to our own people, […]

BY ANNE-GERARD FLYNN agflynn413@gmail.com Special to The Republican SPRINGFIELD – Five women, three of whom will serve in the Pioneer Valley, were ordained deacons by the Right Rev. Douglas Fisher, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, during a ceremony attended by more than 300 people June 10 at Christ Church Cathedral. The Rev. […]

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff 04:57PM / Saturday, June 10, 2017   LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — It was in 1765 when Lanesborough officially became a town. And soon after, a group of local farmers decided they needed a church. St. Luke’s Episcopal was founded in the living room of William Bradley’s farmhouse on Oct. 2, 1767. The […]

An ecumenical statement from Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts and Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ, responding to the President’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord. June 2, 2017 President Trump’s decision to abandon the Paris Climate Accord violates the values and vision that are basic to Christian faith. Our Judaeo-Christian heritage teaches […]

BY ANNE-GERARD FLYNN agflynn413@gmail.com Special to The Republican SPRINGFIELD – The Rt. Rev. Douglas J. Fisher, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, and the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, who serves as missioner for creation care for the diocese and for the Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ, as well as the Rev. Jim Antal, […]

Posted May 19, 2017 at 8:00 PM Updated May 20, 2017 at 8:51 AM By Amanda Roberge, Correspondent The Rev. Paula J. Toland was barely 12 years old when she felt her first calling toward the priesthood, but it would be nearly 40 years before everything would fall into alignment. Having been installed recently as the priest-in-charge at Grace Episcopal Church in Oxford, those dreams […]

By Ann St. Clair Friday, May 19 Since the recent increase in anti-refugee and anti-immigrant sentiment, many of us have found ourselves thinking more than usual of our grandparents and great grandparents. At the turn of the 20th century, my paternal grandparents left Eastern Europe for the United States, found themselves in Northern Minnesota, met, […]

Anne-Gerard Flynn | Special to The Republican Email the author | Follow on Twitter on May 16, 2017 at 2:35 PM, updated May 16, 2017 at 3:36 PM SPRINGFIELD – The Right Rev. Douglas Fisher, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, will preside at the installation Friday of the Very Rev. Thomas Callard […]

Today, Bishop Fisher had the privilege of meeting The Rev. Dr. Browne, president of Cuttington University in Liberia. Dr. Browne is visiting the Liberian community in Worcester this week. Dr. Browne is the son of the late Bishop George Browne, 10th Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Liberia and first Archbishop of the Province of […]

  Episcopalians Call for Hospitality for Refugees, Justice for Immigrants Statement Clarifies What the Church Can Do May 2, 2017 [Springfield, MA] – The Social Justice Commission of the Episcopal Diocese has issued a joint statement with the Rt. Rev. Douglas J. Fisher, IX bishop of Western Massachusetts. This is the second statement on US […]

April 27, 2017 | G. Michael Dobbs news@thereminder.com SPRINGFIELD – Two hundred years ago in 1817, the civilian superintendent of the Springfield Armory wanted to practice his Episcopal faith, but the nearest church was in Greenfield, 40 miles away. He established a chapel in a building at the Armory and from that humble beginning grew […]

By AMANDA DRANE @amandadrane Thursday, April 27, 2017 NORTHAMPTON — Volunteers in the St. John’s Episcopal Church community waited months to welcome baby Wilson Nkundimana to the city, but food and sleep were all that interested the 13-month-old upon arrival Wednesday evening. Maombi Mujawimana said through an interpreter that her son wasn’t able to eat […]