“Gaudete Sunday (III Advent)
This Sunday, December 15, is the Third Sunday of Advent often called “Gaudete Sunday.” Gaudete is a Latin word meaning ‘rejoice.’ And there is a lot of rejoicing in the lessons…
Read more
From the Bishop - Latest Post
From the Bishop - Archive
Something Fun
To all the Faithful in Christ throughout the Diocese of Alaska GREETINGS: I, Mark Lattime, by Divine Providence Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of…
“Thanksgiving”
Thanksgiving Day is recognized as a Major Feast in our Church calendar. That means Thanksgiving Day ranks right up there with feasts of the Apostles…
“Being the Church”
“Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart and especially the hearts of the people of this…
“Back and Forth”
In this edition of the newsletter you will find a summary of our 49th Diocesan Convention that took place last weekend at All Saints’ in…
“Packing for Diocesan Convention”
I’ll be doing a lot of packing in the next few days. This weekend I pack for a visit to Huslia. I’ll be sure to include…
“On the Road Again”
Someone once commented that the ministry of the Bishop of Alaska must be rather peripatetic. Well, I don’t know about that, but I sure…
“Concordat”
Since 2000 the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) have celebrated a concordat–a formal agreement, known as “Called To Common…
“Business”
This weekend the Standing Committee will gather in Fairbanks for its annual pre-convention Face to Face Meeting. They have a busy agenda planned. The first item…
“Rain, Sun, and Remembering”
It didn’t take me long to learn an old shibboleth here in Fairbanks: How do you know when the Tanana Valley State Fair is…
“Summer Reading”
I mentioned last week that I was able to enjoy a couple weeks of vacation time following the close of General Convention in Louisville,…
“Notes from General Convention”
It is good to be home. I left Fairbanks June 20th to attend General Convention in Louisville, KY. I wish I could tell you anything…
“News from General Convention
The previous General Convention of the Episcopal Church (’22) adopted a resolution (A127) that established a Commission to study and report on the Episcopal…
”Looking Ahead to General Convention” (Updated)
This week marks the beginning of the 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Louisville, KY. The Episcopal Diocese of Alaska will be represented…
“Looking Ahead to General Convention”
Next week marks the beginning of the 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Louisville, KY. The Episcopal Diocese of Alaska will be…
“Prayers of Thankful Celebration mixed with Prayers of Hope”
Next week the community of Pt. Hope is gathering to celebrate the gift of abundance. With thankful hearts and joyful spirits, they will participate…
“Spiritual Gifts”
This Sunday is the Day of Pentecost, the festal celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit, sent as promised by Jesus, to transform…
“Easter Comes to the Wilderness”
“[As] he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.…
“Wishing to See Jesus”
“Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and…
“Lenten Love”
February 14 is Ash Wednesday this year. It is also Valentine’s Day, which at first strikes one as a rather odd pairing. I have…
“Worship Leaders and Laity can Officiate Ash Wednesday Liturgy”
The rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer state clearly that the service of Ash Wednesday, including the imposition of ashes, may be led…
” A Case for Love”
With very little fanfare and publicity, “A Case for Love,” a film based on the writings and message of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, was…
A Case for Love – Save the Date: January 23, 2024
Creating Positive Change Virginia Theological Seminary is proud to be a supporting partner of A Case for Love. With society more divided than…
“By Another Road”
I am attending the Province VIII House of Bishops meeting in Los Angeles this week and am writing this article on January 4, the…
“Away in a Manger”
Whether you are a fan of the William Kirkpatrick setting titled “Cradle Song” that appears in our hymnal (and the hymnals of the Church…
“A Flickering Light in Advent”
“Kindle Thy light within me, O God, that Thy glow may be spread over all of my life; yea indeed, that Thy glow may…
“The Light of Advent”
As an adult, and more so after my ordination, I have always struggled against the cultural norm to start celebrating Christmas the day after…
“The Season of Advent is 4 Sundays. This year, be sure to celebrate ALL 4”
One of my family’s traditions starting from as far back in my childhood memories as I can recall is the joy of opening an…
“It is Very Meet, Right, and Our Bounden Duty”
For fans of the Rite I liturgy of Holy Eucharist, the title of this article will likely bring a smile. It is, of course, a…
“Healing Work”
I am writing this article from a hotel in Seattle where I am meeting with the Episcopal Church’s Commission on Resolution A127: a resolution…
“Praying for Peace”
“Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord,…
“Post Convention Message”
A big thank you to Holy Trinity, Juneau, and the many volunteers from St. Brendan’s who provided wonderful hospitality for Diocesan Convention. Let us…
“On to Juneau for Diocesan Convention”
Looking forward to our annual Diocesan Family Reunion next week in Juneau. I am praying for safe travel for all and for a spirit…
“A Church of Goodness and Mercy in a Mean World”
At my ordination as your bishop, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori presented me with a small, framed quotation from Archbishop Dom Helder Camara. It…
“Come Labor On”
“Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So…
“This Fragile Earth Our Island Home”
I write this from Kotzebue where I am preparing to depart for Pt. Hope and a gathering of the Arctic Coast Deanery. It will be…
“Searching for a Presiding Bishop”
The term of office for the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church is 9 years. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s term will end at the…
“Act Justly and Love Mercy and Walk Humbly with your God”
Where else can I walk humbly with God than on the land–on this good earth? And how else can I act justly or love…
“Kodachrome Christ”
“Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people,…
“The Season of Creation”
The Season of Creation As the summer season unfolds in all of its grandeur (not to mention the buzz of its mosquitoes), I want…
“Ascension Presence”
“[Why] do you stand looking toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way…
“Easter is for All!” & “Victory”
“Easter is for All!” On of the best and most lasting Easter sermons was written in the late 4th century by John Chrysostom (the…
“Palm or Passion?”
