International African American Museum to welcome Bishop Curry for pre-opening service and blessing
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to lead pre-opening worship and “Blessing of the
Water and Sacred Ground” for the International African American Museum
WHO: The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, the first African American presiding bishop and prelate of The Episcopal Church, will travel to Charleston to join the International African American Museum (IAAM) and the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina in a pre-opening worship service, “The Journey: A Call to Action for Historical, Spiritual and Social Justice.” Bishop Curry is widely sought for his messages of hope and love and his many teachings, writings, and books on the topic. He earned global presence, in part, for his sermon delivered in 2018 at the wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle.
WHAT: In advance of the museum’s opening, which is set for the beginning of 2023, Bishop Curry will lead both a public worship service and a private “Blessing of the Water and Sacred Ground.”
WHERE: The pre-opening worship service, open to the public, will be held at Mount Moriah Baptist Church in N. Charleston. The intimate blessing of the waters and soil will then take place at the sacred site on which the museum stands, overlooking the Atlantic passages through which thousands of enslaved Africans entered Charleston harbor.
WHEN: Both services will take place on Wednesday, November 16. The pre-opening worship service will begin at 6 p.m. and is open to the public. The blessing ceremony on-site at IAAM is by invitation only.
DETAILS: Special guests will include international spiritual leaders the Most Reverend Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, Archbishop of Ghana, Primate of the Province of the Anglican Church of West Africa; the Right Reverend Moisés Quezada Mota, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic; and the Right Reverend Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. During the service, Bishop Curry will offer a message of hope and words of inspiration and empowerment to people of all backgrounds and belief systems in the Lowcountry community and beyond. Those interested in attending – in person or on line – may sign up here: http://iaamuseum.org/iaam-bishop-curry.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Elizabeth Boineau, 843-224-1106
Keisha Kirkland, 843-936-1767 EXT: 3306
