As I look forward to my visit to St. James' on October 18, I am all but overcome by a cascade of memory. It's been thirty-four autumns since my installation as 14th Rector of the parish, but—as sometimes occurs in the aging—the remembrances of that distant day are fresh for me. St. James' was my first parish. I had spent my time since ordination in 1961 hiding out in academies of one kind or another. Now here I was, kneeling before the Bishop of New York, in the midst of the congregation, praying that God would be "...always with me in carrying out the duties of my ministry." The emblems of that work were presented to me by members of the congregation—a Prayer Book and a Bible, bread and wine, the keys to the church. At the end, the Mayor of New York, Ed Koch, presented me with a map of the city and charged me to "be among us as a man of the city." (Ed would later claim that he made me the Rector.) It was all very moving, and the beginning of nearly fifteen years of stimulating, challenging, deeply rewarding days of sharing in the works of ministry in this great parish church.
I anticipate with joy the prospect of revisiting that time and of connecting to the current parish family as part of the year long celebration of St. James' 200th birthday.
+Hays Rockwell
Bishop of Missouri, retired
Bishop Rockwell will be the next Bicentennial Guest Preacher at St. James' on Sunday, October 18. He will preach at both the 9:10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services and speak at the adult education forum at 10:30: "From Rookie to Rector: Reflections on Fifteen Years at St. James’."
