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ECCT offers the following frameworks and resources in the hopes that they are conversation partners with you as you finalize if/how your Parish or Worshipping Community engages with the observation of the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of the Independence. There is no singular approach to this observation.

Scripture
The Propers of the Day for Sunday, July 5th are Proper 9, Ordinary Time, Year A. The Propers of the Day provide some excellent opportunities for exploring what it means to be a follower of Jesus today. We suggest you might add the Collect for the Nation (BCP pg. 258), Collect For Peace (BCP pg. 258), or Thanksgivings for National Life, For the Nation (BCP pg. 838).

Hymns
The Hymnal 1982 has some excellent choices for marking this moment. Some suggestions include In Christ there is no East or West (#529) and America the Beautiful (#719).

There are also strong choices beyond Hymnal 1982. One we might suggest is Finlandia. Our invitation to you, regardless of what hymns you pick is to spend time prayerfully with the hymns exploring how they proclaim the gospel message of love. How do they further our mission of growing in faith, living in hope, and serving in love? If you reproduce the hymn for a service leaflet please make sure you have copyright permission.

Prayers
There are a number of excellent resources for prayers, both within the Book of Common Prayer and beyond. We encourage you to look for resources that will incorporate the voices of marginalized communities today and ones which speak to our calling to be followers of Jesus.

We commend to you this litany written by the Reverend Thomas Blake, Rector of Trinity Church, Branford.

Using historical prayer books
If you choose to offer a liturgy out of one of the historical prayer books of The Episcopal Church, please be in touch with the Bishop Suffragan’s Office to be in conversation. Some questions we are asking you to explore include: What teaching are you offering around the liturgy, including acknowledgement that only White male clergy were leading the services? What spaces are you giving for everyone to reflect on how the liturgy speaks to the community gathered in the 1700s and how it does or does not speak to our communities today?

Readings in addition to those from scripture
There are several resources that people are exploring from some of the marginalized voices of our country. If you would like to include one in the liturgy of the day, please reach out to the Bishop Suffragan’s Office for conversation and idea sharing about how it could be incorporated. If you would like to offer such a reading during a coffee hour or forum after church with a discussion, we commend your exploration of those topics.

Faith, Hope & Love: 2026 Clergy Conference
Updates & Resources Shared

Dear clergy colleague,

It was really wonderful to see so many of you at this year’s Clergy Conference: Faith, Hope, & Love, at The Heritage Hotel and Conference Center in Southbury, CT. This was a chance to engage in some deep listening, good learning, and great fun, and for those unable to attend you were missed. Whether you were able to attend or not, we didn’t want you to miss out on the important updates and resources shared.

Below is a summary of the topics covered during Bishops’ Time. We encourage you to reach out to a clergy colleague who attended the Conference to learn more about these topics, and about the Clergy Conference as a whole.

As a reminder, if you were unable to attend this year’s Clergy Conference, in part or in whole, and have not already done so, please complete the “Permission to be Excused” form.

As always, please reach out if there’s anything we can do to support your ministry.

BISHOPS’ TIME TOPICS

• “Deacons’ Masses” & Lay Distribution of the Eucharist
• Legal support for civil disobedience
• CPG Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Clergy Directory—watch your email for instructions & login information coming soon!
• Colleague Groups & Clericus—updates and encouragement 
• Christ Church Cathedral Dean Search
• Title IV Update
• Liturgy for Celebrations of New Ministry
• Future ideas about location for offices of The Commons Staff
• Sabbatical Planning—contact Bishop Laura to get started.
• 2026 Holy Land Pilgrimage—Sharings from Bishop Jeff.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Bishop Jeff’s Sermon
• A litany for Independence Day by the Rev. Thomas Blake
• Spiritual Advisor Resources
• 2026–2028 ECCT Calendar
• 100 reasons to call the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Middletown PrideFEST is the State of Connecticut’s largest pride event, on Saturday, June 6, 2026 and ECCT will be partnering with Holy Trinity, Middletown, and parishes from across the state to participate.

