Cathleen Bascom isn?t breaking with tradition.
Rather, she?s simply helping establish new conventions she hopes will further ingrain the Episcopal Church with the larger community.
Bascom, who was consecrated in March as the first-ever woman bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, was in Iola Wednesday as part of her inaugural visit to Iola?s St. Timothy?s Episcopal Church.
The mid-week visit is a departure from the standard practice of higher-ups participating in a Sunday service, she said.
But for Bascom, following a different route comes naturally.
Wednesday?s visit included stops at places where St. Timothy?s has made an impact in Iola, including Hope Unlimited, a local organization that serves victims of domestic or sexual abuse (see related story), Allen Community College and Allen County Regional Hospital.
?I?m very interested in the connections between our faith communities and their larger communities,? she said. ?I want to see what?s going on in town, how they?re engaged.?
The emotional impact of visiting Iola was significant, Bascom said.
?I?m very impressed and moved by both the spirit and the town,? she said. ?It seems like people work together for the common good. I loved hearing their stories. This group seems to really embody love.?
Hope Unlimited Executive Director Dorothy Sparks, left, visits with The Rt. Rev. Cathleen Bascom, the first-ever female bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas Wednesday. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
JOINING the clergy was hardly in the cards for Bascom as a youth.
While her mother was a devout Episcopalian in her younger years, Bascom?s family was better described as ?Christmas and Easter? worshippers.
?It wasn?t on my radar,? she admitted.
If anything, Bascomb?s upbringing was best described as agnostic.
That changed as Bascom matured and attended the University of Kansas.
?I just had a prayer experience with God,? she said. ?I uttered my first prayer, and got very involved with the Canterbury House. There was a younger chaplain, a priest, who had an influence on me. He nudged me a little bit.?
