Communique’ Winter 2017

By Lisa H. Towle
President, National ECW Board

In “To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings,” John O’Donohue began one of his poems with a particularly exquisite turn of phrase: “We seldom notice  how each day is a holy place, Where the eucharist of the ordinary happens…”

Savor that for a moment. Savor the imagery invoked by the word “eucharist.” Its use wasn’t accidental. In his too short life, O’Donohue, an Irishman, was not only a poet but an author, philosopher, and for two decades a Catholic priest. He certainly understood the different meanings that can be applied to the word: the act of sharing; the intimate fellowship; the common faith and discipline of a body of Christians; the sacrament that is the Eucharist, capital E. […]

What if you had no place to sleep tonight,
needed soap for a shower or had no diapers for your baby?

The ministry of St. Veronica’s Guild, a group of about 50 women in a very large parish, has evolved since the early ’70s. It started simply with members filling  plastic bags with personal necessities for a mission housing homeless women and those escaping domestic abuse. In later years the guild enlisted the help of the parish, the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, Georgia, with the collection of hotel-sized shampoo, lotion, and soap. To these items the guild added a washcloth, deodorant, toothbrush, and toothpaste for each woman seeking shelter. With the parish’s support the project grew immeasurably beyond the early days of filling
20 bags during guild meetings. […]

40 Years Ago the passage of Resolution 1976-B005 at the 65th General Convention in Minneapolis amended Canon Title III.9.1 giving the right to women
for ordination to three of the four orders of ministry – deacons, priests, and bishops. In 1976 the presiding officer of the 35th ECW Triennial Meeting, held in conjunction with the 65th General Convention, was Pamela Chinnis, a woman in the forefront of the advocacy for the ordination of women as priests and bishops. […]