From the Bishop of Maine

COVID-19

Dear Friends in Christ,

Many of us went to bed last night with images from demonstrations in Washington, D.C. and other cities and towns. Some of us are joining local communities in Maine who are finding ways to say, “we are in pain, too.” 

The unrest because of racism and brutality, along with a three-month long global pandemic and lockdown, heighten the great need to be loving, open-hearted, and gentle. I loved what the Presiding Bishop said yesterday on the Today show, “the opposite of love is not hate, but selfishness, and we have to make the decision to love everyday.” 

Last night I joined the other bishops of the Episcopal dioceses in New England in writing about the events that occurred at St. John Church in Lafayette Square. I’m sharing our statement with you—the leaders of the Diocese of Maine—as a sign of my respect, and because I desire for us to listen attentively and to respond lovingly. Some among us will choose to share this with your congregation; feel free; however, I am in no way asking or suggesting that you must share this. 

It will be good for us to be together in tonight’s Town Hall, and to be in prayer.

Faithfully in Christ,
The Right Reverend Thomas J. Brown