Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana welcomes new bishop

From Louisiana-

The Rev. Morris Thompson already has begun his first major undertaking as incoming bishop of the Espiscopal Diocese of Louisiana: listening.

Thompson, 54, moved to New Orleans from Lexington, Ky., in March to take the place of Bishop Charles Jenkins. He will be ordained Saturday as the diocese’s 11th bishop at Christ Church Cathedral.

What Thompson is especially good at, his resume and acquaintances say, is pastoral care, the kind of psychological and spiritual therapy he made a specialty as a hospital chaplain in Kentucky and his native Mississippi.

So far, Thompson has toured some of the 55 congregations in his diocese, which covers most of Southeast Louisiana. He said his listening tour is likely to go on for a year or more, until he begins to distill a sense of where his diocese of 18,000 Episcopalians is, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and what he thinks it needs.

“I’m good at paying attention to grief, paying attention to loss and then listening until people get tired of hearing their stories over and over ... and they begin to get healed,” he said. “Then we can move further along.

More here-

http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2010/04/espicopal_diocese_of_louisiana_welcomes_new_bishop.html