A WING AND A PRAYER: A Message of Faith and Hope by Katharine Jefferts Schori. Morehouse Publishing, 2007. 169 pp. (BX5937.J44W56).

If you are looking for a book about a scary flight in a dangerous storm, with a female Episcopal bishop at the controls of a private plane, saying prayers and seeking safe landing, this is not the right book. It is the right book if you want to meet the new presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. She reminds us of our baptismal vows, and in her forty homilies Dr. Schori addresses hope, peace and vision. She is an upbeat person.

Bishop Schori has two degrees from Stanford and a Ph.D. from Oregon State University. As a scientist she is oceanographer. She has a pilot's license and her daughter flies an AWACS command-and-control plane for the USAF.

In A WING AND A PRAYER, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Schori pulls no punches. On some issues there is no consensus, e.g. ordination of a gay bishop. She says the opposition is absolutely "furious." She believes the Anglican Communion is in disarray. There are threats of "disfellowship," and "when all else fails, intercontinental ballistic bishops." (P. 74).

Later in a softer tone, addressing ministry and mission, Schori says the church in Nevada, where she was previously a bishop, can learn from "the Anglican Church of Kenya and together we have begun to build partnerships… (P. 158).

"Breathe deeply, know the wind of God is always beneath your wings, receive holy spirit, and change the world." (P. 4).

…The Library Committee