Anglicans' Fury Over Transfers

From Kenya-

The transfer of two Anglican priests in Teso North has sparked off a protest. Evangelists Violent Olang'iroi and Dennis Etyang of Apokor Anglican Church in Osajal have been moved to Onyunyuru ACK church. But 50 angry parishioner marched to the parish headquaters in Kamuriai to show their disgust.

The two clerics had only served for six months before they were moved again. They presented their protest note to parish secretary Elkana Olung'a who promised to convene a committee meeting on Wednesday.

Representatives Pascal Ekisa and Paul Etori said they will march to the head of the Katakwa Diocese, Bishop Zakayo Epus on Thursday if the committee does not reverse the decision.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201103160355.html

Episcopal church collecting gently used shoes for people in need

From Portland Oregon-

A Northwest Portland church is collecting gently used shoes to donate to people living in poverty and those recovering from natural disasters.

During the month of March, St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, 17435 N.W. West Union Rd., will be collecting footwear and monetary donations to give to Soles4Souls Inc., a nonprofit organization that gives shoes to people across the globe who are in need.

Since 2005, Soles4Souls Inc. has distributed more than 13 million pairs of shoes to people in need. The organization has pledged to collect and distribute 11 million shoes in 2011. Every donation to St. Gabriel's will go toward the organization's goal.

Bring gently worn shoes to St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church until March 31. Donations are also accepted through the Soles4Souls website.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/03/northwest_portland_episcopal_c.html

Anglican conversion to Catholic Church swells

From Spero-

About 900 members of the Church of England have taken the first step toward becoming Catholics, the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales declared in a March 15 statement. The former Anglicans participated in a Rite of Election, the first step toward confirmation, over the March 12-13 weekend, the church said. Those embracing the Catholic Church will be joining the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, established by Pope Benedict XVI to receive Anglicans who have felt isolated since the Church of England decided in 1992 to ordain women to the priesthood.

Tensions have grown as the governing General Synod of the Anglican Church moves to allow women to become bishops while denying any specific protection for traditionalists. Converts joining the ordinariate will be allowed to keep some Anglican liturgy and traditions. The largest number, some 240, were reported in the Diocese of Brentwood east of London, followed by 167 in the south London diocese of Southwark and 100 in the central city of Birmingham. Converts included 61 former Church of England priests. "I am greatly encouraged that these people will be received into the Catholic Church at Easter as members of the Ordinariate," said Rev. Keith Newton, the priest in charge of the new group.

More here-

http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=124&id=50305&t=Anglican+conversion+to+Catholic+Church+swells

Nebraska Nominates Three for Bishop

From The Living Church-

The Diocese of Nebraska has announced three nominees in the search for its 11th bishop. The nominees are:

The Rev. J. Scott Barker, 47, rector, Christ Church, Warwick, N.Y.

The Rev. Margaret Duncan Holt Sammons, 62, co-rector, St. Michael’s in the Hills Church, Toledo, Ohio.

The Rev. Canon Sarah J. Shofstall, 59, canon to the ordinary, Diocese of Western Massachusetts.

The diocese will accept nominees by petition until March 31. Its current bishop, the Rt. Rev. Joe Godwin Burnett, will resign the same day. He has accepted a call to serve as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Maryland, effective April 1.

An electing convention is scheduled for June 4 at Saint Mark’s Pro-Cathedral, Hastings.

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2011/3/15/nebraska-nominates-three-for-bishop

“What has led our churches to come to very different conclusions?”

From California-

Anglican and Catholic ecumenical leaders examined moral discernment and homosexuality at their current round of dialogue where they explore the positions of the Catholic and Episcopalian churches on theological issues.

The meeting of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Theological Consultation in the USA (ARC-USA) held the sixth meeting of its current dialogue in Berkeley, California, February 28-March 1. Bishop Ronald P. Herzog of the Catholic Diocese Alexandria, Louisiana, and Bishop John Bauerschmidt of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee chaired the meeting.

Dialogue members continued to study the theme of the current round, “Ecclesiology and Moral Discernment: Common Ground and Divergences,” and considered a preliminary draft of some sections of a statement on this theme that they expect to adopt. Members also heard a paper by Rev. Matthew S. C. Olver summarizing the discussions so far in this round and outlining areas of disagreement and convergence.

