And now we ask you to likewise bless these corporals, these linens, that they may be fitting for your service, that they may bear and be a resting place for the bread and wine, the body and blood of your Son, our savior, Jesus, that your people, being fed by Him, may go forth into the world to bless this world. In Jesus\u2019 name. Amen<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Presiding Bishop Michael Curry spoke to the National Altar Guild Association at Triennial, July 9, 2018, 9:15 am<\/p><\/div>\n Well, thank you all, and it\u2019s good to be here. I have to tell you, the altar guilds have always been dear to me. I may be the Presiding Bishop, but I\u2019m still a parish priest. I\u2019ll be a parish priest till the day I die. In my very first parish, Miss Olivette Vine was the head of the altar guild, and I learned more from Olivette about being a parish priest in a real church, than I frankly did in three years of field education and seminary. She was a retired public school teacher at that time. She\u2019s gone on to Glory now, but I will always have fond memories of her.<\/p>\n Even growing up, the altar guild was part of my life. I remember, I was five years old, and I was the littlest acolyte. At the time, for whatever reason, they didn\u2019t make small cassocks, they just didn\u2019t make them that small. So I remember it was Miss Ruth Miller in our church altar guild who made my cassock, and I remember standing up on her dining room table and she was doing measurements. So it was the work of the altar guild that got me started! I mean, I\u2019m serious when I say my memories of altar guilds really go way back deep, in deep memory, as they say.<\/p>\n I can tell you that I\u2019ve seen the work of altar guilds in wondrous ways. I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s anybody here from the Episcopal Church in South Carolina, but I remember several years ago when several bishops in the Fourth Province, we went to be with the folk there -\u2014 it\u2019s probably about five or six years ago now \u2014 to just be with the folk there. Members of the various altar guilds around the Episcopal Church that had remained faithful to the Episcopal Church, they came and told their stories. And I remember listening to stories of, usually women, but not exclusively, but mostly women, many of whom were up in age. I say that carefully.<\/p>\n I never thought I would be moved to tears until I heard some of their stories of having lost their churches and having lost sacristies and having lost all the sacred vessels, having lost vestments \u2014 and to hear these women tell the stories about how they took silverware from their homes, and goblets from their homes and vessels, and recreated the church so that people could have Holy Eucharist. To hear them tell those stories of how they did it and set up altars in funeral homes, churches, in gymnasiums, and in libraries, how people would bring things from home so that church would look like church. Because Episcopalians like it decently and in order, and they made it that way. I said, \u201cThat\u2019s what altar guilds are, wherever we happen to be. That\u2019s mission altar guild.\u201d It literally brought us to tears, the bishops that were there, the bishops of the Fourth Province \u2014 especially when members of the altar guild there decided to do a rap, that really brought us all to tears. And I said, \u201cThese altar guilds have spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/nationalaltarguildassociation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/CurryNAGAgroup.jpg\")
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