Here's the latest desperate effort to discredit our presiding bishop and distract everyone from the weakness of the arguments of Bishops Iker and Schofield about their attempts to take TEC property.
The Living Church reports that "Sufficient legal grounds exist for presenting Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori for ecclesiastical trial on 11 counts of violating the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church, according to a legal memorandum that has begun circulating among members of the House of Bishops.
"A copy of the April 21 document seen by a reporter representing The Living Church states Bishop Jefferts Schori demonstrated a 'willful violation of the canons, an intention to repeat the violations, and a pattern of concealment and lack of candor' in her handling of the cases of bishops Robert W. Duncan, John-David Schofield and William Cox, and that she 'subverted' the 'fundamental polity' of The Episcopal Church in the matter of the Diocese of San Joaquin.
"Prepared by an attorney on behalf of a consortium of bishops and church leaders seeking legal counsel over the canonical implications of the Presiding Bishop’s recent actions, it is unclear whether a critical mass of support will form behind the report’s recommendations for any action to be taken, persumably as a violation of the Presiding Bishop’s ordination vows."
I don't think it's unclear at all. This action has no credibility at all.
Plus, as one person on the Fort Worth Via Media list asked, "How can they bring ecclesiastical charges against someone they do not acknowledge as clergy?"
You can read what the PB wrote about the canons in a letter that was issued BEFORE this news story by the Living Church broke here. She lays out the situation very plainly, and in doing so quite effectively cuts the legs out from under this transparent effort to smear her and change the subject.
The boys are getting desperate.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Mark Harris Reveals Details of The Fort Worth Plan
If you want to see the details of our diocesan leadership's plan to rid themselves of troublesome parishes and rectors who intend to remain in The Episcopal Church, please go read Mark Harris' blog Preludium.
He has the documents and a wonderful commentary on this plan to make faithful Episcopalians refugees in their own church and make it easier for Bp. Iker to abscond with TEC property.
Mark writes, "This last weekend I received an anonymously sent and unsolicited copy of a Draft proposal for "The Fort Worth Plan" dated 4/09/08, and marked Confidential, although without any attribution as to author or source of the request of confidentiality. Accompanying that was a draft of "Canon 41, Associated Congregations" which is referenced in "The Fort Worth Plan" as a proposed canonical change in the Diocese of Dallas."
Go check it out.
He has the documents and a wonderful commentary on this plan to make faithful Episcopalians refugees in their own church and make it easier for Bp. Iker to abscond with TEC property.
Mark writes, "This last weekend I received an anonymously sent and unsolicited copy of a Draft proposal for "The Fort Worth Plan" dated 4/09/08, and marked Confidential, although without any attribution as to author or source of the request of confidentiality. Accompanying that was a draft of "Canon 41, Associated Congregations" which is referenced in "The Fort Worth Plan" as a proposed canonical change in the Diocese of Dallas."
Go check it out.
Cowboying Bishop
Stand Firm has posted this letter from Bp. Jack Iker and "the sovereign Diocese of Fort Worth" to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori [The letter is also posted at the diocesan web site]:
************************************
Dear Katharine,
I am shocked and saddened by the rude letter you released yesterday to Archbishop Greg Venables, concerning his visit this weekend to the Diocese of Fort Worth. Far from being "an unwarranted interference," he is coming at my request as an honored visitor and guest speaker.
You should know that under the canons this does not require either your approval or your support. You have no say in this matter. A diocesan bishop is free to invite other bishops to visit and speak in his diocese.
There are no efforts at reconciliation proceeding within this Province, which is one reason why faithful people continue to leave TEC in droves. Your attitude and actions simply reinforce alienation and bring further discord.
Once again, you are the one meddling in the internal affairs of this diocese, and I ask you to stop your unwelcome intrusions.
Faithfully in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth
cc: The Archbishop of Canterbury
*******************************
Ooooooooo, the bishop does NOT like it when anyone interfers in "his" diocese, does he? Remember the temper tantrum he threw when Bonnie Anderson had the temerity to come here at the invitation of Fort Worth Via Media?
But it's NOT OK when the primate of this province objects to another primate interfering in her province.
And while the canons may not say anything about it, the Windsor Report certainly does. And so do Anglican custom, collegiality and good manners.
But good manners aren't nearly as much fun as cowboying about to the cheers of the Stand Firm crowd.
************************************
Dear Katharine,
I am shocked and saddened by the rude letter you released yesterday to Archbishop Greg Venables, concerning his visit this weekend to the Diocese of Fort Worth. Far from being "an unwarranted interference," he is coming at my request as an honored visitor and guest speaker.
You should know that under the canons this does not require either your approval or your support. You have no say in this matter. A diocesan bishop is free to invite other bishops to visit and speak in his diocese.
There are no efforts at reconciliation proceeding within this Province, which is one reason why faithful people continue to leave TEC in droves. Your attitude and actions simply reinforce alienation and bring further discord.
Once again, you are the one meddling in the internal affairs of this diocese, and I ask you to stop your unwelcome intrusions.
Faithfully in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth
cc: The Archbishop of Canterbury
*******************************
Ooooooooo, the bishop does NOT like it when anyone interfers in "his" diocese, does he? Remember the temper tantrum he threw when Bonnie Anderson had the temerity to come here at the invitation of Fort Worth Via Media?
But it's NOT OK when the primate of this province objects to another primate interfering in her province.
And while the canons may not say anything about it, the Windsor Report certainly does. And so do Anglican custom, collegiality and good manners.
But good manners aren't nearly as much fun as cowboying about to the cheers of the Stand Firm crowd.
Bp. Iker Calls Steering Committee "Vigilantes" and Idolaters
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a story this morning on the formation of the Steering Committee.
Walt Cabe, the Steering Committee president, is quoted as saying, ""We might not agree on every position or action, but it's that diversity that has attracted us to remain Episcopalians. That's an important witness."
The story reported "Cabe said that the steering committee is a way for several Episcopal groups to bond and work with the national church to stay intact. He said it should not be categorized as liberal or conservative. 'We want a more tolerant attitude toward one another, a willingness to engage in informal adult conversation and eliminate fear and intimidation," he said."
The story also included Bp. Iker's response: "Fort Worth Diocese Bishop Jack Iker said in a statement Tuesday that the steering committee is 'a self-selected vigilante group whose only stated purpose is 'to remain in The Episcopal Church' no matter what -- and regardless of what TEC believes or practices. They espouse a blind institutional loyalty that borders on institutional idolatry.'"
Iker's statement is also quoted as saying "that the diocese's main purpose is to be faithful to biblical teaching and that the annual diocese convention, composed of elected lay and clergy leaders from every diocese congregation, is the only body that can act on behalf of the diocese."
The story also includes Suzanne Gill, the diocesan director of communications, describing the diocese's "generous" offer to let those parishes who want to stay in The Episcopal Church keep their property.
To which Cabe replied "property issues 'are at the heart of the tangible consequences' that might result if the diocese aligns with another province."
I'd say he hit that nail on the head.
This is indeed a strange place when Episcopalians are called vigilantes for seeking to keep an Episcopal diocese in The Episcopal Church, but a bishop who invites the primate of another province to come persuade our convention delegates to "move" to his province is called "Windsor compliant."
It's also sad that while Bp. Iker insists that those who oppose him do not vilify him, he is free to call members of his diocese idolaters and vigilantes.
Vigilante is an interesting word. It is Spanish for "watchman" or "watcher." It came into the English language through the Southwestern United States, where many Spanish words are used daily. The term has gotten a bad rap because some vigilante groups in our history have resorted to violence when those in positions of power failed to deliver the justice they thought was needed.
But mostly those in power don't like vigilante groups because they are "watchers." People who are walking on a thin line of legality particularly do not like "watchers." I think it is a very interesting choice of words by Bishop Iker.
Walt Cabe, the Steering Committee president, is quoted as saying, ""We might not agree on every position or action, but it's that diversity that has attracted us to remain Episcopalians. That's an important witness."
The story reported "Cabe said that the steering committee is a way for several Episcopal groups to bond and work with the national church to stay intact. He said it should not be categorized as liberal or conservative. 'We want a more tolerant attitude toward one another, a willingness to engage in informal adult conversation and eliminate fear and intimidation," he said."
The story also included Bp. Iker's response: "Fort Worth Diocese Bishop Jack Iker said in a statement Tuesday that the steering committee is 'a self-selected vigilante group whose only stated purpose is 'to remain in The Episcopal Church' no matter what -- and regardless of what TEC believes or practices. They espouse a blind institutional loyalty that borders on institutional idolatry.'"
Iker's statement is also quoted as saying "that the diocese's main purpose is to be faithful to biblical teaching and that the annual diocese convention, composed of elected lay and clergy leaders from every diocese congregation, is the only body that can act on behalf of the diocese."
The story also includes Suzanne Gill, the diocesan director of communications, describing the diocese's "generous" offer to let those parishes who want to stay in The Episcopal Church keep their property.
To which Cabe replied "property issues 'are at the heart of the tangible consequences' that might result if the diocese aligns with another province."
I'd say he hit that nail on the head.
This is indeed a strange place when Episcopalians are called vigilantes for seeking to keep an Episcopal diocese in The Episcopal Church, but a bishop who invites the primate of another province to come persuade our convention delegates to "move" to his province is called "Windsor compliant."
It's also sad that while Bp. Iker insists that those who oppose him do not vilify him, he is free to call members of his diocese idolaters and vigilantes.
Vigilante is an interesting word. It is Spanish for "watchman" or "watcher." It came into the English language through the Southwestern United States, where many Spanish words are used daily. The term has gotten a bad rap because some vigilante groups in our history have resorted to violence when those in positions of power failed to deliver the justice they thought was needed.
But mostly those in power don't like vigilante groups because they are "watchers." People who are walking on a thin line of legality particularly do not like "watchers." I think it is a very interesting choice of words by Bishop Iker.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Katharine Tells Gregory To Quit Meddling
In a letter in her characteristic straightforward style, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has told Southern Cone Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables that his May 2-3 visit to the Diocese of Fort Worth is "an unwarranted invasion of and meddling in the internal affairs of this Province."
You go, girl!!
Read it all here, where the story also reports on the founding of the Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians. There is one error -- the Steering Committee did not begin to work to identify people who wish to remain Episcopalians immediately after the last diocesan convention. Some people who are now members of the Steering Committee began to do that work. The Steering Committee did not begin to come into existence until about six weeks ago.
Here's the story:
*********************************
Fort Worth visit an 'unwarranted invasion,' Presiding Bishop tells Southern Cone primate
Episcopalians organize to counter moves to re-align Fort Worth diocese
From staff reports April 29, 2008 [Episcopal News Service]
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has advised Southern Cone Presiding Bishop Gregory J. Venables in an April 29 letter that his planned May 2-3 visit to address a special convocation of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth "with the expressed purpose of describing removal to the Province of the Southern Cone is an unwarranted invasion of, and meddling in, the internal affairs of this Province."
"I write to urge you not to bring further discord into The Episcopal Church," Jefferts Schori told Venables, who was, according to reports, scheduled to be in Central California on April 29 to meet with church leaders who last year voted to disaffiliate with the Episcopal Church and align with his Argentina-based province.
