St. Francis Episcopal Church hosts "Monk in Residence Br. James Dowd"

Monk in Residence Br. James Dowd to visit Scottsbluff
 
Scottsbluff, Nebraska – Brother James Michael Dowd, of the Order of the Holy Cross and Monk in Residence for the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska for two years, will be visiting the Panhandle next week for a series of prayer workshops. On Saturday, March 11, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., he will be at Saint Francis Episcopal Church in Scottsbluff to lead a workshop on Centering Prayer and Walking the Labyrinth.
 
Brother James’ ministry also focuses on discovering and building better ways to befriend the poor in our communities. From his base at Trinity Cathedral in Omaha, Brother James has been assisting in daily prayer life, and serving as Chaplain to the Downtown Episcopal Outreach community. He also regularly preaches at Trinity Cathedral, and makes himself available as a guest preacher to the larger diocese.
 
St. Francis’ Fr. Mark Selvey said, “I am delighted to welcome Br. James to Scottsbluff, and look forward to a great morning of learning about and practicing two styles of contemplative prayer.”
 
Bishop J. Scott Barker said, “Brother James … hopes to bring monastic spirituality into the world and to share what he has learned in his monastic life with the people and clergy of the diocese, as we, in turn, teach him what we have learned of the spiritual life in our parishes and beyond.”
 
Prior to entering the monastery, Br. James lived in New York City (where he is from originally) and where he worked as a director of more than 100 theater productions and numerous live events for television for more than 20 years. The Bishop Clarkson Foundation and the Cathedral Chapter are financing his two-year ministry. He began his Nebraska ministry on Sept. 1, 2016.