Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, 68, is divorcing his estranged wife of 22 years.

Nomahlubi Vokwana-Ndungane, 69, was served with divorce papers this week.

The summons arrived just days after the Sunday Times revealed that Vokwana-Ndungane had turned to the courts in a bid to force the archbishop ”” who no longer lives with her ”” to support her financially.

The archbishop’s lawyer, Kaamilah Paulse, said this week that the couple had been in divorce talks for “over a year and a half”.

“It was quite obvious that neither of them wanted to remain in the marriage, but the terms of the divorce could not be agreed upon,” she said.

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From 1984 to 1991 she held various positions with the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., dealing with water use and water quality. She assisted in drafting legislation and worked on the 1991 reauthorization of the Clean Water Act.

Kirkpatrick returned to Maine in 1991 to become director of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureaus of Land and Water Quality. In 1999 she was appointed DEP Commissioner during the administration of Gov. Angus King, a post she held until 2003.

In changing her career path to enter the ministry, Kirkpatrick has not forsaken her environmental ethos. Her master’s thesis at Harvard was on “incarnational ecology,” a growing field of theological scholarship. A revised version of her study is published in the current issue of the Anglican Theological Review, in which she addresses planetary crisis as a challenge to the church, moving from scripture and received tradition toward an ethics of common cause.

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Diocesan leaders previously told me that priests had long been prohibited from financial involvement with parishioners. But it turns out that the policy was pretty vague — it read, according to the press release: “The relationship of members of the clergy with fellow clergy and with members of the laity must be of the highest moral and professional character.”

Stanton recently suspended Warnky from the ministry after financial regulators barred him from selling securities. The regulators acted because Warnky failed to pay a former parishioner, D.R. Marshall, $50,000 for stock fraud.

RayJennison.JPGDiocesan leaders are now weighing whether to also suspend the Rev. Raymond Jennison (right). He runs First Canterbury Securities, a northeast Dallas firm where Warnky worked, and is priest in charge of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Garland.

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From here:

Dallas Episcopal Bishop James Stanton today announced new policies regarding clergy conduct and accountability. The stronger guidelines include specific restrictions on the clergy from engaging in financial and business dealings with members of their congregations. The new policies and guidelines are effective immediately.

Under these guidelines, the clergy will be barred from soliciting, providing or selling secular products or services to parishioners. This includes the sale of stocks, financial services or other investments. Diocesan officials will review existing business relationships involving clergy and determine appropriate resolution on a case by case basis.

“We have good and faithful clergy in our diocese who care deeply for their people, and we want our clergy to focus on the spiritual and pastoral needs of their congregations,” said Bishop Stanton. “This new policy is designed to eliminate any conflicts of interest, and we hope these changes will raise the level of confidence in our clergy and that of the people under their care,” Stanton added.

The new policy amplifies the long-standing policy of the Diocese, as stated in the Customary (or policy manual) of the Diocese, that reads: “The relationship of members of the clergy with fellow clergy and with members of the laity must be of the highest moral and professional character.”

In addition to the new guidelines, all clergy of the Diocese of Dallas are required to undergo training every five years in “Safeguarding God’s People”, a program that focuses on issues regarding relationships between clergy and those under their care. Failure to comply will result in suspension of all spiritual duties until retraining is completed.

Diocesan officials will continue to evaluate clergy conduct guidelines and make additional changes when necessary.

Not many people get to travel the world. And an even fewer percentage go to countries that are conflict zones. The Rev. Cindy Howard recently took a trip to Israel and Palestine and came across an interesting fact – every Israelite and Palestinian she met wanted the same thing ”“ peace.

“There are people in every culture that make up the radical few who only want to fight,” she said. “But the vast majority of people I met wanted peace between the two countries. It didn’t matter what side of the Gaza strip they were on. They all wanted the same thing, peace for their families.”

Howard, an Episcopal priest and rector at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Lee’s Summit, was part of an Interfaith Delegation from Kansas City that traveled to Tel Aviv last month.

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A Pennsylvania Catholic bishop whose public scoldings of politicians””including Vice President Joe Biden””created a stir nationwide resigned on Monday (Aug. 31), citing stress and lack of confidence in his leadership.

