New Beginnings

This weekend, the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande got a fresh start.  After a couple years without a bishop seated at the cathedral, we finally now have one!  I can't even begin to know first-had how difficult it was to operate as long as the diocese did without a bishop, but from what I've heard from people who have been here longer than I, it's been a tough road.

On Friday morning, Leni and I had the distinct pleasure of being part of the roughly 1200 people who attended the Consecration of Bishop Michael Vono.  It was truly amazing.  We got there more than an hour ahead of time and got some slammin' seats and had a pretty good view of the whole 3 hour event.  It really didn't seem that long to me.  I'd never been to a consecration before so seeing new things in a church I've known my whole life was refreshing.  

Kudos go to the scores of people who came together to plan the event. I counted 7 languages used in the context of the service: English, Hebrew, Sign, Spanish, Latin, Italian, and Navajo.  The 80-voice diocesan choir was outstanding...especially since I was seated about 15 feet from them!  Here are a couple pictures I took, although crumby in quality because flash photography was not permitted:

Singing of  a Hebrew call to prayer by a Rabbi in honor of our Jewish roots

Bishop-elect Vono standing before the consecrating bishops

This video doesn't have much action in it however it is meaningful.  It is of the bishops surrounding Michael Vono and laying hands on him while the choir is singing "Come Holy Spirit" in latin

As mentioned before, the people of this diocese have been without a bishop for some time.  Without going into the history, I'll just say that the departure of the past bishop had been hurtful for many.  Needless to say, this consecration of Michael Vono has been much anticipated and prayed for and there is great hope that he will be the shepherd and leader that is so very much needed.  Immediately following the actual consecration, he and his family were officially introduced and the applause went on for quite some time before he speaks a few words in the video below.  The excitement in the crowd was palpable:

Many congrats to Bishop Vono, and to the diocese as, together, we start a new chapter of ministry!

On another subject, this is officially the 100th post of Snack for Later.  In celebration of that, you have hopefully noticed that the blog got a cosmetic face-lift.  Hope you enjoy the new look!

Keep It Real!

P.S. - Los Alamos Trails Goal Update: 4.1 of 29.5 miles completed