by EDOW | Sep 26, 2022
Poor People’s Campaign Congressional Briefing
September 22, 2022
Statement from the Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington
My name is Mariann Budde and I serve as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, a geographic region of our denomination which encompasses all of the District of Columbia and four of the most populous Maryland counties.
Within this region are some of the most affluent communities in the nation, and some of the poorest. There are children who attend the finest schools that money can buy, and others consigned to schools that are understaffed and woefully under-resourced. Some families live in luxury; others in rat-infested apartments and, in the rural areas, in homes with no running water or electricity.
This region boasts of some of the finest restaurants and grocery stores, which everyone in this chamber has enjoyed, and yet food insecurity is pervasive not only among those who are homeless and unemployed, but also among the working poor. In one such program run out of one of our churches, 1100 families depend weekly on distributions of food; in another, located in what appears to be an affluent neighborhood, hundreds of people line up each week for an allotment of two grocery bags. Most who seek this assistance work are working more than one job, yet do not earn a living wage.
Every day, we as clergy must decide whom we will serve. And I daresay, so do you.
The economic disparity in our nation, that has shockingly increased over our lifetimes, is the root cause of nearly every one of our society’s seemingly intractable problems. It is the result of public policy decisions made under the undue influence of those who stand to benefit most from that disparity.
We are not naive. Those who benefit from the policies as they are would prefer, and work hard, to keep those consigned to poverty silenced and invisible. But this movement exists to ensure that they will not be kept silent–and neither will we.
We are here to remind you of your sacred duty as elected officials of this democracy.
Specifically, we are here to speak in one voice, asking you to take a position before the midterm elections on three critical issues: voter suppression, designed to keep those most adversely affected by economic disparities out of our political process; legislation to ensure a living wage for those who work hard each day and often through the night, and still do not earn enough to meet basic needs, and to simply to extend the policies proven to have lifted millions of families out of poverty–namely the child income tax credit.
Why on earth would we consign families to poverty again, when a change in policy and resource allocation had such a life-affirming outcome? It is not cruel; it is short-sighted.
We are asking you to be brave. We are asking you to lead, to address the shameful disparities that public policies and laws have created, and that public policies and laws can correct.
Thank you.
by Bishop Mariann | Jun 24, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court has issued rulings this week on two of the most divisive issues in American society, striking down handgun restrictions in New York and overturning Roe v. Wade.
While both rulings were anticipated, the news of them sends reverberations across the country, and I write to acknowledge the pain and fear they invoke among those of us who had hoped the highest court in the land would uphold a woman’s right to full reproductive health and use its power to help curb the epidemic of gun violence in our land.
In neither case will these rulings settle the issues they address. Greater access to guns will only increase gun violence and death, and history shows that restricting legal access to abortion disproptionately impacts the heath and safety of low-income women. Moreover, overturning an almost fifty-year precedent of constitutional protection for women, will, in the words of Dean Randy Hollerith, “only further inflame the country’s profound division on abortion.”
The Episcopal Church’s positions on both issues–gun violence and women’s reproductive rights–seek to strengthen the moral fabric of our society, protect individual rights as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, and address the inequities among us that are an affront to God. Thus we will continue to seek common ground where possible and constructive dialogue among varied points of view. This week’s rulings make our work harder and all the more important.
I pray God’s mercy and strength as we face the days ahead, giving thanks to all in our church and beyond who persevere in hope.
The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde
Bishop of Washington
by Bishop Mariann | Jun 24, 2022
El Tribunal Supremo de EE.UU. ha emitido esta semana sentencias sobre dos de las cuestiones más controvertidas de la sociedad estadounidense, al anular las restricciones sobre las armas de fuego en Nueva York y anular el caso de Roe contra Wade.
Aunque ambas sentencias eran esperadas, la noticia de las mismas tiene repercusiones en todo el país, y escribo para reconocer el dolor y el miedo que invocan entre aquellos de nosotros que esperábamos que el más alto tribunal del país defendiera el derecho de la mujer a la plena salud reproductiva y utilizara su poder para ayudar a frenar la epidemia de violencia armada en nuestro país.
