Raleigh Diocese not canceling Mass; NC Methodist Church, Episcopal Diocese suspend service for 2 weeks

From Western North Carolina-

The CDC and Gov. Roy Cooper have warned against large groups of people as the COVID-19 outbreak spreads, prompting many religious groups within the Triangle and Sandhills to halt services or take precautions.

Catholic Diocese of Raleigh
The Catholic Diocese of Raleigh said that based on Cooper,'s directive, Bishop Luis Zarama is "waiving the obligation for the faithful to attend Sunday Mass" but is not issuing a diocesan-wide cancellation of all Masses.

Zarama asked the congregation to follow the guidance of public health professionals and to stay home from Mass or work or any public space if you are sick or are experiencing "symptoms of sickness."

"The celebration of the Eucharist is the life and foundation of our Church," Zarama wrote in explaining his decision not to cancel all Masses. "As priests, we are obligated to celebrate the Eucharist just as we are obligated to be joyful shepherds and servants of the faithful. My brother priests and I will continue celebrating Mass in union with our Lord. We welcome the faithful with the understanding that, in the interest of their own health and that of their brothers and sisters, many may not be able to join with us in prayer during this time."

More here-

https://abc11.com/religion/congregations-suspend-take-precautions-amid-covid-19-concerns/6007599/ 

and here-

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article241140611.html

Questions linger about church's knowledge of abuse

From Western North Carolina-

Former Episcopal priest Howard White has finally been brought to justice for sexual abuse crimes he admitted to committing in Haywood, but with civil litigation still pending, the story isn’t yet over.

Last week in Haywood County Superior Court, White, 78, pleaded guilty to the sexual abuse of three youths in the mid-1980s and one more in 2004 and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The emotional hearing featured not only District Attorney Ashley Welch reading the facts of the cases into record, but also one victim’s powerful statement. Between the two, the details that emerged — details which White agreed were factual — confirmed just how monstrous the crimes committed by the once-respected former rector of Grace Church in the Mountains really were.

More here-

https://www.themountaineer.com/news/questions-linger-about-church-s-knowledge-of-abuse/article_706f45a4-f8bb-11e9-b72f-a302783ba874.html

Former Haywood County priest enters guilty plea to multiple child sexual abuse charges

From Western North Carolina-

A former Haywood County Episcopal Priest, charged with multiple counts of child sexual abuse, entered a guilty plea Monday morning.

Howard Willard White, Jr., 78, pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree forcible rape, eight counts of second-degree forcible sex offense and seven counts of indecent liberties with a child.
White was charged over a year ago in Haywood County with multiple felonies connected to the sexual abuse of multiple children over two decades.

In June 2017, White pleaded guilty to child sex charges in Massachusetts. Prosecutors said White assaulted a child during two overnight trips to Boston when the boy was 15 and 16. At the time, White worked at St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island. White, who was stripped of his priesthood by the Episcopal Church, received an 18-month sentence in that case.

More here-

https://wlos.com/news/local/former-haywood-county-priest-enters-guilty-plea-to-multiple-child-sexual-abuse-charges

Fighting hunger is a community endeavor

From Western NC-

Every Tuesday, by 9 a.m., volunteers have gathered in the St. James Episcopal Church common room where they put up chairs and tables covered with cheery checked tablecloths. The big Bounty & Soul truck has dropped off boxes of produce and we begin to sort through it all, putting fruits and vegetables into baskets to be set out on the tables.

In the kitchen, the coffee pot is on and there is fresh bread, jam and slices of fruit. The talk is animated as produce is packaged into containers and passed out to be put on the tables. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, melons and cabbages all are boxed and wrapped.

Those that don't pass muster are put into five-gallon buckets and become compost, which along with others, are hauled away by another volunteer with a truck.

Out in the hall, bushel baskets filled with squash, potatoes, onions, zucchini, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes are set on the tables. On another table, boxes of salad greens are stacked, bags of kale and collards are lined up. Next comes the fruit table with bananas, oranges, lemons, limes, berries, apples and often exotic fruit--kiwi, mangoes, pomegranates.

More here-

https://www.blackmountainnews.com/story/life/2018/10/24/fighting-hunger-community-endeavor/1672324002/

Child sex case against former Waynesville priest could grow

From Western North Carolina-

The case of a former Haywood County Episcopal priest facing child sex charges could get bigger.

Howard White faces charges of rape, sex offense, and indecent liberties with a child. The charges stem from alleged abuse of two minors dating back to the 1980s when White was rector at Waynesville’s Grace Church in the Mountains.

