Conservatives Accuse Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of Misconduct

From Religion Dispatches-

The conservative American Anglican news site Anglican Ink reported this week on a claim of misconduct filed in December 2013 against the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori.

The claim was filed by the American Anglican Fellowship (AAF), a group formed in June of 2013 apparently for the purpose of going after Jefferts Schori much like disgruntled GOP legislators after Barack Obama. Through a long series of legal cases related to ownership of property and other assets after a congregation has parted with the national church, American Anglican churches have had roughly the same degree of success as Republican lawmakers have had in overturning the Affordable Care Act: not much.

As previously reported here, the Episcopal Church has prevailed in the majority of cases, with schismatic claimants pressing their cases all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 2012 declined to hear an appeal to a lower court ruling awarding property from a church in Connecticut to the Episcopal Church. Days before the AAF released the full text of its ecclesiastical complaint, the U.S. Supreme Court again denied an appeal from a breakaway congregation in Falls Church, Virginia. Hard feelings, much?

More here-

http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/atheologies/7708/conservatives_accuse_presiding_bishop_katharine_jefferts_schori_of_misconduct/

Anglican charity seeks justice for 35 seafarers jailed in India

From India-

Anglican agency The Mission to Seafarers is seeking justice for 35 men awaiting trial in Chennai, India, for the past five months.

The US-owned vessel MV Seaman Guard Ohio – with a crew comprising Indians, Britons, Ukrainians and Estonians – was detained on 12 October by the Indian Coast Guard.

While the ship’s owner, AdvanFort, said the crew was involved in supporting anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean, the Indian authorities said weapons and ammunition discovered on board had not been properly declared.

Those on board were refused bail and, five months on, the global maritime welfare charity, along with the families of the men, is now upping the pressure on governments both home and abroad.

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2014/03/anglican-charity-seeks-justice-for-35-seafarers-jailed-in-india.aspx

Controversy over Seminary Speaker Invite Tempered by Student's Death

From Christianity Today-

A seminary student's request for the leader of The Episcopal Church (TEC) to come and witness unity between U.S. Anglican conservatives and progressives instead prompted a public wave of disunity—which has now been ironically (albeit tragically) tempered by the student's unexpected death.

Terry Star and two other students at Nashotah House, a theologically conservative Anglo-Catholic seminary in Wisconsin, had asked the seminary to invite Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to "come and see ACNA (Anglican Church in North America) and [TEC] in harmony" because she had once advised them not to attend the seminary, Nashotah dean Edward Salmon told the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD).

The invitation to preach in Nashotah's historic chapel sparked a furious uproar among Anglican conservatives, including the resignations of a Nashotah trustee and an honorary board member as well as a call for Salmon's own resignation.

Bishop Jack Iker wrote in his resignation announcement that he "could not be associated with an institution that honors her," pointing to the lawsuits that Jefferts Schori has initiated against his diocese. Honorary board member Bishop William Wantland joined him, writing that he "will not take part in any functions at Nashotah" nor "give financial support to the House as long as the present administration remains."

More here-

http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/march/controversy-over-seminary-speaker-nashotah-jefferts-schori.html

Head of Southeast Michigan Episcopal Church backs same-sex marriage

From Michigan-

The head of the Episcopal Church in southeastern Michigan announced Tuesday that he strongly supports same-sex marriage, indicating to 70 churches that marrying people of the same in gender is in line with their denomination’s beliefs.

But the Rt. Rev. Wendell Gibbs stopped short of saying gay marriages could be performed immediately in local churches because the Episcopal Church technically still doesn’t formally approve of them, and they are illegal under Michigan law.

Noting that public opinion is shifting rapidly on the issue, Gibbs, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, said that “picking and choosing whose rights should be protected or which civil rights the church will support is neither American ‘justice for all’ nor supported by the God of salvation history.”

More here-

http://www.freep.com/article/20140318/NEWS05/303180150/Episcopal-church-bishop-backs-same-sex-marriage

Anglican legal advisor named Queen's Chaplain

From ACNS-

The legal adviser to the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) and Provincial Registrar for the Archbishop of Canterbury has been appointed as a Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II.

