Openly Episcopal in Albany

Trinity Cathedral Reaffirms Tie to Episcopal Church

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Grace Happens, the newsletter of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, comes news that Trinity Cathedral in the city of Pittsburgh has voted to return to its historic status as the the seat of the Episcopal diocese, solely.  This ends its temporary connection with Robert Duncan and "the diocese established by the former Episcopalians."  The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh continues its successful rebuilding after a time of schism:

The governing board of Trinity Cathedral in downtown Pittsburgh has voted to reaffirm its historic role as the cathedral church only for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church in the United States.  

 

Since 1928 when it first became the cathedral church for the Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church, Trinity Cathedral has served as the symbolic seat of the diocese.  When some members of the diocese decided in 2008 to leave The Episcopal Church, Trinity sought to serve both the Episcopal Diocese as well as the diocese established by the former Episcopalians.  By its vote on December 15, 2011, a clear majority of the Cathedral Chapter indicated that the time and purpose of that dual service had now passed, and that in the interest of the Cathedral's future, it was necessary to re-affirm its original charter.  

 

"Trinity's effort to serve two dioceses was well-intentioned in its time, which was a period of uncertainty," said Bishop Kenneth L. Price, Jr. of the Episcopal Diocese.  "With much of that uncertainly behind us, the Episcopal Diocese stands ready to help the Cathedral grow in its mission as a church open to all and serving all in the name of Jesus Christ in the heart of the city," said the bishop. 

Presiding Bishop's Christmas Message

[Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs] “Jesus comes among us to remind us of a world living together in peace, to reclaim and make real that vision of creation for all humanity and all God’s creatures,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says in the Christmas message for 2011.

The following is the text of the Presiding Bishop’s message:

See, your salvation comes – Isaiah 62:11

The great prophets before Jesus proclaimed a vision of a nation and a people redeemed.  We continue to share that yearning – as the Christmas hymn puts it, “the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”  We’ve seen abundant hopes spring up in the past year across the Arab world and Eastern Europe, and in the global Occupy movement.  Those voices seek a world of greater justice, communities in which decisions and the gifts of creation are more available to all.  Our understanding of salvation is most profoundly about justice in community, and as Christians we believe that help and healing for all are grounded in the incarnate presence of God – among us and within us.

We look for salvation to the one who came among us in the most humble way, a helpless child born in a scandalous way to a poor peasant couple.  The Incarnation, God with us, changed the world in ways that we insist are leading to the ultimate healing of all creation.  “See, your salvation comes,” says the prophet in every age, yet it is not yet fully come upon us.  We live in hope for its fullness.  May hope be nourished within us, in each and every human being and community, for the journey toward God’s healed and holy future.

That proclamation of coming salvation is a part of Isaiah (Isa 62:6-12) that will be read in some congregations at Christmas, but if you don’t hear it, go and read the whole of it.  Its centerpiece speaks of what that salvation looks like:

 The Lord has sworn…
            I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies,
                        and foreigners shall not drink the wine for which you have labored;
            but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the Lord,
                        and those who gather it shall drink it in my holy courts.

Isaiah 62:8-9

That is not a vision of pristine isolation, but a vision of comfort and healing to a people frequently at war, occupied, or exploited by superior forces.  The fear of powerful others taking and using for themselves the produce of the poor is healed and transformed intllo a society in which the gifts God provides will be shared by all.  For when salvation comes, that society will

be called, ‘the Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord’;
     and you shall be called, ‘Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.’

Isaiah 62:12

Jesus comes among us to remind us of a world living together in peace, to reclaim and make real that vision of creation for all humanity and all God’s creatures. That world is put right as relationships between God and humanity are set right. The relationship between God and human being cannot be set right without equal healing of relationships between us mortals.  See, your salvation comes!  Will we welcome that healing?

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church

Burn in Hell for All Eternity?

Giovanni Stradano - Illustrations For Dante's Inferno, 1587

A recent comment by Mary Lawthers on the AVM Facebook page concerning her experience with the Commission on Ministry of the Diocese of Albany has generated some online discussion.

A couple of years ago Mary sought permission of the commission to pursue a diaconal ministry.  According to her account, a priest on the commission told her that “to be an ordained person in the DOA you have to be willing to confront all homosexuals, and let them know that if they do not change they will burn in hell for eternity.”  Mary naturally found this statement of belief to be both offensive and personally cruel, and said so.  Unfortunately, but not unpredictably, her candidacy did not proceed.

