The Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Denomination: The Episcopal Church (TEC)
Organization: The Episcopal Church
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori was the 26th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church.
Bishop Jefferts Schori was elected to this office on June 18, 2006 by vote of the 75th General Convention, in Columbus, Ohio. This Convention also set the United Nations Millennium Development Goals as the Episcopal Church’s top mission priority. In her full endorsement of these goals, Bishop Jefferts Schori calls upon Episcopalians and the wider global community to work together for their implementation.
Bishop Jefferts Schori’s career as an oceanographer preceded her studies for the priesthood, to which she was ordained in 1994. She remains an active, instrument-rated pilot – a skill she applied when traveling between the congregations of the Diocese of Nevada, where she was elected bishop in 2000 and ordained to the episcopate February 24, 2001. At the time of her election as bishop of Nevada, she was assistant rector of the Church of the Good Samaritan in Corvallis, Oregon.
Bishop Jefferts Schori holds a B.S. degree in biology from Stanford University (1974), an M.S. (1977) and Ph.D. (1983) in oceanography from Oregon State University, an M.Div. from Church Divinity School of the Pacific (1994), and an honorary D.D. (2001) also from CDSP.
Bishop Jefferts Schori was born March 26, 1954, in Pensacola, Florida. She grew up in the Seattle area and later moved with her family to New Jersey. Bishop Jefferts Schori and her husband, Richard Miles Schori, a retired theoretical mathematician (topologist), were married in 1979. They have one adult daughter, Katharine Johanna who is a captain and pilot in the U. S. Air Force.
Bishop Jefferts Schori brings to her ministry emphases on baptismal ministry and adult education. As Presiding Bishop, she served as chief pastor to the Episcopal Church’s 2.4 million members in 16 countries and 110 dioceses. As Primate, Bishop Jefferts Schori joined in consultation with other principal bishops of the 38 member Provinces of the worldwide Anglican Communion, seeking to make common cause for global good and reconciliation.
For an article on Bishop Jefferts Schori, click here.
Day1 Weekly Programs by The Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
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What Matters Eternally? Faith & Science Series Part 3
Tuesday October 06, 2015
The Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church says we have different ways of approaching the creation stories in Genesis. But she says there is another way to see these stories as profoundly true in their description of God's love for all that is, and profoundly true of human behavior thousands of years ago, today, and into the future.
Join Hands, Reach Out, and Lift up
Tuesday February 03, 2009
Upcoming sermon broadcast with the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, as she discusses the death of a friend with Post Traumatic Stress Dissorder. PTSD.
Articles by The Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: An Easter Message
Sunday April 05, 2015
'We will find him already there before us, bringing new and verdant life,' Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori states in her Easter Message 2015. 'The only place we will not find him is in the tomb.'
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: The Climate Change Crisis
Wednesday March 25, 2015
Why do we call this a crisis? The planet’s regulatory system is being altered. Like a human being with a runaway fever, the malfunctioning thermostat causes a body to slowly self-destruct as inflammation erodes joints, causes nerve cells to misfire, and prevents the digestive system from absorbing nutrients critical to life. This planet is overheating, its climate is changing, and the residents are sick, suffering, and dying.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: A Message for Lent
Tuesday February 17, 2015
"That cross that comes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday is a reminder of the cross that’s put there at Baptism," Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says in her Lent Message 2015.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: The Challenges and Opportunity of Women in Religious Leadership: The Episcopal Example
Sunday January 25, 2015
Why does women’s religious leadership matter? Most fundamentally, the presence of women and men as sacramental, liturgical, and pastoral leaders gives incarnate evidence of human creation in the image of God.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori On the 5th Anniversary of the Haiti Earthquake
Sunday January 11, 2015
January 12 marks the fifth anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti. Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori offers the following overview and looks at the progress since that fateful day in 2010.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: A Christmas Message
Thursday December 25, 2014
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, in her Christmas Message 2014 prays: “May Christ be born anew in you this Christmastide. May his light burn in you, and may you labor to spread it in the darkness.”