White had a hearing Friday where his bond was increased from $660,000 to $1.6 million.
Prosecutors argued White is a flight risk since he faces a possible life sentence, has no Haywood County ties, and has substantial financial means. They also found rationale for the bond increase, citing two more alleged victims coming forward who also claim they were sexually assaulted by White, one as recently as 2004.

“The state made representations about additional evidence and I really can't…until we see what the evidence is, really isn't too much more that I can say about it,” White's attorney Sean Devereux said.

More here-

http://wlos.com/news/local/child-sex-case-against-former-waynesville-priest-could-grow

Former Episcopal priest Howard White to be extradited to North Carolina on sex abuse charges

From Massachusetts-

When Howard White, a former Episcopal priest behind bars in Massachusetts after he raped a prep school student in the 1970s, is released from jail Thursday he will be extradited to face more charges in North Carolina, prosecutors said.

White, 76, is one of six named offenders in the sex abuse scandal at St. George's School in Middletown, R.I.

Last May he pleaded guilty to five counts of assault and battery in Suffolk Superior Court for his abuse of an unnamed former student in the 1970s. He served 12 months of an 18-month sentence and was due to be released on Thursday.

But a new indictment from North Carolina accusing White of raping two more teenagers there will change things, prosecutors said.

The charges are: one count of rape; four counts of second-degree sexual offense; one count of second-degree rape; one count of first-degree forcible sex offense; and two counts of indecent liberties with a child.

More here-

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/05/former_episcopal_priest_howard.html

Ex-St. George’s chaplain Howard White charged with child sex abuse in N.C.

From Rhode Island-

White, 76, who was stripped of his Episcopal priesthood last fall and is behind bars in Massachusetts for raping a prep school student in the 1970s, faces nine counts alleging various sexual abuse of a juvenile boy and a girl back in the 1980s, while he worked at Grace Church in the Mountains, in Waynesville, North Carolina.

Howard W. White Jr., the former associate chaplain at St. George’s School, in Middletown, now behind bars in Massachusetts for raping a prep school student in the 1970s, is facing numerous similar charges in North Carolina.

White, 76, who was stripped of his Episcopal priesthood last fall, faces nine counts alleging various sexual abuse of a juvenile boy and a girl back in the 1980s while he worked at Grace Church in the Mountains, in Waynesville, North Carolina.

More here-

http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20180418/ex-st-georges-chaplain-howard-white-charged-with-child-sex-abuse-in-nc

An abuse of trust White hid behind his charm

From North Carolina-

Howard White is now seen by some as a wolf in sheep's clothing, the devil in a white robe.

But between 1984 and 2006, many in Haywood County only saw the former Episcopal priest as the beloved rector of Waynesville's Grace Church in the Mountains.

Since then, much has changed for White, 76, who has been convicted of child sexual abuse in New England, and now faces abuse charges in Haywood County dating back to 1985.

White, who preferred the affectionate, disarming nickname "Howdy," has been indicted by a Haywood County Grand Jury on charges that he abused one boy and one girl during his time in Haywood.

More here-

https://www.themountaineer.com/news/an-abuse-of-trust/article_36fd9526-4185-11e8-8def-ef7715b0666a.html

Ex-Episcopal priest accused of child sex assaults in the North Carolina mountains

From North Carolina-

An ex-Episcopal priest imprisoned in Massachusetts for decades-old child sex crimes is now accused of sexually assaulting two children in the North Carolina mountains.

A Haywood County grand jury has indicted 76-year-old Howard "Howdy" Willard White Jr., 76, on sex assault charges involving a girl and a boy, The Mountaineer newspaper in Waynesville reported. White is accused of the assaults when he served as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in the Mountains in Waynesville in the 1980s, according to the newspaper.

The charges are first-degree forcible rape, second-degree forcible rape, second-degree forcible sexual offense and indecent liberties with a child, Asheville ABC-TV affiliate WLOS reported.
Read more here:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article209069714.html#storylink=cpy

Episcopal priest to get probation for Florida road rage

From LA Times-

The rector of an Episcopal church in North Carolina accused of pointing a gun at another vehicle in Florida is set to receive a year of probation.

The Palm Beach Post reported Tuesday that Martin County prosecutors have reached a deal with 35-year-old Rev. William Rian Adams. He is scheduled to plead no contest Friday to a misdemeanor charge of improper exhibition of a firearm. He had been facing two felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

State troopers say a pickup truck driver was closely following Adams' Corvette on Florida's Turnpike in July and tried to pass the car. Authorities say Adams pointed a handgun at the truck.

Adams still is listed as rector at Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher, 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Asheville.

