ANTICIPATION AND ADVENTUS
Join us three Thursdays in Epiphanytide as we consider
BISHOPS: WHO ARE THEY AND WHAT DO THEY DO?“Bishop Bill’s Buffalo Bishops”
As our diocese approaches the date of the election of our ninth bishop, Lunch & Learn continues to consider the episcopate in the context of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
In October we looked at the ministry of bishops in the wider Anglican Communion from the Tudor period to the present day. In January we focus on three model bishops active in the 19th, 20th, and early 21st centuries. 
Bishop R. W. Franklin, Assisting Bishop of Long Island, will lead our discussion. We will meet via Zoom from 12 Noon to 1 pm on the Following Thursdays: January 8: The Right Reverend John Henry Hobart, third Bishop of New York (1816–1830). January 22: The Right Reverend Charles Henry Brent, Missionary Bishop of the Philippine Islands; Chaplain General of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I; and Bishop of the Episcopal Church's Diocese of Western New York January 29: The Right Reverend Michael Curry the 27th presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church Given the focus in our diocesan life on preparing for the election of a new bishop, we are offering a series of three courses on bishops in the Anglican tradition.
The first course (October) will take the long view, starting with the English Reformation and continuing to the present. The second course in the series (January) will narrow its focus to three bishops in the Episcopal Church. The third will come closer and consider three recent Long Island bishops who illustrate different models of episcopacy. Our November series will consider the Dead Sea Scrolls an amalgam of ancient biblical and apocryphal texts discovered in the mid-twentieth century. In December, as we begin a new church year in the season of Advent, we’ll open the Gospel of Matthew. 
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In the Late Roman Empire, the visit of the Emperor to a city required preparation and celebration. The Latin word used to describe this event and the festivities associated with it was “adventus” – arrival. As the Church Year became formalized, the church adopted this term as a reference to the time of preparation before the feast of the Incarnation; in English, “advent.” The Season of Advent implies anticipation, waiting, preparing.
At Mercer, things begin to slow down a bit around Thanksgiving. But with no break between the first and second academic semesters, we move quickly into Epiphanytide following Christmas. Online Lunch & Learn continues into the new year with a variety of new offerings. The list of topics and dates through June 206 is elsewhere on this page. Continue to monitor the website for further developments. Change is in the air in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island! Self-Study Course in Episcopal Church Law Polity and Canon Law Update As we revise the Episcopal Church Law course to incorporate changes in our polity and canon law made at the Episcopal Church’s General Conventions in 2022 and 2024, we offer video recordings of our October 2024 lunchtime sessions covering the most significant of these changes. To access the videos, follow this dropdown sequence: EPISCOPAL CHURCH LAW COURSE => LUNCH AND LEARN CANON LAW. No registration or password is required. More information about our School for Ministry program, please click here and reach out to
Director of Academic Programs - Canon Ted Gerbracht [email protected]. 
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Education for Ministry, join us for an enlightening in-person workshop and gathering on Saturday, October 25, 2025, from 11:00am to 2:30pm.
Mercer Library Hours |
Spring 2026 Catalog
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