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Communities of Equality
Friday July 25, 2014
We continue to seek equality and justice for all, work that has been ably and prophetically led by women, both lay and ordained.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: We Must Respond Compassionately to Children at the Border
Friday July 11, 2014
The influx of vulnerable people from Central America, including unaccompanied minors as well as mothers with children, continues to challenge the United States to respond compassionately. Like Sudanese or Syrian refugees, these people are fleeing hunger, violence, and the fear of rape, murder, and enslavement.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: On World Refugee Day June 20
Friday June 20, 2014
World Refugee Day is June 20, and in her message, the Presiding Bishop also heralds the work of Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) for its extensive resettlement and advocacy efforts.
Church leaders call for prayer for South Sudan
Saturday May 10, 2014
Heads of Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Anglican Church of Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada issue 'A Message of Solidarity with the Church in South Sudan.'
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Stop Hunger Now
Sunday May 04, 2014
Any society that willingly permits children to go hungry needs to have its head and heart examined. Hunger saps the spirit as well as the body, but it’s especially horrible for children, for it destroys and diminishes their growing bodies and brains.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: An Easter Message
Sunday April 20, 2014
'Where and how will we look for the Body of Christ, risen and rising?,' Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori presents in her Easter Message 2014. 'Will we share the life of that body as an Easter people, transformed by resurrection and sent to transform the world in turn?'
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: A Message for Lent
Tuesday March 04, 2014
As you enter Lent, consider how you will live in solidarity with those who are hungry, or broken, or ill in one way or another.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Loving Our Neighbors: Young People, Violence, and Loss
Friday January 24, 2014
Violence is anything that diminishes life. The word comes from the same root as vital, but violence moves in the opposite direction. It’s the antithesis of what Jesus speaks of as abundant life or the Reign of God. Shalom is the ancient vision of a world without violence, where peace prevails because there is justice for all, where everyone lives in right relationship, loving God and neighbor alike.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: A Christmas Message
Wednesday December 25, 2013
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, in her Christmas Message 2013 prays: 'May you discover that humble authority born again on the edges of the world’s notice. May that royal inheritance and authority of the stable be born in you, enliven your heart, and rest on your shoulders.'
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: An Advent Message
Saturday November 30, 2013
Advent is a time of waiting and for many people it’s a time to reflect on what Mary must have experienced as she waited for the birth of this unusual child.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: 50 Years Later: The State of Racism in America
Saturday November 23, 2013
Let us dream of a world where every family, language, people, and nation is gathered in the commonwealth of God.... Learn vigilance, teach and work for justice, that we might become the beloved community of God’s rainbow people – every family, language, people, and nation gathered before the Lamb, himself one of the lowly and rejected. Dream that world into being here on earth, and drive out hell to bring it to birth!
Episcopal, Lutheran Presiding Bishops Issue 2013 World Refugee Day Statement
Thursday June 20, 2013
For 2013 World Refugee Day on June 20, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson have issued the following joint statement.
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori: On Excellence in Preaching
Thursday June 13, 2013
I want to invite us to consider what kinds of proclamation are likely to be needed as we move into the future that God is creating all around us.
Episcopal Church, Church of Sweden, ELCA commitment: “Sustaining hope in the face of climate change”
Friday May 03, 2013
The heads of three religious denominations - The Episcopal Church, the Church of Sweden, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) – signed a joint statement “to celebrate our commitment to hope in the face of climate change.”
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori: On Immigration Reform
Saturday April 27, 2013
We affirm that human beings are made in the image of God, created with dignity and intrinsic value. Dignified and productive work is one way in which people give expression to that divine creativity, and people often migrate in search of it.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Address at the Worldwide Anglican Peace Conference
Wednesday April 17, 2013
It is only together as the Body of Christ that we can hope to find healing, reconciliation, and genuine and lasting peace. In her keynote presentation at the Second Worldwide Anglican Peace Conference in Okinawa, Japan, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori addressed The question of US military bases in Okinawa: The role of Anglican-Episcopal Church.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Easter: The Victory of Light and Life over Darkness and Death
Sunday March 31, 2013
Easter celebrates the victory of light and life over darkness and death, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori rejoices in her Easter Message 2013
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori: Senate Testimony on Gun Violence
Thursday February 14, 2013
I urge lawmakers to press for comprehensive and universal background checks for firearm ownership, regardless of where and how a gun is purchased; for bans on the availability to civilians of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines; and for policies designed to better regulate the manufacture of guns.
