Red Thread Promise

From PBS (with video)

SONYA YENCER (Red Thread Promise): The name of the Red Thread Promise came from an ancient Chinese proverb that talks about a silken red thread of destiny that connects everybody. In Haiti, disabled children are often not treated well, they are often neglected, sometimes abused, abandoned. So, following the earthquake, the majority of St. Vincent ‘s original school and clinic and church was completely destroyed and there was only one building left standing. Anything that wasn’t destroyed was looted.

REV. SCOTT ALBERGATE (St. Paul’s Episcopal Church): It was clear right away the connection between New Orleans and Haiti. St. Paul’s is the most devastated of our churches in Katrina. And, with its story of rebuilding completely on faith and with the spirit too at the same time. Not just to rebuild themselves but to pay forward all of the blessings that this church received.

KATHY KORGE ALBERGATE (Red Thread Promise): When the earthquake hit in Haiti, I said, you know what, we need wheelchairs there. We need wheelchairs that are going to handle the terrain. We had over 24 churches in the United States contributing for one full container of wheelchairs, crutches, canes. Our Diocese reached out. They did it. Janie and Grant heard about the wheelchair program through church and they saw it in the hallway and they wanted to do a fundraiser. They came to us. We didn’t ask them. But, many children at St. Paul’s and in our school here, in the church and school came to us with different fundraisers.
We have given the children brand new wheelchairs, their own, that are fit for them. Little Diana went from an adult wheelchair that was falling apart to this teeny tiny little petite wheelchair. We saw her glow. We’ve given teenage boys an opportunity to play basketball now by having a wheelchair that they can twirl around in. It’s been incredible.

So if we do nothing else other than to make sure they have proper food, water and a chance to have a good education, we feel accomplished, we feel like we’ve paid it forward. We’re doing something to help.

YENCER: I think people can choose to grasp that red thread of destiny, choose to acknowledge that it’s there. That we really are connected. That these are our brothers and sisters regardless of the color of our skin or where we grew up. You know, it’s humanity that brings us all together.

More here-

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/january-6-2012/red-thread-promise/10071/

Churches struggle with declining congregations

From Philadelphia-

For a while, it seemed as if the new year would be anything but happy for the members of St. James Episcopal Church in Prospect Park.

The 106-year-old Delaware County congregation was so mired in debt that it couldn't pay its rector. Closing seemed imminent.

Just 10 minutes away, in Ridley Township, Leiper Presbyterian Church faced a different challenge: a small, aging membership, with only 30 coming to Sunday services.

Leiper, founded in 1818, voted to dissolve, an acknowledgment of hurdles too steep to overcome. Its last service will be at 2 p.m. Sunday.

St. James fought and survived - for now. It will install a part-time rector Jan. 28.

While the public eye is focused on the troubles of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia - which announced Friday that it would close four high schools, and shutter or merge 44 elementary schools - the struggles of St. James Episcopal and Leiper Presbyterian are illustrative of the demographic trends that likewise have battered mainline Protestant congregations.

More here-

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120107_Churches_struggle_with_declining_congregations.html

Two groups to advise on sexuality

From The Church Times-

THE second of two groups to re-examine the Church of England’s stance on sexuality has been an­nounced.

Last month, a three-man group was set up to review the policy statement made by the House of Bishops in 2005, just before the intro­duction of civil partnerships (News, 2 December). This is chaired by the Bishop of Sodor & Man, the Rt Revd Robert Paterson, and includes the Bishop of Ports­mouth, the Rt Revd Chris­topher Foster, and the Bishop of Dorchester, the Rt Revd Colin Fletcher.

This week, a second group was announced to look more widely at the Church’s approach to sexuality. It will be chaired by Sir Joseph Pilling, a retired civil servant. He was Per­manent Under Secretary of the Northern Ireland Office (1997-2005), and National Identity Scheme Com­missioner until the abandon­ment of the identity-card scheme. He also chaired a group that produced a re­port on senior church appoint­ments, Talent and Calling, published in 2007.

He is joined by the Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Revd Michael Perham; the Bishop of Birkenhead, the Rt Revd Keith Sinclair; the Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Revd Jonathan Baker; and the Bishop of Warwick, the Rt Revd John Stroyan.

More here-

http://churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=122809

A Cohort of Married Roman Catholic Priests, and More Are on the Way

From The New York Times-

On New Year’s Day, the Vatican announced the formation of a nationwide ordinariate — kind of a diocese without borders — for Episcopal priests and their congregations who want to move together into Roman Catholicism. The big news is not that some Episcopalians will have a zippier express lane into Catholicism, but that there will soon be even more married Catholic priests in America.

And married priests raise provocative questions for the Catholic Church, whose shortage of clergymen is worsening by the day.

Most Americans, perhaps most American Catholics, do not know that the church allows married priests. But there have always been married priests in the non-Latin rites, like Ukrainian Catholicism or Maronite Catholicism. These churches are fully Catholic, obedient to the pope, but they ordain married men, although they do not allow unmarried priests to get married.

There were always some married priests in Roman Catholicism, too, until the First Lateran Council, in 1123, banned the practice. And there have been married Roman Catholic priests again since 1980, when the church said that Protestant clergymen who became Catholic priests could stay married to their wives.

More here-

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/07/us/married-roman-catholic-priests-are-testing-a-tradition.html

Vatican welcomes Episcopal converts to Catholic Church

From The LA Times-

Congregations and members of the Episcopal Church — including married priests - may join the Roman Catholic Church under a new structure announced by the Vatican.

