This morning after breakfast we drove to the Haverford station and then took the commuter train into Philadelphia. We got off at East Market and made our way to Church House, the offices of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. Most of our group took cabs, but four of us walked to the corner of 4th and Locust where the Church House is located. That probably doesn't tell you a whole lot until I tell you that we walked past Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Yes, we were in the heart of historic Philadelphia.
We spent the morning at Church House learning about new resources from Church Publishing and then had lunch. After lunch Henry Carnes, the formation and education person for the diocese (his job description, as with many of ours, seems to be a moving target) arranged for us to tour the Bishop White house. The house isn't open on Tuesdays, but he arranged for a private tour, which was led not by a regular National Park Service guide but by the curator of the historic homes in the National Park Service District. It made for a much richer tour than we might otherwise have had.
Bishop White was the second bishop consecrated for the Episcopal Church, after Samuel Seabury of Connecticut. However, White was the first bishop consecrated by English bishops after an act of Parliament allowed him to be consecrated without swearing an oath of allegiance to the king of England. Bishop Seabury was always a little leery of his own consecration, which took place in Scotland at the hands of non-juror bishops (those who hadn't sworn allegiance to the English crown). Bishop White was also the first Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church while also serving as the Bishop of Pennsylvania AND as the rector of Christ Church Philadelphia.
Which is where we visited next. Founded in 1695, the current building, only the second on the site, was completed in the 1750's. We learned about the history of the church and more about Bishop White. We also learned about the renovations taking place at their 1911 Neighborhood Hall building--the first since the building had been built. Once the renovations are completed, it will once again serve as a vital resource to the community at large.
We stopped at the Bleu Martini for a drink before dinner at the City Tavern. The Bleu Martini wasn't historic, but it was fun. The City Tavern is historic, and the food was pretty good.
We were back to the St. Raphaela Center by 9:00 this evening. We did a lot of walking, and the weather was perfect for it.
Tomorrow we have a couple of workshops and our annual meeting. There are also other things on the agenda, but I'll be leaving for my brother's around 4:00 or so in the afternoon.
Peace,
Jeff
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