[Magdalen] Dio. Of Virginia

Mon Dec 10 19:47:30 UTC 2018

With all the talk of so many 'all female' Bishop elections recently, and so 
many new female Bishops that that is beginning to affect people throughout 
the church?  Just something that has been on my mind and then I began to 
wonder if it might be impacting TEC in a variety of ways.

Lynn

website: www.ichthysdesigns.com

When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have not a 
single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me." 
attributed to Erma Bombeck

"Mercy and compassion are more than personal options. They are the antidotes 
to that fear and hatred." Mark Singel

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From: "Jay Weigel" <jay.weigel at gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2018 1:31 PM
To: <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Dio. Of Virginia

> I think the people of Dio. VA are owed an explanation of what is going on.
> Clearly, someone does NOT want this to happen, or the outside mediation
> committee would not have been sunk. At least that is what it looks like
> from here, standing a bit outside the circle.
>
> Jay the newly Orthodox
>
> On Mon, Dec 10, 2018 at 6:36 AM Ginga Wilder <gingawilder at gmail.com> 
> wrote:
>
>> Thanks for the concise history.  I have followed your posts about the
>> bishop situation in DoVA, and this one puts it altogether in helpful 
>> ways.
>> A certain 'mystery' abound in all this with the resignations and early
>> retirements (wasn't Bp Shannon supposed to go another year?).  I wish the
>> greater diocese could see the whole 'why' picture.
>>
>> BUT, remember where I come from...SC took years - at least 25 to come to
>> schism.  I am not saying that is happening in VA, just that my experience
>> is so particular regarding diocesan leadership leading down the wrong
>> path.  And, again, the schism was not such a terrible thing for those of 
>> us
>> who remained with TEC.
>>
>> Ginga Wilder
>>
>> <
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>> On Sun, Dec 9, 2018 at 11:18 PM Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> > Ginga,I c
>> >
>> > The idea of dividing the diocese has been floated from time to time, 
>> > but
>> I
>> > can’t imagine its ever happening. I think what would make the most 
>> > sense
>> > from our perspective would be to move everything west of the Blue Ridge
>> > into SW Virginia, but that would make that diocese incredibly spread 
>> > out.
>> > I’m sure there are ways it could be divided across the middle, but I
>> don’t
>> > know where that would be.
>> >
>> > It seems that the Bishop Provisional position might be a title in 
>> > search
>> > of a job description, at least, they seem to serve in a variety of 
>> > ways,
>> > depending on the situation. We were told at one point that there were
>> plans
>> > to bring in a mediation group—Quaker or Mennonite, I think—to work with
>> the
>> > diocesan staff. At the same time we were in search for a second
>> Suffragan.
>> > That search was suspended, and the decision was made not to use the
>> > mediation group.  Somewhere in there our Canon  to the Ordinary left 
>> > very
>> > suddenly and is now in Texas. So Bishop Gulick, who had recently 
>> > retired
>> as
>> > assistant hibishop came back on as Interim Canon to the Ordinary Then
>> > Bishop Shannon announced he was leaving at the end of Convention, and 
>> > we
>> > were told we would be getting a Bishop Provisional for three years, and
>> we
>> > would vote on that person at Convention.
>> > Which didn’t happen, and that led us to where we are today. Oh, and we
>> > also have Bishop Ihloff part-time, and I’m not sure what his title is. 
>> > I
>> > think he is scheduled to leave fairly soon.
>> >
>> > So we have one full-time Bishop Suffragan, who is the current
>> > Ecclesiastical Authority, one part-time bishop who is due to leave
>> shortly,
>> > and another bishop who is serving as interim Canon to the Ordinary. And
>> not
>> > a clue about starting a search for a new diocesan.
>> >
>> > Good grief, laying it all out like that really points up the confusion,
>> > doesn’t it?! And that doesn’t even touch on all the personnel changes 
>> > in
>> > the diocesan office over the last several years.
>> >
>> > > On Dec 9, 2018, at 8:06 PM, Ginga Wilder <gingawilder at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> > >
>> > > South Carolina has had two provisional bishops since the schism in
>> 2012.
>> > > Rt. Rev. Charles vonRosenberg, retired of E.TN (known to Ann) and Rt.
>> > Rev.
>> > > Gladstone "Skip" Adams, retired of CNY.  Bp vonRosenberg helped SC
>> > > reorganize an Episcopal diocese in SC after Mark Lawrence took most 
>> > > of
>> > > local TEC congregations out of the church.  (This is still being
>> > > litigated.)  Bp Adams has continued to shepherd TECSC and has firmed 
>> > > up
>> > our
>> > > organizational needs.  Both of these bishops work/ed parttime.  The
>> > > Episcopal Church has rules of tenure for provisional bishops...like 
>> > > 2.5
>> > > years with a possible one-time extension.  I do believe a provisional
>> > > bishop must already be a bishop when called to a diocese.  The most