Members also examined statements by both churches on the question of homosexuality. These included “To Set Our Hope on Christ, A Response to the Invitation of Windsor Report 135,” a 2005 unofficial response by The Episcopal Church to a request from the Anglican Consultative Council and “Same-Sex Relationships in the Life of the Church,” an unofficial statement prepared in 2010 by the Theology Committee of the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church. Two Catholic statements also were studied, including “Always Our Children: A Pastoral Message to Parents of Homosexual Children and Suggestions for Pastoral Ministers,” by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Marriage and Family (1997) and the USCCB’s “Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelines for Pastoral Care,” which was adopted by the full body of bishops in 2006.

More here-

http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=084c9167-3084-49bd-8795-598c437adfc6

Episcopal priest Jay R. Lawlor charged with assault for allegedly shoving parishioner at St. Luke's church

From Kalamazoo-

The former pastor of St. Luke's Episcopal Church has been charged with assault and battery for allegedly shoving an elderly parishioner last week, according to the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor's Office.

The charges were officially authorized today, said Chief Assistant Prosecutor Carrie Klein, but an arraignment has yet to be scheduled. Because the charge is a misdemeanor, Rev. Jay R. Lawlor will be contacted by police and allowed to turn himself for booking, she said.

Neither Lawlor, 41, who resigned last week from St. Luke's, nor the victim in the case, Marcia Morrison, 76, could be reached for comment.

Morrison was not injured in the incident, which occurred March 6 immediately after Lawlor headed Sunday morning service for the church, which is located in downtown Kalamazoo.

The charge is a misdemeanor, and conviction could result in a fine of up to $500 and/or a 93-day jail sentence. Klein said that the typical sentence in such a case is probation or a fine.

"There's lots of different factors involved," she said. "This is a case where the victim can address the court, and the community can address the court. There may be members of the church community who want to speak out."

More here-

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/03/episcopal_priest_jay_r_lawlor.html

Congregation’s dream comes true

From Buffalo-

After countless spaghetti dinners, chicken barbecue fundraisers, and bottles and cans collected and redeemed, the people of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Angola finally have their new sanctuary.

Bishop J. Michael Garrison of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York helped the congregation celebrate Sunday by consecrating the bright new building at 930 Lake St.

About 90 people showed up for the special consecration service — a rarity in Western New York, where many churches with dwindling memberships have either closed or are struggling to keep their doors open.

“It was a dream that we as parishioners have had for so long,” said Carole J. Kin, warden of the vestry at St. Paul’s.

What makes the new sanctuary unusual is that church members refused to take a loan to build it.

They scrimped and saved and donated for more than 20 years to get to this point.

More here-

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article366490.ece

Japan archbishop urges ongoing prayers, commits to providing relief and restoration

From ENS-

As Japanese officials estimate that the death toll could far exceed 10,000 after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami devastated parts of the country's northeast coast on March 11, Anglican Archbishop Nathaniel Uematsu underscored the importance of prayer and said that he is working to establish a structure to respond to the disaster.

Meanwhile, two Episcopalians serving as Young Adult Service Corps volunteers in Japan are safe and currently assessing ways that their ministries can be most helpful to the local community.

Uematsu said on March 14 that the Nippon Sei Ko Kei, the Anglican Church in Japan, is committed to "providing relief and sourcing volunteers and funding to help with the restoration of the affected areas."

The archbishop also is "trying to find more accurate information about our church family and the relief efforts, and to communicate that information as quickly as possible."

More here-

http://www.episcopal-life.org/79425_127531_ENG_HTM.htm

A statement from the Archbishop of the Anglican Communion in Japan

From ACNS-

On the 11th of March at 2:46pm, the biggest earthquake ever to hit Japan struck just off the coast of the Tohoku region. This caused a tsunami and fires that brought massive devastation to a very wide area. This unimaginably strong earthquake triggered an explosion at the Fukushima No.1 nuclear reactor. The people living in the area around that and the No. 2 reactor have been evacuated. The stories and images constantly broadcast by the media have left people lost for words, unable to describe the sheer scale of the unbelievable devastation caused by the earthquake, tsunami and fires.

We see homes devastated, whole towns that were swallowed by the tsunami, and houses that continue to burn because fire fighters are unable to reach both the properties and the people who were the victims of this catastrophe. With hearts filled with grief and helplessness we see people who are mourning their lost loved ones and others who search tirelessly for missing family members. There are so many who have lost their homes and possessions. Towns and villages were obliterated by the tsunami, everything was gone in a second.

