[Magdalen] Fwd: A Letter from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to the Diocese of Virginia

[cady soukup]

DioVA - provisional bishop search - questions for new bishop candidates?

What questions would you like to ask the provisional bishop candidates?

Just received an email asking exactly that, responses due by Aug 13
(Monday!). I am just back from vacation - NOT up-to-speed - so asking
for assistance.

Thank you all,

forwarding gentle hugs & prayers for all out-of-sorts and conditions;
grateful  thanksgivings for life and living - Cady

On 8/8/18, anthony clavier <anthonyfmclavier at gmail.com> wrote:
> I've never heard of a PB addressing a Bishop's retirement in such a
> manner.I don't know whether he wrote it before or after his operation. But
> +Michael has a very big heart, as I can attest by reference to a certain +
> and Right Reverend that he and his chancellor arranged.So his intervention
> may have no deeper significance than a commendable compassion.
>
> +Tony
>
> On Wed, Aug 8, 2018, 9:38 PM Suzie Buchanan <buchanan.suzie at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I have refrained from jumping in on all of this - even a year later my
>> own
>> exit from that diocese is still a bit painful (the one chance contact I
>> had
>> with the bishop was actually much worse than nothing would have been, as
>> my
>> parish was running me out of town) so I have tried to not comment on his
>> situation.  BUT . . . there was that first letter back on May 24 which I
>> think sheds all the light needed on this.  It is not health issues.  It
>> is
>> not "wouldn't it be great to be retired, young."  Here's the pertinent
>> part
>> from the letter which went out to inform the diocese that the search for
>> a
>> second Suffragan Bishop was being halted (for those who don't know,
>> Virginia is a large diocese that normally operates with three
>> bishops):  *emphasis
>> mine*
>>
>> "We have taken this extraordinary step [stopping an already underway
>> bishop
>> search process] for two fundamental reasons. First, over the past few
>> months, *serious questions have been brought forward by members of the
>> diocesan staff having to do with the leadership and the culture among
>> diocesan staff.* As Bishop I must take full responsibility for this
>> situation. Utmost in my priorities will be to ensure that all of us
>> function well together. The crucial point as we face this reality is that
>> this is not the time to introduce a new bishop into the diocesan system.
>> Rather, it is much preferable to bring in the help we need to address the
>> difficulties and identify ways that the staff as a culture and system can
>> be become fully functional again. To this end, it is my hope to engage
>> the
>> services of the Lombard-Mennonite Peace Center, the leading church
>> organizational consultant group in the country, to work with us. I have
>> been in touch with the Presiding Bishop's office about our situation and
>> the possibilities to address it, and we have been advised that they are
>> in
>> full agreement with our decision. I am confident we will succeed in the
>> tasks before us because our staff is a talented group and each person is
>> deeply committed to the Church, to this Diocese and to building up the
>> Kingdom of God."
>>
>> Me again:  The Lombard Mennonite Peace Center specializes in conflict
>> mediation work.  They are not just an "organizational consultant group" -
>> they do CONFLICT MEDIATION.  It seems obvious to me that the result of
>> that
>> work has been that the parties involved (diocesan staff) have NOT worked
>> out the differences, and the solution has been for the bishop to resign
>> ("retire").  I think he must be relieved that he CAN retire young.  This
>> May 24 letter to the diocese went out exactly one month after the Canon
>> to
>> the Ordinary announced that he was leaving the diocese to accept another
>> call. Was his choice influenced by the problems needing the mediation??
>>
>> Anyway - I don't think speculation about health issues (for Shannon or
>> Ellen)  is warranted.  I think pretty much all that we will really know
>> is
>> found in that May 24 letter.
>>
>> Suzie
>> VERY happily just celebrated my first anniversary in a new parish and a
>> new
>> diocese - both of which are joys to be a part of!  But I'm still making
>> the
>> 300 mile each way commuter marriage trek to spend a few days every other
>> week with my husband who is still at his job in Richmond.  THAT part of
>> this past year has had its challenges!
>>
>