Canon John Rees said he was delighted to receive the accolade which is awarded for long and distinguished service as a member of UK clergy.

"It is a great honour to be appointed as one of Her Majesty The Queen’s Chaplains," he said. "The role is largely honorary, but I hope it will increase the opportunities I have from time to time to emphasise the importance of the Anglican Communion, and the immensely valuable work done by Anglican Churches around the world’.

Canon Rees is currently Registrar for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Diocesan Registrar for Oxford, Legal Adviser to the ACC (since 1995) and Senior Partner of Winckworth Sherwood – Vice-Chair of the Legal Advisory Commission of the C of E, an honorary Provincial Canon of Canterbury Cathedral.

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2014/03/england-anglican-legal-advisor-named-queens-chaplain.aspx

Catholic and Anglican Churches unite for anti-slavery campaign

From The Telegraph-

An Australian jackaroo-turned-mining magnate brought together the Anglican Church and the Vatican on Monday in an ambitious plan to stamp out modern-day slavery, which affects an estimated 30 million people worldwide.

Andrew Forrest, known by his schoolboy nickname “Twiggy” in his home country, has pledged to use part of his £3 billion fortune to eradicate indentured labour, the trafficking of women and girls for sex and other forms of 21st century slavery by the year 2020.

The 52-year-old mining tycoon, who worked in his youth as a “jackaroo” or cowboy on a vast outback cattle station in the rugged Pilbara region of Western Australia, brought together the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church in an unprecedented inter-faith effort to tackle the issue.

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/10703863/Catholic-and-Anglican-Churches-unite-for-anti-slavery-campaign.html

Caring for Caregivers

From The Living Church-

In a storefront office, steps from Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater in one direction and the Clinton Foundation in the other, the Rev. Gregory Johnson chats with Joel Rogers, who holds his year-old niece, Malia, while Malia’s mom seeks advice in an inner room. With life buzzing along outside on 125th Street, the community’s busiest commercial thoroughfare, Johnson is ministry in motion inside. Few people know Johnson is a minister.

Johnson’s “congregation” is one of the largest in the city, or anywhere else for that matter. Nationwide they number 65.7 million. Years ago they had no name, though they toiled long and hard. But for the last 13 years Johnson has made it his mission to shine a light on their identity. They are family caregivers, and Johnson wants employers, corporations, and most of all the caregivers themselves to recognize that identity and claim it. As he says repeatedly, they are “the backbone of the health care industry,” and it is his calling to see that their physical, spiritual, and emotional needs are met.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/caring-caregivers

We can't wait any longer to move against gun violence

From New Jersey-

As a meeting on gun violence moved toward closure inside a Trinity Episcopal Cathedral community room known as Synod Hall, attendees struggled to form one circle ahead of a final benediction.

Chairs, tables, lecterns, and bodies made awkward a single human ring atop a wooden floor that added glow to the group’s first discussion on ending a scourge of gun violence that significantly contributed to a record number of murders, 37, in Trenton last year.

Just when the group had settled on holding hands in separate subsets, recently named New Jersey Bishop William Stokes, who had convened this special meeting that coincided with a national “Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath” event, made one alteration that made city history.

“Considering the nature of our mission, it may be best that we form one circle,” Bishop Stokes offered.

More here-

http://www.trentonian.com/opinion/20140317/la-parker-we-cant-wait-any-longer-to-move-against-gun-violence

George Herbert's poetry: Christian calling, struggle and self-doubt

From The Guardian-

One of the things that is most striking about George Herbert's poetry, taken as a whole, is how unhappy he seems to have been for much of the time. The poems are full of tortured self-doubt, agonised examination of his motivations, and complaint. Usually these are resolved in a neat couplet at the end of the poem, recalling the poet to God's promises or presence, in typical psalmist style. Some of these neat resolutions are more convincing than others.