Since the earthquake the Provincial office has worked very hard to find out about the people and the churches in Tohoku diocese. However, we could neither contact them by phone nor email. Only yesterday were we able to start to see a picture of the devastation in the affected areas. I had been most concerned that I could not contact the Bishop of Tohoku diocese [The Rt Revd John Hiromichi Kato], but on Saturday he rang me and I was able to find out more about what had happened to the churches in Sendai City.

More here-

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/3/14/ACNS4815

Ordinariate-bound Group to Celebrate Anglican Use Mass in Washington, DC

From Washington DC-

The St. Thomas of Canterbury Society of Washington, DC and Northern Virginia (STCS) will celebrate its first Anglican Use Mass on Saturday, March 19th at 4:00 p.m. in the abbey church of St. Anselm's Abbey in Washington, DC.

The STCS was formed in 2010 to build an Anglican Use parish which will become part of the ordinariate once it is established in the United States under the Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum coetibus. Anglicanorum coetibus was promulgated by Pope Benedict XVI in November, 2009, and it allows groups of Anglicans to enter the full communion of the Catholic church while retaining much of their patrimony.

The STCS is currently meeting for regular services of Evening Prayer at St. Anselm's Abbey. They use the Book of Divine Worship for the worship services, which is an adaptation of the Book of Common Prayer that is approved for use in Anglican Use Catholic parishes.

Music for this Vigil Mass for the Second Sunday in Lent will be led by the St. Thomas of Canterbury 12-voice schola and will include works by Tallis, classic Anglican Lenten hymns, and propers from the Anglican Use Gradual. This Mass is an approved form of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church and will fulfill the Sunday Mass obligation for all Catholics.

More here-

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/03/prweb5159934.htm

Allentown Catholic Diocese anticipates new structure to welcome Anglicans

From Allentown PA-

Karen Brynildsen offers a pithy bit of advice that makes everyone in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church meeting room smile knowingly:

"Sing the whole hymn!"

That's how Episcopalians, members of the worldwide Anglican communion, approach their Sunday singing. None of that half-hearted Catholic business where you lop off the last couple of verses to speed things along. Where's the reverence in that?

Perhaps Brynildsen's presence in the Roman Catholic Church — she will join it at Easter — will spark a revolution in hymnody, but that's getting ahead of the story.

Right now, the Allentown woman would be gratified enough to know whether she will continue to be able to worship according to her familiar and beloved Anglican rite once her conversion is complete.

Brynildsen, her husband, Martin, and a half-dozen other area Episcopalians are among thousands worldwide entering or planning to enter the Roman Catholic Church in expectation that the Vatican will establish an Anglican "ordinariate" in the United States. The canonical structure would allow them to retain their reverent, hymn-rich liturgy and other sacred traditions after conversion.

One impetus of the movement, though not the only one, is the progressive-traditionalist divide playing out across Christendom. Dismayed by the drift of mainstream Anglicanism on some social and theological issues — including women's ordination and the sanctioning of homosexuality — conservatives have turned to Rome, where teaching and practice are unchanged.

More here-

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-diocese-anglicans-catholics-20110313,0,7868942.story

Married area man to be ordained a Catholic priest

From Missouri-

Russell Arnett remembers the day he proposed to his wife.
The Burlington-area resident made a reservation at a nice restaurant and he had roses and a card waiting for her.

It's a story many people tell about their lives, but it's not a story most Catholic priests ever have the chance to tell because most Catholic priests are not allowed to marry.

But Arnett will soon become one of very few married Catholic priests able to tell that story.
Under a provision established in the 1980s, married Episcopal priests who fully convert to Catholicism are able to become Catholic priests. Arnett, 52, will be ordained as a priest on Saturday.

He will join a long line of priests ordained before him, but his wife of 10 years will be in the church, watching.

More here-

http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_fcf5bd7e-4df6-11e0-8f47-001cc4c002e0.html

Money, pastoral care at heart of conflict at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Kalamazoo

From Kalamazoo-

Founded in 1837 in downtown Kalamazoo, St. Luke’s is one of the area’s oldest and most prominent congregations, and now its very survival is in question.