"The actions contemplated by some leaders in Fort Worth are profoundly uncanonical," Jefferts Schori wrote. "They also prevent needed reconciliation from proceeding within this Province."
The full text of Jefferts Schori's letter, copied to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, follows.
***************************
Dear Gregory, I write to urge you not to bring further discord into The Episcopal Church. Visiting a special convocation of the Diocese of Fort Worth with the expressed purpose of describing removal to the Province of the Southern Cone is an unprecedented and unwarranted invasion of, and meddling in, the internal affairs of this Province. I ask you to consider how you might receive such a visit to your own Province from a fellow primate. The actions contemplated by some leaders in Fort Worth are profoundly uncanonical. They also prevent needed reconciliation from proceeding within this Province. I urge you to focus your pastoral ministry within your own Province. May your ministry there be fruitful.
I remain
Your servant in Christ,
Katharine Jefferts Schori
**************************
During the past year, the Presiding Bishop and Fort Worth Bishop Jack Iker have exchanged letters about the vote of Fort Worth's convention last November in which delegates gave the first of two required approvals of canonical changes to amend its constitution and remove accession to the Constitution and Canons of General Convention, as well as several canonical amendments that eliminate mention of the Episcopal Church.
Jefferts Schori has continued to emphasize the possibility of reconciliation between Iker, the diocese and the wider Episcopal Church, said the Presiding Bishop's canon, the Rev. Dr. Charles K. Robertson.
Meanwhile, a group called the Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians has been formed to help Episcopalians who are opposed to efforts to align the diocese with a province of the Anglican Communion other than the Episcopal Church.
An April 27 news release from the steering committee said the group began work immediately after the November 17 Fort Worth convention.
Since that time, Iker and the diocesan Standing Committee have said that "the structure and polity of the Province of the Southern Cone would afford our diocese greater self-determination than we currently have under the General Convention of The Episcopal Church."
The Southern Cone has about 22,000 members and encompasses Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. Its provincial synod, meeting in Valpariso, Chile, November 5-7, 2007, agreed to welcome into the province "on an emergency and pastoral basis" Episcopal Church dioceses "taking appropriate action to separate from The Episcopal Church."
The Fort Worth diocesan convention is set to vote on the changes for a second time when the convention meets in November.
"In the wake of the first vote, many people immediately set to work to identify and empower those who intend to remain Episcopalians," the steering committee said in its release. Those people include members of Fort Worth Via Media, North Texans Remain Episcopal in the northern part of the diocese and Remain Episcopal of Granbury in the southwestern part of the diocese as well as by a group in the mid-cities area and a group of diocesan clergy, the release said. Another group, Steadfast Episcopalians, was recently organized explicitly to reach out to conservative Episcopalians.
"There were also individuals representing almost all parishes and missions who had self-identified as wishing to remain Episcopalian," the committee said.
"These groups and individuals realized they needed to work together" and so they formed the steering committee, according to the release.
"The inclusion of individuals representing all points of view is crucial as we move forward in mission together," said Robertson, canon to the Presiding Bishop.
Walter Cabe is president and Courtland Moore is vice president. Margaret Mieuli is treasurer and Bruce Coggin is the committee's clerk. Other executive committee members are George Komechak, Kathleen Wells, Victoria Prescott and Fred Barber.
"The primary objectives of this combined group are to remain in the Episcopal Church and to continue the work of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth as a constituent part of the Episcopal Church," Komechak, who is also president of Fort Worth Via Media, said in the release. "Identifying additional persons in diocesan parishes and missions who support staying in the Episcopal Church is one of the Steering Committee's first items of business."
People who will remain Episcopalians can send information to Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians, P.O. Box 100846, Fort Worth, TX, 76185-0846. A website is under construction.
The committee has been recognized as a Texas non-profit corporation by the Secretary of State, and has adopted bylaws and a statement of mission and beliefs.
According to recent parochial reports, the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is comprised of more than 18,100 active baptized members in some 55 congregations in north central Texas.
********************************
It's interesting to note that very recently our bishop and other diocesan leaders have begun to drop a little bomb into discussions. Bishop Iker said at a recent meeting at All Saints Church that we shouldn't get too wedded to the idea of the Southern Cone. We may not be going there.
His sidekick Dean Christopher Cantrell said the same thing at a Fort Worth West Deanery meeting last night. So what's up with that?
Are we hedging our bets? Are we looking to negotiate a better deal with Venables, who would love to have our numbers and our money in his teeny province?
I think they are just jerking folks around, keeping the anxiety level high while maintaining as much an air of mystery as possible.
Why? Because they are trying to fly this airplane while they're building it. They are making this up as they go along. They know the legal underpinnings of what they are trying to pull off are non-existent. The legal "arguments" they put forward to justify it are tissue-thin.
Katharine has started to call their bluff.
It's long past time someone did.
You go, girl!!
Read it all here, where the story also reports on the founding of the Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians. There is one error -- the Steering Committee did not begin to work to identify people who wish to remain Episcopalians immediately after the last diocesan convention. Some people who are now members of the Steering Committee began to do that work. The Steering Committee did not begin to come into existence until about six weeks ago.
Here's the story:
*********************************
Fort Worth visit an 'unwarranted invasion,' Presiding Bishop tells Southern Cone primate
Episcopalians organize to counter moves to re-align Fort Worth diocese
From staff reports April 29, 2008 [Episcopal News Service]
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has advised Southern Cone Presiding Bishop Gregory J. Venables in an April 29 letter that his planned May 2-3 visit to address a special convocation of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth "with the expressed purpose of describing removal to the Province of the Southern Cone is an unwarranted invasion of, and meddling in, the internal affairs of this Province."
"I write to urge you not to bring further discord into The Episcopal Church," Jefferts Schori told Venables, who was, according to reports, scheduled to be in Central California on April 29 to meet with church leaders who last year voted to disaffiliate with the Episcopal Church and align with his Argentina-based province.
"The actions contemplated by some leaders in Fort Worth are profoundly uncanonical," Jefferts Schori wrote. "They also prevent needed reconciliation from proceeding within this Province."
The full text of Jefferts Schori's letter, copied to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, follows.
***************************
Dear Gregory, I write to urge you not to bring further discord into The Episcopal Church. Visiting a special convocation of the Diocese of Fort Worth with the expressed purpose of describing removal to the Province of the Southern Cone is an unprecedented and unwarranted invasion of, and meddling in, the internal affairs of this Province. I ask you to consider how you might receive such a visit to your own Province from a fellow primate. The actions contemplated by some leaders in Fort Worth are profoundly uncanonical. They also prevent needed reconciliation from proceeding within this Province. I urge you to focus your pastoral ministry within your own Province. May your ministry there be fruitful.
I remain
Your servant in Christ,
Katharine Jefferts Schori
**************************
During the past year, the Presiding Bishop and Fort Worth Bishop Jack Iker have exchanged letters about the vote of Fort Worth's convention last November in which delegates gave the first of two required approvals of canonical changes to amend its constitution and remove accession to the Constitution and Canons of General Convention, as well as several canonical amendments that eliminate mention of the Episcopal Church.
Jefferts Schori has continued to emphasize the possibility of reconciliation between Iker, the diocese and the wider Episcopal Church, said the Presiding Bishop's canon, the Rev. Dr. Charles K. Robertson.
Meanwhile, a group called the Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians has been formed to help Episcopalians who are opposed to efforts to align the diocese with a province of the Anglican Communion other than the Episcopal Church.
An April 27 news release from the steering committee said the group began work immediately after the November 17 Fort Worth convention.
Since that time, Iker and the diocesan Standing Committee have said that "the structure and polity of the Province of the Southern Cone would afford our diocese greater self-determination than we currently have under the General Convention of The Episcopal Church."
The Southern Cone has about 22,000 members and encompasses Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. Its provincial synod, meeting in Valpariso, Chile, November 5-7, 2007, agreed to welcome into the province "on an emergency and pastoral basis" Episcopal Church dioceses "taking appropriate action to separate from The Episcopal Church."
The Fort Worth diocesan convention is set to vote on the changes for a second time when the convention meets in November.
"In the wake of the first vote, many people immediately set to work to identify and empower those who intend to remain Episcopalians," the steering committee said in its release. Those people include members of Fort Worth Via Media, North Texans Remain Episcopal in the northern part of the diocese and Remain Episcopal of Granbury in the southwestern part of the diocese as well as by a group in the mid-cities area and a group of diocesan clergy, the release said. Another group, Steadfast Episcopalians, was recently organized explicitly to reach out to conservative Episcopalians.
"There were also individuals representing almost all parishes and missions who had self-identified as wishing to remain Episcopalian," the committee said.
"These groups and individuals realized they needed to work together" and so they formed the steering committee, according to the release.
"The inclusion of individuals representing all points of view is crucial as we move forward in mission together," said Robertson, canon to the Presiding Bishop.
Walter Cabe is president and Courtland Moore is vice president. Margaret Mieuli is treasurer and Bruce Coggin is the committee's clerk. Other executive committee members are George Komechak, Kathleen Wells, Victoria Prescott and Fred Barber.
"The primary objectives of this combined group are to remain in the Episcopal Church and to continue the work of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth as a constituent part of the Episcopal Church," Komechak, who is also president of Fort Worth Via Media, said in the release. "Identifying additional persons in diocesan parishes and missions who support staying in the Episcopal Church is one of the Steering Committee's first items of business."
People who will remain Episcopalians can send information to Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians, P.O. Box 100846, Fort Worth, TX, 76185-0846. A website is under construction.
The committee has been recognized as a Texas non-profit corporation by the Secretary of State, and has adopted bylaws and a statement of mission and beliefs.
According to recent parochial reports, the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is comprised of more than 18,100 active baptized members in some 55 congregations in north central Texas.
********************************
It's interesting to note that very recently our bishop and other diocesan leaders have begun to drop a little bomb into discussions. Bishop Iker said at a recent meeting at All Saints Church that we shouldn't get too wedded to the idea of the Southern Cone. We may not be going there.
His sidekick Dean Christopher Cantrell said the same thing at a Fort Worth West Deanery meeting last night. So what's up with that?
Are we hedging our bets? Are we looking to negotiate a better deal with Venables, who would love to have our numbers and our money in his teeny province?
I think they are just jerking folks around, keeping the anxiety level high while maintaining as much an air of mystery as possible.
Why? Because they are trying to fly this airplane while they're building it. They are making this up as they go along. They know the legal underpinnings of what they are trying to pull off are non-existent. The legal "arguments" they put forward to justify it are tissue-thin.
Katharine has started to call their bluff.
It's long past time someone did.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sowing Hope
Two busloads of Episcopalians from the Diocese of Fort Worth left Trinity Church's parking lot at 1 p.m. today to travel to Dallas to see the presiding bishop at St. Thomas the Apostle.In addition to the people on the buses, there were others who came as individuals from Fort Worth, as well as twenty from Granbury and fifteen from Wichita Falls. Not bad for a Monday afternoon. Many more wanted to come but could not get off work.
We all wore these identifying badges to erase any doubt about why we were there.
Katharine was there to bless St. Thomas' new community garden. They are "growing food to fight hunger where we live." The garden was an outgrowth of their commitment to the Millennium Development goals.
Read the Dallas Morning News story and watch the video here.
