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Connections

Episcopal Diocese Bishop Kara Wagner Sherer on political division and how to engage a community

Two smiling people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at left has short grey hair and is wearing a white turtleneck and green patterned sweater; a man at right has short dark hair and is wearing a lavender button-down shirt with a purple patterned tie.
David Griffin
/
WXXI News
Kara Wagner Sherer on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Tuesday, February 4, 2025
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
WXXI News

Comments made by the Episcopal bishop of Washington during a national prayer service last week are still generating buzz.

During the service, Bishop Mariann Budde called on President Trump to "have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now." The next day, the President condemned the remarks on social media, calling the bishop "a Radical Left hard line Trump hater."

Budde is no stranger to navigating political polarization, nor is the Right Revered Kara Wagner Sherer, the newly consecrated bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester.

A focus of her work is uniting and engaging the community, especially at a time when congregations are shrinking and church attendance is down.

This hour, she joins us to discuss her work and the role of clergy during a time of division.

Our guest:

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson" and is also the office administrator for radio, news and technology and operations. She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.