The nationwide "ordinariate," which is similar to a diocese, will be headed by the Rev. Jeffrey N. Steenson of Houston, a Catholic convert who called the announcement by Pope Benedict XVI a "historic moment in the history of the church."

For perhaps the first time since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, he said, a structure has been created to "assist those who in conscience seek to return to the fold of St. Peter and his successors."

The Episcopal Church has been rocked in recent years by divisions over doctrine and the role of gays and lesbians in church life. With about 2 million members, the church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the ongoing disputes have prompted some congregations to align themselves with Anglican bishops overseas.

A moratorium on electing gay bishops was overturned at the Episcopal Church's national convention in Anaheim in 2009; the next year, Mary Douglas Glasspool became the church's second openly gay bishop and serves in the Diocese of Los Angeles.

Steenson, in a conference call with reporters Monday, appeared to allude to the issue when asked why he left the church. "It came down to the question of how authority is handled in the church," said Steenson, who was ordained a Catholic priest in 2009. "Putting challenging theological questions to a vote is not traditionally how we answered questions. Every generation has its issues. We need to take the long view."

Read more:

http://tdn.com/lifestyles/vatican-welcomes-episcopal-converts-to-catholic-church/article_eab46458-38b0-11e1-9fa9-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1im3mxjwP

Partnership with Anglican aid agency to benefit 5,000 Delhi slum children

From Christian Today (India)

Anglican aid agency Anglicord and the Asha Foundation, an Indian organisation working with people in over 50 of Delhi’s slums, have announced a partnership to help short circuit the cycle of poverty for thousands of young people.

With Anglicord’s assistance, Asha hopes to raise enough money in Australia to enable 5,000 children from the slums to gain admission to college and university, addressing the intergenerational cycle of poverty entrenched in many slum areas. The funds will provide students with resources and a range of support mechanisms to stay the course in higher education, giving them access to better employment opportunities.

“I believe Australians will respond well to Asha’s request for their assistance,” said Misha Coleman, CEO of Anglicord. “Australians have a strong sense of connection to India for many reasons, but they also like to support things that help people to help themselves. Asha’s program does just that.”

“The Hindi word ‘Asha’ means ‘hope’,” she said. “Asha and Anglicord, both Christian organisations, have a strong vision of hope. We want these young people to have real hope that a life of poverty is not inevitable. This program provides that hope in a very practical way.”

More here-

http://in.christiantoday.com/articles/partnership-with-anglican-aid-agency-to-benefit-5000-delhi-slum-children/6935.htm

Rev. John Crocker Jr., 88; activist, college chaplain

From Boston-

Joining 14 other Episcopal clergy, both black and white, the Rev. John Crocker Jr. stepped into the segregated restaurant of a Jackson, Miss., bus station in September 1961. Traveling by bus on a civil rights prayer pilgrimage, the group’s journey quickly detoured into a Jackson jail for several nights.

“We were these little conservative Episcopal clergymen with round collars on, and we were the least revolutionary people you could imagine,’’ Rev. Crocker recalled in an interview for Eric Etheridge’s book, “Breach of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Freedom Riders.’’

Local police thought otherwise and had been arresting Freedom Riders who tested the resolve of the segregated South by trying to integrate public places. Refusing orders to leave the restaurant, the clergymen were arrested on breach of peace charges.

“Jackson officials and police asked us: ‘Why did you come down here to mess us up? You’re New Englanders,’ ’’ Rev. Crocker said in the book interview. “ ‘Well, I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘I thought I was an American first.’ ’’

More here-

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2012/01/06/rev_john_crocker_jr_88_social_justice_activist_while_a_chaplain_at_brown_and_mit/

Rev. R. Scott Hurd draws on his own faith to help Anglicans converting to Catholicism

From Washington DC-

At a beautiful little church in a small Texas town in 1996, I celebrated my final Eucharist as an Anglican priest of the Episcopal Church. After the closing blessing, the choir and I processed out to the classic hymn, “Faith of Our Fathers.” A week later, I found myself in Washington, D.C., a layman sitting in a pew, anticipating my first Sunday Mass as a Catholic, and wondering what to expect. But when the opening hymn began, I knew that I was in the right place. The hymn? “Faith of Our Fathers.”

It was as if God was reassuring me that my entrance into the Catholic Church was simply a continuation of the spiritual journey I had begun as an Episcopalian. I still cherish the memory of that day. Not only did it confirm for me that my future rested in the Catholic Church, it also made me grateful for my Episcopal past. I am a “cradle” Episcopalian. It was within the Episcopal Church that I met the Lord, grew in faith, and heard a call to ordained ministry. An Episcopal high school is my alma mater, and it was at an Episcopal altar that my wife Stephanie and I exchanged our vows. As an Episcopal priest, I ministered in God’s name, preached His Word, and served His people.

My Anglican past is something I still treasure, even though I’ve been a Catholic for 15 years, and a Catholic priest for 11. In my mind, becoming Catholic wasn’t a rejection of my Anglican past; it was its completion. There were many good and wonderful things about my years as an Episcopalian. At the same time, I came to believe that something was missing. Namely, the authority that undergirds Catholic teaching; an authority I believe was given by God.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/rev-r-scott-hurd-draws-on-his-own-faith-to-help-anglicans-converting-to-catholicism/2012/01/05/gIQAYyb8cP_story.html

Breakaway parishes in Greater Cleveland, across Ohio say Episcopal hierarchy too liberal

From Cleveland-

A nationwide rift among Episcopalians has fractured St. Barnabas church, where the bulk of the congregation has broken away from the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio and is worshipping in an auditorium at Bay High School.

