[Magdalen] Priest returns to The Episcopal Church

[Grace Cangialosi]

This is very hopeful.

> On Sep 18, 2014, at 3:25 PM, Ginga Wilder <gingawilder at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 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.”
>>