It was a joy on Sunday morning at St. Andrew's to have as special guests both the Rt. Rev. Betsey Hawley Monnot, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa (center), and the Rev. Jeanie Smith (left), deacon, of St. Timothy's, West Des Moines. At right is our rector, the Rev. Fred Steinbach.
Bishop Monnot is relatively new to the diocese, consecrated as bishop during December of 2021 and succeeding the retiring Rt. Rev. Alan Scarfe, bishop from 2003 through 2021.
One of Bishop Monnot's duties is to visit on a regular basis all of the more than 50 Episcopal parishes in Iowa --- a process that takes more than a year. This was her first visit to St. Andrew's.
As you can imagine, the bishop's Sunday schedule is usually full as what she identified as the "bishopmobile" takes her from one corner of the state to another --- Sioux City one Sunday, Keokuk the next, and so on.
She's been asking this year that a deacon accompany her on these visits in large part to focus on and expand understanding of the role of the vocational diaconate, a level of ordained clergy in the Episcopal Church that sometimes is not well understood.
Lunch followed Sunday's service, then a brief presentation. It was a great way to spend a substantial chunk of Sunday that left us all, I think, refreshed.
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