Bishop speaks on spirituality of money at St. Andrew's

Saturday, October 2, 2010

GREENCASTLE -- In a time of economic uncertainty, when so many experience financial hardship and anxiety, voices of faith, confidence and trust are especially important.

So the people of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Greencastle have invited the Right Rev. Catherine "Cate" Waynick, the Bishop of Indianapolis and an inspiring speaker on the spirituality of money, to speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The title of the her talk is, "When God's at the Center: Grace, Gratitude and Generosity." The Bishop will speak for approximately 45 minutes, with a question and answer period and reception to follow. The event is free and open to the public, with members of other churches warmly invited.

St. Andrew's is located at the intersection of Bloomington and Seminary streets in Greencastle; the parking lot is behind the church.

"Bishop Cate is one of the most inspiring speakers on the spirituality of money I've ever heard," said Eric Edberg, senior warden of St. Andrew's. "This summer she spoke to our Vestry, or church council, and her testimony about her own experience, including how tithing has transformed her life and that of her husband, was so moving that we decided to invite her to speak to the entire congregation and invite the rest of the community as well. This is a genuine opportunity to transform and heal our relationship with money and to think anew about our relationship with God and our roles as stewards of all we have been blessed with."

Father Bill Wieland, the rector of St. Andrew's, adds that the Bishop is known nationally as one of the Episcopal Church's most powerful speakers on issues of stewardship and tithing.

The Right Rev. Catherine "Cate" Maples Waynick was elected Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis in January of 1997. She was consecrated on June 7 of that year, and became the Diocesan Bishop on September 10, 1997.

At the time of her election she had been serving as rector of All Saints' Parish, Pontiac, Mich. For three years. Prior to her ministry in Pontiac she served for 10 years on the staff of Christchurch Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., where she was associate rector.

During her time in the Diocese of Michigan, she served on a variety of Diocesan committees, including the Commission on Ministry (a group charged with oversight of academic preparation of candidates for ordination), the Standing Committee (which has both diocesan and national church responsibilities), the Program and Budget Committee of Executive Council, the Committee on Church Architecture and the Allied Arts, the Board of the Clergy Association, and for 10 years as examining chaplain in liturgics and stewardship consultant. She also served several terms as dean of the South Oakland Convocation, and as a member of the Board of the National Network of Episcopal Clergy Associations.

Her community involvement during that time included work as a consultant to the General Motors Human Research Committee, and service on the board of the Birmingham YMCA.

She attended Central Michigan University from 1966-68, and earned a BA in religious studies from Madonna College in 1981. She attended St. John Provincial (RC) Seminary in Plymouth, Mich., and was awarded the Master of Divinity in 1985. She began work on a Doctor of Ministry degree at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, concentrating on the field of Spiritual Direction, and was named an honorary Doctor of Divinity in May of 1998 from The General Seminary in New York City.

Bishop Waynick serves as the chair of The Advisory Committee on Pension Fund Abundance and as Chair of The Task Force on Title IV Revisions. She serves on the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons, and as a member of the Review Committee, which responds to ecclesiastical charges against bishops. She also serves on the board of Bexley Hall Seminary in Rochester, New York and is the assistant secretary to the House of Bishops. She has also served as vice chair of the Legislative Committee on Ministry for the General Convention.

Cate has been married for 35 years to Larry Waynick, a retired elementary school principal, and they have two married children. Leisure time is spent with "non-required" reading, music, ravel, family and friends.

About her ministry she says, "It is very different from parish ministry because it lacks the day by day contact with a particular group of people, and I have missed that tremendously. But the challenges and responsibilities of leading and serving a diocese are energizing, and the joys and graces are immense. I suppose one of the most amazing things to me is that I have rarely felt I had to worry about being a woman in this role. It feels very natural to me to be serving in this way, and I am more grateful than I can say that I have been given this gift."