(Photo Credits: Angela James Photography)
On the morning of Saturday February 14, 2026, we celebrated the Feast of Blessed Absalom Jones, first African American priest in the Episcopal Church.
The Bishop of Newark, the Rt. Rev. Carlye Hughes, preached. You can click below to watch a recording of the service.
We announced next steps in our commitment to reparations from slavery with the release of the report of the Moses Commission.
The Diocese of New York began its exploration of reparations twenty years ago. Diocesan convention approved a $1 million Reparations Fund in 2018. Now, repair is a Mission Priority for the whole Diocese. Our discernment over two decades has helped guide the response of the whole Episcopal Church.
On Juneteenth last summer, Bishop Matthew Heyd commissioned the Moses Commission to identify a focus on structural changes addressing systemic racism, inside and outside the Church. The $1 million fund has been delegated to their recommendations.
The Moses Commission’s report is prophetic and powerful, grounded in scripture and Christian tradition, and we are committed to implementing its recommendations together as a whole Diocese.
You can read the report here.
God’s call to us is the renewal of the Church for the healing of the world. Slavery and its abiding evil represent collective sin that require a shared commitment to repair. Renewal is only possible with repair; reparations offer us an opportunity to actively join in God’s healing of the world.
Through Lent, we will spotlight different aspects of the report including the background and recommendations. We’ll begin to work with the Moses Commission, governance bodies, and staff on implementation.
Thanks to Nell Braxton Gibson, Diane Pollard, the Rev. Richard Witt, and Cynthia Copeland for their leadership of our reparations ministries over two decades and to the Rev. Marisa Sifontes and to the Moses Commission for their work.
Convening Members of the Moses Commission:
The Rev. Marisa Sifontes, chair – St. James’ Church Madison Avenue
The Rev. Margarette Dimanche – Church of the Good Shepherd, Bronx
The Rev. Dr. Pierre Andre Duvert – St. Luke’s Church, Bronx
The Rev. Joo Young Hong – St. Mark’s in the Bowery, Manhattan
The Rev. Matthew H. Mead – Christ Church, Pelham Manor
Peter Olberg – St. Michael’s Church Manhattan
Diane Pollard – Church of the Heavenly Rest, Manhattan
The Rev. Heather Sisk – St. Paul’s Church, Pleasant Valley
Waddell Stillman – St. James’ Church Madison Avenue
The Rev. Canon Sam Owen, staff support
The Rev. Canon Dr. Stephanie Spellers, consulting support