The opening of All Saints' new lodge and inn was officially recognized Nov. 3 with a festive dedication and reception that also brought "a bittersweet moment" when Bishop Ted Gulick, the Rev. Libby Wade and diocesan treasurer Don Kohler paid tribute to the diocese's canon, who had been called to serve a parish in Virginia. For the full story, read on.

The dedication came at the end of the bishop’s annual retreat, attended by more than 40. With the perfect weather, the number of guests at least doubled as people arrived to attend the dedication. No one could have been more delighted with the weekend or the day’s gospel reading than the bishop.

Reflecting on the reading, The Beatitudes, Gulick said they can be summarized in three words – “Be like Jesus.” They condemn “the rich, the full, the silly and the praise-addicted,” who, he said “are unconscious,” unready and unprepared to participate in the transformative, power-reversing work “that God wants to accomplish.”

The Saints, those who “look a lot like Jesus,” he said, “get the program” and “get on with it…  Like Martin Luther King and Desmond Tutu, they love their enemies. Like the first martyr, the bishop of Uganda, they bless their murderers; they transform a violence and vengeance-addicted culture by mercy and they defeat compulsive hoarding by self-emptying generosity. Like [Mother] Teresa of Calcutta, even in a 40-year dark night, they still do to others as a way of dignifying them as persons in God’s image.”

The bishop told those gathered that he sees All Saints’ as a place to raise up saints. “We raised $2 million to build a Saint factory, not for the good of the church, but for the sake of the world,” he said. “All Saints’ has one purpose consistent with its name. We build saints here who look like Jesus, who trust like Jesus, who serve like Jesus, who are infused with divine love and hope like Jesus.”

The celebration, however, was bittersweet for those saying goodbye to the Rev. Dr. Jay Magness, who had resigned as the diocese’s canon to the ordinary after four years to undertake a new ministry as interim rector of Galilee Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach, Va.   The service closed with tributes to his ministry by the bishop; the diocese’s treasurer, Don Kohler; and a member of the clergy, the Rev. Libby Wade.

Wade, who was on the search committee for the canon, said they identified many qualifications they wanted in the new canon. “Of course, we wanted a person of faith and prayer, and solidly grounded spiritually,” she said, but they also wanted an administrator, who was organized, detail oriented, “without fear when it came to using technology,” goal oriented but “sensitive to process.”  Besides having a commitment to Christ and God’s mission for the church, she said, “we were absolutely convinced that no matter what else a person might to bring this job… that person must be a J on the Meyers-Briggs personality scale. Given that, it’s probably not a mere coincidence that the person eventually called was really named Jay.”

Praising his service to the diocese, she said that he was “an able administrator and chief of staff, with a keen intellect, good sense of humor, skilled at shag dancing – whatever that is … indeed a person of prayer and deep faith.” In his time here, she noted he was essential in reorganizing and reenergizing the diocesan departments, developed a policy manual that is online, and established deaneries that have been important for connecting congregations in the western half of the diocese with each other and the diocesan office.

Speaking directly to him, she said, “Jay, you have been a friend, colleague and guide along the way, and it is terribly difficult to say goodbye to you.”

Kohler, who described “this is a bittersweet moment for me,” informed those present that Magness, a retired Navy captain, is a hero who was at the Pentagon on the Sept. 11, 2001 and assisted in the recovery efforts as well as someone who has had a “wonderful influence” on our diocese. “He has been the canon to the ordinary, but he is no ordinary canon,” Kohler stressed.

After reiterating Magness’s specific contributions, Kohler said that he “epitomizes the saying that it is more blessed to give than to receive” as well as demonstrates the meaning of several adjectives: “kind, courteous, thoughtful, generous, loving, dedicated, selfless, humble, effective, efficient, scholarly, gentle, gentlemanly, loyal, considerate, special…. And human.”

The final tribute came from Bishop Gulick, who said that the bishop who ordained Magness a priest prayed to make him a faithful pastor, a patient teacher and a wise counselor, all of which Magness has been in our diocese. “He has spent literally hours crossing the diocese, visiting the vestries and search committees…. He has taught the basics of canon law, diocesan policies…. He has kept me on track. He has given careful advice to me and to every priest and deacon in this diocese, all the while he has modeled the devotion of Christ. He is trusted by every priest and deacon in this diocese without exception. He is a person who is secure in faith, stretched by differences, and has seemed to be so secure in those Anglican parts of our common life, sacred scripture, sacraments…. Galilee is so very, very fortunate and so blessed.”  

Click here or on the above photos to view more photos taken by Donald Vish