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori: A Message for Lent
Sunday February 10, 2013
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori presents a challenge in her Lent Message 2013 to pray, fast, study and give alms.
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori: On Gun Violence
Friday February 01, 2013
It is abundantly clear that Americans are ready to grapple with the complexities of gun violence. The Spirit is moving across this land to mobilize people of faith to act.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori Preaches in Haiti on Earthquake Anniversary
Monday January 14, 2013
God is with us, God is here, God will always be here, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said in her sermon at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-Au-Prince on January 12 noting the third anniversary of the Haiti earthquake.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Are You Looking Everywhere for Jesus?
Monday December 31, 2012
Are you looking everywhere for Jesus? Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori asked in her December 30 sermon at St. Andrew’s in Ramallah. “Go and seek out other anxious children, those brothers and sisters of ours, who are also looking for him. We’ll find him in our father’s house, even if it’s in a different room.”
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: A Christmas Message
Sunday December 23, 2012
Discover the love of God poured into our world in human form, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says in her Christmas Message 2012.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori's Advent Message: What Is It That You Are Most Waiting For?
Sunday December 02, 2012
Noting that Advent is a time of waiting for “the coming of the Prince of Peace, the one who will reign with justice over this world,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori focuses on two questions in her Advent 2012 message: “What is it that you are most waiting for? And, how are you going to wait this year? “
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori Celebrates All Saints' Sunday
Monday November 05, 2012
“The saints we celebrate today are lamps along the way – the lights of every generation who let us see that living presence in our midst,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori preached at Waikato Cathedral Church of St. Peter, Hamilton, New Zealand on Sunday, November 4.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori Writes to the Presidential Candidates
Tuesday October 16, 2012
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has written to the presidential candidates, urging President Barack Obama and the Hon. Mitt Romney “to use the debate forum to articulate strong support for a just and peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as a clear plan for how you would work to support that goal in the next four years.”
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Teresa of Avila
Monday October 15, 2012
Teresa hungered and thirsted for God in ways that may shock us today – that imagery in the Song of Songs has often been used to speak of mystical union with God. Bernini’s made a famous sculpture of Teresa in rapt prayer that was termed “indecent” by one commentator because it’s so sensual. Christians who live too much in their heads have a good deal to learn from Teresa’s salty writing.
Message from the Presiding Bishop to the church on General Convention
Saturday August 04, 2012
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori - Dealing with Fear
Monday June 25, 2012
We can stay engaged in life, or we can get so fearful that we go home and hide under the covers. Most of us are afraid of something – What kind of fear do you wrestle with?
Tutu and Jefferts Schori Discuss the Mission of the Church
Saturday May 26, 2012
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and beloved church leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu discuss the mission of the church today.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: The Doctrine of Discovery and Indigenous Peoples: A Pastoral Letter
Saturday May 19, 2012
On May 7, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori joined other religious voices in repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery at the 11th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). Her letter, issued on May 16, is presented here.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori - Called to Be Sheep and Shepherds
Sunday May 13, 2012
Our salvation – and that word at its root means healing – depends on letting our hearts be touched enough to feel compassion and then act on it. It begins with noticing the suffering of our neighbors, or the deprivation and blindness in our own souls.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Our Future as a Church
Saturday April 28, 2012
Our future as a church, and as a movement of Jesus followers, has a remarkable opportunity to offer a different vision, based on God’s love for creation and all humanity.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Crossing Over: Immigration and Border Issues
Tuesday April 24, 2012
God is not much interested in borders except as our flimsy excuses – to be crossed, bridged, and transcended. What is the greatest word in our story? The central word, according to Jesus, is love God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Love is what gets past the fence. Love is what gets us past the fence.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Give Thanks for Easter
Saturday April 07, 2012
In this Easter season I would encourage you to look at where you are finding new life and resurrection, where life abundant and love incarnate are springing up in your lives and the lives of your communities. There is indeed greenness, whatever the season.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori On the Feast of the Annunciation
Saturday March 31, 2012
When we know ourselves favored, loved, blessed, that hope has begun to grow. That is the first gift of all those heavenly messengers – they often begin by saying, ”˜fear not’ which is the necessary starting place for hope.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Dying to Self
Saturday March 10, 2012
We find life, or save our lives, by giving them away – and in the process we participate in our own salvation or healing, as well as that of the whole world. Is it easy to keep choosing the life-giving and life-saving way? No, but it gets easier with practice and when we do it in community.