In recent years, a number of Episcopal congregations across the country have been at odds with church hierarchy over Christian teachings.

Essentially, breakaway groups see the church drifting from orthodox Christianity to a more liberal creed, including allowing openly gay, partnered clerics to serve as bishops.
"When they talk about Jesus, it's not the same Jesus I talk about," said the Rev. Gene Sherman, pastor of the 250-member breakaway congregation from St. Barnabas.

More here-

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012/01/breakaway_parishes_say_episcop.html

Historic St. Mark's Episcopal, Trinity downtown to merge

From Toledo-

In an evensong service of hymns and prayer, members and friends of St. Mark's Episcopal Church will gather in the sanctuary on Friday to bid farewell to a congregation that has been an anchor in the Old West End for more than a century.

A final service will be held at St. Mark's on Sunday morning.

Changing demographics, a declining and aging membership, and economic pressures forced the congregation to make some tough decisions, and rather than close completely or move to the suburbs, it voted to merge with another historic Toledo church, Trinity Episcopal downtown.

Friday's service, being held on the Feast of the Epiphany, in some ways marks the completion of a circle for the two congregations.

"It's interesting that St. Mark's began as a mission Sunday school of Trinity Church, actually beginning in the rectory of Trinity Church in 1888," said Ohio Bishop Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., who will preside at the evensong service.

More here-

http://www.toledoblade.com/Religion/2012/01/06/Historic-St-Mark-s-Episcopal-Trinity-downtown-to-merge.html

St. James celebrates 250 years

From Connecticut-

On Jan. 15, St. James Episcopal Church will begin a yearlong celebration of its 250-year history of service in Danbury.

Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, will celebrate the Eucharist and preach at the 10 a.m. service at the church, 25 West St.

Jefferts Schori, former bishop of Nevada, is the 26th presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church's 2.4 million members in 16 countries and 110 dioceses, ecumenical officer and primate, joining leaders of the other 38 Anglican provinces in consultation for global good and reconciliation.

Jefferts Schori was elected at the 75th General Convention on June 18, 2006, and invested at Washington National Cathedral on Nov. 4, 2006.

On Jan. 15, after church, a celebratory lunch is planned at the Amber Room Colonnade. While the service is open to all, reservations are required for the lunch.

Read more:

http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/St-James-celebrates-250-years-2441572.php#ixzz1ialVcM1o

Multi-church shelter finds niche

From Massachusetts-

Joanne Keefe and a handful of others ducked out of Wednesday's cold into St. John's Episcopal Church for the fourth day the Grace Center has been open since starting up last month.

The center, she said, offers a place for the city's homeless and others who need a place to stay warm during the day. Aside from Sawyer Free Library and the Rose Baker Senior Center, there aren't other places for them.

Grace Center opened Dec. 22. Since then, said the Rev. Tom Bentley, pastor at Trinity Congregational Church next door, the program has served about 12 to 15 people each day. It's open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week; it's a traveling day center at the moment, and bounces each day between Trinity, St. John's and the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church on Middle Street.

More here-

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x1666061104/Multi-church-shelter-finds-niche

Southern Africa archbishop tells Mugabe to end church persecution

From ENS-

The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town has called on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to put an end to persecution of the Anglican Church after state police on Jan. 3 broke up the annual prayer retreat of clergy from the Diocese of Harare.

About 80 diocesan priests were meeting at Peterhouse School in Marondera, capital of Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland East province, when police intervened and halted the gathering, reportedly on the grounds that it had not received official legal clearance.

Cape Town Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, primate of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, called the police action shocking and deplorable.

“I call on President Mugabe to ensure that the religious freedom of all Zimbabweans, and especially persecuted Anglicans, is respected, and to instruct the police to allow the churches freedom of assembly and worship,” Makgoba said in a Jan. 4 statement.

A statement released by the Harare diocese said: “We deplore this action and call upon higher authorities to intervene. So much for freedom of religion.”

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/01/04/southern-africa-archbishop-tells-mugabe-to-end-church-persecution/

National Cathedral appoints interim dean to oversee church amid rebuilding after earthquake

From The Washington Post-

A longtime Episcopal priest who led the St. Alban’s Parish in Washington has been appointed interim dean of Washington National Cathedral.

The cathedral announced Wednesday that its governing board asked the Rev. Dr. Francis H. Wade to serve in a part-time role as dean to help transition to a new leader for the cathedral.

The massive church is in the midst of rebuilding after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in August caused stonework to fall off its towers and cracks to form in parts of the building.

The Rev. Dr. Samuel Lloyd III stepped down as dean in September. He returned to Boston’s Trinity Church, Copley Square, where he previously served as rector.

The cathedral is also searching for a new permanent dean with hopes of having someone in place this year.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/national-cathedral-appoints-interim-dean-to-oversee-church-amid-rebuilding-after-earthquake/2012/01/04/gIQACeACbP_story.html

Why I Stayed

From Virtue Online-

The Apostolic Constitution; Anglicanorum Coetibus, was announced on November 4, 2009 and it provided a significant hope of increased unity within Christianity. The Roman Catholic Church seemed to be opening its doors in a new and wonderful way for Anglicans around the world that had become disaffected by the increasingly bizarre innovations within the Anglican Communion especially the Episcopal Church. During the subsequent months this new approach to Christian unity started to wind its way through the massive organization which is the Roman Church.

