GOWANDA - St. Mary's Episcopal Church of Gowanda will host a first ever visit from new Bishop William Franklin on Sunday, Feb. 12, for a visitation and confirmation service.
Franklin has an abundant religious education. He received a doctorate in church history from Harvard, spent 19 years at St. John's University in College Minnesota, and five years at the General Theological Seminary in New York City. He was also dean of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University in New Haven Connecticut from 1998 to 2002.
Ordained in 2005, Franklin was the assistant director at the American Academy in Rome, an associate rector at St. Paul's, an academic fellow at the Anglican Center and a senior associate priest at St. Mark's in Philadelphia.
His vast wealth of knowledge and extensive travel history gives Franklin a fresh perspective for a progressive new religious age.
Franklin comes to St. Mary's to share his message of hope and community for a new age. Featured in the YouTube.com video "Stair Dance," Franklin is very actively involved with his parish and ministry by both up close and personal visitation and by use of Facebook and his own personal blog which can be seen at rwilliamfranklin.org.
St. Mary's, established in 1904, having recently completed post flood restoration, extends an invitation to the entire community to join the church in welcoming Franklin and his message of hope and community for a new age at 10 a.m. Feb. 12.