The author of this outrageous remark was subsequently identified as The Rev. David F. Ousley.  I recall David Ousley from when I was a member of the Commission on Ministry, probably some time around 2004-2005.  Our infrequent conversations were cordial, and I found it difficult to believe that he could have expressed himself in this way to a candidate before the commission.  So, with Mary Lawlor’s permission, I decided to write to The Rev. Ousley to confirm what had been reported.  I sent him the following email through the diocesan website over a week ago:

Dear David+

A few years ago I had the pleasure of serving with you on the Commission on Ministry of the Diocese of Albany. As you recall, I left the Commission voluntarily, largely because of my perception that no candidate who expressed liberal or progressive opinions would receive fair consideration. If this impression was misplaced, I assume that you will correct my thinking. But as a former member of the Commission on Ministry, I am writing to you to request your recollections of a matter that came before the Commission.

Recently, on the AVM Facebook page, Mary Lawthers recalled a conversation with you in your capacity as a member of the Commission, in which you told her that " to be an ordained person in the DOA you have to be willing to confront all homosexuals and let them know that if they do not change they will burn in Hell for eternity." I do not recall hearing about this at the time of my service on the Commission, so I assume that it occurred after my tenure. But since it has become a matter of comment on Facebook, I want to ask you:

1. Did that conversation take place as reported? If so, did this remark reflect your considered theological opinion at the time? If it did, do you still hold such a position or have your thoughts on the matter changed in any way?

2. If these remarks were reported correctly, would you say that they reflected the majority position of the Commission on Ministry at the time? Would this correctly reflect the continued position of the Commission on Ministry, or has the position of the majority of the Commission been modified in any way?

3. If the candidate in question again appeared before the Commission under similar circumstances, would you express your opinion on the matter in the same way again? If not, how would you modify these remarks, given another opportunity?

Thank you for replying to my request for clarification. The reported incident has become a matter of some comment on Facebook, and I wanted to ask you your recollection of the matter before adding my thoughts to the discussion thread.

Sincerely,
John White

To this date, I have not received a reply from The Rev. Ousley.  Granted, there have been other communications with the diocese and clergy that have unaccountably been lost in transit.  It may be that Rev. David has not received this letter until now.  I prefer to believe that explanation rather than the alternative, which is tacit agreement to the charge that the Commission is  bullying toward candidates for ordination, as well as being homophobic.

Dr. William Hammond of this diocese reminds us on Facebook of the 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution regarding sexuality, which states that  "We commit ourselves to listen to the experience of homosexual persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by God and that all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ".  How is that commitment expressed in the actions of the Commission?

Another lay person in the diocese, Ann Carlson, commented on Facebook that she personally knew of another candidate who “had the same experience as Mary, and had heard of at least one other person who was also grilled on a position on homosexuality in that process.”  As Ann says:

“it appears that it used to be standard practice. Let's hope -- and let's try to make sure that -- it is no more.”

A Mysterious Disappearance

Albany Via Media (AVM) board member Joseph Liotta has brought to our attention the fact that the diocesan website does not include a list of priests licensed to officiate in the diocese.  He points out that it has in the past been a useful resource for parishes, clergy and laypersons alike.  Mr. Liotta writes:

After months of trying to find out what happened to the List of Licensed Priests in the Diocese (it used to be on the Diocesan website but hasn’t been there for many months now) I emailed Canon Haskell. Below is the text of my email to him and his answer to me:

Dear Canon Haskell:
Recently the List of Licensed Priests in the Diocese was removed from the Diocesan website. This list was not a duplicate of Canonically Resident Priests or Canonically Resident Deacons but a separate list. What was the reason for its removal? Will it be restored? Does this list still exist?
Joseph Liotta

Canon Haskell responded:

Dear Mr. Liotta:
Thank you for bringing to our attention the absence of a list of licensed priests on the Diocesan website. We will work on getting the list posted, although, with the Christmas season approaching, it will not be before January.
(The Rev.) Robert F Haskell

Be looking for this “mysteriously disappeared” list on the Diocesan website in January. I cannot believe that no one else in the Diocese of Albany has noticed this, especially the powers that be such as the Bishop, the Canon to the Ordinary, the Standing Committee members, the priests on that list, or vestries and churches trying to get a supply priest. It doesn’t make sense to me. I even brought this up at the AVM annual meeting and no one seemed to know anything about this issue, or that it was an issue.

I’m sure we all look forward to the return of the list of licensed priests.  Let's hope that it reappears sooner, not later.