During that same time, the legal battles between the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania and the Rt. Rev. David Moyer, rector of The Church of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont, Pennsylvania continued. The Episcopal Diocese requested the Pennsylvania Court remove Fr. Moyer as the church rector and the vestry of Good Shepherd arguing that Fr. Moyer not be allowed to remain as he was now a bishop in another Anglican jurisdiction.

For many within the Church of the Good Shepherd the Anglican Ordinariate in America was viewed with great hope. A traditional Anglican body was to be accepted into the Roman Catholic Church. It was viewed as a theological safe haven.

The two threads came together in September 2011. In a final order entered on August 25, 2011, Judge Stanley Ott of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas ordered Moyer and two members of the vestry removed from their offices. Moyer, members of the vestry and a significant number of parishioners departed Good Shepherd, Rosemont and formed the Blessed John Henry Newman Fellowship. The members of this fellowship began preparations for joining the Anglican Ordinariate.

More here-

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=15391#.TwWSRZjMefQ

Vatican launches Catholic home for U.S. Episcopalians

From USA Today-

American Episcopalians upset with their denomination's acceptance of gay and female clergy can now convert to the Roman Catholic Church while keeping many cherished traditions in a special new U.S. diocese that was established on Sunday by Pope Benedict XVI.

The Houston-based diocese, called the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, will allow a special Anglican-style Catholic Mass that can include sections from the Book of Common Prayer and other Anglican liturgies.

This new structure grew out of a controversial 2009 effort by Pope Benedict to convince conservative Anglicans to align with Rome under an exemption that allows Anglican priests, laity, and even entire congregations to convert while keeping their prized music and prayers.
Bishops who convert under the rite will be allowed to function as Catholic priests, but not as bishops. Married Anglican male priests will be able to remain married and serve as Catholic priests, though unmarried priests who join will not be able to marry later without renouncing their priesthood.

More here-

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2012-01-04/anglican-catholic/52377588/1

National Cathedral Appoints the Rev. Dr. Francis H. Wade Interim Dean

From The National Cathedral. (Frank is one of my favorite people)

The chair of the Washington National Cathedral Chapter, the Rev. Dr. James P. Wind, announced today the appointment of the Rev. Dr. Francis H. Wade as interim dean of the Cathedral. Wade has been called on a part-time basis to focus on spiritual guidance and support to the Cathedral during its search and transition to a new dean. Canon Kathleen A. Cox, the Cathedral’s executive director and chief operating officer, will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Cathedral. Wade will take up his new position on January 6.

It was also announced today that the Cathedral Chapter has selected Alexander H. Platt to chair the search committee for a new, permanent dean with the goal of calling that individual by the fall of 2012. The Rev. Dr. Samuel T. Lloyd III stepped down as Cathedral dean in September 2011 to return as priest-in-charge of Boston’s Trinity Church, Copley Square, where he had previously served as rector.

“It is a great honor to be entrusted with one of our nation’s most treasured institutions, and it is a joy to be able to do so here in a community I have been a part of for so long,” said Wade. “The Cathedral plays a vital role in welcoming the country to pray, commemorate, celebrate, and mourn. As such, it must serve the millions of Americans of all faiths who turn to it in times of national significance just as ably as it does its local community and congregation.”

More here-

http://www.nationalcathedral.org/press/PR-5GJA5-C5001J.shtml

Rev. James Leo, pastor to Duchess of Windsor

From Cincinnati- (I think the first line should read "1930's" not "1980's".)

While he was growing up in the 1980s in France, Jason Leo often would accompany his father, then dean of the American Cathedral in Paris, when he visited a private home to give communion to the woman who lived there.

“He’d say, ‘Stay here in the car,’ and then go inside,” recalled Rev. Jason Leo, who followed the career path of his father, Rev. James Leo. “When he’d come out, I’d ask, ‘Who was that?’ And he’d say, ‘A nice old lady.’ ”

The “nice old lady,” Jason Leo learned later, was the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, the American divorcee who in the 1930s produced worldwide headlines when England’s King Edward VIII abdicated to marry her.

That was not the only time that Rev. James Leo had brushes with history or the rich and famous during an eventful pastoral career that took him from Pennsylvania and New York to France and finally, Cincinnati.

More here-

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120103/NEWS0104/301030172/Rev-James-Leo-pastor-Duchess-Windsor?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7C

Diaper bank looking for warehouse space

From Illinois-

The diaper bank out of St. Paul Episcopal Church is starting 2012 by scurrying to find a new home and desperately fundraising to do so.

The diaper bank’s warehouse space in Lake in the Hills was rented, leaving it temporarily without a place to store or unload its diapers.

The diaper bank rented space from Mark Riggsby, who recently found a tenant for his warehouse. In the meantime, Riggsby is housing all the diaper bank’s inventory at a different location.

The move came as no surprise to the diaper bank, whose director knew it was Riggsby’s intention to rent the space since they began occupying it in 2009. Riggsby offered the space to the diaper bank for free.

