Thoughts on the Presiding Bishop's Visit to Albany

On February 8th, Bishop Love made it official by announcing that:

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will be visiting the Diocese of Albany on March 10th through the 13th, as part of her canonical requirement to visit every diocese in The Episcopal Church at least once during her tenure as Presiding Bishop.

Bishop Love outlined the agenda that he has arranged for the Presiding Bishop.  On Friday, March 11, priests and spouses are invited to the Spiritual Life Center, where the PB will witness “a presentation on the various overseas and domestic mission initiatives by churches throughout the Diocese.”  On Friday evening she will attend a healing service at Church of the Messiah in Glens Falls, which is “open to the whole diocese.”

On Saturday the Presiding Bishop will join deacons and spouses at Christ Church, Schenectady, for a presentation on the deaconal training program, as well as “the various outreach ministries being conducted by the parishes throughout the Diocese.”  That evening, she will have dinner at the cathedral and afterward tour the overflow homeless shelter hosted by St. Peter’s Church.

On Sunday, the PB will celebrate and preach at the Cathedral, followed by a reception.  Each church in the diocese is invited to send “a small representative body” to the service and reception.

Bishop Love’s letter makes it clear that his goal is to “share with her the many different aspects of our diocesan life and ministry together. We have much to share with the wider Church.”  But what about the message that the Presiding Bishop has to give to the Diocese of Albany?  Are we open to listening to her as she shares what The Episcopal Church is doing and becoming?  Are the leaders of our diocese as eager to be taught as they are to teach?  Once again the diocese is conveying an attitude of exceptionalism that places higher value on our own gifts and ministries than on those to be found in the wider Church.

Nor do the venues chosen for her visit permit the Presiding Bishop the time and audience appropriate to her position or her message.  Priests will be granted access to the Presiding Bishop on one occasion, and deacons on another, but there is no gathering in which the leader of our national church can address all interested laity, let alone the general public.  At the Saturday healing service, the one event advertised as open to all, the letter says only that “the Presiding Bishop will be invited to be part of the prayer team.”  Apparently no sermon, no questions, no answers.

The next occasion at which The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori can meet members of the diocese is one that invites only a small representation of laity.  Nor is it a convenient time for laity in our far-flung diocese to meet the Presiding Bishop.  Several members of the diocese have pointed out to Albany Via Media that having to be absent from one’s own parish on any Sunday, especially Lent 1, would discourage many otherwise interested Episcopalians from attending the Cathedral service and reception.

A member of AVM who has attended both conventions of neighboring dioceses has noted that the Presiding Bishop was much more accessible to the people when she attended the diocesan conventions of Western New York and Central New York.  It is notable that the Presiding Bishop has not received an invitation to address a convention of the Diocese of Albany.  Bishop Love has proudly described our diocesan convention as “a family reunion.”  One must conclude, then, that the Presiding Bishop is not part of our family, not one of “us”.  Nor, apparently, is she a guest who can be invited to speak freely or at any length within the family circle.

The visit of the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church is an important event in the life of a diocese.  Every member of the diocese who is interested should try to find a way to attend the service in Glens Falls or at the Cathedral.  It just seems a shame that there is not a larger public event or forum for our Presiding Bishop to address all of the members of the Diocese of Albany. Nor does our diocese appear receptive to instruction or guidance from our Presiding Bishop, The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori.  That represents a lost opportunity for our diocese to hear the message and connect with the mission of the wider Episcopal Church.

Comments

[Dennis Wisnom]

After having thought more about it, I find that I need to remind Fr. Michael Waverly-Shank that I was in attendance not only at the recent Parish Leadership Conference, but also at the September event which featured The Rev. Dr. Peter Walker and his presentation on the Bible. I learned a lot that day and have kept the notes I took.
I hope Fr. Mike attended the day with the Presiding Bishop for priests today at CtKSLC. I would be interested to know what he thought.

[Robert T. Dodd]

Fr. Brown: "I do recognize that 'Openly Episcopal in Albany' and the AVM website publish letters from all points of view -- how could I not? And I commend them for it."

We are grateful, in turn, for Fr. Brown's contributions to dialogue. May more conservative priests and lay persons join the conversation!

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." (Lao-tzu)

[Fr. Christopher Brown]

I do recognize that "Openly Episcopal in Albany" and the AVM website publish letters from all points of view -- how could I not? And I commend them for it.

[John White]

It is heartening that Canon Brown sees the Presiding Bishop's visit "as a way of building bridges and strengthening relationships." Given that vision, it is hard to understand why the diocese has not given The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori more opportunities to address the membership of the diocese directly. But there is still an opportunity to widen her audience, which must be Dr. Brown's desire. Dennis Wisnom of AVM has contacted Canon Haskell to see whether the service at the Cathedral on March 13th could be videotaped. There is precedent for taping events at the Cathedral, and a videographer is readily available. I trust that Dr. Brown will lend his support for this project, which would widen participation in the service and build bridges between our parishes and the Presiding Bishop.