More here-

http://www.latimes.com/sns-bc-us--priest-road-rage-20171213-story.html

Priest arrested in Florida road rage incident after pulling out gun

From ABC-

A North Carolina priest may want to practice what he preaches.

William Rian Adams, 35, was arrested in connection with a road rage incident on Florida's Turnpike near Palm City Wednesday after pulling out a gun, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

According to an FHP report, Adams -- a priest at Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher, N.C. -- was driving a red Chevrolet Corvette when he "attempted to brake-check" another vehicle, a Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck, that was closely following his Corvette.

"As the victim attempted to pass the Corvette, the driver [Adams] pointed a semi-automatic hand gun at them," read the report.

More here-

http://abcnews.go.com/US/priest-arrested-florida-road-rage-incident-pulling-gun/story?id=48517183

Ex-chaplain at St. George’s School pleads guilty to 1973 molestation

From Boston-

A former associate chaplain at St. George’s School in Rhode Island has pleaded guilty to molesting a student during trips to Boston in 1973. Howard White Jr., who was also accused of sexual abuse in three other states and stripped of his priesthood by the Episcopal Church, received an 18-month sentence, according to Jake Wark, spokesman for the Suffolk County district attorney’s office.

Officials in the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office said last year that the charges against White grew out of a Rhode Island State Police investigation into allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct by former faculty and students at the elite prep school in Middletown, R.I., going back to 1970. He was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court last December.

More here-

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/05/14/former-episcopal-priest-and-former-george-chaplain-pleads-guilty-assault-battery-charges/ji45ivGAxPnRqOMbl07cSL/story.html

A Pastoral Letter from the Bishop

From Western North Carolina-

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

In the past five months as your bishop, I have traveled extensively throughout Western North Carolina, visiting parishes and exploring the various communities that encompass our diocese. I am continually blessed by the opportunity to learn and know your congregation's story as well as the unique, personal narratives from many of our lay leaders. These stories have deepened my appreciation for the grace that flows through this wonderful diocese.

I also hope that through our conversations and prayers, you have heard my story and witnessed the grace of God that flows through my life. I hope you have come to know that it is not my custom to officially address every issue discussed in the public square. As your bishop, I value "the middle way," recognizing that our church is a community that welcomes all people, in the diversity of their convictions, to join together at the Lord's Table and share in the one bread and the one cup.

Nevertheless, I must speak out and stand firm in solidarity with the immigrants among us and the refugees seeking a safe harbor for their families.


More here-

http://www.diocesewnc.org/dfc/newsdetail_2/3184614

Politics in the pulpit: Where to draw the line?

From North Carolina-

 The Rev. Skip Gillikin would prefer counseling parishioners on matters of sin and redemption over sharing thoughts on Democrats and Republicans.

Picking a political candidate “goes beyond my calling as a pastor,” he said.

But the minister for First Presbyterian Church in Weaverville backs a recent proposal by President Donald Trump to "destroy" a 1954 law that says churches and other religious organizations risk losing tax-exempt status if they endorse political candidates.

Several Western North Carolina pastors said they are not interested in preaching politics from the pulpit, but there were different opinions on the idea of doing away with the law.

Gillikin said he would not endorse candidates, but he would like to see the law taken off the books "just so we don't have that heavy hand, or alleged heavy hand (of Internal Revenue Service action) hanging over us."

More here-

http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2017/02/25/politics-pulpit-where-draw-line/97668806/

Exhibit to reveal history of Episcopal Church in NC

From North Carolina-

The community will have a chance to learn more about the 200-year history of the Episcopal Church in North Carolina on Sunday when an archivist from the state’s diocese visits St. John in the Wilderness in Flat Rock.

Archivist Lynn Hoke will present her Bicentennial History Exhibit in the church’s parish hall located beginning at 3 p.m. The project is part of the celebration of the bicentennial of the Episcopal Church in North Carolina.

Hoke’s presentation will focus on the results of her 10-year study of the growth of the church in North Carolina and will include 10 vinyl panels featuring some of her research.

“There are a lot of pictures, ten placards documenting from 1817 to where we are now,” said St. John's Rector, the Rev. John Morton. “It shows us better where we fit in the big picture. It ties us in and I like that.”

There are three Episcopal dioceses in the state with 243 yearround churches and 83,000 parishioners.

More here-

http://www.blueridgenow.com/news/20170225/exhibit-to-reveal-history-of-episcopal-church-in-nc

DA: Teen victim of Episcopal priest

From Boston (more links at the bottom)-

A 75-year-old former Episcopal priest in Rhode Island was arrested and charged yesterday with assaulting a 15-year-old prep school student he took on trips to Boston more than 40 years ago, Suffolk prosecutors said.