En ninguno de los dos casos estas sentencias resolverán las cuestiones que abordan. Un mayor acceso a las armas sólo aumentará la violencia y la muerte por armas de fuego, y la historia demuestra que restringir el acceso legal al aborto tiene un impacto desproporcionado en la salud y la seguridad de las mujeres con bajos ingresos. Además, anular un precedente de casi cincuenta años de protección constitucional para las mujeres, en palabras del Deán Randy Hollerith, “sólo inflamará aún más la profunda división del país sobre el aborto”.
Las posiciones de la Iglesia Episcopal en ambos temas–la violencia con armas y los derechos reproductivos de las mujeres–buscan fortalecer el tejido moral de nuestra sociedad, proteger los derechos individuales consagrados en la Constitución de los Estados Unidos y abordar las desigualdades entre nosotros que son una afrenta a Dios. Por lo tanto, seguiremos buscando un terreno común cuando sea posible y un diálogo constructivo entre los diversos puntos de vista. Las sentencias de esta semana hacen que nuestro trabajo sea más difícil y más importante.
Le pido a Dios misericordia y fuerza para afrontar los días venideros, dando gracias a todos en nuestra iglesia y más allá que perseveren en la esperanza.
La Reverendisma Mariann Edgar Budde
Obispa de la Diócesis Episcopal de Washington
by Bishop Mariann | May 26, 2022
Pero Jesús les dijo: No lloren por mí, sino por ustedes mismos y por sus hijos.
Lucas 23:28
Queridos amigos de la Diócesis de Washington,
Mientras asimilamos el horror del tiroteo en la escuela de Uvalde, Texas, y oramos por la misericordia de Dios para todos los que han perdido la vida, los heridos y los que están en duelo, es comprensible que tengamos el corazón cansado. Desde el tiroteo en una tienda de comestibles en Buffalo, Nueva York, el 14 de mayo, han habido otros 15 incidentes en los que 3 o más personas han sido asesinadas o heridas por la violencia de armas en todo el país. Como en los tiroteos de inspiración racial en Buffalo, la magnitud de la tragedia en Uvalde se ve agravada por la juventud del autor.
Al escuchar en las noticias a los familiares de anteriores tiroteos masivos describir la agonía que saben que les espera a los habitantes de Uvalde, vi en mi mente a las familias de Newtown, Connecticut, que viajan a Washington, DC, cada año para abogar por leyes en contra de armas más estrictas, incluyendo la prohibición de las armas de asalto que mataron a sus hijos en 2012, a cientos de otras personas desde entonces, y ahora a los niños de Uvalde. El dolor nunca desaparece, nos dicen. Como dijo un padre en la televisión: “No hay ‘seguir adelante’; solo hay que avanzar”.
Aunque las causas de la violencia con armas de fuego son muchas, el denominador común en todas ellas es el fácil acceso a las armas letales. Hasta que no tengamos el valor de poner los mismos límites a las armas de fuego que ponemos a cualquier otro producto de alto riesgo en este país, podemos esperar que las muertes por armas de fuego continúen en tiroteos masivos, entre individuos y por suicidio.
El Obispo Michael Curry concluyó su carta pastoral después del tiroteo masivo en Buffalo hace dos semanas con esta exhortación: Incluso en medio de la tragedia, incluso cuando las manifestaciones del mal amenazan con abrumarnos, aferrémonos al bien. Es el único camino que lleva a la vida. Cuando se reúnan con sus amigos y familiares, y en el culto del domingo, oren para tener la fuerza de aferrarse al bien. Pero también debemos luchar por el bien, y como ciudadanos exigir que se haga más para proteger a nuestros mayores, a nuestros jóvenes y a nuestros niños de tal horror.
Para ayudarte en el culto, hemos recopilado algunas oraciones a continuación, incluyendo una redactada por el Obispo del Oeste de Texas, David Reed, dos letanías para después de un tiroteo masivo, y otras. También hay una gran cantidad de recursos en la página web de Bishops United Against Gun Violence (Obispos Unidos Contra la Violencia de Armas).
Para aquellos de ustedes que tienen niños y jóvenes a su cargo, aquí hay dos recursos para ayudarlos en las difíciles conversaciones sobre lo que escuchan en las noticias. Al leer estas páginas, me pareció que contenían un sabio consejo para todas nuestras conversaciones en estos tiempos delicados.