I suspect that this honesty about the struggles, fears and doubts of life as a Christian is a large part of Herbert's continued appeal as a poet. His doubts and agony about his vocation in life resonate even with many who do not share his faith. For those of us who do, it is refreshing and reassuring to know that we are not alone in finding being a faithful Christian difficult at times. As a member of the clergy, I take great comfort in knowing that even Herbert – the quintessential Anglican Divine – sometimes railed against and agonised about his vocation.

More here-

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/17/george-herbert-poetry-faith-vocation

Alternative Spring Breaks: Staten Island, New York

From New York-

Light snow hit the front window of our recently decorated van as we drove to St. Simon’s Episcopal Church last Monday for our first day of Alternative Spring Breaks service. We would be working with the Episcopal Recovery Team of Staten Island to help rebuild a community still recovering from Hurricane Sandy. Because our trip was a new ASB offering, none of us had any expectation of what our service would be like, but we were all excited to see what we would be doing.

Atop a small hill, Dane Miller, one of the interns at the Episcopal Recovery Team stood waiting for us. The organization is overseen by the Episcopal Diocese of New York and the Episcopal Relief and Development’s US Disaster Response Program. It was created in January 2013 to help restore Staten Island after Hurricane Sandy hit in October 2012. The hurricane claimed the lives of 26 Staten Island residents—more than from any other New York City borough—and flooded an estimated 20 percent of the island, leaving thousands temporarily homeless.

More here-

http://www.bu.edu/today/2014/alternative-spring-breaks-staten-island-new-york/

Life Stories: Former Bishop Robert C. Johnson Jr. known for listening, action

From North Carolina-

About five or six times a year, the telephone rang in the Johnson household in the middle of the night, and Robert C. Johnson Jr. did his best to handle the needs of a stranger in crisis.

A career as an Episcopal priest armed him with the skills to counsel others, but his friends and family say Johnson had a particular gift for truly listening to people. It was a strength that helped in matters of life or death, such as when he worked with the local suicide-prevention hotline. For years he served as the emergency contact, called only when hotline workers found themselves in over their heads.

His wife of 54 years, Connie Johnson, remembers a call from a woman from their church who was fearful for her children and her own life at the hands of an abusive husband. Johnson picked them up and brought them back to his house. The next day, after the woman’s husband had sobered up and left for work, he drove her back to gather some belongings and then took her to refuge with a family member.

Read more here:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/03/16/3707903/former-bishop-robert-c-johnson.html#storylink=cpy

The Most Popular and Fastest Growing Bible Translation Isn't What You Think It Is

From Christianity Today-

When Americans reach for their Bibles, more than half of them pick up a King James Version (KJV), according to a new study advised by respected historian Mark Noll.

The 55 percent who read the KJV easily outnumber the 19 percent who read the New International Version (NIV). And the percentages drop into the single digits for competitors such as the New Revised Standard Version, New America Bible, and the Living Bible.

So concludes "The Bible in American Life," a lengthy report by the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Funded by the Lilly Foundation, researchers asked questions on what David Briggs of the ARDA, which first reported the results, calls "two of the most highly respected data sources for American religion"—the General Social Survey and the National Congregations Study.

The numbers are surprising, given the strong sales of NIV translations in bookstores. The NIV has topped the CBA's bestselling Bible translation list for decades, and continued to sell robustly in 2013.

More here-

http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/march/most-popular-and-fastest-growing-bible-translation-niv-kjv.html

Diocese of South Carolina accepts provisional oversight from Global South primates

From South Carolina-

Local Anglicans who separated from the Episcopal Church in 2012 approved a resolution Saturday accepting a new provisional oversight that gives them a formal ecclesiastical connection to the global Anglican Communion.

The Diocese of South Carolina will join the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, a worldwide network of theologically orthodox Anglican churches, and enter a relationship with primates from the Anglican Global South. The Global South comprises growing provinces in Africa, southeast Asia and South America.

"This will give us gracious oversight from one of the largest ecclesiastical body in the (Anglican) Communion," Bishop Mark Lawrence said in his address to the annual diocesan convention.

Lawrence and most local Episcopal parishes separated from the national church because of long-standing administrative and theological disputes. However, the Episcopal Church is a North American province of the Anglican Communion, so the separation left the diocese without a formal connection to the seat of global Anglicanism, the See of Canterbury.