“It feels like having my home burn down with all my memories in it,” Fritz said.
Depending on who’s talking, there are two conflicting narratives on how the situation at St. Luke’s reached this point.

Although Lawlor and Episcopal Bishop Robert Gepert declined to be interviewed for this report, church documents detailing their perspectives describe an arrogant congregation set in its ways, living beyond its means and resistant to new leadership.

Some local church members, including Fritz, offer a different story: that of a close-knit church community that struggled with a pastor who lacked interpersonal skills and was indifferent to the needs of his congregation. They say the situation has been exacerbated by a bishop who wields church authority with an iron hand.

More here-

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/03/post_125.html

Episcopalians take up malaria fight

From Minnesota-

Austin Ihiekwe knows firsthand just how deadly malaria can be. He grew up in Nigeria and watched as his baby brother died from the mosquito-borne disease even though his parents could afford medicine and were diligent in treating their children.

"In the rainy season, all kids had malaria, every month or every other month," said Ihiekwe, 67, of Cottage Grove. "But the availability of medicine is not universal. Some could afford it, some could not." And the medicines didn't always prevent the disease.

From Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday, Ihiekwe and members of Christ Episcopal Church in Woodbury are raising money to buy 364 insecticide-treated mosquito nets to be sent to Africa. The 364 nets represent one for each member of the congregation. The effort is part of a larger mission project during Lent involving Episcopal churches statewide and their nearly 20,000 members, said Brian Prior, bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota.

More here-

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/faith/117910349.html

The 81st Convention of the Episcopal Church of Liberia and Its Theme of “Arise, Shine, for You are The Light of Christ”

From Liberia-

This fourth article of the series on the theme of the recently held 81st Diocesan annual convention of Episcopal Church of Liberia, “Arise and Shine, for You Are the Light of Christ”, brings to a close the series by encouraging all who have the light of Christ in them to shine brightly. How is this to be done? What does it mean to shine in this particular context?

The third article on what it means and takes to arise in order to shine made the following points: The theme of the Episcopal Church convention enjoins upon Episcopalians and all Christians to arise and shine because they are the lights of Christ to this world. To arise or rise (there is no significant difference between the two in terms of grammar and meaning) is to get up or stand up; it is to muster courage and face a serious challenge as one would rise to an occasion.

To rise can be a summons to do something as opposed to sitting around and doing nothing. It can be a rebuke to one who is doing poorly or an encouragement to one who is doing good to do better. There are such several rebukes or encouragement in the Bible to God's people to trust God and do what they must in spite of the perceived dangers or the enormity associated with the required tasks.

We all need to rise from our moral slumber, sheer laziness, religious slumber, political slumber, and slumber of non-initiative and do something that honors God and uplifts all concerned. We must shake ourselves from the shackles of immorality, religious luke-warmness, the attitude of waiting for the government and someone else to do something for us , and not taking any risks at all, and then to rise to be counted. In order to shine one must first learn to rise. To rise is to respond to God's call to us to become his active agents, channels and instruments to transform self and others.

more here-

http://www.liberianobserver.com/content/81st-convention-episcopal-church-liberia-and-its-theme-“arise-shine-you-are-light-christ”--0

'Tis season for sales to ring out

From The Pittsburgh Tribune-

Last year's palms become this year's ashes. Many Catholic churches still burn dried, leftover strips from Palm Sunday Masses to make their supplies of ashes for the next Ash Wednesday.

But more Western Pennsylvania churches planning Ash Wednesday services today will use purchased, boxed palm ashes compared to a few years ago, said Jerry Zufelt, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg. That's on top of the thousands of palm strips that local churches will buy from growers in Florida, Texas and other Southern states to pass out on Palm Sunday, which is April 17 this year.

Today marks the start of a key season for retailers who sell Christian and Jewish merchandise to places of worship and the public. Stores and suppliers in the region say the weeks surrounding Easter and Passover rival or surpass December's religious holidays in terms of being the year's busiest time.

Roughly half of JMJ Catholic Book Store's annual retail sales are rung up between February and May, as customers buy gifts and personal items for Lent and Easter and families prepare children for First Holy Communion, confirmation and graduation, said Linda Gentili, who owns the 17-year-old Bethel Park business with other family members. Mother's Day shoppers, too, stop in to look for religious items.

JMJ's church goods business is fairly steady year-round as parishes order ashes, palms and priests' vestments or have chalices and other altar items refinished, she said.

