Blog - The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia

Updates from the Joint Board for Bishop Transition of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia

Dear members of the Diocese of Olympia, The Joint Board for Bishop Transition of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia is very pleased to announce the launch of our official transition website and the opening of applications for our Bishop Search Committee. You can find information and a timeline about the transition process, our Charge to the Bishop Search Committee, and application forms for joining the search committee. The deadline to apply for the search committee is March 31. If you

Lent: A Message from Bishop Skelton

Greetings, People of the Diocese of Olympia. I’ve long been a fan of the author, Belden Lane, and he is the author of an important book in my life entitled, “The Solace of Fierce Landscapes,” which by the way is the best title of a book ever. In that book, Lane talks about the connection between desert or wilderness spirituality and what he himself experiences during his many walks and hikes in the wilderness. About this, Lane quotes late 19th

Earth Month Resources & Events

The month of April is Earth Month and although we believe caring for God’s Creation should be faithfully lived out every month, focusing on Earth Month can provide some entry points into beginning or deepening your church’s care for Creation! Here are some resources and events to spark your creativity in celebrating the goodness of Creation and getting into concrete and faithful action to protect it. READ MORE And don’t forget these upcoming diocesan events: 4/5 @ 7:00-8:30 pm: Bringing

Local Sacred Ground Action

St. John the Baptist, West Seattle was featured in the most recent churchwide Racial Justice & Healing newsletter! You can read more about their work, and especially the relationships they’re building with their Indigenous neighbors at the Duwamish Longhouse, here. READ MORE To learn more about St. John’s work, contact The Rev. Elise Johnstone at elise@sjbwestseattle.org. Also, if your church is interested in Sacred Ground or has moved into action after participating in Sacred Ground, the office of Multicultural Ministries

Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness: Olympia and Shoreline

From Don Fornoff, member of Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness: The Washington State Legislature has provided some movement towards dealing with homelessness and the housing crisis in the State. And as usual, some push back. But still, many parishes keep motoring on, as is the case at St. Dunstan’s in Shoreline. The Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness has some thoughts for the diocese about these places. First, in Olympia, neither HB 1389 (rent stabilization) nor HB 1124 (6 month’s notice

Don’t Rain on my Parade: An Occasional Paper on Property Management in the Diocese of Olympia Series

From the Rev. Dr. Dennis S. Tierney, Diocesan Property Manager: Photo by Tanya Paquet on Unsplash Some of you may know that the insurance premiums went up in 2023. Part of the reason for the increase from Church Insurance is that several of our congregations made large claims last year which influenced all our rates. Most of the large claims were because of water damage to buildings and furnishings. Some of the water damage came from broken pipes, or leaking

The Most Rev. Frank Griswold, 1937-2023

Greetings, People of the Diocese of Olympia, I was very sad to learn over the weekend about the death of former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, also the former Bishop of the Diocese of Chicago. Frank was one of those quiet, competent, learned, articulate people whose well-tended spiritual life was obvious, even palpable, when you met him. At one point during my vocational path, Frank invited me into the ordination process in Chicago, something I did not end up pursuing. He

On the One-Year Anniversary of the Invasion of Ukraine

Greetings, people of the Diocese of Olympia, Today is the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In these last 12 months unspeakable atrocities have been inflicted on the Ukrainian people, leading to a humanitarian crisis that will be with them, with the Russian people, and with all of us for years to come. Poet William Stafford, Poet Laureate of Oregon from 1975-1990, is my favorite poet, mostly for the blunt yet humble utterances he has left us that speak

Advocacy for the Homeless

From Donald Fornoff, Member of the Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness The Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness continues to reach out to parishes and congregants to continue the works of ‘loving our neighbors as ourselves.’ There are so many good things being accomplished throughout the Diocese of Olympia, which the Task Force wishes to highlight soon. Right now, however, the Legislature continues its’ work to bring bills online to address homelessness. It becomes a matter of providing a framework to

Creation Care Advisory Announcement

We have exciting news about diocesan Creation Care! A small group of members from various parishes has come together to form an advisory group focused on Creation Care. Together we have developed a set of offerings that (a) present ideas and raise up activities taking place in parishes across the diocese; (b) provide an opportunity to collectively take steps to meet, share, and together appreciate the importance of Creation Care and further Climate Justice; and (c) collate information from across

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