More here-

http://www.nwherald.com/2012/01/03/diaper-bank-looking-for-warehouse-space/aej2xj0/

Presiding Bishop to come to Charlotte

From North Carolina-

It isn't every day that one gets to sit down with the Boss of Bosses. But delegates to the 196th convention of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina will be able to do just that, when the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, PhD, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, is to be in Charlotte for the annual convention, Jan. 20th -21st in the Benton Convention Center,Winston Salem.

The Presiding Bishop is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting with convention delegates Friday afternoon, then preach at the Convention Eucharist that same evening. She is to deliver the keynote address Saturday morning. On Sunday, she is to celebrate anniversary masses at St . Martin's Church at 8 and 10:30AM. St. Martin's marks 25 years as a congregation and 100 years in its location at 1510 E. 7th St. near Independence Park in Charlotte.

Jefferts Schori is the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and the first woman to hold the position. She is chief pastor to the Episcopal Church's 2.4 million members in 16 countries and 110 dioceses. Elected at the 75th General Convention on June 18, 2006, and invested at Washington National Cathedral on November 4, 2006, she previously served as the Bishop of Nevada.

http://www.examiner.com/episcopal-in-charlotte/presiding-bishop-to-come-to-charlotte

Local communities reach deep, reach out and rebuild

From ENS-

In a year of extraordinary natural disasters – tornadoes, fires, floods and earthquakes – Episcopalians are reaching out nationally and internationally through prayer, financial assistance and “boots on the ground” relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts, and are forging creative partnerships in the process.

After a string of deadly late April tornadoes shredded most of the affordable housing in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, three Episcopal churches there formed a cooperative to rebuild, partnered with Habitat for Humanity, and on Dec. 1 broke ground on the first home.

“There was a shortage of affordable housing even before the tornadoes” which killed more than 40 people and damaged or destroyed more than 7,000 homes in Tuscaloosa alone, according to the Rev. Kelley Hudlow, chair of the board of the Episcopal Tornado Recovery Cooperative (ETRC).

The ETRC also has partnered with the Diocese of Alabama and Episcopal Relief & Development, which supplied grants for a disaster case manager, a construction project manager and building materials, in what Hudlow describes as a long-term recovery effort.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/01/03/local-communities-reach-deep-reach-out-and-rebuild/

Head of new Anglican ordinariate is a teacher, pilot and granddad

From Catholic news-

The first head of a new ordinariate created for former Anglican parishes and individuals is a one-time sportswriter and a pilot and Houston seminary instructor who was ordained a Catholic priest in 2009.

Pope Benedict XVI announced the creation of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter Jan. 1. It is intended to function like a diocese, but nationwide in scope, for former members of the Anglican Communion who have become Catholic.

The ordinariate will be based in Houston and led by Father Jeffrey Steenson, who was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, based in Albuquerque, N.M., for three years before leaving to become a Catholic in 2007. He and his wife, Debra, have three adult children and one grandchild.

"What propels a person to leave his or her ecclesial home and make this journey into the Catholic Church is a desire to be in full communion with everything that the Catholic Church teaches is true," Father Steenson said at a news conference in Houston Jan. 2. "One of those things is to be in communion with the pope. It is that desire to connect with that apostolic rock that will make a person make sacrifices."

More here-

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1200018.htm

Vatican Launches Catholic Home For Frustrated U.S. Episcopalians

From Huffington-

American Episcopalians upset with their denomination's acceptance of gay and female clergy can now convert to the Roman Catholic Church while keeping many cherished traditions in a special new U.S. diocese that was established on Sunday (Jan. 1) by Pope Benedict XVI.

The Houston-based diocese, called the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, will allow a special Anglican-style Catholic Mass that can include sections from the Book of Common Prayer and other Anglican liturgies.

This new structure grew out of a controversial 2009 effort by Pope Benedict to convince conservative Anglicans to align with Rome under an exemption that allows Anglican priests, laity and even entire congregations to convert while keeping their prized music and prayers.

Bishops who convert under the rite will be allowed to function as Catholic priests, but not as bishops. Married Anglican male priests will be able to remain married and serve as Catholic priests, though unmarried priests who join will not be able to marry later without renouncing their priesthood.

The American ordinariate is only the second such jurisdiction established since Benedict launched the process; the first was set up a year ago in England, the birthplace of Anglicanism, and others are being considered for Canada and Australia.

More here-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/03/catholic-diocese-for-episcopalian-converts_n_1182066.html

South Sudan: New Year Must Bring Us Peace

From Sudan-

The youth of South Sudan like those elsewhere in the world call it "Two year night" because it was when December 31st ended at midnight while January 1st began simultaneously after it at 1.00 a.m.

In Juba and reportedly in other major towns of South Sudan's ten states, this particular night seemed to be a blessed one because people of all walks of life prepared for it and waited patiently some even waited impatiently for the change to occur so that they could witness and celebrate it with happiness which was actually marked by ululations, fire crackers, candle lighting and extinguishing as soon as December ticked off, utterances and other cries of excitement to welcome the New Year which has ushered in.

In the main cathedrals of Juba, the St. Theresa of Kator, St. Joseph church of the Catholic and All Saints Cathedral of the Episcopal Church and several others there were sounds of bells which served two purposes: one was to invite the faithful to thanksgiving prayers and the other was to announce the dawn of a new year. In residential quarters of Juba the young and elderly took time off from normal sleep to witness the transition from 2011 to 2012.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201031169.html

'Partying priest' owes IRS $358K

From NE PA.