More here-

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140315/PC16/140319517/1002/diocese-of-sc-accepts-provisional-oversight-from-global-south-primates

Died: Terry Fullam, 82, renowned Episcopal pastor featured in 'Miracle at Darien'

From Christianity Today-

Everett L. "Terry" Fullam, who served as rector of St. Paul's, Darien, Conn., famous as tall steeple parish in the mainline Protestant renewal movement, died today. He was 82.

News of his passing came as a result of Bishop Gregory Brewer, Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, who tweeted this afternoon, "Just heard that Terry Fullam passed away. A generation ago he was a hero."

More here-

http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/march/died-terry-fullam-renowned-episcopal-pastor-renewal.html

Indian-American priest says local clergy more liberal

From India-

While the Indian judiciary appears to be inclined to criminialise homosexuality and society would like to sweep the issue under the carpet, Indian churches including those in the city are increasingly willing to explore the issue.

Earlier this week for instance, Indian-American priest Winnie Varghese of the Episcopal Church, who is openly lesbian, was in Chennai and Bangalore for consultations with church leaders as well as the Chennai-based collective Christians Against Homophobia on resources for people of faith to overcome homophobia and gender-based discrimination.

At the meet in Chennai, Varghese discussed how members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community in the US have fought homophobia in churches and urged her audience to support a similar movement in India. 

More here-

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Indian-American-priest-says-local-clergy-more-liberal/articleshow/32031368.cms

Up from Pavement and Puddles

From The Living Church-

Artists are odd. They look at the same world that we do, but they see it at a different slant, and pick up things we don’t. I recently had breakfast with an alumnus of Wycliffe, a friend of mine, who told me about two Christian artists he was encouraging. At a nearby college they were commissioned to produce paintings for the walls of the religious studies department. The first was given the assignment of a picture of the Incarnation, the birth among us of the God-man Jesus Christ.

Now the painter, it turns out, has a fascination with pavement and puddles. He walks around looking down. No one notices this stuff. He draws and paints them, including how they reflect the sky. They are simple things, easily overlooked. They are dirty, and trodden underfoot. The painting is called “The Great Mystery.” The baby Jesus lies on the hard and cracked ground. He is swaddled tight with a cord. He is confined. His tiny head is turned to look at two puddles, one on each side of him. In one a donkey has come to drink, in a second a lamb. In the puddles around him you can see a touch of the sky. Jesus is down at our level, bound like us, approachable like us. But we also are in God’s image, reflecting the heavens.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/pavement-and-puddles

Bishop's attitude to Cathedral 'bizarre'

From New Zealand-

Nothing would symbolise survival, rebirth and memorial so dramatically as the restoration of the Christ Church Cathedral, writes Philip Burdon

The legacy of the earthquake is a devastated and broken city that has shown a brave and determined ambition to recover and rebuild.

The Arts Centre, the Canterbury Museum and the very badly damaged Provincial Council Chambers have all committed to a restoration programme that has the support and endorsement of their governing bodies.

Of the iconic symbols of the history and heritage of the city, only the cathedral remains an issue of bitter contention and debate.

The cathedral was, and remains, the physical symbol of the deeply religious convictions and beliefs of the founding fathers of the Canterbury Settlement.

More here-

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/perspective/9826910/Bishops-attitude-to-Cathedral-bizarre

Writers of new series of Rev explore tensions in C of E

From The Church Times-

THE Archdeacon arrived in a taxi; the church could be bankrupt in two years' time; and the Vicar is "furious" that he cannot conduct gay blessings. At a screening of the new series of Rev at St Leonard's, Shoreditch, on Tuesday night, it was evident that the writers really do hold up a mirror to parish life.

In the third series, set to begin on 24 March on BBC2, the Revd Adam Smallbone (above), played by Tom Hollander, is fighting on several fronts: new fatherhood, a diocesan secretary with an eye on the bottom line, and the diktats emerging from on high, including the statement on same-sex marriage.