It started last May with a group of people wanting to do something with the vacant lot the church owned next to their parking lot.
People starting donating time, money and equipment and now two large pantry plots are growing food to be donated to the North Dallas Shared Ministries and the Resource Center of Dallas. Gardeners in 16 private plots are growing food for themselves with a promise to donate 10 percent to local food banks.
The garden is beautifully laid out and promises bumper crops this summer.
Those of us from Fort Worth came not only to celebrate the new garden, but also to see and hear Katharine. We needed to feed a different hunger, one for connection to the larger church, and for reassurance that we won't be forgotten.
Katharine delivered on both counts. The liturgy blessing the garden was lovely and well done, and her remarks and answers to questions at the reception that followed were handled with her usual calm gracefulness.
We give thanks for the wonderful hospitality of the people of St. Thomas, and for their outreach to the hungry.
And we give thanks for Katharine's leadership.
Many seeds were sown today, seeds that will feed many kinds of hunger.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Work Begins
* NEWS RELEASE * NEWS RELEASE * NEWS RELEASE * NEWS RELEASE *
The Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians has been formed to assist those who wish to remain Episcopalians if Bishop Jack Iker tries to achieve his publicly stated goal of taking the diocese out of The Episcopal Church [TEC] and aligning it with another province of the Anglican Communion.
It is these Episcopalians who will, with the help of the leadership of The Episcopal Church, reconstitute the diocese after the bishop leaves TEC.
The work that led to the formation of the Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians began immediately after the adjournment of the most recent convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.
At that convention, delegates passed the first of two required “readings” of canonical changes aimed at "taking the diocese out of The Episcopal Church." These actions were taken at the urging of the diocesan leadership, including Bishop Jack L. Iker. The second reading will take place at the diocesan convention in November 2008, unless re-scheduled by Bishop Iker.
In the wake of the first vote, many people immediately set to work to identify and empower those who intend to remain Episcopalians.
Primary among these has been the already-existing Fort Worth Via Media. It has been joined by daughter organizations North Texans Remain Episcopal in the northern part of the diocese and Remain Episcopal of Granbury in the southwestern part of the diocese as well as by a group in the mid-cities area and a group of diocesan clergy. Another recently formed group is Steadfast Episcopalians, organized explicitly to reach out to conservative Episcopalians. There were also individuals representing almost all parishes and missions who had self-identified as wishing to remain Episcopalian.
These groups and individuals realized they needed to work together, so they have formed an umbrella organization called the Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians. Walter Cabe is president and Courtland Moore is vice president. Margaret Mieuli is treasurer and Bruce Coggin is the committee’s clerk. Other executive committee members are George Komechak, Kathleen Wells, Victoria Prescott and Fred Barber.
According to Komechak, "The primary objectives of this combined group are to remain in the Episcopal Church and to continue the work of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth as a constituent part of the Episcopal Church. This umbrella organization has been officially recognized as a Texas nonprofit corporation by the Secretary of State. Bylaws have been adopted and a Statement of Mission and Beliefs has been developed for release to the public. Identifying additional persons in diocesan parishes and missions who support staying in the Episcopal Church is one of the Steering Committee’s first items of business. "
People who will remain Episcopalians can send information to Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians, P.O.Box 100846, Fort Worth, TX, 76185-0846. A web site is under construction.
Media: For more information, contact:
We are committed to the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth as a fully participating, constituent part of the Episcopal Church. Recognizing that the church has need of everyone, we will work to ensure that everyone is welcome and that diversity is celebrated in this diocese. We will look for the image of God in everyone, most particularly with those who differ from us, and we will always seek to reflect in our lives the love and charity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We recognize the Episcopal Church of the United States as the American expression of Anglicanism and will remain members of it.
We affirm the hierarchical structure of the Episcopal Church as critical to its polity. We recognize the bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth, the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies as central to our orderly governance. Moreover we honor the ministry of our Presiding Bishop and Primate.
We will work to identify faithful Episcopalians and provide encouragement and pastoral care for those who do not want to leave the Episcopal Church. We invite the laity to help develop our vision and to implement it in a lively partnership with our clergy. We will resist efforts to remove parishes, property or assets from the Episcopal Church.
We treasure the splendid diversity of The Episcopal Church, and we faithfully pledge to hold open a place in it for those with differing points of view. To anyone who feels torn, confused or marginalized, or who has left the church, we invite you to come home. You are needed.
We seek prayerfully to reconcile with any who contemplate leaving the Episcopal Church by inviting them into dialogue, by listening to them with open hearts and minds and by affirming that they too are valued members of this great church.
We pledge ourselves to Christian service, striving to do all such good works as God has prepared for us to walk in, and seeking always to build up the Body of Christ where we live, where we work and where we worship.
The Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians (Steering Committee)
The Steering Committee represents Episcopalians in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth who in and through the Episcopal Church celebrate and proclaim the gracious love of Jesus Christ for all people. The Steering Committee governing board is composed of clergy and lay representatives of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, including members of Fort Worth Via Media, Steadfast Episcopalians, North Texans Remain Episcopal and Remain Episcopal Granbury.
The Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians has been formed to assist those who wish to remain Episcopalians if Bishop Jack Iker tries to achieve his publicly stated goal of taking the diocese out of The Episcopal Church [TEC] and aligning it with another province of the Anglican Communion.It is these Episcopalians who will, with the help of the leadership of The Episcopal Church, reconstitute the diocese after the bishop leaves TEC.
The work that led to the formation of the Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians began immediately after the adjournment of the most recent convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.
At that convention, delegates passed the first of two required “readings” of canonical changes aimed at "taking the diocese out of The Episcopal Church." These actions were taken at the urging of the diocesan leadership, including Bishop Jack L. Iker. The second reading will take place at the diocesan convention in November 2008, unless re-scheduled by Bishop Iker.
In the wake of the first vote, many people immediately set to work to identify and empower those who intend to remain Episcopalians.
Primary among these has been the already-existing Fort Worth Via Media. It has been joined by daughter organizations North Texans Remain Episcopal in the northern part of the diocese and Remain Episcopal of Granbury in the southwestern part of the diocese as well as by a group in the mid-cities area and a group of diocesan clergy. Another recently formed group is Steadfast Episcopalians, organized explicitly to reach out to conservative Episcopalians. There were also individuals representing almost all parishes and missions who had self-identified as wishing to remain Episcopalian.
These groups and individuals realized they needed to work together, so they have formed an umbrella organization called the Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians. Walter Cabe is president and Courtland Moore is vice president. Margaret Mieuli is treasurer and Bruce Coggin is the committee’s clerk. Other executive committee members are George Komechak, Kathleen Wells, Victoria Prescott and Fred Barber.
According to Komechak, "The primary objectives of this combined group are to remain in the Episcopal Church and to continue the work of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth as a constituent part of the Episcopal Church. This umbrella organization has been officially recognized as a Texas nonprofit corporation by the Secretary of State. Bylaws have been adopted and a Statement of Mission and Beliefs has been developed for release to the public. Identifying additional persons in diocesan parishes and missions who support staying in the Episcopal Church is one of the Steering Committee’s first items of business. "
People who will remain Episcopalians can send information to Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians, P.O.Box 100846, Fort Worth, TX, 76185-0846. A web site is under construction.
Media: For more information, contact:
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Statement of Mission and BeliefsSteering Committee North Texas Episcopalians
Statement of Mission and BeliefsSteering Committee North Texas Episcopalians
We are committed to the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth as a fully participating, constituent part of the Episcopal Church. Recognizing that the church has need of everyone, we will work to ensure that everyone is welcome and that diversity is celebrated in this diocese. We will look for the image of God in everyone, most particularly with those who differ from us, and we will always seek to reflect in our lives the love and charity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We recognize the Episcopal Church of the United States as the American expression of Anglicanism and will remain members of it.
We affirm the hierarchical structure of the Episcopal Church as critical to its polity. We recognize the bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth, the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies as central to our orderly governance. Moreover we honor the ministry of our Presiding Bishop and Primate.
We will work to identify faithful Episcopalians and provide encouragement and pastoral care for those who do not want to leave the Episcopal Church. We invite the laity to help develop our vision and to implement it in a lively partnership with our clergy. We will resist efforts to remove parishes, property or assets from the Episcopal Church.
We treasure the splendid diversity of The Episcopal Church, and we faithfully pledge to hold open a place in it for those with differing points of view. To anyone who feels torn, confused or marginalized, or who has left the church, we invite you to come home. You are needed.
We seek prayerfully to reconcile with any who contemplate leaving the Episcopal Church by inviting them into dialogue, by listening to them with open hearts and minds and by affirming that they too are valued members of this great church.
We pledge ourselves to Christian service, striving to do all such good works as God has prepared for us to walk in, and seeking always to build up the Body of Christ where we live, where we work and where we worship.
The Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians (Steering Committee)
The Steering Committee represents Episcopalians in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth who in and through the Episcopal Church celebrate and proclaim the gracious love of Jesus Christ for all people. The Steering Committee governing board is composed of clergy and lay representatives of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, including members of Fort Worth Via Media, Steadfast Episcopalians, North Texans Remain Episcopal and Remain Episcopal Granbury.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Bp. Iker: Women are the Problem
All Saints Parish in Fort Worth is one is one of the major parishes in our diocese. I have a great deal of affection for the parish, as I used to be a member there, and Gayland and I were married there. I have many many close friends who still worship there.
Christopher Jambor, the rector of All Saints, has been doing an excellent job of letting the parish make up its mind about the current situation in our diocese. This is the exception rather than the rule in this diocese, where most of the rectors are “true believers” who refuse to allow much, if any, discussion at all.
Jambor, on the other hand, has had speakers from our diocesan leadership come make their case, and he has had Bonnie Anderson in to speak to the parish on behalf of TEC. Recently Bp. Iker visited All Saints after the parish requested that the bishop come “speak for himself” instead of sending surrogates. He bought Ryan Reed, president of the Standing Committee, with him, although Reed did not speak.
Several people have told me what they heard at the meeting with Bp. Iker. Once again, he made it clear that his basic issue is women, not homosexuality. Here’s a summary from several reports of the meeting:
The bishop continues to maintain that he is not responsible for the current situation in the diocese. This is not all about him. He is simply doing what the diocesan convention directs him to do, he said.
“I do not have a vote. I don’t buy the idea that I’m trying to make the diocese anything other than it is,” he told the meeting at All Saints.
I confess to being surprised at this statement. Jack Iker has never struck me as a bishop willing to be passively led by his” flock.” Indeed, he’s made it clear that it is his responsibility as bishop to save us from the heretical TEC, to serve as protector of the faith “once delivered to our fathers.”
Bp. Iker said that the current controversy is not all Gene Robinson’s fault. The issue, according to Bp. Iker, is bigger than Gene. It’s the “world-wide problem” with the consecration of Katharine Jefferts Schori – a woman – as presiding bishop.
Bp. Iker is irritated that he is blamed by some for causing division in the church. “To say I’ve caused this division is ludicrous. . . the problem is with TEC, who has the arrogant attitude that we will shall do as we please.”
According to several people who were at the meeting, Bp. Iker said he would take communion from an immoral gay priest who was male before he would take it from a moral priest who was a woman. This is because with the male, he would be assured the consecration was “valid,” which is not possible with any woman.
