The following cartoons were sent to me by my beloved Dahveed with a little note that said, "Madre, I bet you could do something with one of these!"The boy is, on occasion, a master of understatement. Not easy for a Mexican. I understand. Drama runs in my Portuguese veins, too. You may have noticed.Doonesbury cartoonist Gary Trudeau has been running a series which includes a woman chaplain. Another friend sent me a clip recently...

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I'm still trying to figure out Rowan Williams. And, Barack Obama.Yes, that Rowan Williams. You know, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Spiritual Leader of the Anglican Communion. And, yes, that Barack Obama. The President of these United States of America.In the way that is often my thought process, the more I considered Mr. Obama and his handling of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the economy and deficit, and now the horrific...

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(Hat tip to Doug for the picture.)Oh, for Pete's sake!Have you read the Pentecost Letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury?It's a real pip!It's called "Renewal in the Spirit" wherein +++Himself blasphemes against said Spirit. You can go and read the whole thing here, but the Really Interesting part - wherein the folks in the Office of +++Himself 'splain it to us, Lucy - is this:Q. Practically, what does this letter mean for Provinces,...

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Remember Jackie DeShannon singing "What the world needs now/ is love, sweet love. It's the only thing/ that there's just too little of"?It has never been more true. The world needs love. Right now.Incarnate in more parents - and people - like this.This is scene from last night's episode of GLEE. If you haven't watched it you absolutely HAVE to. This is MUST SEE TV writ large.I know. I know....

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I've been posting this video everywhere. I keep hoping the simple idea these two 'good ole boys' have about cleaning up the oil spill in the Gulf Coast will catch the imagination of someone - anyone - at BP or the federal government or just local folk.It's brilliant.Full stop.I only wish I could embed it here. Fortunately, it's only one click away.G'won. Click here. Then, start spreading the wo...

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That would be former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and documentary filmmaker, Randy Bean.Reportedly, the two co-own a home in Palo Alto, CA, and share a line of credit. They've been friends for twenty-five years.But, they're not lesbians. Reportedly.Oh, the rumors about Condi Rice have been swirling for years, but no one has really paid any attention to them. Mostly, the cognescenti "inside the Beltway" say she's "bisexual"....

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A Baptismal Letter for Henry  Pentecost – May 23, 2010The Episcopal Church of St. Paul(the Rev’d Dr.) Elizabeth KaetonDear Henry,In this morning’s gospel from St. John, we hear Jesus say these remarkable words, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” (John 14:8-16, 25-27)I hope you remember these words, Henry. Well,...

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I've been preparing for Pentecost this Sunday and I'm seeing 'red'. Vestments and church hangings changed to red? Check. Red flowers? Check. Red balloons everywhere? Check. Helium tank refilled for red balloons? Check. Vase of red flowers for the baby we're baptizing? Check, check and check.Maybe it's seeing all this red that's made me a little green with envy.As I've thought about the lessons...

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At first, I was outraged. I mean, the thought that Elena Kagan, this otherwise and obviously brilliant, former dean of Harvard Law School, Solicitor General of the United States and Presidential nominee for Supreme Court Judge might be hiding in the closet made my head spin.The possibility that the Obama administration might try to slip in a "win" under the closet door made me absolutely furious. That would be "Don't Ask, Don't...

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You may not have heard it, but yesterday, in another part of the world - the home of my ancestry - another step toward equality was made.Yesterday, Portugal's President Anibal Cavaco Silva said he will sign a law legalizing same-sex marriage passed by parliament earlier this year.The bill had received parliamentary approval with the support of the governing Socialist Party and other parties further to the left.During a heated...

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Have I mentioned that the Consecration of Diane Jardine Bruce and Mary Douglas Glasspool on Saturday was most magnificent?Bear with me while I share a few pictures to prove my point.The procession was to absolutely die for. Each particular group of folk were preceded by a unique artistic ensemble. For example, the Diocesan Officers, Staff, Lay Canons and Guests were led in by the Han So Ree Korean Drummers Group.The Ecumenical...

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It was, in so many ways, an historic consecration.Never before in the history of The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion, or, I suspect, in all of Western Christendom, has there been two women elected and consecrated from the same diocese on the same day. Since 1989 when Barbara Clementine Harris was consecrated the first woman to be bishop in The Episcopal Church, there have been 215 bishops consecrated to the episcopacy....

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Members of the family are gathering for this afternoon's "My Big Fat Anglican Consecration." It's wonderful seeing so many good friends. Three former presidents of The Episcopal Women's Caucus along with three former presidents of IntegrityUSA are here. Most of the steering committee of Claiming The Blessing is here. Good friends from 'back in the day' are here. And there are more purple shirts in the hotel lobby this morning...

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As we prepare for the historic consecration of two (count 'em, TWO) women in the Diocese of Los Angeles this Saturday, the Episcopal Women's Caucus has been working on a major revision of its web site. I'll be in LA, of course, representing The Caucus, and writing articles for Ruach (our quarterly magazine), The Monthly Caucus (our monthly email newsletter), the Caucus Face Book page, and this here blog. As I was looking over...

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Remember a couple of months back, when Glenn Beck went over the edge - yet again - but this time about Christians who claim to do 'social justice'?A few of those 'SJC's' - Social Justice Christians - got together and decided to put together some PSA's - Public Service Announcements - to try and counter Beck's dire warnings about the 'hidden agenda' behind the claim to 'do justice'. The first was a...

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I fear I'm becoming more like my mother. More and more. Day by day.I now find that I read the newspaper like her. Well, unlike her, I read two newspapers. At least two newspapers. The New York Times. Sometimes the Washington Post. Depending on what's happening in the world, The London Times or The Guardian.But, most assuredly and just like her, I read the local rag. My mother had a certain ritual to reading the local newspaper...

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I am just beginning to allow myself to get excited about the consecrations this weekend of Diane Bruce Jardine and Mary Douglas Glasspool as bishops suffragan of the Diocese of Los Angeles. There are several historical significances of the election of these two women in that diocese at this time in the history of The Episcopal Church.There are several generations of women living in that diocese today - young, professional women,...

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As regular readers of this blog will know, I was in Boston this weekend to visit family and to be with the women who, long ago (34 years, in fact, but who's counting), adopted me as their daughter. Indeed, as I write this, I'm on the Acela headed back to NJ where I (finally!) have WiFi (the connection is, occasionally, a bit slow, but at least there's a connection!)That's Sheri (standing) and Lois (sitting). Up there. My 'Mamas'.And,...

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