Matthew Shepard was laid to rest today at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. His ashes were interred in the crypt, twenty years after his death. He is the first of a national figure since Hellen Keller in 1968 to be buried there.
I have never been more proud of my church for their willingness to embrace the outsider and marginalized. Mr. Shepard was one of that rare breed, a cradle Episcopalian. He served as an acolyte in his home church, and where he found warmth and welcome. The service was lead by V. Eugene Robinson, our first openly gay bishop. I have to admit Bishop Robinson’s consecration was not met with universal approval (our own rector pitched a most un-Christian fit) but we’ve come a long way, and maybe starting at the top was better than trying to sneak up on this business.
The parish The Squire and I attend refers to itself as “A bridge to the future, anchored in the past”. That might be a good motto for the Episcopal church in general.
thisendoftheswamp 
Amen.