Before the Parade

• 11:30 AM — Gather at Holy Trinity, Middletown (381 Main St., Middletown).
• 12 PM — Depart the church together to lineup for the parade on Pease Street.
• 1 PM — Parade begins and makes its way down Main Street ending at the intersection of Main Street and Union Street. The parade route is about ¾ of a mile long

Notes about the day:

• Many streets will be closed. Get more info about closures here.
• Allow plenty of time to park and make your way to the church. Find parking here.
• The church will be open for folks to use the bathroom.
• If you prefer, you can watch and celebrate the parade at Holy Trinity, Middletown (it’s on the route).
• Check out the full schedule of events for PrideFEST online.
• Don’t forget to wear your ECCT swag! (Looking specifically for ECCT Pride items? Check out our special ECCT Pride Shop—featuring only ECCT Pride branded merch.)

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ECCT at Pride across Connecticut

ECCT parishes will be marching and celebrating at Pride events across Connecticut this June. Check out all the events submitted so far, and add your own today!

Looking for Pride swag to give away at your event? ECCT has stickers and bracelets available for parishes to pass out at your Pride Events. Contact the Office of Advocacy, Racial Justice & Reconciliation to arrange pickup.

Borrow a banner! ECCT now has a parade banner available to checkout as well. Contact the Office of Advocacy, Racial Justice & Reconcilation to check availablity and signup.

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PRIDE RESOURCES AVAILABLE ONLINE

ECCT has gathered a variety of resources to help individuals & congregations plan for and celebrate Pride month on our Advocacy, Racial Justice & Reconciliation page and our Liturgy & Music page. Find liturgical resources such as Pride Sunday Collects and Prayers of the People for Pride, and other resources including Inclusive Language Do’s and Don’ts.

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ECCT PRIDE MERCH NOW AVAILABLE

The ECCT Shop has expanded to include ECCT Pride items just in time for Pride month. From mugs to scarves, from t-shirts to hats—you’ll find something for everyone on ECCT’s online shop! We have a variety of items including toddler and children’s shirts, adult shirts and hoodies in a variety of sizes and styles.

June 1, 2026

As you heard at Clergy Conference, we’re happy to announce that ECCT’s Clergy Directory officially launches this week!

ECCT’s Clergy Directory is an online, password-protected webpage which will allow every canonically-resident or licensed clergyperson in ECCT to update their information online as well as decide how much of their information is shared with other clergy. We have worked to make the Clergy Directory as secure as possible by including verified emails/username and passwords to enter the site.

You will receive an email in the next 24–48 hours from ecctcommunications@episcopalct.org with the subject line, “ECCT Clergy Page: Registration Approved.” This email will instruct you on setting up your password for the first time and logging in. Rest assured, this email is safe, and you may feel confident clicking the link included to setup your password on ECCT’s website.

UPDATING YOUR PROFILE

When you login for the first time you will notice that your profile has been set to share only your name and, if you are currently settled in a parish or worshipping community, the name of that community and your role in it. All other information, including your address, phone number, email, etc., is included and accurate to the best of our knowledge, but not yet shared. In order to share this additional information, check the appropriate boxes under “I consent to having the following information shared with other clergy on ECCT’s online Clergy Directory.” as pictured below.

VIEWING THE CLERGY DIRECTORY

Once you have submitted any updates to your profile, you will arrive at the “Member Info” page. We will be updating this page regularly to share information and links with clergy across ECCT to help you stay informed and connected.

To access the Clergy Directory, click the box labled “Clergy Directory.” You will be taken directly to the listing page. From here you can search for colleagues utilizing the search bar or by clicking on a letter of the alphabet at the top. You can also scroll through the directory, it will automatically update as you scroll.

To see more information about a colleaque, simply click on the “View Profile” button in any clergyperson’s info window.

LOGGING INTO CLERGY PAGES

Once you have created your password and updated your profile for the first time, you can now login to ECCT’s Clergy Pages directly from the link in the footer of ECCT’s website labled “Clergy Login” or by visiting the Clergy Resources page and clicking on the “Clergy Login” button.

If you forget your password, simply click the “Forgot your password?” link on the login page to reset it.

If you have any other questions or concerns about the Clergy Directory, or need assistance setting up your account, please contact The Commons at 203-639-3501 or via email at ecctcommunications@episcopalct.org.