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While we're at it (it seems to be "announcements" day):

The Anglican Communion Institute
Annual Conference Theme:

Anglicanism: A New Season

January 11 - 14, 2006

San Antonio, Texas
Radisson Hotel Downtown Market Square
502 W.Durango Blvd.

Speakers will include:

The Most Rev. Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Archbishop of Kaduna Province and Bishop of
Kaduna, The Anglican Church of Nigeria.
The Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner, Rector, Ascension Church, Pueblo, Colorado. Topic --
" Two Providences: Democracy and the Church In Her Midst"
The Rev. Dr. Christopher R. Seitz, Professor of the Old Testament and Theology
Studies University of Saint Andrews, Scotland
The Rev. Dr. George Sumner, Principal and Helliwell Professor of World Mission,
Wycliffe College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Very Rev. Dr. Philip W. Turner III, Interim Dean, Episcopal Theological
Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, Texas. Topic -- "The Narrow Gate and the Hard
Road that Lead to Unity: The Demise of ECUSA and the Birth of Ecumenism"

For further information about our distinguished speakers, click here.

Panel Discussions will include:

“ Where We Have Been as an Anglican Communion”
“Where We Are Headed as the Anglican Communion”

Registration fees and special hotel rates to be announced.

Since it seems to be "announcements day", please allow me...

In case you haven't noticed...this Sept 11th, the 4th anniversary of 9/11 falls on a Sunday. Well, Mark Sisk, Bishop of the NY Diocese, the epicenter of the events of 9/11, has noticed, and he's out with special prayers and other goodies for the day..

Go here for the link.

Your attention is especially directed to the "Prayers of the People" including this tidbit....

"For our enemies, and those who wish us harm, especially those who are led to acts of terror; that in the aftermath of the destruction in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington on September 11th, 2001 we may grow ever more deeply in your spirit of justice and peace, we pray to you, O Lord:"

"Where there is injury, let us sow pardon."

Let's see just what's wrong with this picture, shall we:

1. I'm not going to climb on board with all the "Christian spirit of praying for our enemies." Did our parents and grandparents pray for those trying the hardest to kill us, the German and Japanese military during WW II? I don't think so. Rather they prayed for VICTORY!

2. Notice the disconnect..Those "who are led to acts of terror" are led there by Islam..the religion of peace, right? We're told by Bishop Sisk that all beliefs, religions, are equivalent, right?..

3. But what really, REALLY REALLY pisses me off something fierce..enough that I am going to, on that Sunday, LOUDLY offer my own prayers to the congregation, is that nowhere, NOWHERE, in any of these pages, replete with prayers for our enemies, does Bishop Sisk think it worthy to offer any of the following....

a prayer for the safety of our troops now engaged in the War on Terror

a prayer of comfort for their families and loved ones

a prayer for our honored fallen and wounded troops, who gave their utmost, life and limb, protecting our freedoms, especially the right to come together and worship in peace as we choose

a prayer of comfort for the familes of our honored dead.

No, he doesn't think that's important enough. I guess it's OK to go on endlessly about the number of Americans killed or wounded in Iraq, but not to pray for them on the anniversay of 9/11.