When asked what besides women’s ordination are the issues of contention, the bishop went on at length about the diocese being “forced” to ordain women. Of course no one is forcing him to do such ordinations. Nor could they. No bishop can be forced to ordain anyone.
But this is part of Bp. Iker’s standard “slippery slope” argument – once you start ordaining women, who aren’t “proper matter” for ordination, pretty soon you are ordaining gays and lesbians and God knows what else.
According to this argument, even though the “General Convention Church” has not approved a rite for blessing same sex unions, it’s only a matter of time before Bp. Iker and all the priests in this diocese will be “forced” to perform same sex blessings. Of course, no one could force them to do any such thing, just as no one can force any priest to perform a marriage for anyone.
Bp. Iker said he can name 16 dioceses that do bless same sex unions. He is deeply annoyed that no one is punishing the bishops that allow these things to take place. Of course, no one is punishing Jack Iker for refusing to ordain women to the priesthood either.
Bp. Iker reassured listeners that if All Saints “leaves” with the diocese, those who believe there can be gay priests and same sex blessings will still be welcome in the parish and the diocese. He said that there are good Episcopalians in other denominations, such as the Lutheran Church, that “denomination is not important.”
He also said that he always attends church on Sundays when he travels, but he always checks to see what he can learn about a church first – making sure there are no priests who are women for one thing. He wants to be sure the church espouses a correct form of Christianity before he will worship there. But he also said that he’s taken communion from churches with whom he is not in full communion.
After much roundabout talk, he finally said that the diocese is “in communion” with those who profess Jesus as Lord and place an emphasis "on the word of God as found in Scripture.”
Bp. Iker said he is going to attend the GAFCON meeting in Jerusalem and Jordan with all the other “orthodox” bishops for “refreshment,” but that he’s also going to go to Lambeth. He is in favor of an Anglican Covenant, but he doesn’t think there’s a lot of hope for it. While it will be discussed at Lambeth, “the Southern Bishops” won’t be there – the implication being that without their voices, the Covenant won’t have much support.
Bp. Iker said that when he visited parishes after 2003, vestries would tell him that they are embarrassed about what was being said about Episcopalians and wanted to know if he was going to do something about it or whether they would have to do it themselves. He said it was challenging for them to have to explain, “Oh, we’re not THAT kind of Episcopalians.”
He said that if the diocese “leaves” it will still be the “Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth," but he also cautioned folks not to “get caught up in the invitation from the Southern Cone. We may not align with the Southern Cone. We asked if we could align with them as a ‘safe harbor,’ just as Fr. Jambor has asked me about a safe harbor for All Saints. I have been in recent communication with the Presiding Bishop and with Rowan. Rowan does have extra-provincial dioceses.”
Of course, "being in communication" with people can mean anything from sending an e-mail to having a face-to-face meeting. It doesn't mean they agree or approve of what Bp. Iker is doing.
So here are the main points of his presentation:
-- The whole mess started with the ordination of women.
-- The election of a woman as presiding bishop is much worse than the election of a gay man as bishop, just as any male priest, no matter how "immoral", is better than any female priest.
-- Bp. Iker is not responsible for the division in the diocese. He is only doing what diocesan convention tells him to do.
-- We may not align with the Southern Cone.
-- He is still clinging to the idea of an extra-provincial diocese.
The suggestion that we might not align with the Southern Cone came as a big surprise to nearly everyone in the room , given the full court press that's been on to persuade everyone that we "must" go there in order to be safe from the heresies of The Episcopal Church. This suggestion of a change in plans is worrying on many counts, not the least of which is that he may not "go" anywhere.
Additionally, Bp. Iker may find it is harder to change horses in mid-stream than he thinks. Nearly always, one slips and ends up getting very wet.
One person present at the meeting also suggested that it is not a good idea to irritate every woman in the room with misogynistic statements. It often is just the push needed to move many a person off the fence.
Christopher Jambor, the rector of All Saints, has been doing an excellent job of letting the parish make up its mind about the current situation in our diocese. This is the exception rather than the rule in this diocese, where most of the rectors are “true believers” who refuse to allow much, if any, discussion at all.
Jambor, on the other hand, has had speakers from our diocesan leadership come make their case, and he has had Bonnie Anderson in to speak to the parish on behalf of TEC. Recently Bp. Iker visited All Saints after the parish requested that the bishop come “speak for himself” instead of sending surrogates. He bought Ryan Reed, president of the Standing Committee, with him, although Reed did not speak.
Several people have told me what they heard at the meeting with Bp. Iker. Once again, he made it clear that his basic issue is women, not homosexuality. Here’s a summary from several reports of the meeting:
The bishop continues to maintain that he is not responsible for the current situation in the diocese. This is not all about him. He is simply doing what the diocesan convention directs him to do, he said.
“I do not have a vote. I don’t buy the idea that I’m trying to make the diocese anything other than it is,” he told the meeting at All Saints.
I confess to being surprised at this statement. Jack Iker has never struck me as a bishop willing to be passively led by his” flock.” Indeed, he’s made it clear that it is his responsibility as bishop to save us from the heretical TEC, to serve as protector of the faith “once delivered to our fathers.”
Bp. Iker said that the current controversy is not all Gene Robinson’s fault. The issue, according to Bp. Iker, is bigger than Gene. It’s the “world-wide problem” with the consecration of Katharine Jefferts Schori – a woman – as presiding bishop.
Bp. Iker is irritated that he is blamed by some for causing division in the church. “To say I’ve caused this division is ludicrous. . . the problem is with TEC, who has the arrogant attitude that we will shall do as we please.”
According to several people who were at the meeting, Bp. Iker said he would take communion from an immoral gay priest who was male before he would take it from a moral priest who was a woman. This is because with the male, he would be assured the consecration was “valid,” which is not possible with any woman.
When asked what besides women’s ordination are the issues of contention, the bishop went on at length about the diocese being “forced” to ordain women. Of course no one is forcing him to do such ordinations. Nor could they. No bishop can be forced to ordain anyone.
But this is part of Bp. Iker’s standard “slippery slope” argument – once you start ordaining women, who aren’t “proper matter” for ordination, pretty soon you are ordaining gays and lesbians and God knows what else.
According to this argument, even though the “General Convention Church” has not approved a rite for blessing same sex unions, it’s only a matter of time before Bp. Iker and all the priests in this diocese will be “forced” to perform same sex blessings. Of course, no one could force them to do any such thing, just as no one can force any priest to perform a marriage for anyone.
Bp. Iker said he can name 16 dioceses that do bless same sex unions. He is deeply annoyed that no one is punishing the bishops that allow these things to take place. Of course, no one is punishing Jack Iker for refusing to ordain women to the priesthood either.
Bp. Iker reassured listeners that if All Saints “leaves” with the diocese, those who believe there can be gay priests and same sex blessings will still be welcome in the parish and the diocese. He said that there are good Episcopalians in other denominations, such as the Lutheran Church, that “denomination is not important.”
He also said that he always attends church on Sundays when he travels, but he always checks to see what he can learn about a church first – making sure there are no priests who are women for one thing. He wants to be sure the church espouses a correct form of Christianity before he will worship there. But he also said that he’s taken communion from churches with whom he is not in full communion.
After much roundabout talk, he finally said that the diocese is “in communion” with those who profess Jesus as Lord and place an emphasis "on the word of God as found in Scripture.”
Bp. Iker said he is going to attend the GAFCON meeting in Jerusalem and Jordan with all the other “orthodox” bishops for “refreshment,” but that he’s also going to go to Lambeth. He is in favor of an Anglican Covenant, but he doesn’t think there’s a lot of hope for it. While it will be discussed at Lambeth, “the Southern Bishops” won’t be there – the implication being that without their voices, the Covenant won’t have much support.
Bp. Iker said that when he visited parishes after 2003, vestries would tell him that they are embarrassed about what was being said about Episcopalians and wanted to know if he was going to do something about it or whether they would have to do it themselves. He said it was challenging for them to have to explain, “Oh, we’re not THAT kind of Episcopalians.”
He said that if the diocese “leaves” it will still be the “Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth," but he also cautioned folks not to “get caught up in the invitation from the Southern Cone. We may not align with the Southern Cone. We asked if we could align with them as a ‘safe harbor,’ just as Fr. Jambor has asked me about a safe harbor for All Saints. I have been in recent communication with the Presiding Bishop and with Rowan. Rowan does have extra-provincial dioceses.”
Of course, "being in communication" with people can mean anything from sending an e-mail to having a face-to-face meeting. It doesn't mean they agree or approve of what Bp. Iker is doing.
So here are the main points of his presentation:
-- The whole mess started with the ordination of women.
-- The election of a woman as presiding bishop is much worse than the election of a gay man as bishop, just as any male priest, no matter how "immoral", is better than any female priest.
-- Bp. Iker is not responsible for the division in the diocese. He is only doing what diocesan convention tells him to do.
-- We may not align with the Southern Cone.
-- He is still clinging to the idea of an extra-provincial diocese.
The suggestion that we might not align with the Southern Cone came as a big surprise to nearly everyone in the room , given the full court press that's been on to persuade everyone that we "must" go there in order to be safe from the heresies of The Episcopal Church. This suggestion of a change in plans is worrying on many counts, not the least of which is that he may not "go" anywhere.
Additionally, Bp. Iker may find it is harder to change horses in mid-stream than he thinks. Nearly always, one slips and ends up getting very wet.
One person present at the meeting also suggested that it is not a good idea to irritate every woman in the room with misogynistic statements. It often is just the push needed to move many a person off the fence.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The Power of Prayer
Life is slowly getting back to normal in the Sherrod Pool household. Gayland has been home from the hospital for three weeks, and reports he’s feeling stronger every day. His physicians have said he can drive now, which makes him very happy.
I’m slowly getting my fear under control, although every time he sneezes or coughs, I ask, “Are you OK?” I suspect I’m driving him nuts, although he says not. He’s a kind person.
I wonder daily how my mother did it. She cared for my father through nearly 20 years of heart trouble, cancer, surgeries. He was in and out of the hospital all the time.
My dad was a very frail but incredibly tough old coot. We all went home every Christmas for decades because “It could be Alan’s last Christmas.” But he pulled though one crisis after another and went back home to drink the alcohol he was forbidden, eat the foods he wasn’t supposed to eat, tell the bad jokes he loved, and generally enjoy the heck out of life. He was almost 90 when he died.
Through crisis after crisis, Mother never seemed to let her fears take over. She was always calm – at least to us – and seemed to take every development in stride. Being a registered nurse is a large part of that, I know. The other huge piece of it is her deep faith in God.
My mother has a very personal relationship with God, shaped by her Roman Catholic faith. She and God talk a lot, as do she and the Blessed Mother. My parents said the rosary every night of their 63-year marriage. She still says the rosary every night, and says that my dad joins her in it nightly.
I am sure he does.
Faith got me through the last month and half. When one is waiting at 4 a.m. for word of the result of emergency surgery on one’s beloved, the only presence that can offer any comfort at all is that of God.
Prayers got me through the last month and a half. The power of the prayers of all those folk who prayed for us were palpable. What else could account for the calm that would suddenly surround me when I was close to losing it? Or the peace that would enfold me like a warm hug in some of the darkest times? What else would account for the sudden release of anxiety that let me fall into sleep after too many wakeful hours?