This Sunday, April 2, is known by two titles: Palm Sunday and The Sunday of the Passion. Before the 1979 Prayer Book (or Vatican…
“As I See It”
I’m celebrating the Fourth Sunday in Lent in Haines, AK at St. Michael’s and All Angels. It is deeply refreshing to be back to visiting…
From the Bishop
My Greetings from Camp McDowell in the Diocese of Alabama. I am here with the House of Bishops in prayer and retreat, in worship…
“Lent: When a Beaver is a Fish and Fish might not be a Fast”
Most folks are aware of the traditional Lenten fasting practice of eating only fish on Fridays. But did you know that, according to Vatican…
“Presentation”
To the Church, February 2nd is not about groundhogs, gophers, wombats, marmots, or any other winter weather predicting rodents. For the Church, February 2nd…
“Tis the Season”
The Book of Common Prayer identifies the Epiphany, January 6, and the Sundays following through the Sunday before Ash Wednesday as “Epiphany Season” (BCP…
“Drin Choo”
“After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before…
“Christmas without Indifference”
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s…
“A Scandalous Family Tree” – 4 Advent
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy…
“A reed shaken by the wind?”
Herod Antipas (aka Herod the Tetrarch and King Herod) was Caesar Augustus’ puppet ruler of Galilee when Jesus asked the crowds about John the…
“Advent Darkness is Light to See”
It had been a while since I drove the Parks Highway from Anchorage to Fairbanks in November. But that is what I found myself doing…
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. I Chronicles 16:34
Next week we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. I have always enjoyed Thanksgiving Day. Any holiday that has as its primary act of celebration eating a…
Kindness and Gratitude
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 Hard to believe that it…
“Who Will Be The Next Presiding Bishop?” and more
At the end of October, I attended a meeting of the Joint Nomination Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop (JNCPB). It is…
“Who Will Be The Next Presiding Bishop?” , And More
“Who Will Be The the Next Presiding Bishop?” As October comes to a close, I find myself in Baltimore, MD attending a meeting of…
Training Ministers for Interior Communities
Friday and Saturday this week, I am excited to be part of a training program with ministers from our Interior Deanery Communities. Lay Ministers…
“Support for St. Paul’s, Graying & the West Coast of Alaska”
Thank you to everyone who has expressed interest in helping our Alaska communities recover from recent catastrophes. As of Sunday afternoon, I had reports…
Preparing for Diocesan Convention
In just a few short weeks, our 47th Diocesan Convention will convene. After two long years of the COVID-19 pandemic, our Convention theme this…
A “Call” for Dicipleship
A nationwide poll commissioned by the Episcopal Church in 2021-22 revealed that 84% of all Americans (religious and non-religious combined) believe Jesus to…
Uncommon Common Prayer
Patricia and I attended Holy Eucharist at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, today. St. Paul’s is a glorious edifice-some say Christopher Wren’s crowning magnum opus.…
“Communion”
“Communion” “Whenever we face another, we see a reflection of God’s infinite love and glory.” “[The] church catholic declares that life is sacred and all…
“The View From Lambeth” & “We Are Here”
“The View from Lambeth” That is a misleading title. Although Patricia and I have made it to the Lambeth Conference, the conference is no…
Heading to Lambeth & In Other News
Heading to Lambeth This weekend Patricia and I begin our journey to England, specifically to Canterbury, where we will attend the Lambeth Conference. So…
When is a church not a Church?
A recent article in Episcopal News Service reported that Christ Episcopal Church in Pottstown, PA (Diocese of Pennsylvania) has received a zoning violation and…
A Word to the Diocese of Alaska
“The Way of Love is the Church” This has been a season like no other season. While we continue to make our way through…
A Pastoral Message from Bishop Lattime on Amendments to the Public Health Mandates
Here are some COVID 19 resources:
A Message from the Right Reverend Mark Lattime – COVID 19
To the Beloved of Christ Jesus in the Diocese of Alaska: I give thanks for the living hope that binds us together in Christ…
