Mission Statement
The Diocese of the West is a group of Churches seeking to spread the Christian Gospel through traditional worship,
fellowship, family values and service.
Vision Statement
To bring people into a loving relationship with God by creating a Gospel focused fellowship through
worship, practice, and service to meet the needs of our communities.
Presiding Bishop's Lenten Message
13 February 2013
Necessary Days
Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest
nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of
all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and
contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and
acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God
of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ash Wednesday begins with the above collect, in which we
express sorrow for our sins and recognize our wretched
state. Such words may hit us with great force; they are in
fact designed to shock us into awareness, to provoke us to a
healthy change. Such change will take time. A transformation
that requires us to gain new and contrite hearts will not
happen over night. It is why we are given forty days.
Forty days is a very precise figure; the days of Lent are
calculated with a certain accuracy that is rarely reserved
for other seasons. The number of days in Advent, Epiphany
and Trinity are variable. True, the Christmas season has
twelve days, but the Biblical number forty is reserved only
for the Lenten season.
Our empirical age regards numbers with a certainty that
often transcends spiritual reality. But the number forty had
a very important meaning to the ancient Hebrew people, a
meaning that said more than a sum of individual digits:
"forty" meant "a sufficient time." Lent is more than a
number of days; it is a reminder to us that we have been
granted a sufficient amount of time to pray, meditate and
empty ourselves of all the unnecessary "transgressions" that
get in the way of God's purpose. These are necessary days,
days that are important for our spiritual and physical
health.
Each year at this time, I take a certain book off a shelf
in my study. It is called The Days of Lent. It was written
by a Nineteenth Century bishop, The Rt. Rev. Frederick Dan
Huntington. Bishop Huntington's book offers a brief
meditation for every day in Lent. It is a supplement to the
daily office, reminding me of the importance of using the
days of Lent for prayer and meditation.
It is my prayer that we may all use the necessary days of
Lent by putting ourselves in a right relationship with God.
We do this not by numbering our virtues, but by
acknowledging our imperfections and transgressions. Removing
these from our lives will free us to do the work we have
been called to do. This is the purpose of the necessary days
of Lent.
A Blessed and Holy Lent to you all.
Your Brother in Christ,
+Brian
Message from Bishop Brian Marsh
15 January 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is my sad duty to inform you that Canon Anthony Morello, Vicar General of the Diocese of the West,
died early today [Sunday, 13 January] from a heart attack. He died in Portland, Oregon, where he had gone on church business.
His wife, Carolyn, was with him when he died.
Canon Morello had served his diocese and parish church exceptionally well.
In recent years, his health was fragile. Nevertheless,
he worked tirelessly to resolve issues at St. Mary of the Angels and in the Diocese of the West.
Please keep Carolyn and the Morello family in your prayers.
A Requiem Mass will be held at All Saints Anglican Church in Fountain Valley, CA at 4:00 pm on January 23.
Rest eternal grant him, O Lord, and may light perpetual shine upon him.
Faithfully,
+Bryan
Clergy Recruiting Appointment
The Very Reverend Canon Anthony Morello announced the appointment of The Venerable Frederick W. Rivers as the Clergy
Recruiting and Development Officer. For information on forming a mission or parish, please contact Fr. Rivers at +1 602 881-6504 (cell) or +1 602 862-9099 (fax).
Diocesan Youth Council Appointment
The Very Reverend Canon Anthony Morello announced the appointment of The Reverend William "Bill" Stewart as Chairman of the Diocesan
Youth Council.