The Rt. Rev. Scott Mayer, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas and the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, has suspended in-person worship services on March 22 and March 29 for churches in both dioceses. Mayer sent a letter to clergy on March 14 advises them of his decision. In Abilene, the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest and
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Editor’s Note: Terry Browder, founder of Sayles Ranch Guesthouses, posted the following reflection on Facebook in response to reactions to the coronavirus pandemic. It is reprinted here with permission. By TERRY BROWDER We are experiencing some scary and uncertain times with this COVID-19 pandemic. We fear the unknown. As I traversed the aisles of our local H.E.B. grocery store to
Read moreBy JIM NICHOLS Like many others, I have constructed a list of one-liners over the years. These are phrases or paragraphs that have spoken truths clearly and, often, in unexpected ways. I frequently have these on separate small pieces of paper and they have no particular relationship to one another except that, for some reason, they spoke to me at
Read moreIDLE AMERICAN Commentary by Dr. Don Newbury There was “people-watching” at its best recently when Texans gathered at polling places to exercise their voting preferences in primary elections. Yep, it was a foretaste of the “Big One” in November. They showed up in attire ranging from the serious sloppy to “after five,” with a few of the latter adorned as
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON Open any social media page, and you see a myriad of political jibes. The Democrats criticize the Republicans, and the Republicans criticize the Democrats. You read the articles and recognize how selfish people are being, just thinking about what they want. In too many cases, reactions have become hateful and sometimes violent. We tell ourselves the world
Read moreEditor’s Note: The following prayer was issued March 10 from the Vatican by Jean-Luc Moens, Moderator of CHARIS, an organization at the service for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. It was shared by Dee Halbert, a member of Holy Family Catholic Church in Abilene. Moens noted that in many parts of the world, religious observances have been cancelled due to the
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Editor’s Note: March is Women’s History Month. Nancy Patrick writes about a woman she met when helping her son move to Virginia to begin a position as pastor of a historic church. Send stories or suggestions for stories about women to feature during Women’s History Month to editor@spiritofabilene.com By NANCY PATRICK My son’s position as a pastor in a historic
Read moreHardin-Simmons and Abilene Christian universities announded March 12 that spring break has been extended due to the threat of the coronavirus. Both universities were set to resume classes on Monday, March 16, but have extended the days off. Following are announcements from both universities: HARDIN-SIMMONS UNIVERSITY A plan has been formulated for Hardin-Simmons University that would allow us to protect
Read moreRobert Pace, a former McMurry University history professor, and an Episcopal priest, has been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Pace is rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Fort Worth. His is the first case of COVID-19 diagnosed in Tarrant County. Pace previously was rector of St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Amarillo before accepting the position in Fort Worth in December. Pace
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