[Magdalen] Priest returns to The Episcopal Church

[Ginga Wilder]

Yes.  I expect there really will be more returning...have no idea how many,
but some.

Bishop Charles vonRosenberg is an amazing Shepherd of his flock...one by
one.  TECSC is completely and thoroughly blessed that he serves as our
Provisional Bishop.

Ginga

On Thu, Sep 18, 2014 at 3:22 PM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:

> Wow! God does work in mysterious ways!
>
> On Thu, Sep 18, 2014 at 3:17 PM, Ginga Wilder <gingawilder at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Returning priest welcomed and reinstated through new path for
> > reconciliation(Find
> > this article and additional photos on our website, episcopalchurchsc.org
> )
> > <
> >
> http://www.episcopalchurchsc.org/2014-09-18-returning-priest-reinstated.html
> > >
> >
> > Bishop Charles G. vonRosenberg has welcomed a returning member of the
> > clergy back into good standing as a priest, hailing the reinstatement of
> > the Reverend H. Dagnall Free, Jr. as an important day for The Episcopal
> > Church and an encouraging step toward reconciliation in South Carolina.
> >
> > On Tuesday, in a brief liturgy led by Bishop vonRosenberg, Fr. Free
> > reaffirmed the vows he took at his ordination in 2010 and signed a formal
> > declaration promising to conform to the doctrine, discipline and worship
> of
> > The Episcopal Church.
> >
> > Fr. Free was a priest serving at St. John’s Episcopal Church on John’s
> > Island in 2012, when a breakaway group under Bishop Mark Lawrence
> announced
> > it was leaving The Episcopal Church. After the schism, a number of clergy
> > remained with The Episcopal Church. However, Fr. Free stayed at St.
> John’s,
> > which followed the breakaway group under Mark Lawrence.
> >
> > Yet in the eyes of The Episcopal Church, he remained under Bishop
> > vonRosenberg’s authority. Over a five-month period in 2013, the Bishop
> made
> > efforts to contact each breakaway clergy member. In most cases there was
> no
> > reply. In August 2013, with the advice and consent of the Standing
> > Committee, the Bishop formally removed Dagnall Free and more than 100
> other
> > priests and deacons from the ordained ministry.
> >
> > “After clergy left The Episcopal Church, I had the obligation to
> discipline
> > them according to church canons,” Bishop vonRosenberg said. But the
> canons
> > gave him a choice about which disciplinary procedure to follow. One
> option
> > would be to “depose” clergy who did not recognize the Church’s authority.
> > Bishop vonRosenberg chose instead to “release and remove” the clergy,
> which
> > left open a possibility for reconciliation and eventual reinstatement.
> >
> > “I chose the less severe option in hopes that occasions like this one
> today
> > might be facilitated,” the Bishop said. “We rejoice when that goal
> becomes
> > realized – even one person at a time.”
> >
> > The first step in that journey came in April 2013, when Fr. Free came to
> > see Bishop vonRosenberg to ask if there was a path open for him to
> return.
> > The bishop’s immediate answer: Yes.
> >
> > But the very first step was a difficult one: He had to acknowledge that
> he
> > had been removed as a priest in The Episcopal Church. He became “Mr.
> Free,”
> > stopped wearing his clerical collar, and ceased to perform the duties of
> an
> > ordained minister. “He was under that discipline, and he was faithful to
> > that,” the Bishop said.
> >
> > Canonically, the only requirement for reinstatement was the Bishop’s
> > approval. But Bishop vonRosenberg said it was important to ensure that
> > reinstatement was the right move – not only for one priest and one
> diocese,
> > but for the church. “He’s a priest of the whole church, not just South
> > Carolina,” he said.
> >
> > Creating a process
> >
> > A major hurdle involved Fr. Free’s personnel files, which are in the
> > possession of the breakaway group that still controls the pre-2013
> diocesan
> > records. Officials there have refused to cooperate with any of the
> > Episcopal Church clergy who have sought access to their professional
> > records for their ongoing employment.
> >
> > Working in consultation with the Standing Committee, Chancellor Tom
> > Tisdale, and Commission on Ministry member Dr. Amy Webb, the Bishop set
> > forth a reinstatement procedure that required:
> >
> >    - Consulting with the Bishop on a regular, ongoing basis;
> >    - Working with a development coach for evaluations and discussions
> about
> >    his spiritual journey;
> >    - Cooperating with the administrative staff in rebuilding his
> >    professional file, including background checks, training certificates,
> >    references and other documentation. “Doing that was necessary for the
> >    protection of the whole Church,” the Bishop said.
> >    - Meeting with the Standing Committee to discuss his desire for
> >    reinstatement.
> >
> > On September 11, having completed the initial steps, Fr. Free met with
> the
> > Standing Committee. After a brief discussion, the committee unanimously
> > approved a motion advising the Bishop in favor of reinstatement.
> > Bishop vonRosenberg said the process has proven to be a good one, and
> > likely will be used again. Discussions are occurring with other clergy
> who
> > have had second thoughts about the schism. “It’s important that they know
> > that this process is available,” the Bishop said.
> >
> > When the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church meets in 2015,
> it
> > likely will consider a resolution about reinstatement procedures, and
> South
> > Carolina’s experience will be valuable to that discussion. “Once again,
> > we’re on the leading edge in some ways,” Bishop vonRosenberg said.
> >
> > Looking ahead
> >
> > The path ahead of Fr. Free still has its challenges. He is no longer
> > employed at St. John’s. Bishop vonRosenberg and Archdeacon Calhoun
> Walpole,
> > the deployment officer for The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, are
> > assisting him in finding opportunities in Episcopal churches. Fr. Free
> and
> > his wife Sallie are parents of two teenagers, and staying employed was
> one
> > factor in his choice to remain at St. John’s when the schism took place.
> > Another factor was that he enjoyed serving the people of that parish, and
> > there were others as well. But Fr. Free told the Standing Committee that
> he
> > does not offer them as excuses. “I made a mistake,” he said.
> >
> > “Part of what I had to learn is that you can’t take anything for granted.
> > God will teach you, and re-teach you,” Fr. Free said on Tuesday.
> >
> > Fr. Free said that it seemed far from coincidence that the readings of
> the
> > Daily Office this summer included the stories of Moses, Joshua, and
> finally
> > Job. “It’s been kind of like walking through a desert,” he said. “But I
> > think we’re through that now.”
> >
> > Archdeacon Walpole, who was present for the reinstatement liturgy
> Tuesday,
> > said Fr. Free’s experience reminded her of the words of a prayer for the
> > Church found in Eucharistic Prayer D, which asks God to “reveal its
> unity.”
> > “Here we have an example of that unity today,” she said. “Even though we
> > don’t always act like it, the reality is that the church is one.”
> >
>