Message from St. Bede's regarding Inauguration Day 2025

January 22nd, 2025

People of St. Bede’s,

Following the presidential inauguration this week, there have been a number of new policies that President Trump has created using Executive Orders and personnel appointed to his administration.

This is a period of great uncertainty, particularly for the vulnerable and marginalized in this country as well as our neighbors and those affected by what happens here in the United States. In a few short days, various protections for people of color, immigrants, refugees & asylum seekers, members of the LGBTQ community, and the sick & elderly have been removed or threatened. I dread the pain and suffering that these actions have the potential to cause for those already on the margins of society. 

As Episcopalians, we are not on our own to discern how we will respond as we are part of a larger community around us. Our Presiding Bishop, Sean Rowe, along with the President of the House of Deputies, Julia Ayala Harris (both pictured right), put out a joint statement yesterday in response to the early actions of the new Administration. That statement can be found using the first button below.

At the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. yesterday, Bishop Mariann Budde, Diocesan of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, preached a sermon at the Service of Prayer for the Nation (pictured left) which has gone viral. In it she implored President Trump and others to show mercy to those who are scared and uncertain of their futures. The sermon is available for viewing on YouTube, and our parish admin Lauren has transcribed the message which can be found using the second and third buttons below.

And if you would like someone to talk to about your feelings or concerns, we are always here for you. I am happy to receive your calls or to find time to get together with you. We are all in this together, as we always are. 

And our calling is always the same, not matter what is happening in world around us: To love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves, which we do through promoting love, justice, and peace as we live out the mission of the church. 

Blessings to you, and may God be with us always,

Dan Spors