[Magdalen] We have a new bishop!

[Charles Wohlers]

Yesterday my dear wife & I attended the consecration of Shannon 
MacVean-Brown as the 11th bishop of Vermont, at the Ira Allen Chapel at 
UVM in Burlington. (Our cathedral wasn't big enough).

It was quite a service, although also quite long. A highlight was the 
presence of a gospel choir from (of all places) Plattsburgh State, just 
across the lake. It indeed was quite a big and joyous occasion.

You can watch it online at https://diovermont.org/ if you like. I 
haven't seen it, as, after all, I was there in person. Lee, who has 
watched much of it, says that being there in person was definitely 
better - she suspects that the Chapel wasn't really set up for 
recording, sound-wise. Anyway, she says that both she & I are visible at 
times in the audience. You can easily find Lee as she's the only clergy 
person with long grey hair. I am there sitting right in the middle of 
the row immediately in back of the clergy (in one of two rows reserved 
for clergy spouses). All priests were asked to wear cassock & surplice, 
which Lee wasn't all that happy with. She, of course, hadn't worn that 
get-up for a good number of years and, needless to say, the cassock 
didn't fit (a very common complaint among the clergy, apparently). But, 
they all managed, apparently, and the cassock & surplice makes it easy 
to pick out the clergy in the video.

Everything seemed to work out OK, although as I was walking from the car 
to the chapel I came upon our deacon on her cell phone. Seems she had 
forgotten her alb and she was supposed to be the Deacon of the Table. 
She was calling her daughter, who lives in Waterbury (~45 minutes away) 
to bring it. Maybe that's why the wanted us all there really early? In 
any event, she was wearing an alb when setting up the altar, so somehow 
it turned out OK.

Afterwards we hung around for awhile - I got to help Barbara Harris get 
undressed <g>. We were among the last to arrive at the reception, and we 
didn't get home until 6PM, after being out since 7:30 that morning.

Oh, and Lee got to join ~100 clergy (didn't know there were that many in 
Vermont!) for lunch with Michael Curry the day before, while I went to 
the Red Cross to give blood and then spend too much $$$ on jazz records 
at the local record store.

And, needless to say, we both had a long and very sound sleep last 
night.

-- 
Chad Wohlers
chadwohl at satucket.com
Woodbury, VT   USA