The Holy Spirit at Work

Beloved in Christ,

The electing convention for the tenth Bishop of Minnesota took place one year ago yesterday. I found myself getting surprisingly emotional yesterday. Part of that is about how much my own life has changed for sure, but it’s also about how different the world was just one year ago. When several hundred of you gathered together at St. Mark’s Cathedral, almost none among us could have imagined how the rest of the year would unfold. 

And yet, despite all of the limitations we have faced and continue to face, there is unmistakably a sense of the Holy Spirit working among us. Every day, everywhere I go, I see new connections being formed, new energy emerging, longings for community and deepening spirituality emerging and converging in every part of our state. There is a palpable sense that the Holy Spirit is using this time to prepare us for renewal and revival that even now are taking root. While I am not naive about the massive challenges we face, my heart is overflowing with hope for the future of our beloved old church. The world needs our witness to Jesus’ way of love urgently, and we have all we need as a diocesan family to do what God is asking us to do. I can’t imagine giving my life to something more exciting or more important.

Thanks as ever for the trust you placed in me that day one year ago. I feel its weight each day, and make an intentional commitment to be as faithful to it as I can be. I know I have and will continue to occasionally disappoint and fail to live up to it fully, and I thank you for your patience and prayers, both of which I continue to cherish.

Grace and Peace,

The Right Reverend Craig Loya
X Bishop
Episcopal Church in Minnesota