September 11, 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of a day that cannot be forgotten in American history. That horrible day has become unlike any other day in our shared history. The neat lines that demarcate days on the calendar dissolve, and the meaning of 9/11 now spill into an era that I believe we are still wrestling to understand fully.
Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, NH is welcoming Bishop Rob to an online event to discuss his new book, With Sighs Too Deep for Words: Grace and Depression. The event will be held on Thursday, August 6th at 7:00 pm via Zoom. Registration is required and can be found here.
As the state of New Hampshire announces its “Safer at Home Advisory” and continues on the path of re-opening for business, employment, and services, Bishop Rob shares this “3.0” document to provide continued guidance regarding how we may go about regathering in our churches.
On Friday May 29, Governor Chris Sununu shared a document, Stay at Home 2.0: Places of Worship, that ostensibly allows houses of worship to begin re-admitting worshippers to their sacred spaces for religious services only. I am grateful that the Governor takes seriously the particular complexities of risk and demand that we all face as we contemplate gathering again for religious services. The Governor’s order is informed by the advice of health professionals, immunologists, as well as members of various religious communities in New Hampshire.
While the State of New Hampshire works through its various "re-opening" schedules, an informed decision regarding the operation of our summer chapels must be made. The eight summer chapels, from the Great North Woods and Lakes Region to Monadnock and the Seacoast, are an integral part of the summer traditions and practices of generations of families; treasured rituals that connect local and seasonal residents alike to God and community.
In our busy-ness, are we actually avoiding work? What's the real work we should be accomplishing during this time of pandemic and isolation? Bishop Rob talks about the importance of reconciliation. Click here to watch the video message.
As the state of New Hampshire begins to walk towards a gradual "re-opening" of the state - for business, employment, and services - while maintaining important public health measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Bishop Rob provides guidance about how we might think about "re-opening" our churches.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the People of the First Light, have lived in what is now known as southeastern New England for 12,000 years. 400 years ago they sheltered the pilgrims in need of refuge and care. After giving that precious gift of hospitality, the Mashpee Wampanoag endured and overcame generations of persecution, oppression and marginalization. Today they are threatened with having their reservation lands taken out of trust and being disestablished by the United States government in their own homeland.
With weather forecasts Monday calling for rain, heavy at times, and wind gusts up to 40 mph -- late morning through the afternoon -- Bishop Rob's "Foolish" Ride has been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 15, at 1:18 PM.
The Bishop of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, the Rt. Rev. Robert Hirschfeld, will jump on his unicycle (yes, his unicycle!), don his Bishop’s Mitre — and his coronavirus mask — and complete one circuit around the State House in Concord.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020 (NEW DATE)
At 1:18 PM
In front of the State House, Concord, NH
We have just heard from Governor Sununu that the State of New Hampshire will be under a Stay at Home order until Monday May 4th. The purpose of this order is to slow progression of the virus that causes COVID-19. The Governor’s Stay at Home Order gives us some guidance about the timeframe of our fast from in-person public worship.
It is clear now that the congregations in the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, like many of those throughout the world, will be unable to assemble in person for our usual solemn and joyous celebrations of Holy Week and Easter. Efforts to stem the pandemic of the potentially devastating COVID-19 require each of our households to practice physical distancing, to refrain from gathering in groups of any size and to remain at home. This is a time like no other in our lifetimes. It is also a time that bears close similarities to others in our spiritual heritage.
Today, after consulting with clergy, lay leaders, public health officials and fellow bishops, I ask that each of our congregations set aside this coming Sunday as a Day of Preparation for a Fast from physically gathered, large group worship until April 5, the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday.
This is an update to the communication that was sent on February 27, 2020, concerning recommended precautions that our parishes should follow to prevent the spread of the coronavirus known as COVID-19. Since that letter, it has become clear that our nation has moved to a new phase in addressing this highly transmissible virus. Above all, I am concerned for the health of our worshippers and to alleviate the increasing anxiety around the practice that is held dearest to us — the ongoing means of participating in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: Holy Communion.
Ever since I was a small child, I’ve always lamented the day when the Christmas tree came down and the colored and white lights that glowed off the snow outside were shut off. My earliest years were in the cold and snowy towns of Minnesota, and somehow my soul attached the meaning of Christmas with these lights that shone in that deep darkness with the mystery of Jesus coming to be with us in our complicated world…
“For many years our family has had this image of Christmas on our walls. It's a simple painted woodcut that shows three figures, Mary, a donkey, and the child Jesus in a manger…
During Advent, Bishop Rob participated in “Tucked In: Bedtime Stories and Prayers with Episcopalians and Others.” The Bishop read one of his favorite children’s Christmas stories, “The Donkey’s Dream.”
For this I thank God daily. Rather, I am a theologian and a pastor. My job, the one I took a vow to perform when I became your bishop, is to guide our conversations about what it means to follow Jesus. Who and what is God calling us to be and do, and how is God equipping us as citizens of God’s Realm in times such as these?
“America, love it or leave it.” — seen on a church sign in New Hampshire. Some six centuries before the birth of Jesus, a prophet burst on the scene in Jerusalem. Jeremiah was disgusted with the state of his nation which he saw was threatened, not so much by outside empires poised to invade and conquer, but by the loss of its soul.
“...let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which have grown old are being made new...” Someone once told me that faith is simply a way of seeing. Arguably, persons of faith... any faith... are generally those constantly looking for a deeper or more compelling truth — truth that may not be obvious at first glance.
Bishop Rob delivered an inspiring address at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation's recent annual meeting. Carrying forward his message of spiritual weaving in our community, he set the tone for a moving and uplifting evening.