Date: August 2, 2021
In Holy Women, Holy Men (Church Publishing, 2010), today is noted as the commemoration of Samuel Ferguson, who was consecrated as the fourth bishop of Liberia in 1885, becoming the first Black member of the Episcopal House of Bishops. Among his many accomplishments, he is remembered as the founder of Cuttington College (now University) in 1889.
As I bid adieu to this community and step into a new season of life and ministry (a dear friend once described retirement as a time of open horizons), it seems meet and right that I pen this message to you on this day of commemoration of Bishop Ferguson. In my thirty years of ministry, I have learned over and over again two important lessons: First, we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, lay and ordained, many who are saints. And secondly, we are all interims, holding something precious and bridging from one steward to the next. Bishop Ferguson was 137th in succession in the American church; I am 1002! My ministry, however blessed and imperfect, is in some measure shaped by him and so many others. It has also been shaped by you. We are all interconnected; we are all called into communion and into union. And that is simply beautiful.
And so, as I pass the stewardship of the chapel to Dr. Strout, it is within that spirit of community and communion. Before long, I will return to California. Nevertheless, we will be bound together—in love, in mission, and forever in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Agape and pax,
The Rt. Rev. James Mathes ’91
Associate Dean of Chapel