Serving a Sacred Mystery

The Rev. Jessie Gutgsell Dodson

As many of you know, I have spent the past 14 months serving as the chair of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio Bishop Coadjutor Transition Committee. Our committee, appointed by the Standing Committee (for which our own Pam O’Halloran is currently the President), was tasked with planning the major events of the transition between bishops. This work picked up where the Search Committee left off, beginning with the Meet and Greet week this past October. It continued with the Electing Convention in November, and then last month with the Ordination and Consecration of our Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Anne Jolly. The final task of the committee will be to celebrate our retiring Bishop the Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr. and his fellow retiring staff members, The Revs. Percy Grant and Brad Purdom, Sue Leishman, and our own St. Paul’s member, Bill Powel. You can learn more about that celebration on the next page.

I want to take a moment to reflect on the experience of the ordination and consecration of Bishop Jolly at Cleveland Public Auditorium last month, on the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, April 29. Months of work culminated as 1,000 people and thirty bishops gathered together to celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit among us. The Presiding Bishop preached with passion and humor, drawing on an inspiring quotation from Catherine of Siena to ground his message: “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” The most moving part of the service for me was watching Bishop Anne “become” a bishop before our eyes. After the bishops laid their hands on her in prayer, she was dressed in all the regalia of her office: A mitre placed atop her head, a jeweled pectoral cross around her neck, a cope adorning her shoulders, and finally a crozier (handmade by her brother) given to her by the Bishops of Ohio, The Rt. Revs. J. Clark Grew II, Arthur Williams, Jr., William (Bill) Persell, and Mark Hollingsworth, Jr. The passing of authority, given with all the visual beauty of the companionship of our bishops, moved me to tears. From there, we shared the peace, Bishop Anne celebrated her first Eucharist as a bishop, and we shared in the foretaste of the heavenly banquet as the music of a 130 massed diocesan choir led us in praise and song. The service was the church as its best: diverse in nearly every way, thoughtfully designed, and

Bishops’ Recognition Fund

Please join us in honoring and celebrating our retiring companion and guide, the Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., Eleventh Bishop of Ohio. For nearly 20 years, he has served as our pastor through good times and bad, our friend, and our guide through shifting political landscapes and pandemics. He deserves our gratitude and generosity for the tremendous work he has done with us. Here are some ways to join in the celebration of our shared ministry together. full of thanks and praise for God. The work of this Transition Committee has been nothing short of life-changing for me. I am grateful for the chance to serve not only our Diocese, but also the larger “wonderful and sacred mystery” that is the whole Church. Through it, we pray God will continue to carry out God’s plan of salvation for the whole world. May we continue to join in that work together, with joy.

Bishops' Recognition Fund

Please join us in honoring and celebrating our retiring companion and guide, the Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., Eleventh Bishop of Ohio. For nearly 20 years, he has served as our pastor through good times and bad, our friend, and our guide through shifting political landscapes and pandemics. He deserves our gratitude and generosity for the tremendous work he has done with us. Here are some ways to join in the celebration of our shared ministry together.

Diocesan-wide Celebration

The Transition Committee invites everyone to a diocesanwide celebration of Bishop Mark, our assisting bishops, our retiring Bishop’s Staff members (The Revs. Percy Grant and Brad Purdom, Sue Leishman, and Bill Powel), and all their colleagues, on June 17 from 2 to 6 p.m. at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights. This outdoor event, designed for all ages, will feature live music and free food trucks (including full of thanks and praise for God. The work of this Transition Committee has been nothing short of life-changing for me. I am grateful for the chance to serve not only our Diocese, but also the larger “wonderful and sacred mystery” that is the whole Church. Through it, we pray God will continue to carry out God’s plan of salvation for the whole world. May we continue to join in that work together, with joy. the Bellwether Airstream with ice cream!). Please RSVP by using this form: form.jotform. com/231303721960145. Contact the transitioncommittee@dohio.org with questions.

Support the Fund

Contribute to this fund to honor our nearly two decades of companionship, and to further the legacy Bishop Mark has created here in the Diocese of Ohio. This fund will provide resources for two major areas:

• Congregational Vitality: Assist financially struggling parishes with the means to fund fulltime clergy positions.

• Diocesan Youth Programming: Provide new programming for youth, further support Bellwether Farm’s summer camp and yearround youth offerings, allow continued representation at our denominational triennial Episcopal Youth Event (EYE), and more.

St. Paul’s Vestry voted to contribute $10,000 towards the fund to honor our close partnership with Bishop Mark and Sue Hollingsworth and the Bishop’s Staff of the diocese. We hope you’ll join us in giving generously to this fund and joining in the celebration on June 17. You can read more about all of this on the Diocese's website: dohio.org/the-bishopsrecognition-fund.