Bishop Joseph Martino was appointed in 2003 to head the Diocese of Scranton, a heavily Catholic corner of northeastern Pennsylvania. His relatively brief tenure was marked by battles with local parishes, a teachers union, college administrators and a number of politicians, particularly over abortion rights.

“For some time now, there has not been a clear consensus among the clergy and the people of the diocese of Scranton regarding my pastoral initiatives or my way of governance,’’ Martino said Monday at a press conference. The Vatican appointed Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia, as temporary head of the Scranton diocese, which encompasses about 350,000 Catholics in 11 counties.

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As a deacon, she has served at two churches in Lakeland, All Saints and St. Stephen’s, where she taught classes, assisted in worship services and helped the pastors visit the sick and elderly.

“A deacon’s calling is to take the needs and concerns of the world into the church and the care and concerns of the church into the world,” she said.

She was so conscientious in her duties that in 1999, the bishop of the Diocese of Central Florida, the Rt. Rev. John Howe, nominated her for the Stephen Award, given annually by the Episcopal National Organization of Deacons.

Verret won the award, which she calls “one of the greatest honors I ever received.”

Howe calls her “a very special person.”

“She’s just an outstanding deacon. Joan truly lives with one foot in the world and one in the church. She’s a woman of deep prayer, and she has a heart of service,” he said.

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[Liam] Collins is a native of Ireland. He was ordained as priest June 12, 1971, at St. Patrick’s College in County Tipperary. He earned both bachelor of philosophy and master of divinity degrees from St. Patrick’s College, and a master of family studies degree from Mercer University in Macon.

He has served churches in metropolitan and rural locations in South Georgia for 38 years. Most recently, his notable work has included initiating an outreach ministry to students and faculty at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

“The primary focus of my ministry has always been seeking to awaken all to the bonds of love and respect that unite us, as God’s people,” Collins said. “The church, in structure and service, is called to act when the most vulnerable and needy among us reach out for hope and healing. We are God’s very heart, hands and feet in this wounded, broken world.”

Collins has been married to his wife, Mary, for 15 years.

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State insurance fraud agents Tuesday raided the health care business of an Episcopal priest under investigation by the Bethlehem diocese because of his reportedly extravagant Manhattan clubbing activities.

Agents removed filing cabinets and other records from the private business of the Rev. Gregory Malia — NewLife Home Care Inc. in Pittston, Luzerne County.

The agents were with the attorney general’s Insurance Fraud Division, spokesman Kevin Harley said Wednesday. Harley would not provide specifics about the raid or the investigation into Malia’s business activities. Harley said sealed search warrants were executed as part of an ongoing investigation and no arrests have been made.

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I will take comments on this submitted by email only to at KSHarmon[at]mindspring[dot]com.

You don’t think there are enough hours in the day for laypeople? Try being a parish pastor.

There’s all the spiritual and sacramental ministry the position entails, plus the work that goes along with being, quite often, the only priest in a sizable suburban parish with plenty of staff and even more demands.

How does a pastor handle it all? This summer, in an effort to help answer that question, the International Institute for Clergy Formation at Seton Hall University in New Jersey joined with the Washington-based National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management to offer a “best practices” seminar to 28 parish priests — most of them from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which constitute Region III of the U.S. bishops’ conference, but also from West Virginia, Florida and Louisiana.

The idea to conduct such a seminar had been in the mind of Father Paul Holmes, a Newark, N.J., archdiocesan priest, since 2000, when he taught at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. But different assignments — and his own “busy-ness” — kept him from actively pursuing the idea for several years.

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All of this is excellent news for same-sex couples, of course, but the emphasis on “committed, lifelong relationships” leaves out the single minister, the divorced minister, the widowed minister — whether gay, straight, or bisexual — who must still adhere to a standard of celibacy unless their partner status changes.

I’ve long believed that the major sexuality problem denominations face is that they are unable to acknowledge that celibacy until marriage doesn’t apply to most single adults. There are more than 75 million American adults who are single — more than at any time in history. We are marrying later, divorcing at high levels, and living longer, so more of us will be widowed. And as a whole, we’re having sexual relationships when we aren’t in marriages….

