The
Bishop's Visitation
Thomas C. Ely, Episcopal Bishop of Vermont, visited St. Peter's Church on Sunday, November 23, 2008.
The Rt. Rev. Thomas C. Ely, Episcopal Bishop of Vermont, made his annual visit to St. Peter’s Church, 200 Pleasant St., Bennington, on Sunday, November 23, the Feast of Christ the King. Bishop Ely preched and presided at the 8 AM and 10 AM celebrations of the Holy Eucharis. He confirmed, received, and reaffirmed youth and adults into the Episcopal Church at the 10 AM service.
At the 10 o’clock liturgy, bagpiper John Sassatelli played the bagpipes as the choir, clergy, and confirmands entered the church. He also led the Gospel procession, as well as the procession at the conclusion of the service.
St. Peter’s Adult Choir will sang Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Old Hundredth Psalm Tune at the Offertory and the motet Ave verum corpus by William Byrd at Communion. Organist-Choirmaster Randall Krum will played Prélude to Te Deum laudamus by Marc-Antoinne Charpentier for the opening voluntary and the Gordon Young Paean as the closing voluntary.
The confirmation hymn, St. Patrick’s Breastplate, “I bind unto myself today,” was sung by the congregation during the solemn procession. The Feast of Christ the King which is observed on this Sunday, the last Sunday in the Church season of Pentecost, was celebrated in the singing of such hymns as The head that once was crowned with thorns and All hail the power of Jesus’ name.
The first Anglican (Episcopal) Bishop to be consecrated in the United States was Dr. Samuel Seabury of Connecticut who was consecrated bishop in 1784 at Aberdeen, Scotland, by bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church. In 1789 the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States confirmed Dr. Seabury’s position and he became presiding bishop. In 1989, Barbara Harris of the Diocese of Massachusetts was consecrated as the first woman bishop in the Anglican Communion, and in 1993 Mary Adelia McLeod became the ninth Bishop of Vermont, the first woman in the United States to head a diocese of the Episcopal Church.
Bishop Ely was consecrated as the tenth Bishop of Vermont in April of 2001 at Kreitzburg Arena, Norwich University, Northfield, VT. Prior to his consecration, Bishop Ely was missioner of the Greater Hartford Regional Ministry in Hartford, Connecticut, an association of five congregations. He also served as director of youth ministry for the Diocese of Connecticut.