Gregory Malia, the former Northeastern Pennsylvania Episcopal vicar dubbed "the partying priest" by a New York tabloid, owes the Internal Revenue Service $358,576 in back taxes, according to a court filing Thursday.

Malia, 46, formerly of Laflin, failed to pay taxes in 2006, 2007 and 2008 on income derived from self-employment or through his interest in a small business, according to the filing in Luzerne County Court.

Attorney Edward Patrick Heffron, who represents Malia in another matter, did not return a telephone message. Malia, who lives on Wall Street in New York City, could not be reached for comment.

According to the filing, a federal tax lien, Malia owes $130,367 in personal income taxes for 2006, $39,997 for 2007 and $188,211 for 2008.

The document did not specify Malia's self-employment or small business interest. State records indicate Malia remains the sole officer of New Life Home Care Inc., a pharmacy he founded in Pittston a decade ago for hemophilia patients.

Investigators from the state Attorney General's office raided the offices of New Life Home Care in August 2009 as part of what a spokesman for the office called an "ongoing insurance fraud investigation." No charges were filed, but Malia and the company have faced several lawsuits alleging overbilling and misappropriation of funds.

Read more:

http://standardspeaker.com/news/partying-priest-owes-irs-358k-1.1252342#ixzz1iOaJSMu4

Pope's Latin America trip skips Mexico City

From Brownsville TX (AP)

Pope Benedict XVI will head to the Catholic-rich state of Guanajuato in his first visit to Mexico in March, and skip the country's heavily populated capital.

The Mexican Episcopal Conference says Benedict will arrive on March 23 in the city of Leon where President Felipe Calderon will welcome him.The organization said in a Sunday statement that Benedict also plans to greet worshippers in the city of Guanajuato.He will officiate a Mass in the city of Silao beneath a hill where a 67-foot statue of Jesus Christ stands.The pope will return to Leon to address bishops from Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean before heading to Cuba on March 26.The Vatican had said Benedict would avoid Mexico City because of its high altitude although it's the country's biggest city.The pope's visit to Cuba is far less ambitious than that undertaken by John Paul 14 years ago.

The 84-year-old pontiff will only be on the island for about 48 hours and appears to have no plans to visit important regional cities such as Santa Clara and Camaguey, both of which received John Paul. He will meet with Cuban president Raul Castro, but the Vatican has not mentioned if he will meet with retired dictator Fidel Castro.


MEXICO CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI will head to the Catholic-rich state of Guanajuato in his first visit to Mexico in March, and skip the country's heavily populated capital.

The Mexican Episcopal Conference says Benedict will arrive on March 23 in the city of Leon where President Felipe Calderon will welcome him.

The organization said in a Sunday statement that Benedict also plans to greet worshippers in the city of Guanajuato.

He will officiate a Mass in the city of Silao beneath a hill where a 67-foot statue of Jesus Christ stands.

The pope will return to Leon to address bishops from Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean before heading to Cuba on March 26.

The Vatican had said Benedict would avoid Mexico City because of its high altitude although it's the country's biggest city.

More here-

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/articles/city-135369-latin-mexico.html

Vatican welcomes Episcopal converts to Catholic Church

From The LA Times-

Congregations and members of the Episcopal Church — including married priests — may join the Roman Catholic Church under a new structure announced by the Vatican.

The nationwide “ordinariate,” which is similar to a diocese, will be headed by the Rev. Jeffrey N. Steenson of Houston, a Catholic convert who called the announcement by Pope Benedict XVI a “historic moment in the history of the church.”

For perhaps the first time since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, he said, a structure has been created to “assist those who in conscience seek to return to the fold of St. Peter and his successors.”

The Episcopal Church has been rocked in recent years by divisions over doctrine and the role of gays and lesbians in church life. With about 2 million members, the church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the ongoing disputes have prompted some congregations to align themselves with Anglican bishops overseas.

A moratorium on electing gay bishops was overturned at the Episcopal Church’s national convention in Anaheim in 2009; the next year, Mary Douglas Glasspool became the church’s second openly gay bishop and serves in the Diocese of Los Angeles.

More here-

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2012/01/vatican-welcomes-episcopal-converts-to-catholic-church.html

Disaffected Episcopalians Offered A New Home

From NPR-

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block. Episcopalian priests take note. The Catholic Church wants you. The Vatican is making it easier for Episcopalian clergy and their parishes to join the church, and as NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports, for a limited time, it is waiving the centuries' old tradition of priestly celibacy.

BARBARA BRADLEY HAGERTY, BYLINE: Mark Lewis, director of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Bladensburg, Maryland, was surfing the Internet for news one morning when something caught his eye. The Catholic Church was announcing a process to allow Episcopal churches to convert as a group.

Lewis, who's theologically conservative, was intrigued.

MARK LEWIS: I was immediately thrilled and I read it to my wife and her response wasn't as exuberant as mine.

HAGERTY: Lewis's wife was also drawn to Catholicism, but was not so sure about answering to the pope. Still, over several months, their church studied the bible and catholic doctrine and concluded that Catholicism was the one true church.

In October, the priest, the church and its 70 members converted en masse. Once that happened, Lewis could no longer lead St. Luke's because he isn't a catholic priest, but he hopes to become one soon. Later this month, he, along with several dozen Episcopal ministers, will begin the process of becoming catholic priests.

