Previously published on Substack by Heather Cox Richardson on Feb 18, 2026 Long, but worth a careful read โIโve been thinking a lot lately about loveโabout loving people and loving your country and the power involved in both,โ the governor said. โI know, right now, there are a lot of people out there who love... Continue Reading →
Lenten discipline — Pope Leo XIV on Lent
[Pope Leo XIV] I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbour. Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgment, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present... Continue Reading →
Pastoral emergency
Another chapter in the series Stories from Somewhere, fictional reflections of an unidentified place at an unknown time. Other chapters are listed here. โThere is no such thing as a hopeless caseโโAA Big Book โMinister, I need you to come over right away. Please. I am in trouble. Come right away.โ I havenโt heard from... Continue Reading →
Love your neighbour — ICE out
Josephine Walker on AXIOS Christian clergy are deploying spiritual infrastructure โ from organizing prayer circles to acting as human shields โ to resist the Trump administration's immigration agenda. Why it matters: The clergy members who spoke with Axios argue that Trump's immigration crackdown contradicts core biblical teachings about protecting the vulnerable, putting them at odds... Continue Reading →
Prepare . . . Welcome . . . Greet: Discoveries, at the Vatican
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour, Penticton, Sunday Feb 8, 2026 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray Writing in Vatican News Tiziana Campisi describes a most unusual Papal event: โAn unusual Sunday Audience took place on 1 February 2026 in the Apostolic Palace, which was reserved for Gentlemen of the Papal Household, Antechamber... Continue Reading →
The deafening bells of justice
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour Anglican Church, Penticton BC Sunday, February 1st, 2026 - Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany - The Very Rev. Ken Gray Based on MATTHEW 5:1-12 I have never seen the streets of Minneapolis so full of people, and on such a cold, wintry day; temperatures of 12O F... Continue Reading →
The true value of creation and the hidden cost of its destruction
Michelle Cyca, The Narwhal โ Via BC Assembly of First Nations [Michelle Cyca] "The latest power struggle over the future of the Canadian economy โ a hypothetical new pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast โ has devolved into a rote debate: are First Nations blocking economic progress? Coastal First Nations โ an alliance of... Continue Reading →
I need to join this vigil – Every Friday – Until the horror ends?
VIGIL IN A SMALL TOWN, by Betty-Ann Xenis, Summerland, BC The second time we met, it was windy and our candles kept blowing out. It seemed symbolic somehow. Candles, a light in the darkness, being blown out by a force beyond our control. We finally stopped trying to relight them but just stood in the... Continue Reading →
Episcopal clergy travel to Minneapolis to march in โICE Out of Minnesotaโ day of action
By David Paulsen, Episcopal News Service Washington Bishop Mariann Budde speaks Jan. 22 during a news conference by clergy about immigration actions in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo: Jack Jenkins/Religion News Service [Episcopal News Service] Episcopal clergy and lay leaders are among the hundreds of people of faith from across the United States who have traveled to... Continue Reading →
Acknowledging the land on which we live, work, and play โ A primer
[Ken Gray] This past Christmas Eve while visiting with family in Nelson, BC my wife and I worshipped with the congregation of St. Saviour Anglican Church. In line with Anglican practice, the presider, the Rev. David Burrows, offered a land acknowledgement. It was both fulsome and beautiful. I contacted David a few days later asking... Continue Reading →