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The last session of Bible Class this spring will be held on Wednesday, May 22, at 10 am. We will resume in the Fall and continue our study of the Book of Acts. See you in September after a rejuvenating summer!
Greetings!
Active clergy currently serving in a ministry in the historic dioceses of Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, and Milwaukee are invited to participate in a hiking/walking retreat co-sponsored by the dioceses and Living Compass.
Facilitators, schedule & activities:
Rev. Scott Stoner of Living Compass and Rev. Gary Manning of Trinity Wauwatosa will co-facilitate the retreat on the theme of Contemplative Practices and Wellbeing, with a special focus on walking meditation as a contemplative practice.
The retreat will begin with lunch on Tuesday, July 16 and end with lunch on Thursday, July 18. It will take place at Cedar Valley, a retreat center located outside West Bend, Wisconsin. Participants will spend time in fellowship, prayer, and walking in the great outdoors. Weather permitting, we will plan a longer hike (up to five miles) for Wednesday. Participants can walk less if they choose, or skip the hike and have quiet time. Please bring good shoes for walking/hiking. Walking or running shoes will work fine, but feel free to bring hiking shoes if you have them.
We will have time for participants to share any experiences they have with contemplative practices and how those practices contribute to their spiritual, emotional, physical, vocational, and relational wellbeing. There are no expectations that anyone has to share, but we want to create the space to learn from and be inspired by each other. While some of the practices we do together may be offered in your own ministry context—this is first and foremost a renewal time for clergy, and not a “training” or continuing ed experience.
Registration details:
A maximum of 10 registrants may participate in this retreat.
The fee is $50 per participant to be paid by mailing a check to the Diocese of Milwaukee (804 E. Juneau Avenue, Milwaukee WI 53202). If this fee is a hardship, please reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to request a scholarship. All rooms are single occupancy with private baths and all meals are included.
If you have questions about the retreat, reach out to Scott Leannah at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Gary Manning at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or Scott Stoner at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Registration will be on a first-come-first-serve basis and will close on May 31 or before if the maximum number of participants is reached.
To register, please fill out this form.
July seminar series at St. Peter’s, Sheboygan Falls
In the spiritual life, it’s good to have companions who can show us the way and encourage us on the journey. Come to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, in Sheboygan Falls, WI, for three Wednesday evening seminars. Each session will introduce you to one of the 20th century’s best guides in the life of prayer, and one of their books which serves as an entry into their teaching.
- July 10th, Evelyn Underhill and Practical Mysticism
- July 17th, Thomas Merton and New Seeds of Contemplation
- July 24th, Ruth Burrows and Essence of Prayer
Where: St. Peter’s is located at 104 Elm Street, Sheboygan Falls, WI
The Presenter: Fr. Chris Arnold
The Schedule: Wednesday evenings in July, with Holy Eucharist at 5:30pm, dinner at 6:00pm, and the seminar from 6:30-8:00pm. You can attend any or all of the sessions, and you can join us just for the seminar if you prefer!
Who can come?: All are welcome to attend. There is no cost, although St. Peter’s will gladly accept a free-will offering to offset the cost of dinner.
If I have questions: Please contact Father Paul Coey at the St. Peter’s church office This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit https://pilgrimsteps.org/companions/
BY ENS STAFF
Leaders from the dioceses of Milwaukee, Fond du Lac and Eau Claire gather May 4 in Baraboo to
approve a reunion agreement that will go before the 81st General Convention for final approval in June.
[Episcopal News Service] The dioceses of Milwaukee, Fond du Lac and Eau Claire voted on May 4 to finalize a merger that would re-establish the historic Diocese of Wisconsin, which dates to 1847, a year before Wisconsin became a state.
A merger agreement under the canonical process of reunion was overwhelmingly approved by the clergy and lay orders of the three dioceses and now heads to the 81st General Convention for final approval.
This is the second diocesan merger that bishops and deputies will be asked to affirm at the June 23-28 General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. In March, the dioceses of Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan voted to combine through a similar process known as juncture, building on a cross-diocesan partnership over four years involving ministry collaboration and some shared leadership.
Wisconsin’s three Episcopal dioceses roughly divide the state into thirds.
The three Wisconsin dioceses endorsed their Joint Agreement of Union at a special joint convention held at the Ho-Chunk Gaming casino in Baraboo. The agreement received nearly unanimous support from the clergy and lay orders of the dioceses Milwaukee and Eau Claire. The Diocese of Fond du Lac’s votes were somewhat closer but still largely supportive, with 76% of the laity and 88% of clergy in favor.
If approved by General Convention, the reunited Diocese of Wisconsin will include 101 congregations and more than 11,500 baptized members. It would be led by the Rt. Rev. Matthew Gunter, who currently serves as bishop of Fond du Lac and bishop provisional of Eau Claire, while also serving as assisting bishop in the Diocese of Milwaukee during its leadership transition.
The Diocese of Fond du Lac was established in 1875 in response to population growth in northeastern Wisconsin, and the remaining diocese changed its name to the Diocese of Milwaukee in 1886. Then, as more people moved into the northwest part of the state, the Diocese of Eau Claire was carved from parts of the other two dioceses in 1928.
In today’s Wisconsin, a state of about 6 million residents, church membership has steadily declined in all three of its Episcopal dioceses – down overall by a third in the past decade. The Diocese of Eau Claire, in the northwest third of the state, and the Diocese of Fond du Lac, in northeast Wisconsin, are two of The Episcopal Church’s smallest dioceses. The larger Diocese of Milwaukee spans the southern third of the state and includes six of the state’s 10 largest cities.
Leadership transitions in Milwaukee and Eau Claire were a key factor in opening the door to reunion. The Rt. Rev. William Jay Lambert retired in November 2020 as Eau Claire’s part-time bishop, followed a month later by Milwaukee Bishop Steven Miller. Eau Claire elected Gunter to begin serving as its provisional bishop in January 2021. Milwaukee welcomed retired Chicago Bishop Jeffrey Lee as its provisional bishop in April 2021, and he served until July 2023, after which the diocese’s standing committee became the ecclesiastical authority.
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