Howard “Howdy” White was an associate chaplain at St. George’s School in Middletown, R.I., in 1973 when prosecutors say he took one of his academic advisees on two overnight trips to Boston and assaulted him. He faces five counts of assault and battery from the two trips.

“Whether as a child or as an adult, disclosing sexual abuse can be the most daunting experience in a person’s life,” Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a statement. “Survivors everywhere should know that they can feel safe and supported coming to us, and that we place their well-being above all else as we investigate and prosecute the harm committed against them.”

More here-

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2016/12/da_teen_victim_of_episcopal_priest

Bedford PA here-

http://www.tribdem.com/news/episcopal-priest-living-in-bedford-county-arraigned-in-boston-on/article_4cfdb34a-c181-11e6-96eb-3f00a02dbaf6.html 

CBS- with video-

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2016/12/13/priest-charged-sexual-abuse-boy-1973-howard-howdy-white-boston/

Providence RI-

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2016/12/13/priest-charged-sexual-abuse-boy-1973-howard-howdy-white-boston/

NPR-

http://nhpr.org/post/former-st-pauls-school-chaplain-charged-sexual-assault

Rt. Rev. Jose Antonio McLoughlin ordained as Bishop of Episcopal Diocese of WNC

From Western North Carolina-

The Episcopal Church’s new leader in Western North Carolina wants to see the diocese do more to serve communities and reach people through ministry.

“I want to make sure we as a church are outwardly focused, not looking inward,” said the Rt. Rev. Jose Antonio McLoughlin, the new bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina.

McLoughlin, 47, began his transition to bishop for the diocese in September after being elected to the job in June during a meeting in Asheville. He was ordained and consecrated on Oct. 1 as the seventh bishop of the diocese in a ceremony at UNC-Asheville.

McLoughlin has spent the last month getting to know both clergy and lay leaders in the diocese, learning the administrative functions of his new job, attending previously scheduled events on the bishop’s calendar, working on the budget for the diocese and meeting with various committees.

More here-

http://www.blueridgenow.com/news/20161015/rt-rev-jose-antonio-mcloughlin-ordained-as-bishop-of-episcopal-diocese-of-wnc

Founded by freed slaves, St. Matthias marks 150 years

From Western North Carolina-

 Founded as the Freedmen's Church after the Civil War and built by a former slave, St. Matthias Episcopal Church marks its 150th anniversary as a congregation where whites and African-Americans can come together in worship.

In celebration, St. Matthias will open its doors to all of Asheville for a special service at 3 p.m. July 23 at 1 Dundee St., across from the city of Asheville Public Works Building on Charlotte Street.

At the close of the Civil war in 1865, Capt. Thomas Patton and General James Martin, who had served in the defeated Confederate Army, wanted to provide worship opportunities for their former slaves. Black congregants began to worship at Trinity.

More here-

http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2016/07/17/founded-freed-slaves-st-matthias-marks-150-years/87042004/

St. Stephens Episcopal Church needs partner to make use of facility

From Western North Carolina-

A church building that has been used to serve the Bouchelle Street community in Morganton for decades needs a new servant-minded occupant.

St. Stephens’ Episcopal Church currently sits vacant in its spot where members congregated from 1949 to 2014. In 2014, the church combined congregations with St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, located on St. Mary’s Church Road, and became known as St. Mary’s and St. Stephens’ Episcopal Church, according to the church rector, the Rev. Jim Dahlin. The combined congregation now meets at the St. Mary’s facility.

Church members do not want to sell the St. Stephens’ building, but are looking for another church, ministry or nonprofit organization to partner with them in using the building as a base to make a positive impact in the immediate community, said church member Allen Fullwood.

More here-

http://www.morganton.com/community/st-stephens-episcopal-church-needs-partner-to-make-use-of/article_0c648c30-4ac8-11e6-880d-479f1bce61df.html

Oklahoma Episcopal leader takes Western North Carolina bishop's post

From Oklahoma (with video)-

A clergy leader in the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma recently was selected to serve as bishop for an out-of-state diocese.

The Rev. Jose McLoughlin was elected Saturday at an electing convention in Asheville, N.C., to serve as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina.

He currently serves as canon to the ordinary and chief of staff for the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma, a position he has held since 2008.

McLoughlin, 47, was chosen from among four final candidates to lead Episcopalians in the Western North Carolina diocese, representing 15,000 members in 63 year-round congregations, six summer chapels and two conference centers.

More here-

http://newsok.com/article/5507012