[Robert Dodd]

Fr. Brown criticizes the title of AVM's newsletter, "Open Minds," because of "the implication that those who don’t share the outlook of AVM are inherently close-minded." He goes on to say that "what I read there seems as close-minded and oppositional as anything from those with whom AVM disagrees."

"Open Minds" has a moderate to liberal perspective because Albany Episcopalians of those persuasions are served poorly if at all by the Diocese of Albany's official organs. Those who prefer conservative sources of information and insight will find those -- and only those -- listed on the diocesan website.

As Fr. Brown knows full well, AVM's website and this blog lean to the left but welcome letters and comments from the right. Albany Via Media regards "Let every voice be heard" as a fair statement of Anglican and Episcopal tradition. Our only bias -- a strong one -- is against those who see those words as not a promise but a threat.

[Joseph M. Liotta]

Joseph M. Liotta on Thoughts on the Presiding Bishop's Visit to Albany

Really Father Brown: Open Minds and Openly Episcopal in Albany are the only lights in this "dark" corner of the Episcopal Church. My colleagues in AVM have clearly shown the flaws of Bishop Love's carefully engineered visit by Presiding Bishop Katherine Schori, namely there will be no real and meaningful contact between the Presiding Bishop and the laity.

What a contrast here in the Diocese of Southwest Florida! I am thankful that for 3 months a year I can worship at St. Peter's Cathedral where Bishop Dabney Smith presides and officiates on many occasions. It is interesting that Bishop Dabney and Bishop Love went to the same "Bishop's School" as they were Ordained Episcopal Bishops during the same year,

Bishop Smith respects those who are gay and are members of the St. Alerud Society, the gay and lesbian group here at the Cathedral. He's had dinner with them recently and has attended one of their meetings too. The result is a vibrant, loving community where all gifts are realized.

You would not get Bishop Love to even think of doing the same. So who is opened minded.

[Fr. Christopher Brown]

Why has Bishop Love invited the Presiding Bishop to the diocese? Yes, there is the canonical requirement that the Presiding Bishop visit every diocese during her office. But I think it goes further than that. I don't agree that it is an attempt to show that we are as “conservative and evangelical” as we can possibly be. Rather, I see it as a way of building bridges and strengthening relationships -- without pretending that we agree about the things that separate us. It is a way of staying in the Episcopal Church, while remaining true to our convictions. And while it may not be the visit that AVM folk would design were it up to them, I am surprised that my AVM colleagues are not seeing the positives for what they are.

I do read the AVM newsletter. I read everything that comes out of AVM. But the title, “Open Minds ,“ does bother me – not because I am opposed to being open-minded, but because 1) of the implication that those who don’t share the outlook of AVM are inherently close-minded, and 2) what I read there seems as close-minded and oppositional as anything from those with whom AVM disagrees.

[John White]

The December newsletter of Albany Via Media, released Dec 14, 2010, contained this news: “We announce that Bp. Love has invited the
Presiding Bishop to visit Albany in March. We shall keep you posted when we learn where and when she will speak to Albany Episcopalians.” So more than one month before the Diocesan Leadership Conference, AVM alerted members of the diocese that the Presiding Bishop was coming. The Rev. Mr. Shank could have saved himself the embarrassment of misstating facts had he simply read the the AVM newsletter. But probably the title of the newsletter put him off. It is called Open Minds.

[Father Mike Waverly-Shank]

This article about The PB's visit to our Diocese proves what I thought all along. AVM members do not attend Diocesan events. I attended the Parish leadership conference on Jan. 29. At that event Bishop Bill announced the PB's visit. The Jan 29th event was the last of three. Therefore about 1000 people in our Diocese were aware of the Pb's visit long before Feb. 8th. Does this mean that nobody from AVM attended any of the parish leadership conferences?

[Dennis Wisnom]

John White makes excellent points. I truly wonder whether Bishop Love sees this visit from the Presiding Bishop as an opportunity for her to address us and share with us the views of the Episcopal Church, which are quite different than those of the Diocese of Albany or does he see the visit as part of "a canonical requirement?" In other words, does he really want the Presiding Bishop here in the diocese or does he just want her to be a puppet?
It is very sad that Bishop Love only wants a small representation from each parish at the Cathedral Eucharist on Sunday, March 13. It is also sad that the Eucharist isn't on a Saturday where more people could participate. But this just all speaks to a planted agenda purposely designed by Bishop Love to portray the Diocese of Albany as conservative and evangelical...nothing else. If the Presiding Bishop came to the Diocesan Convention in June that would be awesome because more people of the progressive and moderate persuasions would come. And she could see firsthand how closedminded this diocese is to dialogue and diversity of opinion and representation on its committees and comissions.
I am excited that Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori will be visiting us. My question though, is the rest of the Diocese of Albany excited about it too?