"We've been very fortunate that we've been able to do fine -- the economic downturn has affected a lot of people, but we have a niche product," Gentili said.

Read more:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_726454.html#ixzz1GOa5b9bA

Humble meal of rice and beans will help Ugandans finish clinic

From Canada-

At first it was a feast, and now it's a famine. Whatever the menu, the people of a St. James church are determined to amass cash to build a medical clinic in an African village.

"No, it's not a fun meal," explains Paul Hazelton of tonight's fundraising dinner of beans and rice at St. James the Assiniboine Anglican Church.

"The bottom line is you're going to go home hungry. But hopefully, you go home feeling you did something right."

That something right is completing a medical clinic in Mayungwe, Uganda, a village that's a two-hour's drive southwest of Kampala. Hazelton says half of the proceeds of the $35 tickets are earmarked for the clinic project, and the rest is designated for Winnipeg Harvest.

Three years ago, the church and the local Muslim community co-operated on an interfaith dinner, raising about $12,000 for the $40,000 clinic, which will serve both Christian and Muslim patients. That effort was thought to be the first time Christians and Muslims in Winnipeg worked together on a common overseas project.

The initial funds paid for the brick walls and part of the roof, but since then, the villagers in Mayungwe have had to borrow money to finish the roof to avoid water damage, explains Pat Stewart, the Winnipegger who initiated the fundraising project.
The retired nurse was asked by the villagers to build a clinic for them when she visited Uganda four years ago with a delegation of local Anglicans.

More here-

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/faith/humble-meal-of-rice-and-beans-will-help-ugandans-finish-clinic-117847853.html

Malawi bishop rateful for aid Calgarians sent supplies to African country

From Canada (The headline editor needs to be more careful)

On his first trip to Calgary and o Canada, Anglican Bishop anuel Magangani of Malawi had one immediate impression.

The cold weather.

But the bishop also received a warm reception and he was here for one special purpose.

"I'm only here for one reason and this is to thank our brothers and sisters here in Canada. I thank them for the support they've been giving us in many ways. Because without their support we can't do what we do," said Magangani, while visiting St. Paul's Anglican Church in the city.

The support began in December 2009 when Deer Park United Church and St. John's the Evangelist Anglican Church, both of Calgary, put together a 13-metre container of humanitarian supplies for the people of Malawi.

Support from Calgarians has also come in the form of medical supplies, water filters and donations.

Everything Calgarians have done for the people of Malawi has had a huge impact on their lives, said Magangani -something he is very grateful for.

"Our spiritual lives. We had about 10 priests by 2002. Now we are 27. We've been able to train them.

Read more:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Malawi+bishop+rateful/4429086/story.html#ixzz1GOIp5CeI

Archbishop of Canterbury's letter to the Primates of the Anglican Communion

From ACNS-

The recent Primates’ Meeting in Dublin did not set out to offer a solution to the ongoing challenges of mutual understanding and of the limits of our diversity in the Communion. But it is important to note carefully what it did set out to do and what it achieved.

In recent years, many have appealed to the Primates to resolve the problems of the Communion by taking decisive action to enforce discipline on this or that Province. In approaching the Dublin Meeting, we believed that it was essential to clarify how the Primates themselves understood the nature of their office and authority. It has always been clear that not all have the same view – not because of different theological convictions alone, but also because of the different legal and canonical roles they occupy as Primates.

Some have a good deal of individual authority; others have their powers very closely limited by their own canons. It would therefore be difficult if the Meeting collectively gave powers to Primates that were greater than their own canons allowed them individually, as was noted at the 2008 Lambeth Conference (Lambeth Indaba 2008 #151).

The unanimous judgement of those who were present was that the Meeting should not see itself as a ‘supreme court’, with canonical powers, but that it should nevertheless be profoundly and regularly concerned with looking for ways of securing unity and building relationships of trust. And one reason for the fact that it did not offer any new schemes for this was that those present were still committed to the Covenant process and had no desire to interrupt the significant discussions of this that are currently going on (as many of you will know, several Provinces have already adopted the Covenant and others are very close to finalising their decision).