>> > notable
>> > > difference with a provisional bishop is that s/he is a is hired by 
>> > > the
>> > > diocese, thus can be discharged by the standing committee if things
>> don't
>> > > work out well.  I'm not sure this would work well in conflicted
>> dioceses.
>> > >
>> > > This is probably an itchy question, but is it possible for Dio of VA 
>> > > to
>> > be
>> > > divided into two smaller dioceses?  The job seems so overwhelming and
>> > huge
>> > > with the number of churches included in VA.  Yeah, I said itchy....I
>> > > understand many would not want to consider this.
>> > >
>> > > The other thing is I agree totally that the truth of what has gone on
>> to
>> > > create the present unpleasantness in the diocese needs to be told to
>> > > Episcopalians there.  Perhaps the diocese would need to have certain
>> > skills
>> > > in its next bishop?  But, if secrets are being kept from the general
>> > > members, that is just playing the same stuff into the future and that
>> > ain't
>> > > healthy!
>> > >
>> > > Blessings all.
>> > > Ginga
>> > >
>> > > <
>> >
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>> > >
>> > > <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
>> > >
>> > >> On Sun, Dec 9, 2018 at 6:21 PM Ann Markle <ann.markle at aya.yale.edu>
>> > wrote:
>> > >>
>> > >> Western New York. Bishop provisional is nothing like interim or 
>> > >> priest
>> > in
>> > >> charge. It’s in contemplation of an entirely new form of Diocesan
>> > structure
>> > >> (not yet fully known; to be discerned as we live into it), not some
>> > kind of
>> > >> “special care for a troubled diocese.” Don’t know what you'd call 
>> > >> that
>> > >> other kind of bishop (maybe the same thing), but that’s not the 
>> > >> model
>> in
>> > >> play here.
>> > >>
>> > >> On Sun, Dec 9, 2018 at 12:12 AM Grace Cangialosi 
>> > >> <gracecan at gmail.com>
>> > >> wrote:
>> > >>
>> > >>> I’ve forgotten, Ann—what is your Diocese now? Five years seems like 
>> > >>> a
>> > >> long
>> > >>> time for a provisional. If we’d been able to find one, the term 
>> > >>> would
>> > >> have
>> > >>> been for three years.
>> > >>> It almost sounds as if the role of bishop provisional is the
>> equivalent
>> > >> of
>> > >>> priest-in-charge. We’re using that more and more in our diocese.
>> > >>>
>> > >>>> On Dec 8, 2018, at 11:01 PM, Ann Markle <ann.markle at aya.yale.edu>
>> > >> wrote:
>> > >>>>
>> > >>>> Yep. We’ve been talking bishop provisional for a couple of years,
>> and
>> > >>>> formalized it at diocesan convention last fall. +Sean Rowe of
>> Western
>> > >> PA
>> > >>> is
>> > >>>> our provisional bishop elect, to begin a 5 year term in April 
>> > >>>> 2019.
>> > >>>>
>> > >>>>> On Sat, Dec 8, 2018 at 10:46 AM Grace Cangialosi <
>> gracecan at gmail.com
>> > >
>> > >>> wrote:
>> > >>>>>
>> > >>>>> I saw an article earlier this week about the potential—or
>> > >>> current—shortage
>> > >>>>> of bishop candidates and what it might mean for the future
>> > >> organization
>> > >>> of
>> > >>>>> the church. Your situation in Michigan sounds as if it might be a
>> > >> trial
>> > >>>>> case for that. It’s happened in other places as well.
>> > >>>>>
>> > >>>>>> On Dec 8, 2018, at 10:35 AM, Judy Fleener <fleenerj at gmail.com>
>> > >> wrote:
>> > >>>>>>
>> > >>>>>> Our bishop, Western Michigan is now the provisional for Eastern
>> Mich
>> > >> as
>> > >>>>> he
>> > >>>>>> continues as our diocesan.  I'm a member of the Standing
>> Committee.
>> > >>> This
>> > >>>>>> is seen as a step toward something where our bishop will become
>> > their
>> > >>>>>> bishop also. Not sure that that means  our becoming one diocese.
>> > Our
>> > >>> See
>> > >>>>>> city is now Grand Rapids.  We have hired the communications 
>> > >>>>>> person
>> > >> from
>> > >>>>>> Eastern Michigan to to that job for us along side the job in
>> Eastern
>> > >>>>> Mich.
>> > >>>>>> Part of the motivation is money..
>> > >>>>>>
>> > >>>>>>> On Sat, Dec 8, 2018 at 6:10 AM Grace Cangialosi <
>> > gracecan at gmail.com
>> > >>>
>> > >>>>> wrote:
>> > >>>>>>>
>> > >>>>>>> Well, in another change of plans, it seems we aren’t going to
>> have
>> > a
>> > >>>>>>> Bishop Provisional, after all. Instead, Susan Goff, our 
>> > >>>>>>> Suffragan
>> > >> will
>> > >>>>>>> continue to be the Ecclesiastical Authority until we have 
>> > >>>>>>> elected
>> > >> and
>> > >>>>>>> consecrated a Diocesan. Lord only knows how long that will 
>> > >>>>>>> take!
>> > >>>>>>>
>> > >>>>>>> I’m not sure what I think about this, but it doesn’t feel like 
>> > >>>>>>> a
>> > >> good
>> > >>>>>>> idea. OTOH, they’ve really been having a hard time finding a
>> > >>>>> Provisional.
>> > >>>>>>
>> > >>>>>>
>> > >>>>>>
>> > >>>>>> --
>> > >>>>>> Judy Fleener, ObJN,SSH
>> > >>>>>> Western Michigan
>> > >>>>>
>> > >>>> --
>> > >>>> Ann
>> > >>>>
>> > >>>> The Rev. Ann Markle
>> > >>>> Buffalo, NY
>> > >>>> www.onewildandpreciouslife.typepad.com
>> > >>>
>> > >> --
>> > >> Ann
>> > >>
>> > >> The Rev. Ann Markle
>> > >> Buffalo, NY
>> > >> www.onewildandpreciouslife.typepad.com
>> > >>
>> >
>>
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