Unsung heroes, are, by definition, not widely known. The Saturday Collection this week focuses on three formerly unsung, or little sung heroes, who are getting the attention they deserve.
First, in Richmond, Va.:
Despite its history as a monastery, the Community of Richmond Hill doesn’t sit cloistered behind its brick walls.
From its perch atop Church Hill, it is an integral part of the city, working towards healing, racial reconciliation and spiritual development.
In a city known for segregation, Richmond Hill may be the most likely place to find Christians and Jews, Muslims and Hindus, blacks and whites, rich and poor all working together with the common goal of facilitating positive change and leveling the playing field for all.
The Rev. Benjamin Campbell has been the driving force there for more than two decades. He leads a staff of 20 employees and hundreds of volunteers.
Then in Coral Gables, Fla.;
After 23 years at the helm of the church and the church’s day school, [Roger] Tobin said he is ready to start a new chapter — focusing on counseling and catching up on some reading.
“It is time to do something different,” said Tobin, 58, who will give his last sermon as the church’s rector on Jan. 10.
“It’s been a great ride.”
And finally, in Newburyport, Mass.:
In nominating Marilyn Diehl for the Nancy E. Peace Action Against Prejudice Award, the Rev. Marya DeCarlen of St. James Episcopal Church in Groveland spoke of her courage to reject others’ discriminating ideals.
“I am nominating Marilyn because her life has been filled with vignettes of courage: small actions that have produced big change over time,” DeCarlen wrote in her nomination letter to the YWCA. DeCarlen’s letter goes on to highlight instances in Diehl’s life when she was faced with intolerance and stood up against it.
Meanwhile, Episcopalians are involved in works of mercy in Nashville, Wheeling, West Virginia and Canandaigua, NY