“Obi Austin” Welcomed as a Jedi Bishop at Bishop’s Visitation on the “Feast Day of Star Wars” at St. Peter’s in Redwood City
May the Fourth be with you: and also with you.
On Sunday, May 4th, at Bishop Austin’s visit to St. Peter’s in Redwood City, there was much to celebrate. It was the one-year anniversary of the bishop’s ordination to the episcopacy; of the first time he celebrated the Eucharist as bishop, on May 4th which was at St. Peter’s; and of the announcement of St. Peter’s Priest-in-Charge, the Rev. Dr. Pamela Stevens. To capture the many milestones of the day and honor its commitment to humor as an evangelistic method, St. Peter’s drew from the date: May the Fourth, National Star Wars Day. Recalling the Mos Eisley cantina scene from the original Star Wars movie, in which a bustling and diverse gathering across all species gathers around tables together to upbeat music, St. Peter’s shared its diversity with the bishop, archdeacons, and Malaeh Rios.
St. Peter’s Interfaith youth chorus offered music and received a blessing for its July mission trip. Youth and young adult members of El Buen Pastor received a blessing for their June pilgrimage. Crossover members of both St. Peter’s and the STKK Tongan church that meets in its sanctuary presented Bishop Austin and Archdeacon Miguel with floral lei. Bishop Austin received a new member and reaffirmed the baptismal vows of more than a dozen members of St. Peter’s and El Buen Pastor.
For coffee hour, the parish leaders saw Star Wars Day as an unofficial “Feast of Star Wars” and chose it as the theme for a coffee-hour galactic cantina, complete with cupcake and cake toppers that envision Obi Austin as a Jedi Bishop, and a themed sefie spot.
During the service, an interfaith chorus of 20 youth singers who call themselves Stellamos and make their musical home at St. Peter’s, offered special music. The group received an Episcopal blessing on its mission trip to organize a music camp for Indigenous Hawai’ian children at an Episcopal Church on the Island of Kau’I in July. El Buen Pastor’s Youth and Young Adult pilgrimage group also received a blessing for its planned trip to the UK and Spain in June. A group of people who are members of both St. Peter’s and the Siasi Tonga congregation that worships in its sanctuary honored Bishop Austin and Archdeacon Miguel with floral lei. “Obi, an affectionate form of the Spanish word for bishop, obispo, provided the perfect tie-in to capture the humor and inclusive welcome of St. Peter’s at a delicious meal in the parish hall, where cupcake toppers and a cake topper featured a vision of Obi Austin as a Jedi Bishop.
The parish lawn sign program heralded messages of love from 1 Corinthians 13 and also the Feast Day of Star Wars. The parish lawn sign program, which draws from its wide pedestrian audience as part of its evangelism effort, included a Star Wars Theme. Messages included “A long time ago, in a Galilee far far away…people were bold to respect the dignity of all of God’s creation” and “Jedi Bishop: The Force be with you. Jedi Episcopalian: And also with you.”