Lent Message 2012
Tuesday February 21, 2012
In this year I’m going to invite you to think about the ancient traditions of preparing in solidarity with candidates for baptism, to think about the old disciplines of prayer and fasting and alms-giving and study, through the focus on those beyond our communities, in the developing world, who live in abject poverty.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: What It Means to Be Church
Sunday February 05, 2012
In a recent sermon, the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church says, "Be and build a community in which others can meet God, and learn holy ways of living in this world. That’s our reason for being, that’s what it means to be church."
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: A Christmas Message
Saturday December 24, 2011
“Jesus comes among us to remind us of a world living together in peace, to reclaim and make real that vision of creation for all humanity and all God’s creatures,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says in the Christmas message for 2011.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori and Bishop Mark Hanson on World AIDS Day
Thursday December 01, 2011
In a joint message, the heads of the ELCA and The Episcopal Church write that World AIDS Day is an opportunity for each of us to reflect on God's call to lift up the dignity and value of each person.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Advent: A Time to Listen, a Time to Reflect
Monday November 28, 2011
Calling Advent “a time to listen, a time to reflect,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori urges in her Advent Message 2011 to “rest, wait, yearn” for the coming celebration of the birth of the Savior. Watch here
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori - Are You Looking for God's Glory?
Saturday October 29, 2011
Have you ever seen God’s glory passing by? The beauty of autumn can be like that, as dying leaves go out in a blaze of glory.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori on Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Tuesday October 04, 2011
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued a Pastoral Letter on Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Read it here.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori - Peace in the Midst of Scarcity
Thursday September 22, 2011
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori presided at Eucharist at Catedral del Buen Señor, Quito, Ecuador, and preached in English and Spanish, noting “No one receives more than another, for all we have is a gift from God.” “Nadie recibe más que otro, por todo lo que tenemos es un regalo de Dios.”
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: 9/11 Ten Years Later: A Call for Reflection
Friday September 09, 2011
Calling the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks “an opportunity for reflection,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori notes that the Church “continues to work for healing and reconciliation.”
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori - We Are the Kingdom of Heaven
Saturday August 06, 2011
In a sermon delivered in Congo, the Episcopal Presiding Bishop said, "Part of the challenge of Congo’s future has to do with being able to bless the best of each person – male and female, imprisoned and free, of whatever family or tribe. All are part of God’s family, and all are essential to bringing the kingdom of heaven in this place."
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Have Patience, But Keep Working
Friday July 29, 2011
In a message delivered in Caracas, Venezuela last week, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori said, "The human desire for judgment pervades every part of life. But God is always calling us to patience, for God always is always working on healing."
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Applied Ethics: Government and the Search for the Common Good
Friday July 22, 2011
Deciding to treat others as we want to be treated is love in action. Justice is simply love at work in the public square. Jesus modeled that reality over and over again.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Intimately Connected in Harvest Work
Wednesday July 06, 2011
At an Episcopal Youth Event at Bethel University, St. Paul, MN, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori said, "We’re here as the body of Christ also interconnected with its various parts, and with all the rest of creation. Our life and health depend on how we care for all those parts."
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: World Refugee Day--An Opportunity to Recommit
Monday June 20, 2011
On the 2011 World Refugee Day, marking the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori calls for a recommitment to the program and “to work toward safety for those fleeing persecution and violence.”