Sé que muchos de ustedes están celebrando o participando en vigilias de oración y reuniones comunitarias en respuesta a los asesinatos. Gracias. Por mi parte, sigo rezando y abogando por una legislación que aborde esta crisis nacional, como he hecho hoy con el dean Hollerith y otros en los los alrededores de la catedral.
El viernes, 3 de junio, me uniré a un grupo de líderes religiosos para rezar en el Capitolio el viernes e instar a que se aprueben las medidas de prevención de la violencia con armas de fuego que están actualmente estancadas en el Congreso. Después, nos dirigiremos a la iglesia Washington City Church of the Brethren, 337 North Carolina Ave SE, para una reunión pública de recuerdo y demostración pública de cómo las armas pueden transformarse en herramientas de jardinería. Si desea unirse a mí para la procesión y el servicio, por favor hágamelo saber ([email protected]).
Que la fuerza y la misericordia de Dios nos sostengan a todos.
Fielmente,
Obispa Mariann
Una oración por Uvalde
Reveredismo David Reed, Obispo del Oeste de Texas
Oh Dios, Padre nuestro, cuyo amado Hijo tomó a los niños en sus brazos y los bendijo: Danos la gracia de confiar a tus amados hijos de Uvalde a tu cuidado y amor eternos, y llévalos plenamente a tu reino celestial. Derrama tu gracia y tu amorosa bondad sobre todos los que sufren, rodéalos de tu amor y devuélveles la confianza en tu bondad. Elevamos a ti nuestras almas cansadas y heridas y te pedimos que envíes tu Espíritu Santo para que quite la ira y la violencia que infectan nuestros corazones, y nos haga instrumentos de tu paz e hijos de la luz. En el nombre de Cristo, que es nuestra esperanza, te lo pedimos. Amén.
Una oración de Alden Solovy que aborda la pandemia de Covid-19
Adaptada por Reuben Varghese para abordar la epidemia de la violencia de armas
Dios de la Consolación
Seguro que cuentas en el cielo,
Así como nosotros contamos aquí en la tierra,
En la conmoción y en el dolor,
Las almas enviadas a ti,
Una por una,
Los muertos de esta violenta epidemia,
A medida que unos pocos se convierten en decenas,
Las decenas se convierten en cientos,
Los cientos se convierten en miles,
Los miles se convierten en diez mil
Y luego en cientos de miles,
Cada alma, una angustia,
Cada alma, una vida negada.
Dios de la sabiduría,
Seguramente en los salones de la justicia divina
Estás reuniendo a los tribunales
Llamando a los testigos a declarar,
Para declarar
La compasión de algunos
Y la insensibilidad de otros
En la lucha contra este mal.
Las almas tomadas demasiado pronto
Cuyos funerales fueron prematuros,
Que no necesitaban morir,
que murieron solas,
contarán sus historias
Cuando juzgues
Nuestros triunfos
Y nuestros fracasos
En estas horas de necesidad.
Dios de la curación,
Bendice a los que están al servicio de la humanidad.
Bendice a los que lloran.
Bendice a los muertos,
para que sus almas estén unidas en el vínculo de la vida eterna.
Y concede a los que aún están afligidos
Por esta enfermedad o trauma
Una curación completa y duradera,
Uno por uno,
Hasta que el sufrimiento cese,
Y podamos dejar de contar los muertos,
En el cielo y en la tierra. Amén.
Una letanía tras la violencia con armas de fuego
La Reverenda Michele Morgan, rectora de St. Mark’s, Capitol Hill
Dios de la Justicia, Tú has dado a nuestros líderes, especialmente a nuestro Presidente, a nuestro Gobernador, a los miembros del Congreso, a los jueces de nuestros tribunales y a los miembros de nuestras legislaturas, el poder y la responsabilidad de protegernos y de defender nuestro derecho a la vida, a la libertad y a la búsqueda de la felicidad. Por todos los que tienen esa responsabilidad, por todos los que luchan por discernir lo que es correcto frente a las poderosas fuerzas políticas, Dios amoroso,
Pueblo: Haznos instrumentos de tu paz.
