RACE, RELIGION + SOCIAL JUSTICE
Meet Rt. Rev. Phyllis Spiegel, the new Bishop of Utah for Episcopal Church
Feb 10, 2023, 9:30 PM
Phyllis Spiegel is ordained as a Bishop and speaks on stage inside of the Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Photo credit: Ben B. Braun/Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY — The Rt. Rev. Phyllis Spiegel was consecrated as the 12th bishop of the Episcopal Church last September.
She joined Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson on Friday to discuss some of the work that the Diocese of Utah has been doing during her time in Utah.
Matheson acknowledged that she has been just a little busy since September.
“It’s been fast and furious,” Bishop Spiegel said. “But really fun, fast and furious.”
Matheson said, “You focus a lot on this Community of Christ, building this sacred community. Tell us a little bit more about that and how you’re trying to implement that here in the state of Utah.”
“Community is probably the most important word,” Bishop Spiegel said. “It’s about reaching out to others.”
She explains that the love of God and the love of neighbor are inextricable.
“So how I walk in my life as a disciple is how I walk with my neighbor,” she said. “And my neighbor is not to find, as you know, the people who live on the street.”
Bishop Spiegel on isolation of others
Bishop Spiegel talks about building up the needs of others.
“Out of the last three years, isolation has been a huge word,” she said. “Well, let’s put community in place of that. Let’s really build up who are the needs of others, whose needs are not being seen.”
She says some neighbors isolate in a variety of ways. These different ways of isolation come from age, illness or family members not living close by.
“So, building community,” Bishop Spiegel said. “It’s the way we know God.”
Matheson asked Bishop Spiegel how she is handling the issues of race and division as a disciple in the community.
“We have four pillars to what we call becoming beloved community,” Bishop Spiegel said.
She says the first way to cross the breach is to tell the story.
“We invite space, we create space and invite people in it to tell their story,” she said.
Matheson asked, “What has surprised you? What have you learned since beginning this journey of discipleship here in the state of Utah?”
“The needs of people are great,” she said. “The unhoused population has got to be addressed. The needs that we all have of protecting the Great Salt Lake, of protecting our national monuments because we are, we are only as good as our land.”
Bishop Spiegel also says there is still a lot of work to do on racism.
Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson can be heard weekdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app.
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