More here-

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/02/144587794/disaffected-episcopalians-offered-a-new-home

Ordinariate web site

In case you'd like to peruse it, here's the web site for the ordinariate.

http://www.usordinariate.org/index.html

Albert Cutié: Preaching the Latino gospel in the United States

From CNN-

Albert Cutié is an Episcopal cleric and former Roman Catholic priest known as Padre Alberto or "Father Oprah." He is the author of the memoir, "Dilemma: A Priest's Struggle with Faith and Love" and hosted the talk show "Father Albert."

By Albert Cutié, Special to CNN

In South Florida, every time a politician at the state or federal level aspires to attract the Latino vote, they come to a famous landmark restaurant on Little Havana’s Southwest Eighth Street. It’s called Versailles, and they come to drink the infamous cafecito, a Cuban-style espresso that is served at a window counter in front of the restaurant. It’s designed for those who prefer to stand outside and talk about world news and politics, rather than sitting down in a comfortable, air-conditioned cafe.

Regardless of what party or political inclination these people represent, getting acquainted with the Miami community begins with drinking the famous miniature cup of coffee and talking to folks who have made it part of their daily routine for decades. In the world of politics, there is no doubt that reaching Latinos - the largest minority in the United States - has become a priority for most. Yet, when it comes to many churches, especially our mainstream religious communities in the United States, I often wonder if we’ve truly started to make a sincere effort at reaching out to Latinos effectively?

More here-

http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/30/albert-cutie-preaching-the-latino-gospel-in-the-united-states/

Politicians cautioned against dividing the country

From Ghana-

Political leaders have been urged to avoid any evil agenda to divide the nation along religious and ethnic lines for their political convenience.

Reverend Canon Oscar Amoah of the Anglican Church in Kumasi, who made the call, reminded politicians that there could not be peace, prosperity and progress, if the people lived in hostility.

"This is why we should all accept to uphold the unity of the nation and work together to make things better for all of us."

Rev. Canon Amoah was delivering the sermon at a watch-night service at the Saint Anglican Church at Chirapatre in Kumasi, to usher in year 2012.

He noted that the upcoming general elections would be crucial to the peace and stability of the country, and appealed to all key actors and their followers to play by the rules of fairness.

Delivering the sermon at the Brotherhood Church Temple at South Suntreso, the Spiritual Head, Primate S.K. Adofo, admonished the congregation to have faith in God.

He asked them to thank and praise God for his mercies and to pray for peace and national stability ahead of the elections.

More here-

http://www.businessghana.com/portal/news/index.php?op=getNews&news_cat_id=&id=157514

Anglican Bishop wants Amosun govt to have human face

From Nigeria-

The Bishop of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Egba Diocese, Revd. Emmanuel Adekunle has urged the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun to allow his administration has human face.

The cleric spoke against the removal of fuel subsidy which he said would bring untold hardship to the generality of Nigerians. Speaking during the thanksgiving Service to mark the New Year’s Day, in Abeokuta, the state capital, Adekunle also stated that Nigeria as a country needs divine intervention.

His words: ‘’ The impending removal of oil subsidy is a serious concern to all Nigerians because of its multiplier effect on socio-economic life of the people of the country. The hard time is not limited to Nigeria alone, but what I think we require at this time around is divine intervention.’’ Going Biblical, the Bishop noted that all proferred human solutions had failed the country and urged Nigerians to retrace their steps and follow the path of God.

“Nobody appears to have solution to the multi-dimensional problems of the country. Removal of fuel subsidy will definitely bring pains for Nigerians, that is why I think that some policies of government must be reviewed.“We have chased God out of our institutions; we better begin to reverse it. God is asking us to make our city, estate, country haven of God, that’s worship of God must be extorted. We are to manage the crisis arising from removal of fuel subsidy.’’

More here-

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2012/jan/02/national-02-01-2012-013.html

Fort Worth bishop to play part in Vatican plan for Anglicans

From Ft. Worth- (Bishop Vann is the R.C. Bishop of Ft. Worth)

The Vatican, working with its Fort Worth Diocese and Bishop Kevin Vann, is launching a structure today to allow Anglican parishes and their married priests in the United States to join the Roman Catholic Church.More than 1,300 Anglicans, including 100 priests, have applied to be part of a new body, essentially a diocese.

Among them are members of St. Luke's in Bladensburg, Md., which last summer became the first group in the country to convert to Catholicism.Vann, leader of the Fort Worth Diocese, said in an interview Sunday that he will oversee requests nationwide from Episcopal priests who wish to become Catholic."My job is to oversee any individual Episcopal priests [who want to become Catholics] ... individually rather than as a group," he said. Under the Vatican plan, St. Mary the Virgin Catholic Church in Arlington, a former Anglican parish that came into the diocese years ago under Fort Worth Bishop Joseph Delaney, will be part of the new group, Vann said.

The Vatican's new structure will be a small push toward reuniting Protestants and Catholics, who split nearly 500 years ago.Pope Benedict XVI established the dioceselike ordinariate, led by a priest with ties to Fort Worth, after persistent requests from Anglicans to become Catholic in groups, Catholic leaders said. This is only the second such structure; the first serves England and Wales. Traditional Anglicans in several countries have become increasingly upset by the ordination of women and gay bishops. Formerly, Anglican converts to Catholicism were accepted case by case.