Dios de la compasión, te damos gracias por los primeros en responder, por los agentes de policía, los bomberos y los paramédicos, y por todos aquellos cuyos deberes los llevan a las calles, a los vestíbulos, a los clubes nocturnos y a los hogares donde la carnicería de la violencia armada tiene lugar día tras día. Dales valor y buen juicio en el calor del momento y concédeles compasión por las víctimas. Por nuestros hermanos que arriesgan su vida y su serenidad al acudir en nuestra ayuda, Dios bondadoso,
Pueblo: Haznos instrumentos de tu paz.
Dios misericordioso, venda las heridas de todos los que sufren la violencia de las armas, de los mutilados y desfigurados, de los que se quedan solos y en duelo, y de los que luchan por pasar un día más. Bendícelos con tu presencia y ayúdales a encontrar la esperanza. Por todos aquellos cuyas vidas están marcadas para siempre por el azote de la violencia armada, Dios bondadoso,
Pueblo: Haznos instrumentos de tu paz.
Dios que recuerda, que no olvidemos a los que han muerto, más de 30.000 este año, en la violencia de las armas que hemos permitido que se convierta en rutina. Recíbelos en tu corazón y consuélanos con tu promesa de amor y cuidado eternos. Por nuestros seres queridos, por nuestros vecinos, por los extraños y extranjeros, y por los que sólo tú conoces, Dios amoroso,
Pueblo: Haznos instrumentos de tu paz.
Dios de la justicia, ayúdanos, a tu iglesia, a encontrar nuestra voz. Danos el poder de cambiar este mundo roto y de protestar contra las muertes innecesarias causadas por la violencia de las armas. Danos poder para superar nuestro miedo a que no se pueda hacer nada y concédenos la convicción de abogar por el cambio. Por tu sueño de amor y armonía, Dios amoroso,
Pueblo: Haznos instrumentos de tu paz.
Finalmente, ayúdanos a convertirnos en votantes y activistas para llevar nuestra rabia y cambiar el mundo para que otros puedan vivir.
Amén.
Llorando con Uvalde
La Rvda. Maria A. Kane, Ph.D., rectora de St. Paul’s, Waldorf
Dios de nuestros años cansados,
La muerte nos ha destripado y nos ha dejado tambaleando… una vez más.
La violencia masiva ha empujado a la gente de Uvalde a un abismo implacable de dolor.
En lugar de planificar las fiestas del último día de clase, los padres y los seres queridos deben ahora planificar los funerales.
No debería ser así.
No debería ser así.
Simplemente no debería ser así.
Pero lo es.
Nuestras palabras nos fallan.
Nuestras lágrimas nos empapan.
Nuestra cólera nos consume.
Nuestro cansancio nos abruma.
Que nuestro dolor se convierta en combustible para la compasión; que nuestro cinismo sea un catalizador para la reflexión honesta; y que nuestra cólera sea un impulso para la acción santa, para que las herramientas de la violencia den paso a los caminos de la paz.
Oh, Dios, que mucho después de que las cámaras se hayan ido, tu amor feroz y tu ternura sostengan las rodillas débiles y los corazones destrozados de aquellos cuyas vidas han cambiado para siempre.
En el nombre de Jesús, cuyo amor por los niños no tuvo límites y cuyo corazón ahora llora en agonía, clamamos… y luego trabajamos para reparar la brecha.
Amén.
by Bishop Mariann | May 26, 2022
Jesus said, “Weep not for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. . .”
Luke 23:28
Dear Friends in the Diocese of Washington,
As we take in the horror of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and pray God’s mercy for all those who have been lost, wounded, and those who are grieving, we are understandably heartsick and weary. Since the shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York on May 14, there have been 15 other incidents where 3 or more people have been killed or wounded by gun violence across the country. As in the racially inspired shootings in Buffalo, the magnitude of tragedy in Uvalde is compounded by the youth of the perpetrator.
Listening on the news to family members of previous mass shootings describe the agony they know lies ahead for the people of Uvalde, I saw in my mind’s eyes the families from Newtown, Connecticut who travel to Washington, DC each year to advocate for stricter gun laws, including a ban on the assault-style weapons that killed their children in 2012, hundreds of other people since then, and now the children of Uvalde. The grief never goes away, they tell us. As one father said on television, “There is no ‘moving on;’ there is only moving forward.
