St. John's Episcopal Church of Canandaigua, NY

06/12/2026

From the Rector, 11 June 26

June, it seems, is a month of many important flags.

There is, of course, Flag Day on June 14th, which commemorates the adoption of the first official flag of America by the Continental Congress in 1777.

But aside from that, June is Pride Month and with it comes a bevy of flags proudly representing the various groups among our LGBTQIA+ siblings - from the classic Rainbow flag to the Progress Pride Flag, and everything in between.

There are also two flags we might see flying in honor of Juneteenth, the American holiday commemorating the freeing of the last slaves in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. One is the official Juneteenth flag, which is red, white, and blue with sort of concentric stars in the middle. The other is the more general Pan-African flag, featuring yellow, black, red, green. Both are symbols of liberation, recognizing how far we have come as a people with respect to equality for all, while also acknowledging that the work is far from completed.

In an ideal world, we might assume the first flag I mentioned should symbolize the guarantee that all those other flags may fly freely without rebuke. Perhaps better still, the first flag's representation of freedom would be so universally understood as to negate the need for those other flags because the people represented by them would not have to continue to fight to claim their human dignity. Alas, we do not live in an ideal world, and history has proven otherwise. I suppose we could say a similar thing about the cross - a symbol meant as a beacon of hope and love so often misused to convey just the opposite message.

Imperfect though our world is, celebrations like Pride Month or Juneteenth give me hope, because behind the flags, which are just pieces of fabric, are real stories of the resilience of love, the tireless pursuit of justice for all, and the advancement of the dignity of all persons (I feel like I have heard something similar before, like in a covenant perhaps). And it is heartening to witness people come together in constructive and positive ways to proclaim our shared humanity.

June, one might say, is a month devoted to honoring human dignity, a month adorned with colorful symbols of love. And, to riff off Bishop Curry’s famous quote: if it IS about love, then you can be absolutely certain it IS about God.

Happy Pride Month. Happy Juneteenth. Happy Flag Day. God bless.

Fr. Brian

03/17/2026

This Sunday, Laetare Sunday, we welcomed Fr. Brian Prall to our parish!

Laetare means "rejoice," signaling that we are halfway through Lent. A fitting word for our church family on this day, as well! 🙌

03/12/2026

Don't forget your best rose-colored glasses/sweaters/dresses/shoes!

Time again to dig out the rose vestments you last wore on Gaudete Sunday in Advent. This Sunday is Laetare Sunday.

03/11/2026

Wonderful News!!

We will be welcoming our new Rector, Rev. Brian Prall to St. John’s for his first service on Sunday, March 15, 2026.

The Vestry invites you to join us in welcoming our new rector during coffee hour following the service on Sunday!

02/17/2026

It's time for our annual Men's Pancake Supper!

TONIGHT, 17 February, from 6-7 p.m. 🥞

The men of the parish will be serving pancakes, sausage, juice, coffee, tea and fruit!

Join us in the dining room downstairs; please enter through the Gleaners door at the parking lot.

01/31/2026

News from across the pond, as posted by A Mighty Girl. You can find excellent resources at the end of the article!

Congratulations to Sarah Mullally on being confirmed as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury! In 1,429 years since St. Augustine established the role in 597 AD, no woman has led the Church of England. That changed today when Dame Sarah was confirmed as the 106th person to take up the post in a ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral, as bells rang out and bishops declared in unison: "We welcome you."

The moment was historic enough that Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin called it the Church's "Habemus Mamam" --- a play on the Catholic declaration "Habemus Papam" when a new Pope is elected. George Gross, an expert on theology and the monarchy at King’s College London, said her confirmation highlighted the church’s continuing divergence from the Catholic Church. “It is a big contrast,” he explained. “And in terms of the position of women in society, this is a big statement.”

In an interview, Mullally shared her gratitude for the "support of a whole range of people, including men, in my ministry." She also pledged to use her new platform to confront misogyny. "It is fair to say that I have, both in my secular role as well as in the Church, experienced misogyny at times," she said. Over the years, she has learned it must be spoken about "so that you bring it out into the open."

"I'm conscious that being in this role," she continued, "it's important for me to speak of it, because there are some that don't necessarily have the status or the power of this role, and feel more hesitant to do it. But certainly as a Church of England we have seen many changes over the years and I commit myself to making an environment where all people can flourish and which is safer for all."

A former cancer nurse who became England's chief nursing officer before entering the clergy, Mullally's path to this moment was unlikely. She served as Bishop of London for nearly a decade before being nominated by a 17-member commission and confirmed by King Charles III.

Her appointment has not been without controversy with many conservative Anglican leaders opposing her election. Archbishop Henry Ndukuba of the Church of Nigeria branded it "devastating" and "insensitive" to Anglicans "who are unable to embrace female headship in the episcopate."

Mullally's response was characteristically measured: "I have always understood that people may find my appointment as a woman difficult in the Church, and what I hope to do is to be able to provide a space where I can offer hospitality to people, where I can listen to what their concerns are."

Shortly after the ceremony, stonemasons began carving her name on the plaque at Canterbury Cathedral listing every archbishop back to St. Augustine. She will be formally installed there on March 25, after which her public ministry begins.

Mullally invoked an African proverb to describe her approach to the challenges ahead: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. My desire is to go far and together."

Kudos to Archbishop Mullally for her commitment to making the church a welcoming place for all!

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To introduce kids to inspiring female leaders from around the world, we recommend the picture book "She Persisted Around The World" for ages 5 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/she-persisted-around-the-world) and the illustrated biography "HerStory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook the World" for ages 8 to 13 (https://www.amightygirl.com/herstory)

For children's books about more extraordinary women from around the world, visit our blog post "50 Children's Books About Mighty Girls & Women Around The World" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=33102

For books about both real-life and fictional girls and women who confronted sexism and gender discrimination in a multitude of forms, visit our "S*x Discrimination" section at http://amgrl.co/1jdxKIy

01/29/2026

From the windows in our south transept.

May we, as the Samaritan, have compassion and not pass by hurting people. 🙏

01/25/2026

Amen 🙏