Now, as I pray for others I do so with renewed humility and with renewed confidence in the efficacy of this relatively easy, immensely powerful act.
And I believe I would say the same if our outcome had been different. If things had gone badly, I would have needed the prayers more than ever, and I have faith that they would have helped see me through the worse. They certainly did so for my mother when my father died.
Why?
Because God is good, all the time.
I’m slowly getting my fear under control, although every time he sneezes or coughs, I ask, “Are you OK?” I suspect I’m driving him nuts, although he says not. He’s a kind person.
I wonder daily how my mother did it. She cared for my father through nearly 20 years of heart trouble, cancer, surgeries. He was in and out of the hospital all the time.
My dad was a very frail but incredibly tough old coot. We all went home every Christmas for decades because “It could be Alan’s last Christmas.” But he pulled though one crisis after another and went back home to drink the alcohol he was forbidden, eat the foods he wasn’t supposed to eat, tell the bad jokes he loved, and generally enjoy the heck out of life. He was almost 90 when he died.
Through crisis after crisis, Mother never seemed to let her fears take over. She was always calm – at least to us – and seemed to take every development in stride. Being a registered nurse is a large part of that, I know. The other huge piece of it is her deep faith in God.
My mother has a very personal relationship with God, shaped by her Roman Catholic faith. She and God talk a lot, as do she and the Blessed Mother. My parents said the rosary every night of their 63-year marriage. She still says the rosary every night, and says that my dad joins her in it nightly.
I am sure he does.
Faith got me through the last month and half. When one is waiting at 4 a.m. for word of the result of emergency surgery on one’s beloved, the only presence that can offer any comfort at all is that of God.
Prayers got me through the last month and a half. The power of the prayers of all those folk who prayed for us were palpable. What else could account for the calm that would suddenly surround me when I was close to losing it? Or the peace that would enfold me like a warm hug in some of the darkest times? What else would account for the sudden release of anxiety that let me fall into sleep after too many wakeful hours?
Now, as I pray for others I do so with renewed humility and with renewed confidence in the efficacy of this relatively easy, immensely powerful act.
And I believe I would say the same if our outcome had been different. If things had gone badly, I would have needed the prayers more than ever, and I have faith that they would have helped see me through the worse. They certainly did so for my mother when my father died.
Why?
Because God is good, all the time.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Pirates, birthday cake and true treasures
You have probably noticed that I have not blogged in a while. That's because my husband had some very scary health issues throughout the month of March, being in and out of the hospital, and in and out of ICU.
The bounce house turned out to be genius idea, as it kept the kids occupied until the REAL pirate arrived!
Yes, a real pirate showed up to tell the tales of buried treasures and to hand out maps to treasures that somehow got buried on our property!
Curran is the one in the green striped shirt, listening intently to the priate's tale. The pirate handed out four maps, and we divided the kids into four teams and before you could say "Ahoy Mateys" they had uncovered all four treasure chests, which were filled with "jewels and money."
Well, he's home now, and has been home for several days and is feeling stronger every day. for which we give thanks to God. And to all our friends who have been praying for him.
So, here's a bit of catchup.
On March 30, Blackbeard's pirate ship sailed into our front yard, and Curran, the eldest grandson, turned six. Almost 30 of his friends joined us for his birthday party.
The bounce house turned out to be genius idea, as it kept the kids occupied until the REAL pirate arrived!
Yes, a real pirate showed up to tell the tales of buried treasures and to hand out maps to treasures that somehow got buried on our property!
Curran is the one in the green striped shirt, listening intently to the priate's tale. The pirate handed out four maps, and we divided the kids into four teams and before you could say "Ahoy Mateys" they had uncovered all four treasure chests, which were filled with "jewels and money."
Then candles were lit on the cake, wishes made, Happy Birthday sung, and candles blown out. Cake was handed around to all, even to "Da," whose presence was the best present of all!
So happy birthday to Curran and happy homecoming to Da.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Four Thousand Dead
This photo is of soldiers grieving for their dead comrades in the Korean War. But there is a heartbreaking universality to this image that could be from any war.The 4,000th American to die in the Iraq War died on Easter Sunday.
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According to the Associated Press:
* The 1,000th American died in September 2004.
* The 2,000th American died in October 2005.
* The 3,000th American died in December 2006.
* There have been about 15 soldiers wounded for every fatality in Iraq.
This is a vast "improvement" over Vietnam, when there were 2.6 wounded for every death. Now better equipment and medical care in the field keeps many soldiers alive who would have died of their injuries in earlier wars.
We lost many many more soldiers in Vietnam, about 4,850 a year from 1963 to 1875. We lost about 12,300 soldiers a year in Korea, from 1950 to 1953.
But this doesn't matter to the children, wives, husbands, mothers and fathers of those who have died in Iraq. Their pain, their loss is not lessened by such statistics.
We are learning more each month, it seems, about how the American people were lied to about the necessity for this war. The news media failed miserably to raise timely questions prior to us going to war.
In a scenario straight out of Kafta, we are now caught in a chaotic mess of our own making. How can we leave now and abandon the Iraqi civilians to civil war?
I don't think we can and still call ourselves a moral nation.
But there are some things we MUST do.
* We must insist that our government equip our soldiers with the best equipment possible NOW.
* We must insist that our government take the best possible care of our veterans, especially the wounded.
* We must insist that our government take the best possible care of the military families, who are bearing the burden of this war almost alone, while the rest of us go about our lives untouched for the most part.
* We must insist that the news media do their job, which is to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. They must not be cynical, but they must be skeptical.
* And we, the people, must pay attention. We must question authority. We must hold our leaders accountable. That's our job as Americans.
And we haven't done it very well lately.
Four thousand dead. May they rest in peace and rise in glory.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
The Lord Is Risen! Alleluia!
Happy Easter!
The Lord is Risen! Alleluia!!
The fountains splash and the daffodil trumpets sing to the heavens.
The Lord Is Risen Indeed!
The iris enfolds and embodies the beauty and joy of the Resurrection.
The Lord Is Risen Indeed!
May your Eastertide be filled with new joys, new growth, new discoveries of the wonders of God.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Holy Saturday
XIV
JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB
V: Sorrowful Mother, all humanity shares your loss.
R: Bless us all, Womb of Humanity, and renew our journey into new life.
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I press my broken son to me, as if I can absorb him once again into my body. Oh Beloved! Have mercy on me! Pour Your tender mercies down upon me and help me! Help me! I have no strength left.
JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB
V: Sorrowful Mother, all humanity shares your loss.
R: Bless us all, Womb of Humanity, and renew our journey into new life.
***************************************
I press my broken son to me, as if I can absorb him once again into my body. Oh Beloved! Have mercy on me! Pour Your tender mercies down upon me and help me! Help me! I have no strength left.
And once again, You send my bright angel. I feel the warmth at my back, the angel’s hand upon my bent head, and hear the familiar voice: “Mary, Blessed of all Women, do not be afraid, for God is pleased with you.”
And I remember the Promise: “All will be well. All manner of things will be well.”
I allow them to take my son’s body from me. They are telling me it is time to prepare him for burial. Salome has brought spices, and Joseph of Arimethea has gotten permission to bury him in his nearby tomb. And so I go through the ritual motions. As I once laid his sweet body tenderly in a cradle, I now lay his broken body tenderly in the tomb. The smell of the sweet herbs fills the air. For one last time, I kiss his mortal face, then gently cover it with the sheet of fine white fabric. My hand caresses the soft cloth, and I smile. Would that I had had such fine cloth to clothe him in while he lived.
But I have no bitterness left. My heart already is looking ahead. We walk outside, and James and John push the great stone over the entrance. I stand looking at the tomb.
How long, oh Beloved, how long? As my dear friends move about me, peace settles on me. I am again one with Your will. Let it happen as You say.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Good Friday
This is taken from Women of the Passion, A Journey to the Cross, which I wrote some years ago for a women's retreat. Today, we hear from Mary, mother of Jesus.
I cannot take my eyes off him, for every second that passes takes him farther from me. Where is my bright angel now?
I would be the God-Bearer, the angel said. Well, I did my part. And now here he is, this Child of God, dying in a dismal dusty place.
Anger washes through me, followed by new waves of grief. For days I’ve been an ocean, wracked by storms of emotion that threaten to drown my soul, kill my faith. This is too much to ask of me, Beloved! I believed Your promises. I believed them when I pushed him into the world with only Joseph and the animals as midwives. I believed them when the shepherds and the kings came. I believed them when my angel warned Joseph to take us into Egypt. And I believed them when, at the Temple, he disappeared. I feared You already had taken him from me then, much too soon. We searched for him for three whole days, days like years. When we found him teaching in the Temple, he said he had to be about Your business.
But Joseph and I persuaded him to wait a bit longer. And when the time came, it was still too soon by my heart’s reckoning. But I had vowed to do Your will, and so I helped him any way I could. Many times that meant stepping aside, occasionally it meant helping others to understand, and nearly always, it meant biting my tongue when I feared he’d gone too far, too fast.
But this! Oh Beloved, is this necessary! Must our child suffer so? We are not worthy of such pain. Take him! Take him now, before I go mad with rage and pain.
But stay! Do not take him yet . . . This is the body of my body, the blood of my blood. I will devour him with my eyes, eating his body, drinking his blood. I will carry him within me forever.
His soft summons of “Mother” reaches me as if in a dream. I move as close to his feet as the soldiers will permit, John beside me.
“Ema,” my dying son says to me, indicating John. “Behold your son.”
And to John he says, “Behold your mother.”
His voice is almost too faint to hear.
“I am thirsty,” he rasps. I turn in silent appeal. The young soldier at the foot of the cross hesitates. Then, with a slight shrug, he puts a sponge soaked in cheap wine onto his lance and hoists it to Jesus. He wets his lips, and speaks again, his words tearing into my heart like knives.
Then he cries out to You, Beloved.
“Abba, into Your hands I commend my spirit.”
He drops his head and his eyes meet mine. And as I watch, the light dies.
[Silence]
I hear a scream and wonder who it is. The sky darkens, thunder rumbles, and a great silence falls. My body feels numb. It seems as if the darkness lasts forever. After a time, however, light returns. Shaken, the soldiers begin taking my child down from the cross. One of them, a centurion I think, motions to them to give me the body.
I sink down on a rock, and with a curious gentleness, the soldiers hand him to me, draping him across my lap. I cradle him, my babe now man. His head lolls against my breast, and his soft hair strokes my chin. I gently close his eyes and with my veil wipe the blood off his face.
I have no tears left. My eyes are spent with weeping, my soul is in tumult, my heart is poured out in grief because of the downfall of my people.
John says something to me, and I look up, my eyes blazing.
“Do not call me Naomi, which means Pleasant. Call me Mara, which means Bitter; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”
John looks shocked, but what do I care? What are all the prophecies to me now? What do I care for all the fine words of men? My child is dead!
Agony forces my head back and I scream at the heavens, “My baby! I want my baby back!” 
XIII
THE BODY OF JESUS IS PLACED IN THE ARMS OF HIS MOTHER
V: “Do not call me Naomi, which means Pleasant.