The Primates were strongly focused on the situation of churches under threat, and this was reflected in the statements they issued. But it is also important to recognise that the Primates made no change to their existing commitments to both the Covenant process and the moratoria requests. The purpose of the Dublin meeting was, as I have said, not to offer fresh solutions but to clarify what we believed about our shared purpose and identity as a Primates’ Meeting. I think that this clarity was achieved, and achieved in an atmosphere of very demanding and searching conversation, which intensified our sense of commitment to each other and the Communion.

We were painfully aware of those who did not feel able to be with us, and held them in prayer each day, seeking to remind ourselves of the concerns that they would have wanted to put on the table. We were all agreed that the Meeting inevitably represented ‘unfinished business’, and were all committed to pursuing the conversations needed to consolidate our fellowship. We shall continue to seek ways of meeting at every level that will prevent our being isolated from each other in suspicion and hostility.

More here-

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/3/12/ACNS4813

The daunting journey from faith to faith

From The London Telegraph-

This week, hundreds of Anglicans are leaving the Church of England to prepare to join the Catholic Church as part of the new Ordinariate. Even though they’re converting in groups, rather than on their own, it’s a big step. Members of your family, your local community, life-long friends may be disapproving and feel distressed. I should know – my grandmother said she wouldn’t speak to me if I converted, and when I did, my father said it was “all a load of nonsense”.

Becoming a Catholic in my late teens felt a bit like moving from a small village to a big city – and actually, that was close to the truth. I grew up in a village in Cheshire, where many friends went to the local Evangelical chapel. It had lovely warm carpets and friendly hymns; when I started going to a Catholic church with marble floors, high ceilings and plainchant, I really was turning my back on my family’s cultural history.

My grandmother came from an Orange family in Liverpool, where to be on the wrong side of the Protestant-Catholic divide meant that you might have stones thrown at you in the street. Even in the late Seventies, there were prejudices. “The priests will take all your money off you,” I was warned. Another friend conceded that maybe “some Catholics could be saved”.

No wonder my family was surprised – especially since it happened quite by chance. I was 16, playing a concert at the Dartington Summer School in Devon. My mother and I were in a guesthouse down the road from Buckfast, the Benedictine abbey. We went to Mass there, mainly because it was within walking distance, and immediately I had this feeling of entering an enormous, strange, fascinating new world.

More here-

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/stephenhough/100052066/the-journey-to-rome-is-less-daunting-now/

Anglicans leave Church of England for Rome

From England-

Churches have seen their congregations decimated this week after dissident Anglican priests and their parishioners turned to Rome.

Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of the exodus in both Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells as worshippers opted instead to celebrate their first mass at Catholic churches.

In Tunbridge Wells, Father Ed Tomlinson led 70 worshipers to join St Anselm’s Roman Catholic Church in Pembury leaving a congregation of just 15 at his former church St Barnabas.

Meanwhile, Father Ivan Aquilina took 40 parishioners with him to St Thomas’ Roman Catholic Church in Sevenoaks leaving 50 at the town’s St John the Baptist Church.

They join around 600 Anglicans nationally who have decided to leave the Church of England over liberal reforms such as the ordination of women bishops.

Pope Benedict XVI has created a new body called the English Ordinariate for Church of England traditionalists who want to switch allegiance to Rome while retaining some of their Anglican customs.

More here-

http://www.kentnews.co.uk/p_12/Article/a_12027/Anglicans_leave_Church_of_England_for_Rome_

Tennessee Williams’s 100th Birthday, Marked in Columbus, Miss.

From Mississippi-

“DO you know what Spring Pilgrimage is?” asked Brenda Caradine, the chairwoman of the Tennessee Williams Birthday Celebration in Columbus, Miss. “It’s when you Yankees come down South to see our antebellum homes and we take back your money.”

By turns coquettish and tender, Ms. Caradine, who also runs the Amzi Love Home, a restored 1848 home that now functions as a B&B, is just one of many personalities in the playwright’s hometown who might as well have been created by Williams himself.

Williams would have turned 100 this month, and towns and cities around the country are hosting fetes in his honor, but none more fittingly than Columbus, the playwright’s birthplace and his home until age 7. This year, the birthday celebration (March 24 to 27) coincides in part with the town’s Spring Pilgrimage (March 28 to April 9), the event that Ms. Caradine referred to, which is traditionally held during the azalea bloom.