The first two episodes screened on Tuesday include a multifaith fund-raiser with the imam of a local thriving mosque ("I love your church: there's always so much space"), and a request for a gay wedding.

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2014/14-march/news/uk/writers-of-new-series-of-rev-explore-tensions-in-c-of-e

Methodists Debate Punishing Pastors Who Perform Same-Sex Marriages

From Christianity Today-

The trial of a United Methodist Church (UMC) minister who performed a same-sex marriage ceremony has been halted by a bishop before it began. Meanwhile, a retired UMC bishop may face a trial of his own for a similar ceremony.

Bishop Martin McLee of New York committed this week to stopping all such trials in his region. The New York Times has the details.

Meanwhile, Religion News Service reports on the latest (and highest-ranking) dissident to potentially face punishment, and assesses how geography is shaping the "emerging dynamic that allows some pastors in the country's second-largest Protestant denomination to skirt rules banning clergy from performing same-sex wedding, while others risk costly church trials and the loss of clergy credentials."

More here-

http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/march/methodists-debate-punishing-pastors-perform-same-sex-umc.html

Georgia’s Episcopal bishops sign statement opposing Republican ‘guns in church’ bill

From Georgia-

The highest officials in Georgia’s Episcopal Diocese signed a letter on Tuesday urging the state legislature to abandon its push to allow guns in churches.

The letter appeared on EpiscopalAtlanta.org after the Republican-led state House passed HB 875, which would allow gun owners to carry concealed weapons in churches, bars and schools. The state Senate version of the bill is expected to go before the legislature on Wednesday. If it passes, it will go straight to the desk of Gov. Nathan Deal (R) to be signed into law.

“Supporters of this bill claim our current quite expansive gun laws are not expansive enough,” wrote Revs. Robert C. Wright and Scott Anson Benhase. “They claim that if only the ‘bad guys’ have guns, then the ‘good guys’ cannot stop them. As one State Representative who sponsored the bill said: ‘Gun free zones that are created by well-meaning laws are gun-free to the good guys only. The bad part of our society does not care.’”

More here-

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/12/georgias-episcopal-bishops-sign-statement-opposing-republican-guns-in-church-bill/

After 7 Years, U.S. Supreme Court Issues Final Word: The F.C. Belongs to Diocese

From Falls Church-

The U.S. Supreme Court announced this Monday its denial of an appeal from the congregants who defected from the Falls Church Episcopal Church in 2006, letting stand Fairfax Circuit Court’s ruling that the property of the historic church remains in the possession of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.

Monday’s announcement finally exhausts the legal appeals of the ruling available to the defectors, ending eight years of contention which began with the defectors’ vote to leave the Episcopal Church in December 2006, to align with an Anglican bishop from Nigeria and to subsequently occupy the church property for over six years before before being mandated by the Fairfax court to vacate the site in 2012.

Central to the rift that led to the defection was the issue of homosexuality, specifically that the conservative rector at the church, Rev. John Yates, led the defection and subsequent occupation of the property that was ruled illegal, because of his opposition to the national Episcopal Church denomination’s election of an openly gay priest, the Rev. Gene Robinson, to standing as a bishop in 2003.

More here-

http://fcnp.com/2014/03/12/after-7-years-u-s-supreme-court-issues-final-word-the-f-c-belongs-to-diocese/

‘Homeless Jesus’ finds a home in North Carolina

From ENS-

Downtown Davidson, North Carolina, has all of the idyllic, small-town Southern charm a weekend visitor could want: old-fashioned brick sidewalks, quaint shops and lots of leafy trees. Residents of the town, known primarily for its prestigious liberal arts college, are proud of their postcard-ready community, but the recent installation of a sculpture outside of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church has reminded locals that not all members of the affluent community can afford to live in the town’s beautiful homes – or in permanent housing of any type.

