August 2007

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

These past few months have been filled with moments of joy and anxiety, happiness and sorrow, for members of our clergy family as we experience the general life cycle events so common to us all: births, deaths, transitions of all kinds, as well as illnesses and healing. For these reasons, please keep all members of our diocesan family in your thoughts and prayers as you move through this summer season. I pray that God will continue to bless you and your loved ones and that each of you find opportunities to rest and renew yourselves spiritually in this splendid season so that we can all continue to labor happily in the vineyard of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Yours in Christ,

+Johncy Itty

Blessings/Congratulations/Welcomings

With great joy and thanksgiving we announce the 60th anniversary of the ordination of Fr. Al Tyson to the priesthood. His anniversary was on July 25, the Feast Day of St. James.

We celebrate with the Rev. Steven Whitney-Wise and his wife, Patty, the graduation of their son, Josh Whitney-Wise, this past June from Macalaster College in St. Paul, MN. We are told Josh graduated with honors and holds a B.A. with a major in music composition and a minor in political science. In September, Josh will begin his graduate work at the University of Oregon, School of Music.

We rejoice with the families and friends of Jaime Sanders and Karen Bretl, who were ordained to the transitional diaconate on June 30 at Trinity Cathedral. Jamie will serve at All Saints, Portland, and Karen is still in her discernment process for placement. We also wish Karen and her husband, Peter Tiegs, many blessings and years of happiness in their married life together. The couple was wed on July 7.

We share in the sense of renewal and hope with the Rev. Dcn. Theresa Floyd and her husband, Ken, as they celebrated the restoration of their home, which was damaged last December when a tree fell on it with a recent open house.

We welcome with joy, the birth of Addison Thomas Haynes, to the Rev. Kendall Haynes and his wife, Mindy, on May 12. He joins brother, Parker.

We are delighted to report that the Rev. Lawrence Crumb gave the opening prayer for the Oregon State Senate on June 15. Lawrence reports that after providing the blessing, he proceeded to the House of Representatives to visit some of his friends, who are elected officials. While there, one former colleague from the University of Oregon Library, who is now a state representative, introduced Lawrence on the floor of the House as a point of personal privilege. “I may be the first person to be introduced in both houses of the Oregon Legislature on the same day,” writes Lawrence.

We are pleased to announce that the Rev. C. Phillip Craig, Jr., had joined our diocesan family as the new head chaplain at Oregon Episcopal School. He started at OES on July 1. We are so glad that he, his wife, Jennifer, and their two children have joined us. Phillip was previously senior school chaplain at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA. Jennifer is a pediatric registered nurse. We also wish to acknowledge with deep gratitude the long tenure of the Rev. LouAnn Pickering as OES chaplain. She continues in her service to God and our diocese as the rector of St. Gabriel, Portland.

We are pleased to welcome the Rev. Dcn. Julie Jensen from the Diocese of California, who is serving at St. John the Baptist, Portland. She was welcomed into the fold with a prayer shawl at the Sunday, April 22 service. She comes to us from the Diocese of California.

We also welcome the Rev. Dcn Beth Mallon from the Diocese of Northern California, (Grace Episcopal Church, Fairfield) who began her service at St. Francis, Wilsonville in July. She and her husband, Kevin, celebrated their 27th anniversary that same month. They have a son, Greg, 14, and daughter, Claire, 12. Another newcomer to our diocese is the Rev. Patricia Steagall-Sanchez Millard from the Diocese of Los Angeles. She was formerly the associate for Christian Formation at St. Wilfred of York, Huntington Beach, CA.

Health and Healing

We offer our earnest prayers for continued healing to the Rev. Jeremy Tyson and his wife, Sue, as they heal from injuries sustained in a traffic accident in England a few weeks ago.

We thank God for the continuing recovery of Katie Beth Sramek, the daughter of Lisa and the Rev. Tom Sramek, Jr., from hip surgery in May. We also wish renewal, reformation and restoration to Tom as he continues his sabbatical, which comes to an end on September15.

God’s healing hand has touched the Rev. Dcn. Addyse Palagyi, Ph.D., and she has recovered from her recent cancer surgery and is well enough to have returned to her ministry at St. John, Dallas. He has also blessed with healing, Helen Grafe, the wife of the Rev. Bob Grafe, after her surgery in May; Chris Moore, the son of Hank Moore, a member of our Diocesan Council, after his successful surgery this spring; Anne Burton, the wife of the Rev. Bob Burton, after her shoulder surgery and the Rev. Edwin Shackelford III after his successful surgeries, and hospitalization earlier this year.

In Memoriam

We mourn with the Rev. Margaret McMurren and her husband, the Rev. Jay McMurren, and their family on the passing of Margaret’s mother, Pat Morse, on June 15.

We honor the memory of William (Bill) Glendening, the father-in-law of the Rev. Albert Krueger and father of Katherine Krueger. He died on April 3.

We remember, along with the parishioners of St. John, Toledo, Art Anderson, who served as the congregation’s senior warden. He died on June 5. He is survived by his wife, Linda Anderson.

We send our heartfelt condolences to Barbara Tensen Ross, diocesan missioner for Christian Education and Lifelong Formation, and her family, upon the recent passing of her uncle, Clare Peterson.

We honor the memory of James O. McAfee, the husband of the Rev. Dcn. Jean McAfee, who died March 31 in Portland. His memorial service was held on April 14 at St. Aidan, Gresham. In addition to Jean, he is survived by his daughters, Kathy Finn, Dawn Culver, Mary Nelson, Laura Farrell and Julie Wood; his sons Steven and Michael McAfee; his sister, Betty Friend; 18 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Transitions

We thank God for the wonderful ministry of the Rev. Elise Astleford, who recently concluded her service as interim priest at St. Luke the Physician, Gresham.

We are blessed to report that the Rev. Richard Rosenbaum is the interim priest at St. Hilda, Monmouth and that the Rev. Julie Smith is serving as missioner to Holy Family Fellowship in Clackamas while continuing her duties at St. John the Baptist, Portland. We are happy to announce, as well, that the Rev. Shep Crim is serving as a supply priest at St. John, Toledo.

We are delighted to welcome back to the fold, Bernie Lindley of St. Timothy, Brookings, who recently returned from a year’s study at the Virginia Theological Seminary. He and his wife Paige and their daughters, Elizabeth and Jennifer are happy to be home and are busy preparing for Bernie’s ordination to the transitional diaconate.