R: “Call me Mara, which means Bitter: for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me.
***************************************
As I waited in pain for him to be born, now I wait in pain for him to die.
THE BODY OF JESUS IS PLACED IN THE ARMS OF HIS MOTHER
V: “Do not call me Naomi, which means Pleasant.
R: “Call me Mara, which means Bitter: for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me.
***************************************
As I waited in pain for him to be born, now I wait in pain for him to die.
I cannot take my eyes off him, for every second that passes takes him farther from me. Where is my bright angel now?
I would be the God-Bearer, the angel said. Well, I did my part. And now here he is, this Child of God, dying in a dismal dusty place.
Anger washes through me, followed by new waves of grief. For days I’ve been an ocean, wracked by storms of emotion that threaten to drown my soul, kill my faith. This is too much to ask of me, Beloved! I believed Your promises. I believed them when I pushed him into the world with only Joseph and the animals as midwives. I believed them when the shepherds and the kings came. I believed them when my angel warned Joseph to take us into Egypt. And I believed them when, at the Temple, he disappeared. I feared You already had taken him from me then, much too soon. We searched for him for three whole days, days like years. When we found him teaching in the Temple, he said he had to be about Your business.
But Joseph and I persuaded him to wait a bit longer. And when the time came, it was still too soon by my heart’s reckoning. But I had vowed to do Your will, and so I helped him any way I could. Many times that meant stepping aside, occasionally it meant helping others to understand, and nearly always, it meant biting my tongue when I feared he’d gone too far, too fast.
But this! Oh Beloved, is this necessary! Must our child suffer so? We are not worthy of such pain. Take him! Take him now, before I go mad with rage and pain.
But stay! Do not take him yet . . . This is the body of my body, the blood of my blood. I will devour him with my eyes, eating his body, drinking his blood. I will carry him within me forever.
His soft summons of “Mother” reaches me as if in a dream. I move as close to his feet as the soldiers will permit, John beside me.
“Ema,” my dying son says to me, indicating John. “Behold your son.”
And to John he says, “Behold your mother.”
His voice is almost too faint to hear.
“I am thirsty,” he rasps. I turn in silent appeal. The young soldier at the foot of the cross hesitates. Then, with a slight shrug, he puts a sponge soaked in cheap wine onto his lance and hoists it to Jesus. He wets his lips, and speaks again, his words tearing into my heart like knives.
“It is finished.”
Then he cries out to You, Beloved.
“Abba, into Your hands I commend my spirit.”
He drops his head and his eyes meet mine. And as I watch, the light dies.
[Silence]
I hear a scream and wonder who it is. The sky darkens, thunder rumbles, and a great silence falls. My body feels numb. It seems as if the darkness lasts forever. After a time, however, light returns. Shaken, the soldiers begin taking my child down from the cross. One of them, a centurion I think, motions to them to give me the body.
I sink down on a rock, and with a curious gentleness, the soldiers hand him to me, draping him across my lap. I cradle him, my babe now man. His head lolls against my breast, and his soft hair strokes my chin. I gently close his eyes and with my veil wipe the blood off his face.
I have no tears left. My eyes are spent with weeping, my soul is in tumult, my heart is poured out in grief because of the downfall of my people.
John says something to me, and I look up, my eyes blazing.
“Do not call me Naomi, which means Pleasant. Call me Mara, which means Bitter; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”
John looks shocked, but what do I care? What are all the prophecies to me now? What do I care for all the fine words of men? My child is dead!
Agony forces my head back and I scream at the heavens, “My baby! I want my baby back!”
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Thursday of Holy Week
This is from Women of the Passion, A Journey to the Cross, which I wrote some years ago for a women's retreat. This is Mary Magdalene speaking.
XII
JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS
V: And I know if my grief were a river.
R: The whole earth would drown.
***************************************
I watch them stretch his naked body out on the cross. Even in this moment of complete vulnerability, he is magnificent! As I look at him through eyes blurred with tears, he is no longer just one man, but seems instead to embody all of suffering humankind. Could any human endure such a burden?
JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS
V: And I know if my grief were a river.
R: The whole earth would drown.
***************************************
I watch them stretch his naked body out on the cross. Even in this moment of complete vulnerability, he is magnificent! As I look at him through eyes blurred with tears, he is no longer just one man, but seems instead to embody all of suffering humankind. Could any human endure such a burden?
I would die in his place without a moment’s regret. That they should touch one hair on that adored head, hurt one inch of that beloved body, sickens me with grief and rage. I have loved him forever, it seems, even though I met him only three years ago, when he was teaching near my home in Magdala. I knew from the moment we first spoke that he had loved me from before I was born. I would have loved him even if he had not cured me of my affliction, taken from me that deep-seated sadness that had clouded my days ever since I had achieved menarche. For me, becoming a woman had meant confinement in a prison of sadness. I seemed always to walk in darkness. I yearned to end this soul-eating pain.
Then I met him, and the sun rose in my life. With a glance he removed the pall of sadness that had dragged my life in the dust. With a touch he lifted me into a realm of spiritual brightness that dazzled my eyes and delighted my soul.
He called me “beloved disciple,” and when the inevitable rumors began, I went crying to him. He gentled my tears away and said, “Mary, feel my hand on your face. I am touching the image of God. Nothing they say can change that, not in my eyes, and certainly not in the eyes of the One who made you.
“And know this,” he said. “Though they may try, they will never be able to cast you into the darkness. My peace is upon you forever.”
“My peace is upon you forever . . . ” I cling to those words as they stretch him out upon that dreadful cross. I brush tears from my eyes, and see more clearly what they are about to do. Oh Holy One, help us! They are nailing him to the cross!
I turn to shield his mother from the sight, but it is too late. She lets out a low guttural sound, like that of woman in labor. I put my arm around her shoulders, and feel her slight body shudder with every blow of that accursed hammer.
When they pull the cross upright and drop it into a hole in the rock, I think the jolt will tear his arms from his body. And for a terrible interminable time we wait, as he slowly weakens. Finally I hear him give himself to his father. Without looking, I know he is gone from me.
And I know if my grief were a river, the whole earth would drown.
Wednesday of Holy Week
Today at my parish we will be doing the Stations of the Cross from The Women of the Passion, A Journey to the Cross, something I wrote several years ago for a women's retreat. As we journey toward Easter, let us walk with these women.
Today, we meet The Woman Taken in Adultery.
-----------------------------------------------
XI
JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS
V: Our hearts feel every blow of that hammer.
R: Your wounds are of our making.
***************************************
As I watch them strip him and pull him down onto the cross, I long to scream, “Stop this madness! This is an innocent man! A good man!”
JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS
V: Our hearts feel every blow of that hammer.
R: Your wounds are of our making.
***************************************
As I watch them strip him and pull him down onto the cross, I long to scream, “Stop this madness! This is an innocent man! A good man!”
I know. He saved my life.
I was a maid in the household of an important merchant in Jerusalem, and young and foolish. I had been betrothed since I was a child to a man I had never seen. But the merchant’s son convinced me he loved me, and I allowed him to come to my bed. His mother found us. She called me an adulteress, and locked me in my room. I was terrified. Although the Law clearly states that both the man and woman are to be put to death, my lover is important in the community. I knew nothing would happen to him. But the Law says a betrothed virgin is to be stoned to death.
At daybreak they dragged me to the Temple. There was a man sitting there, surrounded by people. The Temple officials threw me to the ground in front of him. I knew I already was a dead woman. They said, “Rabbi, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. The Law says we should stone her. Tell us, what do you say?”
I was confused. Who was this man? Why where they asking him? What were they up to? The man ignored them, drawing with his finger in the dust near my face. But they kept at him, and he kept ignoring them. I finally calmed down enough to focus on what he was doing. There in the dust he had written the unspeakable name of God. What did this mean?
But the Temple officials persisted until he looked up and said quietly, “Let the one among you who has not sinned be the first to throw a stone.”
Then, bending down, he drew some more in the dust, smiling sideways at me. One by one, those who had accused me silently slipped away, until he and I were alone.
“Where have they gone?” he asked me. I said nothing, shaking my head in bewilderment.
“Tell me, has no one condemned you?” he then asked.
“No one, sir,” I said softly.
“And neither do l,” he said. “Go now, and sin no more.”
And he helped me to my feet, smiled at me, turned me toward the door and gave me a gentle push.
“Go,” he said with a smile.
And I did. I went and got my belongings, and set out to find the company of Jesus. He had given me back my life. I would now give it to him.
And now these fools are going to kill him! I hear a terrible groan from his mother and look up. Oh, dear God! They are not tying him to the cross, they are nailing him to it! My heart feels every blow of that hammer. As they jerk his feet together and begin driving the nails through that precious skin, his body moves convulsively upward. And I fall, driven to the ground by grief.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Playing Catchup
The LA Times story on the Deposition of John David Schofield is here.
The Episcopal News Service story is here.
Mad Priest, who makes me laugh out loud on a regular basis, offers this observation, entitled "One Last Fat Joke Afore Ye Go."
The Episcopal News Service story is here.
Mad Priest, who makes me laugh out loud on a regular basis, offers this observation, entitled "One Last Fat Joke Afore Ye Go."
And the new bishop of San Joaquin is a lamb, according to this Episcopal Life story.
Here's the new web site of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin.
Here's the new web site of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin.
Things are happening fast these days in The Episcopal Church. As I've been spending many hours at the hospital with my husband, it's been hard to keep up.
But I do have a couple of observations.
John David was not deposed , as he keeps claiming, for "abandoning the faith." He was deposed for abandoning the communion of The Episcopal Church, the entity that consecrated him a bishop.
And secondly, if the two previous presiding bishops had had half the guts of Katharine Jefferts Schori and a portion of her understanding of the responsibilities of the office of PB, all of us would have been spared the agonies of the last fifteen years or so.
Those of us in the Diocese of Fort Worth who are remaining in The Episcopal Church are joyous for our sisters and brothers in San Joaquin. We look forward in hope to the day when we too will be facing a joyous new day in a reconstituted diocese.
But I do have a couple of observations.
John David was not deposed , as he keeps claiming, for "abandoning the faith." He was deposed for abandoning the communion of The Episcopal Church, the entity that consecrated him a bishop.
And secondly, if the two previous presiding bishops had had half the guts of Katharine Jefferts Schori and a portion of her understanding of the responsibilities of the office of PB, all of us would have been spared the agonies of the last fifteen years or so.
Those of us in the Diocese of Fort Worth who are remaining in The Episcopal Church are joyous for our sisters and brothers in San Joaquin. We look forward in hope to the day when we too will be facing a joyous new day in a reconstituted diocese.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Pushing toward the Light
This is a photo of the entrance to our Chapel Garden. It was taken last summer.
This is my favorite photo of Gayland, taken in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in 1983. I love the look of joy on his face.Gayland and I sit in the Chapel Garden almost every night, unless it's raining or just too icy. We pray and talk and dream and review the day and laugh at our dogs who think the gardens were created for their personal pleasure -- and who's to say they are wrong?
We haven't been sitting together in the garden much this Lent -- not because we don't want to, but because Gayland had a triple bypass operation, and then barely two weeks later, a stress ulcer in his stomach perforated, sending him to the ER in an ambulance and into emergency surgery at 3 A.M.
He almost died.