Williams-themed festivities will include an exhibition of playbill and movie paraphernalia related to his stage and screen work at the Columbus-Lowndes Library (317 Seventh Street North); tours of St. Paul’s Episcopal (318 College Street), where his grandfather preached (don’t miss the stained-glass windows mentioned in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”); and performances of one of his more obscure plays, “Strangest Kind of Romance,” at the Rosensweig Arts Center (501 Main Street).

More here-

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/travel/13headsup-williams.html

Greenville woman to be honored for work in Haiti teaching farming skills

From Upper South Carolina-

She survived an earthquake and her husband's kidnapping and has continued undaunted in her work to help the residents of a remote village in Haiti feed themselves.

For her efforts over the years at the Haitian mission supported by the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina, Gillaine Warne of Greenville will be honored during the eighth annual Partnership Cange Symposium at Christ Church today.

The Rev. Fritz Lafontant, who was profiled in the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” will present a progress report on his work in Haiti and talk about the urgent needs in the village of Cange.

Warne will be presented with the Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Award, given each year by the Virginia Theological Seminary to honor an Episcopal layperson “who, over a significant period of time, has given leadership and unique witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ within his or her congregation, community, diocese and in the world.”

Warne established a program called Partners in Agriculture to grow food to feed the hungry and teach farming to villagers in Haiti. More than 18,000 children in the area now are served through the program.

More here-

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20110312/NEWS/303120007/Greenville-woman-to-be-honored-for-work-in-Haiti-teaching-farming-skills

Pittsburgh auxiliary bishop given key role in restructuring

From The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review-

Bishop David Zubik hailed the arrival of bishop-elect William J. Waltersheid, the new auxiliary bishop for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, as a "long-anticipated and special gift." On Friday, Zubik announced his role as part of a restructuring at the diocese.

Waltersheid, who arrived in Pittsburgh two weeks ago, will be responsible for meeting with and assessing the needs of clergy, priests and deacons as episcopal vicar for clergy and secretary for clergy, Zubik said in a statement.

Considering Waltersheid's background of helping priests, "this position is natural for him," said the Rev. Ronald P. Lengwin, a spokesman for the diocese. "From a religious perspective, this is like religious providence."

Waltersheid will be ordained at 2 p.m. Monday in St. Paul Cathedral, Oakland.

More here-

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_726967.html#ixzz1GO9nYkZh

Archbishop of Canterbury's prayers for the people of Japan

From ACNS-


The Archbishop of Canterbury has sent a message of condolence to the Anglican Archbishop of Japan, the Most Revd Nathaniel Makoto Uematsu, expressing support and prayers for the Japanese people at this time.

The Archbishop said:

"The news of the horrific earthquake in Japan has shocked us all. We await further and more detailed news with apprehension, but I want to say immediately that our hearts and our prayers go out to all who have been affected and that we as a church will do what we can to offer practical as well as spiritual support at this time of great suffering and great anxiety for so many. A message of sympathy and support has already gone to the Anglican Archbishop of Japan, and we intend to keep in contact about the crisis."

More here-

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/3/11/ACNS4812

We will make you a priority, Primates tell young people

From The Church Times-

THE Archbishops of Canterbury and York and more than 30 bishops committed themselves to making young people a priority in the Church of England, when they attended a conference held in Sheffield last week.

The Regeneration Youth Summit took place at St Thomas’s, Phila delphia Campus, on Thursday of last week, and was organised by the Church Army, the Archbishop of York Youth Trust, and a group of young people, including Sam Follett, aged 20, the youngest member of the General Synod.

More than 120 people aged from 15 to 21, and about 30 youth workers, discussed ways of better equipping the Church to reach out to young people. All delegates were invited to sign a pledge committing to the work of the Church and young people.

Dr Williams said that a living Church is one that “doesn’t leave you in your comfort zone”. Dr Sentamu urged young people to “take risks for Christ”.

Mr Follett, who is reading physics at the University of Nottingham, and is a lay representative for St Albans, said: “The big thing for me is that young people are going away feeling they’ve been listened to and encour aged by their church leaders. . . Follow-up events are already planned in St Albans and Nottingham.

“A lot of places are doing youth work very well today, but they are a minority. I think the way we do Church today sometimes doesn’t get the message out that faith in Jesus Christ is relevant to where young people are at. . . The message we have is good; we just need to think about the ways we are conveying it.”

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=109285

The Anglican Communion responds to the Japanese earthquake

From ACNS-

Churches and agencies of the Anglican Communion have begun to plan how best to respond to the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami impacting countries across the Pacific Ocean.