While the causes of gun violence are many, the common denominator in all of them is easy access to lethal weapons. Until we have the courage to put the same boundaries on firearms that we place on every other high-risk product in this country, we can expect gun deaths to continue in mass shootings, between individuals, and through suicide.
Bishop Michael Curry concluded his pastoral letter after the mass shooting in Buffalo two weeks ago with this exhortation: Even amid tragedy, even when manifestations of evil threaten to overwhelm, let us hold fast to the good. It is the only way that leads to life. As you gather with friends and family, and in worship on Sunday, pray for the strength to hold fast to the good. Yet we must also strive for good, and as citizens demand that more can be done to protect our elders, our young people, and our children from such horror.
To assist you in worship, we’ve collected a few prayers below, including one drafted by the Bishop of West Texas, David Reed, two litanies for after a mass shootings, and others. There is also a wealth of resources on the webpage of Bishops United Against Gun Violence.
For those of you with children and young people in our care, here are two resources to help you through the difficult conversations about what they hear on the news. Reading through these pages, they struck me as holding wise counsel for all our conversations in this tender time.
I know that many of you are holding or participating in prayer vigils and community gatherings in response to the killings. Thank you. For my part, I continue to pray and to advocate for legislation to address this national crisis as I did today with Dean Hollerith and others on the Cathedral grounds.
On Friday, June 3rd, I will join a group of faith leaders to pray at the Capitol on Friday and to urge passage of the gun violence prevention measures that are currently stalled in Congress. Afterwards, we will process to Washington City Church of the Brethren, 337 North Carolina Ave SE, for a public gathering of remembrance and public demonstration of how guns can be transformed into garden tools. If you’d like to join me for the procession and service, please let me know.
May God’s strength and mercy sustain us all.
Faithfully,
Bishop Mariann
A Prayer for Uvalde
The Right Rev. David Reed, Bishop of West Texas
O God our Father, whose beloved Son took children into his arms and blessed them: Give us grace to entrust your beloved children of Uvalde to your everlasting care and love, and bring them fully into your heavenly kingdom. Pour out your grace and loving-kindness on all who grieve; surround them with your love; and restore their trust in your goodness. We lift up to you our weary, wounded souls and ask you to send your Holy Spirit to take away the anger and violence that infects our hearts, and make us instruments of your peace and children of the light. In the Name of Christ who is our hope, we pray. Amen.
A Prayer by Alden Solovy Addressing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Adapted by Reuben Varghese to Address the Gun Violence Epidemic
God of Consolation
Surely you count in heaven,
Just as we count here on earth,
In shock and in sorrow,
The souls sent back to You,
One-by-one,
The dead from this violent epidemic,
As the ones become tens,
The tens become hundreds,
The hundreds become thousands,
The thousands become ten-thousands
And then hundred-thousands,
Each soul, a heartbreak,
Each soul, a life denied.
God of wisdom,
Surely in the halls of divine justice
You are assembling the courts,
Calling witnesses to testify,
To proclaim
The compassion of some
And the callousness of others
As we’ve struggled to cope.
The souls taken too soon,
Whose funerals were premature,
Who didn’t need to die,
Who died alone,
Will tell their stories
When You judge
Our triumphs
And our failures
In these hours of need.
God of healing,
Bless those who stand in service to humanity.
Bless those who grieve.
Bless the dead,
So that their souls are bound up in the bond of life eternal.
And grant those still afflicted
By this disease or trauma
A completed and lasting healing,
One-by-one,
Until suffering ceases,
And we can stop counting the dead,
In heaven And on earth. Amen.
A Litany in the Wake of Gun Violence
The Reverend Michele Morgan, rector of St. Mark’s, Capitol Hill
God of Righteousness, you have given our leaders, especially our President, our Governor, the members of Congress, the judges of our courts and members of our legislatures, power and responsibility to protect us and to uphold our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. For all who bear such responsibility, for all who struggle to discern what is right in the face of powerful political forces, Loving God,
People: Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Compassion, we give you thanks for first responders, for police officers, firefighters and EMTs, and all those whose duties bring them to the streets, the lobbies, the nightclubs and the homes where the carnage of gun violence takes place day after day. Give them courage and sound judgment in the heat of the moment and grant them compassion for the victims. For our siblings who risk their lives and their serenity as they rush to our aid, Loving God,
People: Make us instruments of your peace.