Now he's in the ICU and recovering. He walked a long distance today, and sat in a chair for a long time. Maybe tomorrow he will be out of the ICU. Maybe.
This has been a Lenten experience I hope to never have again.
After I came home from the hospital tonight, I went with the dogs to sit in the Chapel Garden. The start of Daylight Savings Time meant it was still light enough to see. So as the dogs arranged themselves on and around my feet -- dogs believe that warm feet are very important when comforting someone -- I gazed out at the garden and gave thanks.
Thanks that Gayland has survived this challenge. Thanks for the skill of his surgeon. Thanks for the gentleness and skill of his nurses. Thanks for the meals that friends have brought. Thanks for the prayers of countless people. Thanks for the kindnesses without number that people have shown us.
I looked at the spring bulbs just now opening into beautiful blooms and I wept at their courage. All these bulbs pushing toward the Light, not knowing whether or not a freeze tomorrow might kill them. For them, Easter is the only possibility.
I take hope from them, and courage.
All will be well, they proclaim. All manner of things will be well.
God, please make it so.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Through the Looking Glass into Canon32Land
I had sent my heroine straight down a rabbit-hole ... without the least idea what was to happen afterwards. -- Lewis Carroll
**************************************************************************
Be prepared, as you read the information below, to feel as if you have gone through the looking glass into Canon32Land.
A place where the diocesan leadership says it has "watched with sadness as issues and attitudes have caused deepening differences at all levels in the Anglican Communion" -- as if their issues and attitudes have had nothing to do with the divisions they have done their best to exacerbate for years.
It is a place where parishes loyal to the doctrine and discipline of The Episcopal Church have to appeal to a schismatic bishop in order to stay in TEC, a bishop who gets to be judge, jury, and source of final appeal.
It is a place where the schismatic bishop, who called members of his diocese who disagree with him "demons" in his diocesan convention address, will require 'a year-long non-disparagement clause, whereby the leaders of the Parish and the leaders of the Diocese agree not to disparage one another in public statements, press releases, website announcements and articles, other articles, and sermons' before "releasing" a parish "back" to TEC.
It is a place where a canon developed in the Diocese of Dallas to deal with parishes wanting to leave a diocese of The Episcopal Church has been twisted to apply to parishes who want to stay in The Episcopal Church while the diocesan leadership tries to take the diocese out of The Episcopal Church.
Yes, I know. It makes your head hurt, doesn't it?
Welcome to Canon32Land.
This was released today:
Subject: Ad Clerum: Guidelines released for diocesan Canon 32
To all clergy and convention delegates,
Today the Bishop and Standing Committee have released the Guidelines called for in the amendment to Canon 32, which was approved by our Diocesan Convention in November 2007. The amendment took effect 30 days after ratification by Convention.
The Guidelines set out a procedure to be followed if a parish wishes to initiate a separation from the diocese. They were prepared after consideration was given to specific concerns raised at deanery convocations and at the Convention. As much as possible, these concerns have been taken into consideration as the Guidelines were drafted.
The leadership of this diocese has watched with sadness as issues and attitudes have caused deepening differences at all levels in the Anglican Communion. Adding to this rupture of the bonds of affection are the growing numbers of lawsuits being filed by those who once were unified in faithful witness and ministry.
"Disagreement and division may be inevitable," commented Dean Ryan Reed, President of the Standing Committee, "but Christian charity must not be sacrificed in the process. The purpose of the Canon and the Guidelines is to provide for a charitable parting, if parting is necessary."
Attached to this announcement is a copy of Canon 32, "Controversy between Rector and Vestry or between a Parish and the Diocese," the Guidelines, and a pastoral Introduction from the Bishop. They are available on the diocesan Web site as well.
Suzanne Gill
Director of Communications
GUIDELINES FROM THE BISHOP AND STANDING COMMITTEE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SEPARATION UNDER CANON 32 OF THE DIOCESE OF FORT WORTH
Introduction
The Apostle Paul urges Christian believers to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” and it is his words that we recall at the beginning of every service of baptism and confirmation: “There is one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all.” (Ephesians 4: 3-6)
Striving to maintain the unity of the church is of particular concern to a Bishop in his ministry, for he is charged at his consecration “to guard the faith, unity and discipline of the Church.” Whenever the peace and unity of the Church are imperiled, it is the Bishop’s special vocation to address it as pastor and chief shepherd of the diocese.
In the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury, a “basic conviction of catholic theology” is that “the organ of union with the wider Church is the Bishop and the Diocese.” It is in the context of life together in the Diocese that tensions or estrangement from one another over faith and order first come to the surface. In such cases, all are obligated to work for reconciliation and healing. Separation comes as a last resort when such efforts have failed, and if it must come, it must be agreed upon in a respectful and non-litigious manner.
It is the responsibility of the Bishop to deal pastorally with any parish that feels estranged from the Diocese, as a focus and instrument of unity. If reconciliation is not possible, he should act in the best interest of both the Diocese and the parish in question, in so far as possible.
The following guidelines (as called for in Canon 32.3) are offered as a way forward in addressing the prospect of a parish seeking to separate from the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. They are guiding principles rather than hard-and-fast rules. It is expected that all parties will comply with them in a spirit of love and respect, dealing with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ in a time of conflict and estrangement.
The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth
March 3, 2008
NOTE: We are deeply grateful to Bishop James M. Stanton and the Diocese of Dallas for allowing us to borrow from them in formulating both these guidelines and the canon concerning a controversy between a parish and the diocese (Canon 32)
`I wonder, now, what the Rules of Battle are,' she said to herself, as she watched the fight, timidly peeping out from her hiding-place: `one Rule seems to be, that if one Knight hits the other, he knocks him off his horse, and if he misses, he tumbles off himself--and another Rule seems to be that they hold their clubs with their arms, as if they were Punch and Judy--What a noise they make when they tumble! Just like a whole set of fire- irons falling into the fender! And how quiet the horses are! They let them get on and off them just as if they were tables!'
Another Rule of Battle, that Alice had not noticed, seemed to be that they always fell on their heads, and the battle ended with their both falling off in this way, side by side: when they got up again, they shook hands, and then the Red Knight mounted and galloped off.
`It was a glorious victory, wasn't it?' said the White Knight, as he came up panting.
`I don't know,' Alice said doubtfully. `I don't want to be anybody's prisoner. '
**************************************************************************
Be prepared, as you read the information below, to feel as if you have gone through the looking glass into Canon32Land.
Canon32Land is a place where a bishop who is leading a schismatic movement expresses his concern for "the unity of the church."
It is a place where Episcopal parishes which already are part of The Episcopal Church must apply to "return" to The Episcopal Church and jump through multiple hoops to do so.
A place where "Christian charity" is used as an argument against going to court to protect your property from those who would take it illegally, where taking legal action to protect your property is "rupturing the bonds of affection."A place where the diocesan leadership says it has "watched with sadness as issues and attitudes have caused deepening differences at all levels in the Anglican Communion" -- as if their issues and attitudes have had nothing to do with the divisions they have done their best to exacerbate for years.
It is a place where parishes loyal to the doctrine and discipline of The Episcopal Church have to appeal to a schismatic bishop in order to stay in TEC, a bishop who gets to be judge, jury, and source of final appeal.
It is a place where the schismatic bishop, who called members of his diocese who disagree with him "demons" in his diocesan convention address, will require 'a year-long non-disparagement clause, whereby the leaders of the Parish and the leaders of the Diocese agree not to disparage one another in public statements, press releases, website announcements and articles, other articles, and sermons' before "releasing" a parish "back" to TEC.
It is a place where a canon developed in the Diocese of Dallas to deal with parishes wanting to leave a diocese of The Episcopal Church has been twisted to apply to parishes who want to stay in The Episcopal Church while the diocesan leadership tries to take the diocese out of The Episcopal Church.
Yes, I know. It makes your head hurt, doesn't it?
Welcome to Canon32Land.
This was released today:Subject: Ad Clerum: Guidelines released for diocesan Canon 32
To all clergy and convention delegates,
Today the Bishop and Standing Committee have released the Guidelines called for in the amendment to Canon 32, which was approved by our Diocesan Convention in November 2007. The amendment took effect 30 days after ratification by Convention.
The Guidelines set out a procedure to be followed if a parish wishes to initiate a separation from the diocese. They were prepared after consideration was given to specific concerns raised at deanery convocations and at the Convention. As much as possible, these concerns have been taken into consideration as the Guidelines were drafted.
The leadership of this diocese has watched with sadness as issues and attitudes have caused deepening differences at all levels in the Anglican Communion. Adding to this rupture of the bonds of affection are the growing numbers of lawsuits being filed by those who once were unified in faithful witness and ministry.
"Disagreement and division may be inevitable," commented Dean Ryan Reed, President of the Standing Committee, "but Christian charity must not be sacrificed in the process. The purpose of the Canon and the Guidelines is to provide for a charitable parting, if parting is necessary."
Attached to this announcement is a copy of Canon 32, "Controversy between Rector and Vestry or between a Parish and the Diocese," the Guidelines, and a pastoral Introduction from the Bishop. They are available on the diocesan Web site as well.
Suzanne Gill
Director of Communications
GUIDELINES FROM THE BISHOP AND STANDING COMMITTEE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SEPARATION UNDER CANON 32 OF THE DIOCESE OF FORT WORTHIntroduction
The Apostle Paul urges Christian believers to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” and it is his words that we recall at the beginning of every service of baptism and confirmation: “There is one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all.” (Ephesians 4: 3-6)
Striving to maintain the unity of the church is of particular concern to a Bishop in his ministry, for he is charged at his consecration “to guard the faith, unity and discipline of the Church.” Whenever the peace and unity of the Church are imperiled, it is the Bishop’s special vocation to address it as pastor and chief shepherd of the diocese.
In the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury, a “basic conviction of catholic theology” is that “the organ of union with the wider Church is the Bishop and the Diocese.” It is in the context of life together in the Diocese that tensions or estrangement from one another over faith and order first come to the surface. In such cases, all are obligated to work for reconciliation and healing. Separation comes as a last resort when such efforts have failed, and if it must come, it must be agreed upon in a respectful and non-litigious manner.
It is the responsibility of the Bishop to deal pastorally with any parish that feels estranged from the Diocese, as a focus and instrument of unity. If reconciliation is not possible, he should act in the best interest of both the Diocese and the parish in question, in so far as possible.
The following guidelines (as called for in Canon 32.3) are offered as a way forward in addressing the prospect of a parish seeking to separate from the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. They are guiding principles rather than hard-and-fast rules. It is expected that all parties will comply with them in a spirit of love and respect, dealing with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ in a time of conflict and estrangement.
The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth
March 3, 2008
NOTE: We are deeply grateful to Bishop James M. Stanton and the Diocese of Dallas for allowing us to borrow from them in formulating both these guidelines and the canon concerning a controversy between a parish and the diocese (Canon 32)
GUIDELINES FOR CANON 32
1. Preliminaries
1.a At the time the Vestry and Rector of a Parish begin to explore formal separation from the Diocese, the Parish must be current in its financial support of the Diocese and in any loans outstanding to the Diocesan Revolving Fund.
1.b The Vestry must demonstrate that the Parish is current in its payments to the clergy pension fund and all other insurance and benefits.