Read more here:

http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/02/3628486/fort-worth-bishop-to-play-part.html#storylink=cpy

New paths for many as church diverges

From Delaware-

Everything about the Rev. Kathi Busch's presence at the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant held a special resonance on New Year's Day.

It was her last sermon at the suburban Brandywine Hundred congregation she had grown to more than 300 members over 14 years and there was a lot of sadness, even though this was an amicable divorce, and many in the congregation are starting a new church with her.

"We love you and thank you, Kathi," said Elder Tom Talley, who invited worshippers to pray over the departing pastor at the end of an emotional service.

Still, it felt like the breaking of a bond to some staying behind. And while Talley is hopeful of rebuilding Covenant, he's sad that his church family cannot agree on the role of gays and lesbians in the life of the church.

More here-

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120102/NEWS/201020320/New-paths-for-many-as-church-diverges?odyssey=tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

Anglicans have new US home in Catholic church

From CBS-

Pope Benedict XVI named a married former Episcopal bishop Sunday to head the first U.S. organizational structure for disaffected Anglicans and Episcopalians who want to join the Roman Catholic Church.

The Rev. Jeffrey Neil Steenson, a father of three and Catholic convert, will lead the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, the equivalent of a diocese, that will be based in Houston, Texas, but will operate nationally.

The Vatican created the first such ordinariate in Britain last year. Other ordinariates are being considered in Australia and Canada.

Steenson stepped down in 2007 as the Episcopal Bishop of Rio Grande, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after the Episcopal Church elected the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. Steenson had said he was "deeply troubled" about the direction of the U.S. denomination and he described the Catholic Church as the "true home of Anglicanism."

The Episcopal Church is the U.S. Anglican body in the United States.

More here-

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501714_162-57350691/pope-names-cleric-for-ex-anglicans/

Former Episcopal bishop to head new US ordinariate for ex-Anglicans

From Catholic News Service-

Pope Benedict XVI has established a U.S. ordinariate for former Anglicans who wish to become Catholics and named a married former Episcopal bishop to head it.

The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter -- functionally equivalent to a diocese, but national in scope -- will be based at a parish in Houston. It will be led by Father Jeffrey N. Steenson, the former Episcopal bishop of the Rio Grande who was ordained a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, N.M., in February 2009.

The establishment of the ordinariate and the naming of its first leader were announced by the Vatican Jan. 1.

More here-

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1200002.htm

Pope names ex-Episcopal bishop leader of US Anglicans who want to become Catholic

From The Washington Post-

Pope Benedict XVI named a married former Episcopal bishop Sunday to head the first U.S. organizational structure for disaffected Anglicans and Episcopalians who want to join the Roman Catholic Church.

The Rev. Jeffrey Neil Steenson, a father of three and Catholic convert, will lead the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, the equivalent of a diocese, that will be based in Houston, Texas, but will operate nationally.

The Vatican created the first such ordinariate in Britain last year. Other ordinariates are being considered in Australia and Canada.

Steenson stepped down in 2007 as the Episcopal Bishop of Rio Grande, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after the Episcopal Church elected the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. Steenson had said he was “deeply troubled” about the direction of the U.S. denomination and he described the Catholic Church as the “true home of Anglicanism.”

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/pope-taps-cleric-to-head-structure-for-anglicans-in-united-states-converting-to-catholicism/2012/01/01/gIQAJgMzTP_story.html

Anglican leader urges goodwill to young people after riots

From AFP-

The archbishop of Canterbury dedicated his New Year's message on Sunday to young people, warning they should not be demonised following a wave of rioting across England earlier this year.

"Quite a lot of the images we're likely to remember from the footage of the riots in the summer will be of young people out of control in the streets, walking off with looted property from shops, noisily confronting police and so on," said Rowan Williams, the leader of the world's Anglicans.
He said this fed into a national habit of being suspicious of young people, whereas in reality the rioters were "the minority, whose way of dealing with their frustrations was by way of random destructiveness and irritability".

He argued that "most people of their own age strongly shared the general feeling of dismay at this behaviour", and society was letting them down by showing them only negativity.
"One of the unique things in the Christian faith, one of its great contributions to our moral vision, is the way it has spoken about children and young people," Williams said.

More here-

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5httDHuPSA1e5AKhsIDNY4KWnFMUQ?docId=CNG.708e02122a0745a94d1e4949e69f7399.a21

Some Anglicans apply to join the Catholic Church

From The Washington Post-

The Vatican is set to launch a structure Monday that will allow Anglican parishes in the United States — and their married priests — to join the Catholic Church in a small but symbolically potent effort to reunite Protestants and Catholics, who split almost 500 years ago.

More than 1,300 Anglicans, including 100 Anglican priests, have applied to be part of the new body, essentially a diocese. Among them are members of St. Luke’s in Bladensburg, which this summer became the first group in the country to convert to Catholicism.

St. Luke’s and Baltimore’s Mount Calvary, which also applied to join, were part of the Episcopal Church, the official wing of American Anglicanism. But most of those joining the new structure are Anglicans who aren’t part of the Episcopal Church.

It’s unclear how many priests and their followers will ultimately convert to Catholicism. Compared with the tens of millions of Americans who identify as Catholic or Protestant, the movement is small. But it is the most tangible progress in decades for Catholic leaders, who see Catholics and Protestants as estranged siblings who should be reconciled.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/some-anglicans-apply-to-join-the-catholic-church/2011/12/30/gIQAQdHRTP_story.html