A new arrival in the neighborhood

The sculpture, “Homeless Jesus” by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz, is a life-size bronze that depicts Jesus as a homeless man huddled in a blanket and sleeping on a park bench. The blanket’s folds hide the man’s face, and the only clues to his identity are the crucifixion marks through his feet and a nearby plaque revealing the piece’s name. From a distance, it is easy to mistake the sculpture for a living person. Situated in front of St. Alban’s at the entrance to the upscale St. Alban’s Square neighborhood, the artwork rests in stark contrast to its surroundings.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/03/12/homeless-jesus-finds-a-home-in-north-carolina/

Brackets of the Saints

From The Living Church-

It’s that time of year again: break out those brackets, pick your favorites and get ready to compete for serious bragging rights. College basketball? No, a tournament in which stakes are not as temporal as those of the NCAA, but instead reach all the way to heaven: Lent Madness.

For the fifth consecutive year, fans of saints are lining up to make sure March excitement is not confined to athletics. They pick winners among 32 holy heroes and heroines, who battle it out for the coveted Golden Halo in an online tournament billed as “so fun you won’t know it’s edifying.”

While hoop fans revel, “Why should we as Christians be sitting around giving up chocolate and eating twigs all day?” said the Rev. Tim Schenck, creator of Lent Madness. By day, he’s rector of Church of St. John the Evangelist in Hingham, Massachusetts. By night, he’s a self-described “huge sports fan” who loves saints even more.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/brackets-saints

White Mountain, shining face: Remembering Deacon Terry Star

From ENS-

As the Rev. Terry Star is buried March 10 out of his home church of St. James Episcopal Church in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, we share the following article from fellow seminarian Benjamin Jefferies from Nashotah House who reflects on the memories and the legacy Star leaves behind. Star died of a heart attack the morning of March 4 at Nashotah House, where he was studying for ordination to the priesthood. He was 40.

Truly, Nomen est Omen — the name determines the man: The brightness in Terry’s gentle eyes really did shine like a Star in the night sky. And what image is more apt to describe our peaceful, giant friend than his Lakota name :“White Mountain”. 

The impression of his calm, thoughtful, big, guileless, and playful presence is permanently etched into my memory. Although this memory-mark is indelible, how much fresher and warmer was the man himself, how much I would prefer to have him, and not just the memories.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/03/10/white-mountain-shining-face-remembering-deacon-terry-star/

Supreme Court won’t hear appeal of dispute over Episcopal Church’s property in Va.

From Virginia-

Seven years after 15 conservative Virginia congregations made global news by breaking away from the Episcopal Church — and refusing to give up tens of millions of dollars in property — the Supreme Court on Monday ended the complex legal dispute by declining to take up an appeal by the last remaining plaintiff.

The Falls Church Anglican, a 2,000-member breakaway congregation, had asserted that the nearly 300-year-old sprawling property belonged to the Anglican group because the Episcopal Church “left” its umbrella Anglican tradition by becoming more liberal in interpreting scripture and ordaining gay and lesbian clergy.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/supreme-court-wont-hear-appeal-of-dispute-over-episcopal-churchs-property-in-va/2014/03/10/8f22e72a-a886-11e3-8599-ce7295b6851c_story.html

also here-

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/03/10/supreme-court-lets-ruling-stand-leaves-falls-church-building-episcopal-church/

and here-

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/03/10/supreme-court-lets-ruling-stand-leaves-falls-church-building-episcopal-church/

and here (with statement from the diocese)

http://fcnp.com/2014/03/10/u-s-supreme-court-denies-defectors-appeal-vs-episcopal-diocese-of-virginia/

The Church is alienating an entire generation over gay marriage.

From The Telegraph-

Planning a wedding, as any newly-wed will tell you, can quickly become one of the most stressful experiences of your life – particularly for the bride. From attempting to hand-make 100 place-holders for that “personal touch” to ensuring there's a cheese-free menu option for one lactose-intolerant aunt, many women will have something that triggers a major meltdown before they make it down the aisle.
But, for my friend Ella*, these issues and obstacles seem blissfully trivial in comparison to the worries that keep her up at night as the big day approaches. 

She's marrying her girlfriend of two years in the summer, and the wedding preparations are well under way. It should be a time of excitement and celebration, despite the anxiety-inducing ‘wedmin’ – but Ella, as well as being in a same-sex relationship, is also a Christian. And, as things currently stand, this creates some pretty insurmountable problems.

