Noel Lyn Smith reports for the Farmington [New Mexico] Daily Times:
As the scent of burning cedar filled Hozho Chapel, members and friends of the Episcopal Church in Navajoland gathered on Wednesday to welcome the space’s reopening.
The chapel is located inside an old hospital built by the church in 1922. It served as one of the first hospitals for the area.
… The Rt. Rev. David Bailey said after the renovation is done, the building will serve as a healing center for Navajo women and children.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to have you all join us for this new beginning of new life in this place,” Bailey said during the chapel dedication.
Inside the chapel is a stained-glass window that depicts a shepherd surrounded by sheep. A small plaque states the window is in memory of the Rt. Rev. William D. Walker, who was the Episcopal Church’s first missionary bishop for the Missionary District of North Dakota.
“I can’t tell you how moved I am,” said Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, who joined the service at the beginning of a five-day visit.
Read the rest. Biretta tip: Cara Modisett of Episcopal Café.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