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Addressing the Needs of the Poor
Friday June 17, 2011
Jesus may have said that we will always have the poor with us, but he himself made the poor a central part of his own work. He spent much of his public ministry feeding, healing, and teaching the crowds who followed him.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Beauty and Power, Truth and Good: A 21st Century Quest for the Real
Friday June 10, 2011
In the Heyns Lecture at Stanford University, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori says, "The power to move toward a beautiful, good, and true future for all humanity rests with us, and any who share the quest for the Real. We have a part in our neighbors’ well-being, the death of any diminishes each of us, and we shall only know life more abundant when all begin to taste the feast."
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: On the Jesus Road
Friday June 03, 2011
Jesus says that people can see the works of God through him, and that if they want to find God, they should believe in God because of what they see him doing. He also says that if you can’t believe in him, then pay attention to who is doing the works of God. Where do we see God at work?
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Networks for the Future - Catholic Beyond Boundaries
Friday May 27, 2011
We must build networks for [a] transformed future, toward that image of the reign of God where no one is hungry, and all live at peace in abundantly fruitful orchards. That future is only possible with a catholicity of relationship beyond our current understanding.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori - A Vision for Leadership
Thursday May 19, 2011
Leaders build community, consensus, and collaboration, calling on the gifts of each part of the community to serve the big dream. The dream and vision require a sense of compassion for those who will find any change difficult – but not an empty sympathy that leaves people where they are. The ability to encourage and elicit hope for the future is essential.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: The World Is in Need of Our Shared Gifts
Tuesday May 03, 2011
When we’re baptized into the body of Christ, we’re charged with reconciling work. We’re supposed to seek out oneness and unity – in the Trinity, in the body of God’s creation, and in this motley crew called church.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: The Gift of Easter
Sunday April 24, 2011
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says in her 2011 Easter Message, “We give thanks for the Resurrection, and we become part of Jesus’ ongoing work, as we become aware of its power in our own lives.”
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Toward Repentance, Healing, and Reconciliation
Saturday April 16, 2011
Human beings are capable of the most wretched behavior – as the old confession put it, “there is no health in us.” Yet through human prophets God continues to call us to turn in a new direction, toward healing, wholeness, and holiness of life.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: On the Annunciation: "Here I Am"
Friday April 01, 2011
“Here I am” is a basic acknowledgment, an engagement in relationship. It’s a way of saying I am ready and willing to explore what comes next. It’s a response of faithfulness – even in the face of immense doubt, uncertainty, and absence of the foggiest notion of what is going to be asked of us next.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori - A Time to Practice Leaving Home - Day1.org
Friday March 25, 2011
Lent is a time to practice leaving home, and letting go of the familiar, in search of the new thing God is already doing. It’s about choosing life on the road, rather than a settled world where nothing ever changes.
Are you traveling light on the Earth?
Wednesday March 09, 2011
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori offers an invitation to deepen our Christian practices in her Lent 2011 message.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Choose Life
Sunday February 27, 2011
What Jesus is challenging us about is staying angry, without seeking some kind of resolution or healing. That anger can be a gift, not just a curse, but only if it’s used constructively. It has to contribute to healing in some way.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: "Show Up" to Serve
Monday January 31, 2011
"We're challenged in this very body to 'show up,' to present ourselves ready, willing, and able to help heal this broken world," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said in a sermon at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: A Catholic Future: Shared Mission Beyond Unitary Communions
Wednesday January 26, 2011
The points of difference between our respective communions are, to this day, rooted in different responses to contextual diversity. How shall the faith develop, or be permitted to develop, in the face of differing local conditions, challenges, and gifts?