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10687356/Church-is-alienating-a-generation-over-gay-marriage.-Its-breaking-my-heart.html

BISHOPS CONDEMN CONTINUED KILLING OF NIGERIANS IN NORTH-EAST

From Nigeria-

Some Catholic and Anglican Bishops, after celebrating the 50th anniversary thanksgiving of Archbishop Vinning Memorial Church Cathedral, on Saturday, barred their minds on the current security situation in the country.

Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, said the present crisis in the North-East is affecting all Nigerians both at home and abroad. According to him, “I have just returned from Europe. Anywhere I went, Nigerians in Europe were asking me the same question: why is Boko Haram killing innocent children?

The only thing I will advise Jonathan on is to go after those stealing Nigeria’s money. This money can be used to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and the violent attacks in the North. I will also advise Nigerians to be security conscious because in all Catholic Churches in Abuja Archdiocese, the faithful watches everybody’s back in order to prevent any attack.”

More here-

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/columns/backpage/in-out/item/1042-bishops-condemn-continued-killing-of-nigerians-in-north-east-advise-nigerians-to-protect-selves

In first year, Pope Francis has challenged 'all' to live Gospel

From CNA-

Anticipating the one-year anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as the Bishop of Rome, Catholic leaders nationwide have reflect on his papacy thus far, noting his call for every Catholic to evangelize.

“In a certain sense, by his style of interviews and public statements, he kind of throws the ball back in our court as well – and I don't mean bishops, I mean all the faithful,” Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Neb. told CNA March 6.

“And what I mean by that is that…it kind of falls upon us to put him in context, and to tell people what he means. And that's part of the sensus fidelium, that's part of, really, our baptismal charism: that the faithful also have the responsibility of articulating the teaching of the Church, so it doesn't focus on one person, like the Pope, like a bishop; that we all have this responsibility of preaching the gospel, and explaining the Gospel, and articulating the Gospel.”

More here-

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/in-first-year-pope-francis-has-challenged-all-to-live-gospel/

Christian Associates of Southwest Pa. elects new director

From Pittsburgh-

The bishops and other church leaders -- some in black clerical garb, some in business suits, most of them graying and male -- gathered behind closed doors around a long conference table for more than an hour before one of them emerged.

"There is white smoke," said a smiling Lutheran Bishop Kurt F. Kusserow.

And with that, he ushered the Rev. Liddy Barlow in to the board room as the newly elected executive director of Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania, a coalition of more than two dozen Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant denominations that issues policy statements, oversees jail chaplaincies and promotes church unity.

"We voted unanimously and enthusiastically," the Rev. Sheldon Sorge, the board chair and a Presbyterian executive, told Rev. Barlow as she entered. "We believe this is something that is good for all of us."

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2014/03/10/Christian-Associates-of-Southwest-Pa-elects-new-director/stories/201403100077#ixzz2vYmryN1D

Terry Star

From North Dakota-

Deacon Terry Star, 40, Cannon Ball, passed away March 4, 2014, in Delafield, Wis. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, March 10, at St. James Episcopal Church, Cannon Ball, with the Rev. Michael Smith officiating. Burial will be at St. Gabriel’s Cemetery at Red Hail’s Camp, Breien.

A wake service begins at 5 p.m.today with a prayer service beginning at 7 p.m. also at St. James Episcopal Church.

Terry was born Aug. 13, 1973, in Seattle, to young parents, Woodrow and Charlotte (Martinez) Star Jr. He graduated from Todd County High School, Mission, S.D., and Sinte Gleska College, Rosebud, S.D., Sitting Bull College, Fort Yates, and the North Dakota School for Ministry.

Woodrow, Terry’s father, began a career in law enforcement, a career that took the family to other reservations through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and tribal law enforcement agencies. Terry’s mother, Charlotte, has always been active in the communities by providing safe activities for neighborhood kids who adopted her as “Mom.”

More here-

http://bismarcktribune.com/news/obituaries/terry-star/article_bccf896c-a70f-11e3-917f-001a4bcf887a.html