The Secretary of The Nippon Sei Ko Kai (The Anglican Communion in Japan) Shinya Samuel Yawata told ACNS this morning that the Provincial office is waiting to learn the extent of the destruction in northern Japan. He said he had not yet heard from any other dioceses, but wanted the rest of the Communion to know that the NSKK Province office is still functioning.

“Unfortunately we have not heard from people of northern Japan except from the news on the Internet. All phone lines are down because of heavy usage so we do not know much about what is going on. Viewing the Internet we can see that damage is substantial and already many deaths have been reported.”

“In Tokyo and the vicinity there is slight damage and some fires, but it is not detrimental,” he said. “The Provincial office had no damage. We all have to walk home because all traffic has stopped dead. Please inform the rest of world that the Provincial office has not sustained any damage and it is operational.”

Mr Yawata told Anglican agency USPG: “It was the biggest shake I have ever experienced.” He is particularly anxious to hear from Tohoku Diocesan Office where he believes there will be very significant damage.

On USPG's website Rachel Parry, the agency's Regional Manager for Asia, said: "We keep all the affected people in Japan, and in particular our fellow Anglicans, especially those who have not yet been able to be reached in Tohoku Diocese, in our thoughts and prayers. I have been promised that as soon as there is any further news, the provincial office will be in touch with USPG."

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/3/11/ACNS4811

Anglican bishop fights Israel deportation

From Israel-

The head of the Anglican church in Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan, Bishop Suheil Dawani, is fighting the Israeli Interior Ministry's decision not to renew his residency visa with a petition to the Supreme Court.

Interior Minister Eli Yishai announced six months ago that Bishop Dawani's visa would not be renewed but he has been allowed to remain in Israel pending a review of his case.

Mr Yishai took the decision after allegations emerged that the bishop had been involved in illegal land transactions.

While the Christian congregations in the region continue to dwindle - there are only a few thousand Anglicans in Israel and the West Bank - the churches remain major landowners of prime real estate in Jerusalem and other cities. The dealings surrounding church lands are often murky, with political and ownership disputes further muddying the waters.

More here-

http://www.thejc.com/news/israel-news/46392/anglican-bishop-fights-israel-deportation

St. Luke's Episcopal Church priest, accused of shoving elderly parishioner, resigns

From Kalamazoo-

The Rev. Jay R. Lawlor resigned Wednesday as pastor at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, three days after an elderly parishioner filed a police report accused him of assault, according to a letter received today by church members.

The letter from Bishop Robert Gepert, who heads the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan, said the church is launching its own investigation into the incident, which allegedly involved Lawlor shoving Marcia Morrison, 76.

Morrison was not injured, but told police she was emotionally traumatized.

"Regardless of what happened, and without laying blame, it does not reflect well on the whole community," said Gepert's letter. "As a result, I am obligated to initiate an investigation under Title IV of the Episcopal Church Canons. It also means I will begin searching for a priest-in-charge."

There have been tensions between Lawlor and the St. Luke's congregation since the priest started there as rector two years ago. Last week, Bishop Robert Gepert sent a letter to parishioners informing them that he was taking over the parish, disbanding its lay board and putting Lawlor on a fourth-month leave starting March 8.

Before he went on leave, Lawlor laid off terminated the employment of the parish secretary, music director and facilities manager.

More here-

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/03/priest_accused_in_shoving_inci.html

Robbers Snatch N.8 Million From Anglican Bishop

From All Africa- (if I did the conversion right its a little over $5000 US.)

A four-man gang of armed robbers Monday burgled the Bishop's Court, the Anglican Diocese of Asaba in Delta State, taking away N800,000 and other valuables.

The bishop, Rt. Rev. Festus Mogekwu, and his wife were held at gun point inside their bedroom by the hoodlums at about 1 am who operated for about three hours. The bishop's three handsets, marriage rings, shirts, two lap-top computers and other valuables were also snatched during the operation. He said the suspects who brandished dangerous weapons, ransacked the mission house, shouting "where is the money?" and left with N800,000.

He said as soon as they cut down the burglary proof of his living room, they were asked to lie flat on the floor before they tied their hands and legs. He said the police and other security men in the court where brutalized by the robbers before they escaped through the fence.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201103100197.html