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: A Letter to the President on the Middle East
Thursday January 20, 2011
In a letter to President Barack Obama, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori addresses a United Nations resolution concerning Middle East peace. She writes, “It is imperative that the United States take bold and decisive action to reinvigorate the stalled peace process” in the Middle East.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Health Care and the Church
Tuesday December 28, 2010
Health and healing across the world and across the street: On collaboration between the religious and health care communities in global and local contexts
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Christmas Light
Friday December 24, 2010
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Isaiah 9:2). That’s how the first lesson of Christmas Eve opens. It’s familiar and comforting, as the familiar words go on to say that light has shined on those who live in deep darkness, that God has brought joy to people living under oppression, for a child has been borne to us.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Pray for a Future Without AIDS
Wednesday December 01, 2010
On the first day of December, people around the world pause to remember World AIDS Day. Christians remember all who live with HIV and AIDS, and all who have died, at the same time we begin the season of Advent. We search for a healer and a hope-giver as we prepare for the coming of the Redeemer.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Advent: Waiting for the Prince of Peace
Saturday November 27, 2010
“As we gather and prepare for Advent and for the birth of Christ, I would invite you to slow down… and consider how your prayer life might change this year,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori notes in her Advent message for 2010. In Advent, she said, “We wait for the Prince of Peace.”
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Growth and Vitality
Thursday November 25, 2010
Growth and vitality have something essential to do with the ability to look outward and embrace new and life-giving possibilities, and let go of what is no longer life-giving. The most vital elders among us are the ones who are still learning and discovering.... Less vital and dying human beings and human communities are generally only interested in themselves.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Ecumenical Engagement in a New Era
Friday November 12, 2010
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori writes, "Ecumenism in the next century must consider the realities of the contexts we inhabit and the changes to those contexts we can see quickly arriving." Read on
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Building the New with Old Clay
Tuesday November 09, 2010
Our future as Christian community depends on our ability to build new communities from old clay, to find new treasure in unexpected places. It doesn’t necessarily mean giving up these beautiful sacred spaces. But it undoubtedly means finding other constructed spaces that become holy when filled with people seeking blessing and becoming blessing.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: How Long, O Lord?
Friday November 05, 2010
How long must we wait? Jesus says, “TODAY I’m coming to your house.” Do we believe it? Have we seen him? Are we climbing trees and going out of our way to look? Today?
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Seeking and Serving Christ in All Persons
Tuesday November 02, 2010
"Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?" Is Tyler Clementi our neighbor? How about Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf...? And while we’re at it, how about Pastor Terry Jones,... who thinks it’s a good idea to burn Qurans?
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: One Spirit, Many Gifts
Thursday October 28, 2010
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says, "Each one of us has abundance – gifts, strengths, attitudes, abilities. Those are tools for building the reign of God. The only difficulty is that we tend to see those assets as private property, rather than gifts which we steward for a purpose." Read on...
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Increase Our Faith
Friday October 08, 2010
In her recent sermon, the Episcopal Presiding Bishop says, "How does faith increase? Can you drive into this God-station and say 'check the faith level and fill up the spirit'? 'And while you’re at it, would you please clean all those nasty spots off the windshield?' Or better yet, how do we check the faith-meter?" Read on.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Values and Skills for a Purpose
Tuesday September 21, 2010
“The values and skills required for excellence in the ways of the world are somewhat different than those needed for excellence in the ways of heaven,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori preached at Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix, AZ.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Bringing More Light to the World
Friday September 17, 2010
At the House of Bishops meeting in Phoenix, AZ, on September 16, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori noted in her sermon, “We’re actually here to change some light sources – to figure out how to bring more light into a world in great need of it.”
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: The Search for Dignity
Tuesday July 27, 2010
“The search for dignity is work that all members of Christ’s body share,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said in her sermon at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, on July 25. “We’re invited to join the band of prophets, share the meal and drink the cup. It can be dangerous work, but most prophets I know are also filled with joy.”
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: The Work of Healing and Reconciliation
Tuesday July 06, 2010
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori tells the church in Australia, "Who or what needs healing around here? Who's still enslaved, who needs cleansing, release, and restoration to community? Immigrants? Aboriginal peoples? Those with AIDS or the mentally ill? Who isn't welcome at our tables – atheists? People who come from the other end of the theological spectrum?" Read on...
