ABSTRACT
Although raised in the Episcopalian church, I did not learn the meaning of the word “episcopal” until a recent Sunday afternoon driving in upstate New York during a heavy snowstorm. I drove slowly, hanging onto the steering wheel, eyes tightly glued to the windshield. I found a sermon on a local radio station and listened to the minister as a way of grounding my nervous mind. The sermon began: “What do children pray for around the world, no matter what their religion, culture, or language? What words do they choose? All children address God with the same wish: ‘Please watch over mommy, watch over daddy and please watch over me.’ Children crave, more than anything, God’s attention.” The minister went on to explain that the word “Episcopalian” is derived from the Greek episcope meaning “to watch over.” Epi means over and scope is to look at or examine something, as in a telescope. An Episcopalian is one who “watches over.”
