We are Resurrection People! Years ago, at the ordination and consecration of Bishop Eugene Sutton of Maryland, I heard Senate Chaplain Barry Black tell a story that has stayed with me ever since. It goes like this: There are two guys doing construction work, Joe and Gus. Every day at noon they take a break…
Leading With Love: A Letter from Bishop Clark/Guiados con Amor: Una Carta de Obispa Clark
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Jeremiah 29:11 Dear People of God in the Diocese of Chicago, Six months ago today, I became your bishop! Every day since then, I have given thanks to…
In Memoriam: The Most Rev. Frank Tracy Griswold
March 5, 2023 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. –Romans 14:8 Dear People of God in the Diocese of Chicago, I am sad to share the news that the Most Rev….
A Lenten Message from Bishop Clark/Un Mensaje de Cuaresma de Obispa Clark
Dear People of God in the Diocese of Chicago: Today, with ashes that are a sign of penitence and a reminder of mortality, we begin the Lenten journey. In the next 40 days, we will travel with Jesus as he fasts, endures temptation, and draws closer to Golgotha. For each of us, Lent is an…
Bishop Clark’s Christmas Message: God Is With Us
Dear Friends: Tomorrow at our Christmas Eve services, as we read the familiar lessons and sing the familiar songs, we will proclaim a message that is deeply countercultural: God is with us. God is with us not just on one holy night when the shepherds gather around the manger, or when the Magi follow the…
A Health Update From Bishop Clark/Un Mensaje de Salud de la Obispa Clark
Dear Friends in the Diocese of Chicago: I wanted to let you know that during the Hispanic liturgy and confirmation service at St. James Cathedral on Saturday, I felt dizzy and fainted. Thanks to the wonderful assistance of people who were helping lead the liturgy, I was able to resume the service and finish confirming…
Advent Reboot/Adviento de reiniciar: A Message From Bishop Clark
Dear Friends: We are midway through Advent, which is my favorite season of the church year. I love Advent because, as the church year begins anew, we have the opportunity to reboot our identity as Christians. As we await the birth of the infant Jesus, we can look once more for Christ in our lives,…
From Bishop Clark: Resumption of the Common Cup
October 5, 2022 Dear People of God in the Diocese of Chicago: I am giving thanks for this week’s news that COVID in Illinois is at its lowest rate since last spring, and for the new bivalent boosters that have made this progress possible. If you have not yet received your booster, I encourage you…
Grieving A Violent Weekend: A Message from Bishop-elect Paula Clark and Assisting Bishop Chilton Knudsen
Our hearts are broken by news of the mass shooting this morning at the Highland Park Independence Day Parade. As we write, six people are dead, 24 have been injured, a community has been devastated and the shooter is still at large. “Thoughts and prayers” have become devalued, thanks to the rhetoric of politicians who…
A Statement from Bishop-elect Clark on the Supreme Court Ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
I am deeply saddened by the U. S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Across the country, this decision will insert gerrymandered state legislatures into deeply personal decisions that should be left to the person carrying the pregnancy. I am grateful that the right to end an unwanted or dangerous pregnancy will likely…