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: On Immigration Reform
Tuesday June 22, 2010
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says, "Christians understand that we are all aliens and sojourners, seeking our home in God. In a spiritual sense, we are all migrants. As Americans we are a nation of immigrants...." Read on.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: On Peace in the Middle East
Thursday June 17, 2010
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says, "As a Church, we have repeatedly and loudly condemned violence, wherever it has erupted and whoever has promulgated it. We take our mandate from the one we worship as Prince of Peace. We understand our role as Christians to be reconciliation in all spheres of life...." Read on.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Overcoming Fear of "The Other"
Tuesday June 15, 2010
The Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church writes, "It’s hard work to get to the point where you’re able and willing to see the Lord of love in the odorous street person next to you in the pew. It can be just as hard to find him in the unwelcoming host. What makes us so afraid of the other?" Read on...
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Pentecost Continues!
Thursday June 03, 2010
The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, offers a pastoral letter to the church in light of recent developments in the Anglican Communion.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: A Lesson from the Gulf Oil Spill
Friday May 28, 2010
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori draws a lesson from the Gulf oil spill: "The reality is that this disaster just may show us as a nation how interconnected we really are." Read on...
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Looking for the Spirit in Your Community
Wednesday May 26, 2010
In her Pentecost sermon, the Episcopal Presiding Bishop says, "Where is the spirit coming down? What fire is the spirit lighting in you? How much time have you spent out there asking that question? Because we’re never going to experience that wholesale descent of the spirit if we’re disconnected from the world out there, where God is already and abundantly at work." Read on...
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Let's Go Down to the River
Tuesday May 18, 2010
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori writes, "Jesus leaves his peace with us, with this body of his. That peace is meant to be shared, not hoarded. It’s there for the healing and rebuilding of all creation. New Orleans has learned quite a lot about that kind of peace in the last few years – and this city has taught the rest of the world something about that peace as well." Read on...
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: The Beloved of God
Wednesday May 12, 2010
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says, "The mystery of the beloved disciple is his identity, and the blessing is that it’s not quite fixed. The debates over whether it’s John bar Zebedee, or Lazarus, or even Mary Magdalene make a place for others to enter in. As Jesus is ”˜the son of the man,’ the beloved disciple becomes a way we may be the human disciple, beloved of God."
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Called to Serve - The Church Responds to Domestic Poverty
Friday April 30, 2010
“Healing the worst of the poverty in this nation is intrinsically connected to restoring human beings to right relationship with the rest of creation.” With those words, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori prepared the groundwork for the three-day conference "Called to Serve: The Episcopal Church Responds to Domestic Poverty." Read her opening keynote address.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: A Shepherd Worth Following
Tuesday April 27, 2010
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori says, "This good shepherd Jesus hangs out with anybody and everybody, and joins the outcasts and the forgotten. This isn’t sanitary Jesus, robed in Mr. Kleen whites and looking saintly on an old stained glass window. This is Hell’s Angel Jesus on a Harley – rounding up toys for poor kids." Read on...
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Beyond Locked Doors
Wednesday April 14, 2010
As she reflects on the story of Doubting Thomas, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori discovers that "choices come to us in all sorts of ways – and particularly in unexpected invitations to open a door or let down a barrier."
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: "Alleluia! Keep Practicing That Joyful Shout!"
Sunday April 04, 2010
In her Easter message, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori reminds us that "the body of Christ is rising and risen when even a small part of it can rejoice and insist that God is renewing the face of the earth and light has dawned upon us."
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Go Forth for God
Tuesday March 09, 2010
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says, "God tells Abram to 'go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land I will show you' – God says, 'Leave home!' We have to be willing to leave our lovely churches, and walk out our beautiful red doors and discover God already at work in the larger community."
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: When Was the Last Time You Met the Devil?
Monday February 22, 2010
If Lent is a preparation for Easter, new life in baptism, and a new kind of readiness to live as a resurrected people, then the prescription for our ego-centric universes and the wiles of the devil is to lighten up and not take ourselves quite so seriously.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: What Will You Choose from the Banquet Table?