Merciful God, bind up the wounds of all who suffer from gun violence, those maimed and disfigured, those left alone and grieving, and those who struggle to get through one more day. Bless them with your presence and help them find hope. For all whose lives are forever marked by the scourge of gun violence, Loving God,
People: Make us instruments of your peace.
God Who Remembers, may we not forget those who have died, more than 30,000 this year, in the gun violence that we have allowed to become routine. Receive them into your heart and comfort us with your promise of eternal love and care. For our dear ones, for our neighbors, for strangers and aliens, and those known to you alone, Loving God,
People: Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Justice, help us, your church, find our voice. Empower us to change this broken world and to protest the needless deaths caused by gun violence. Give us power to rise above our fear that nothing can be done and grant us the conviction to advocate for change. For your dream of love and harmony, Loving God,
People: Make us instruments of your peace.
FINALLY, help us to turn out as voters and activists to take our anger and change the world so that others may live.
Amen.
Weeping with Uvalde
The Rev. Maria A. Kane, Ph.D., rector of St. Paul’s, Waldorf
God of our weary years,
Death has gutted us and left us reeling…once again.
Mass violence has thrust the people of Uvalde into an unrelenting abyss of grief.
Instead of planning last-day-of-school parties, parents and loves ones must now plan funerals.
It shouldn’t be this way.
It shouldn’t be this way.
It just shouldn’t be this way.
But it is.
Our words fail us.
Our tears drench us.
Our rage consumes us.
Our weariness overwhelms us.
May our sorrow become fuel for compassion; our cynicism a catalyst for honest reflection; and, our rage a drive for holy action, that tools of violence may give way to pathways of peace.
O God, long after the cameras have moved on, may your fierce love and tenderness steady the feeble knees and shattered hearts of those whose lives have been forever changed.
In the name of Jesus, whose love for children knew no bounds and whose heart now weeps in agony, we cry out…and then we work to repair the breach.
Amen.
by Bishop Mariann | May 26, 2022
On behalf of the clergy gathered here, in solidarity with people of faith across the country, I give voice to our collective grief for those killed and wounded in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York–only two of the many mass shootings and countless other incidents of gun violence in our land.
We pray for their families and loved ones–and the communities forever changed by these that keep happening with greater frequency and more lethal consequences in our country, which has by far the highest number of deaths by gun violence in the world.
The production of guns in the United States has increased dramatically in recent years, as has the number of guns purchased without background checks or any other safety measure. The consequences are evident for all to see–more shootings, people dying brutal deaths, more trauma and heartache for those left to grieve.
This is a colossal moral failure on our part, and we call on our elected leaders to protect our children and our elders. We need our loved ones to be safe when they go grocery shopping; we need our children not to fear for their lives when they go to school.
As one of the bishops serving in Washington, I call upon the politicians in Washington to act now, and with legislation that definitively addresses the production, sale, illegal trafficking and proliferation of lethal weapons in the country: universal background checks, straw man purchases, banning of assault weapons and high capacity magazines that have no other purpose than to kill as many human beings as possible in the shortest possible time. This is not a political issue. It never has been. It is a moral issue and our country suffers, our people die, every day we offer thoughts and prayers, but let the violence go unchecked. This is not a political issue. But it has a political solution. And in particular members of the Senate, we are calling on you to act now.
We have countless regulations in place to protect children and adults from harm–from the food we eat, the car seats and furniture we purchase, the cars we drive. Yet we have nothing in place to protect children or adults from the real and growing threat of having their bodies destroyed by a gun.
Gun violence is now the leading cause of death among children and young people. It is the weapon of choice for those committing suicide–and the most lethal. It is the means by which gangs and drug dealers fight and kill one another and others caught in their crossfire.
It is time for courage and conviction among you–our elected officials–to do what is right and urgently needed. We will stand by you; we will support you. And we call on you now to act to bring about the end of this senseless and avoidable epidemic of mass gun violence.
