From April 15–17, Philip Han Lofflin, Senior Warden at St. Mary’s (Kansas City) and Diocesan Council member, attended the 2026 National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Episcopal Leadership Retreat in Seattle, hosted by The Diocese of Olympia and the Asiamerica Ministries Network. This year’s theme, “Let It Not Happen Again: Honoring AANHPI Faith, Memory, and Resilience,” brought together 70 Episcopal clergy and lay leaders from across the United States to explore AANHPI history, worship together, and turn collective stories into advocacy for migrant communities. This marked Lofflin’s fourth AANHPI retreat; last year’s retreat was hosted in Kansas City by The Diocese of West Missouri, where he served as co-chair.
The retreat featured visits to historically and culturally significant sites:
- St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, formed in 1908 as the Japanese Mission and temporarily closed for three years beginning in 1942 during the incarceration of Japanese Americans in WWII.
- Luke Wing Museum in Seattle’s Chinatown–International District, celebrating Asian Pacific American culture and honoring Seattle’s first Asian American city council member elected in 1962.
- Chinese Reconciliation Park in Tacoma, a reflective waterfront space to honor the past, celebrate diversity, and inspire reconciliation.
- Northwest I.C.E. Detention Center, where attendees prayed for detainees and hung tsurus (Japanese origami cranes) which symbolize peace and healing.
- Christ Episcopal Church, for a prayer vigil in solidarity with immigrants.
- Japanese American Exclusion Memorial on Bainbridge Island, followed by a closing Eucharist at Grace Episcopal Church.
At every pilgrimage site, participants gifted the host a strand of the Tsuru (paper cranes). The Diocese of Olympia received over 5,000 cranes sent in by people across The Episcopal Church and as far away as Paris.
“I want to give special appreciation to The Episcopal Church and The Diocese of West Missouri Diversity and Reconciliation Commission for supporting these transformative opportunities,” Lofflin said. “Their work to promote solidarity and justice for those who have suffered oppression because of race is needed now more than ever.”
For more information about the Asiamerica Ministries Network of the Episcopal Church, visit episcopalchurch.org/ministries/asiamerica-ministries and facebook.com/episcopalasiamericaministries.
This article was submitted by Philip Lofflin, Senior Warden at St. Mary’s in Kansas City and Diocesan Council member.
