Public Apology

Pido disculpas a todos los que se han visto perjudicados por mis acciones en la Fiesta de Guadalupe. Estoy agradecido con todos los que me han educado sobre las necesidades de la comunidad latina / x / é y siguen comprometidos a hacer el trabajo para restablecer las relaciones.

I apologize to all who have been harmed by the Sierra Pacific Synod’s actions on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Although much pastoral care and attention was directed towards individuals, worshiping communities and our Synod, I did not understand the impact on the greater church.

Some have seen video from a worship service that day. Unseen, is the pastoral care our Synod provided before and after. We had several private pastoral conversations with individuals from Misión Latina Luterana after individuals stopped filming. We also hosted an online listening session and have called others. We will continue to provide pastoral care and support to all who are impacted, both locally and throughout the greater church.

I understand that my focus on the local grief may have given the impression that I was ambivalent to the grief of the larger church. I regularly ask forgiveness for the things I have done and left undone. Today I ask forgiveness for the ways my action and inactions caused pain, grief and anxiety for the Latino/x/é community.

I understand that trust can be lost with one action and must be rebuilt with hundreds of trustworthy actions. I am grateful to all who have educated me about the needs of the Latino/x/é community and remain committed to doing the work needed to repair relationships. The Sierra Pacific Synod and I seek to be ever-reforming in our anti-racism and anti-bias work.

I pray that the witness and example of Christ’s birth will dwell in our hearts, communities and congregations during the days to come.

Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer

Bishop

Sierra Pacific Synod