1.c The Vestry and the Rector will signal their intent to explore formal separation from the Diocese by presenting the Bishop with a signed and dated document demonstrating intent to separate, dissociate, or disaffiliate (or similar language).
1.d The Vestry and the Rector will then devise and implement a plan demonstrating that they are approaching the matter of separation soberly, prayerfully, and pastorally, accounting for and respecting all the views held by members of the Parish.
1.e The clergy and any lay members of the parish holding elected or appointed office in the Diocese shall resign immediately therefrom.
1.f These guidelines envision a period of up to six months in which the Bishop, or his designees, will be involved in seeking a pastoral solution other than separation, if such is to be had.
2. Before any agreement can be finalized, a dossier containing the following elements will be gathered by the Vestry and Rector and conveyed to the Bishop and Standing Committee:
2.a A certified list of members qualified to vote at a parish meeting.
2.b A Statement of the Vestry on the issues within the Diocese of Fort Worth with which the Vestry and Parish are at odds.
2.c A Study of the extent of the disagreement of the leadership, including the Vestry, and the members of the Parish with respect to the issues identified above. This may be in the form of a congregational vote, a survey instrument, a petition, a poll, or some other means by which to register that disagreement.
2.d A Statement by each of the Clergy as to their desire to 1) remain in the Diocese, 2) resign from the ministry, or 3) be transferred to another Bishop of the Anglican Communion. This is a statement of desire only, and does not comprise a Letter of Resignation, or a Request for Letters Dimissory.
2.e Documentation as to the state of indebtedness of the parish, if any, and the amounts owed, to whom, for what purposes, and performance. Further, an accounting for all trust indentures, endowments and restricted gifts shall be made. The Vestry must show what, if any, of these make reference to the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, the Bishop of the Diocese (or his successors in Office), or the Episcopal Church, and the extent of the benefits intended for these entities.
2.f A Statement by the Vestry and Rector of the affiliation the Parish intends to establish with another ecclesial body (a Province or a Diocese of the Anglican Communion; or a body outside the Anglican Communion).
2.g Certification that the Parish has been duly incorporated under the laws of the State of Texas as a non-profit corporation and has received 501(c)(3) status.
3. Elements of an episcopal order:
It is expected that an agreement will be formulated to reflect the mutually agreed upon terms by which the Parish will separate. This shall form the basis for the issuance by the Bishop of an episcopal order, pursuant to Canon 32 of the Canons of the Diocese (see below). While the terms of any such agreement will vary with each Parish, it is generally expected that such terms will include, at a minimum, the following:
3.a Financial agreements
3.b A year-long non-disparagement clause, whereby the leaders of the Parish and the leaders of the Diocese agree not to disparage one another in public statements, press releases, website announcements and articles, other articles, and sermons.
3.c Indemnification of the Diocese by the Parish. The specific form of indemnification shall be agreed to in each case.
The written agreement made by the Vestry and Rector of the Parish, the Bishop, the Standing Committee, and the Board of Trustees of the Corporation of the Diocese shall be subject to ratification by 2/3 of the qualified members (see sec. 2.b) of the parish in a vote taken at a parish meeting (pursuant to Canon 26).
Legal transfer of property will occur when all terms of the agreement have been satisfied.
---CANON 32
CONTROVERSY BETWEEN RECTOR AND VESTRY
OR BETWEEN A PARISH AND THE DIOCESE
Section 32.1 When a Rector has been regularly settled in a Parish he shall not be dismissed without the consent of the Bishop of the Diocese.
Section 32.2 In case of a controversy between a Rector and Vestry, which cannot be settled by the parties themselves, the parties or either of them, may appeal to the Bishop. The duty of the Bishop shall be to seek to bring the parties to an amicable conclusion; and in such case, the agreement between them, signed by them and attested to by the Bishop, shall have the same force as an order made under Section 32.5 of this Canon.
Section 32.3 In the case of a controversy between a Parish and the Diocese, the Rector and a majority of the members of the Vestry may petition the Bishop, whose duty it shall be to seek to bring the parties to an amicable conclusion.
To that end, the Rector and majority of the Vestry shall provide a reasonable opportunity for the Bishop, a diocesan chancellor and a member of the Standing Committee to meet on parish property with the entire Vestry and such members of the parish as wish to be present.
Both verbal and written notice of the meeting must be provided to the members of the parish.
It will be the duty of the Bishop to determine the extent to which the members of the parish agree with the Rector and majority of the Vestry.
It shall also be the duty of the Bishop to make adequate provision in any resolution to protect the interest of the minority of the parish wishing to remain in union with the Diocese, and to protect the missionary interest of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.
In the case where an agreement is reached, it shall be signed by the Rector and the Bishop and attested to by at least a two thirds majority of the members of the Vestry and at least a majority of the members of the Standing Committee.
This agreement shall have the same force and effect as an order made under Section 32.5 of this Canon. When reaching the conclusion amicably or pursuant to an order made under Section 32.5 of this Canon, consideration will be given to the provisions of Article 14 of the Constitution, Canon 18 and such guidelines as may be established by the Bishop and Standing Committee for the resolution of such disputes.
Section 32.4 If the matter shall not be amicably settled within a reasonable time, not to exceed six (6) months, the bishop shall convene the members of the Standing Committee and shall give notice to the parties to appear before him and them and present their facts and arguments, at such time and place as he may appoint; and he may adjourn and continue the hearing in the matter at his discretion.
Section 32.5 After all hearings as may be called for in Sections 32.2 through 32.4 above are concluded, the Bishop, after consultation with the Standing Committee, shall make such an order in regard to the matter as he may think to be just and for the best interest of the Church. It shall be the duty of the Diocese, the Rector and the Parish, and every member thereof, to submit to and abide by such order as the final and conclusive determination of all matters of difference between them.
****************************************************************************
From Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
'She's MY prisoner, you know!' the Red Knight said at last.
`Yes, but then I came and rescued her!' the White Knight replied.
`Well, we must fight for her, then,' said the Red Knight, as he took up his helmet (which hung from the saddle, and was something the shape of a horse's head), and put it on.
`You will observe the Rules of Battle, of course?' the White Knight remarked, putting on his helmet too.
`I always do,' said the Red Knight, and they began banging away at each other with such fury that Alice got behind a tree to be out of the way of the blows.
`Yes, but then I came and rescued her!' the White Knight replied.
`Well, we must fight for her, then,' said the Red Knight, as he took up his helmet (which hung from the saddle, and was something the shape of a horse's head), and put it on.
`You will observe the Rules of Battle, of course?' the White Knight remarked, putting on his helmet too.
`I always do,' said the Red Knight, and they began banging away at each other with such fury that Alice got behind a tree to be out of the way of the blows.
`I wonder, now, what the Rules of Battle are,' she said to herself, as she watched the fight, timidly peeping out from her hiding-place: `one Rule seems to be, that if one Knight hits the other, he knocks him off his horse, and if he misses, he tumbles off himself--and another Rule seems to be that they hold their clubs with their arms, as if they were Punch and Judy--What a noise they make when they tumble! Just like a whole set of fire- irons falling into the fender! And how quiet the horses are! They let them get on and off them just as if they were tables!'
Another Rule of Battle, that Alice had not noticed, seemed to be that they always fell on their heads, and the battle ended with their both falling off in this way, side by side: when they got up again, they shook hands, and then the Red Knight mounted and galloped off.
`It was a glorious victory, wasn't it?' said the White Knight, as he came up panting.
`I don't know,' Alice said doubtfully. `I don't want to be anybody's prisoner. '
Presiding Bishop to speak in Dallas UPDATED!!!
UPDATE: The garden blessing at The Episcopal Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle will now start at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, April 28. The reception/Q&A will follow immediately in the parish hall. (The initial start time was posted as 6 p.m.)
For all you folks in the Fort Worth diocese who have wondered about our presiding bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, here's your chance to meet her, listen to her, talk with her.
She is visiting Dallas with the approval of Bp. James Stanton.
Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori will be at St. Thomas the Apostle at 6525 Inwood Road in Central Dallas on Monday, April 28.
Mark your calendars now.
Here's the release from St. Thomas:
The Episcopal Church of Saint Thomas The Apostle announces that the Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, will visit the Dallas parish on Monday April 28.
During her visit, the Presiding Bishop will participate in a blessing service for the new Saint Thomas Community Garden, tour the newly restored and rebuilt Saint Thomas church buildings and speak at a reception for church and community members. The garden blessing and reception will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.,[now 2:30 p.m] and members of other parishes and the general public are invited to attend.
“We are honored that the Presiding Bishop has accepted our invitation to visit our parish in Dallas, and we eagerly look forward to having her with us on April 28,” said the Rev. Stephen J. Waller, rector of Saint Thomas.
“Our Community Garden is growing food to fight hunger right here where we live,” Rev. Waller said. “It reflects the Millennium Development Goals of our national church to eradicate hunger wherever it occurs. Our community garden as well as our recently restored and rebuilt church facilities reflect our commitment and growth as a parish of thinking, tolerant Christians engaged in life with our God, our families and friends, and the broader community within the best traditions of the Episcopal Church.”
The Saint Thomas Community Garden is located on a formerly vacant lot adjacent to the church at the corner of Inwood Road and Mockingbird Lane in Dallas. Church members have created two large “pantry plots” on which they are growing vegetables that will be donated entirely to local food banks and organizations fighting hunger in Dallas. In addition, the garden has 16 private plots maintained by individuals who have agreed to give at least 10 percent of their harvest to local food banks.
For all you folks in the Fort Worth diocese who have wondered about our presiding bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, here's your chance to meet her, listen to her, talk with her.
She is visiting Dallas with the approval of Bp. James Stanton.
Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori will be at St. Thomas the Apostle at 6525 Inwood Road in Central Dallas on Monday, April 28.
Mark your calendars now.
Here's the release from St. Thomas:
The Episcopal Church of Saint Thomas The Apostle announces that the Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, will visit the Dallas parish on Monday April 28.
During her visit, the Presiding Bishop will participate in a blessing service for the new Saint Thomas Community Garden, tour the newly restored and rebuilt Saint Thomas church buildings and speak at a reception for church and community members. The garden blessing and reception will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.,[now 2:30 p.m] and members of other parishes and the general public are invited to attend.
“We are honored that the Presiding Bishop has accepted our invitation to visit our parish in Dallas, and we eagerly look forward to having her with us on April 28,” said the Rev. Stephen J. Waller, rector of Saint Thomas.
“Our Community Garden is growing food to fight hunger right here where we live,” Rev. Waller said. “It reflects the Millennium Development Goals of our national church to eradicate hunger wherever it occurs. Our community garden as well as our recently restored and rebuilt church facilities reflect our commitment and growth as a parish of thinking, tolerant Christians engaged in life with our God, our families and friends, and the broader community within the best traditions of the Episcopal Church.”
The Saint Thomas Community Garden is located on a formerly vacant lot adjacent to the church at the corner of Inwood Road and Mockingbird Lane in Dallas. Church members have created two large “pantry plots” on which they are growing vegetables that will be donated entirely to local food banks and organizations fighting hunger in Dallas. In addition, the garden has 16 private plots maintained by individuals who have agreed to give at least 10 percent of their harvest to local food banks.
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