Friday February 05, 2010
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori digs into Wisdom's ancient invitation to feast on God's abundance--and share it with the world.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori - Telling the Hard Truths
Wednesday February 03, 2010
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori examines the role of biblical prophets--and calls for more bold words and deeds in the church today.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: The Dreams of the Prophets
Friday January 22, 2010
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori considers the dreams of the prophets--including Martin Luther King--and how they can be fulfilled in a suffering world.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori: Haiti: Our Hearts Are Broken
Monday January 18, 2010
In her sermon Jan. 17 at Washington National Cathedral in the prayer service for Haiti, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori exhorts the church and the world to respond with compassion.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Christmas Message
Thursday December 24, 2009
The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, invites you to take a moment to consider the light of the world at Christmas in her annual Christmas message.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: We Are Created for Joy
Wednesday December 16, 2009
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori helps us discover true joy in this season of expectation.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Citizens of an Upside-Down Kingdom
Friday December 11, 2009
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori helps us discover the kind of King we serve--and how to serve him.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Coping with Change
Friday December 04, 2009
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori offers insights on coping with change--particularly our fear and anxiety surrounding it.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: World AIDS Day and the Church
Friday November 27, 2009
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori comments on the HIV/AIDS crisis and how the church can respond on World AIDS Day 2009.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Help Give Birth to Hope
Friday November 20, 2009
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori takes a look through the story of Naomi and Ruth to share how the church can help bring hope to those in need.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Where Are You Looking for Treasure?
Friday November 13, 2009
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori looks at lessons from the life of William Temple, and challenges us to consider how we seek the kingdom of heaven.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Hiking Jesus' Road
Friday November 06, 2009
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on what happens in, and after, our baptism.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Being Salt in the World
Friday October 30, 2009
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori digs deeply into what Jesus meant when he called his followers to life as salt in the world.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: A Holy Vision of Shalom
Friday October 23, 2009
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, preached in May about pursuing a holy vision of peace despite religious and political differences.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: A Center of Connection
Monday October 05, 2009
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, speaks about the church as a center of connection on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of St. Philip's Church in Harlem.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: The Church's Challenge
Monday September 28, 2009
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori offers insights into the challenging work of the church as she celebrates 150 years of Anglicanism in Japan.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Taking Up Our Cross
Wednesday September 16, 2009
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, explores the realities of taking up our cross and following Jesus in this world.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: The Prophetic Imagination
Friday September 11, 2009
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, examines the message of the prophets which can put live flesh on fossilized bones.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: The Sacrament of Home
Friday August 28, 2009
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, on how we can provide the "sacrament of home" to the sojourners and the refugees in our midst.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: After the Spirit Breathes
Friday August 21, 2009
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, contemplates the work of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost--and what happens next.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Our Calling to Work the Harvest
Friday August 14, 2009
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, explores some of the ways and means we are called to work in God's harvest.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Living Ubuntu
Wednesday August 05, 2009
In her final sermon at this year's Episcopal General Convention, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori encourages us to feed all of God's sheep.
Video by The Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori (Part 1) - Day1 Conversation Interview
Tuesday February 03, 2009
The Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church discusses her responsibilities as chief pastor of The Episcopal Church, her life and upbringing in Catholic schools, her calling from oceanography to the priesthood, the influence of geographical diversity, and being the foremost female religious leader in the world.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori (Part 2) - Day1 Conversations Interview
Tuesday February 03, 2009
In this second installment the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church discusses the relationship of the church and the worldwide Anglican Communion, social issues and loving thy neighbor, the work of the church on poverty and the Millennium Development Goals, the environment and preserving creation. Day1 Conversation with Peter Wallace.
Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts-Schori (Part 3)- Day1 Conversations with Peter Wallace
Tuesday February 03, 2009
In this third video conversation with the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church host Peter Wallace and Katharine Jefferts Schori discuss the future of the church, the past and connections to slavery and racism, and her own personal encounters with God.
Radio by The Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori - Day1 Podcast Extra 2009
Thursday February 19, 2009
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori is the 26th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church.