The Religious Institute has long called for a new sexual ethic to replace the traditional “celibacy until marriage, chastity after.” This new ethic is free of double standards based on sexual orientation, sex, gender or marital status. It calls for sexual relationships to be consensual, non-exploitative, honest, pleasurable and protected, whether inside or outside of a covenanted relationship. It insists that intimate relationships be grounded in communication and shared values.

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“You know the joke,” …[Gregory Aymond] said in an interview before his installation as New Orleans’ 14th archbishop on Thursday (Aug. 20). “There are two things every bishop can count on ”” never missing a meal, and never hearing the truth.”

Politically, while he says abortion and other life issues like euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research are fundamental, during the last election cycle he urged Austin voters also to be mindful of candidates’ approach to other social issues, like the death penalty, racism and poverty.

“We’re lucky to have had him,” said the Rev. Louis Brusatti, dean of the school of humanities at St. Edward’s University in Austin. “He’s moderate; he’s consensual; he’s low-key. He’s not an ideologue. We could’ve done a lot worse.”

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This past week, I began my new assignment teaching at Detroit Catholic Central High School. Therefore, I have been reflecting recently on “all things new” ”” new city, new house, new confreres, new job, new friends and new students. Though I feel I should be used to the “newness” brought about by moving from one assignment to the other, I think the only aspect which I have mastered is how to pack.

Of all the things listed above, it is the students that have impacted my thoughts the most for I see in them what I myself feel. In their eyes, I see the fear of the unknown; in their nervous habits, my anxiety; and in their attentiveness, my commitment to excel. And, I imagine just about any parent or teacher feels the same thing.

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On weekdays he worked as a stockbroker.

On Sundays he served as an Episcopal priest.

But the lines got blurred, and now both of the Rev. William Warnky’s careers are in jeopardy.

Securities regulators suspended the Dallas man’s registration as a broker last week. They said he had defrauded a former client and disregarded an order to repay him $50,000.

At least one other former client has accused Warnky of financial misconduct and is also seeking a repayment order, according to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority records.

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With the local hierarchy arrayed on the altar, New Orleans’ unusual status in the American church was on display. It is the only city with four archbishops: Aymond, Hughes, Hannan and retired Archbishop Francis Schulte, now 82.

Though both frail, Hannan and Schulte, the latter moving slowly with a cane, processed out the church at the end of the ceremony, enjoying applause directed at them. Schulte now splits time between New Orleans and his native Philadelphia, reportedly having transferred his medical care there after the chaos in New Orleans after Katrina.

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On Monday, the diocese issued a statement noting Marshall had received a formal letter of complaint from the Standing Committee saying [Gregory] Malia “has by certain publicly known actions and failures to act, abandoned the Discipline and Worship of this Church.”

The bishop then issued a new inhibition that bars Malia from conducting priestly ministries or presenting himself as a priest. The renewed restrictions come with a deadline: Malia has six months “to make matters completely right according to the Church’s canon law.”

Marshall wrote that “If at the end of six months matters remain as they are now, formal deposition will take place.” Deposition is what is commonly referred to as [being] “defrocked,” meaning Malia would be permanently removed from the priesthood.

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[Elsa] Worth didn’t have the resources for the long-term studies required in the medical field, so it was on to massage therapy.

“When I was a massage therapist I was interested in holistic health,” she said. But gradually she realized that’s not what she wanted to focus on either. “Rather than start with physical health first, I was more interested in spiritual health,” she said.

And that led her to Andover Newton Theological School, where she finally felt that she had found her path. She was ordained in 1996 as a Unitarian Universalist minister, part of the church that she started attending in her 20s.

But somewhere along the way, Worth felt drawn to the Episcopal church. She said she was attracted to its traditional approach, which includes communion every week, and the church’s liturgy.

The Diocese of Massachusetts wasn’t taking new postulants, but she had the opportunity to transfer in 2000 when she moved back to New Hampshire. She worked as a hospital chaplain while otherwise staying home to care for her sons. Worth was ordained in 2007 by Bishop Gene Robinson, who made headlines as the first openly gay man in the Episcopalian hierarchy.

Despite what may seem to be a disjointed career path, Worth sees a commonality among her diverse callings. “It seems my whole life has been about healing and feeding, in one way or another,” she said. She also is a take-charge person. “I’m very entrepreneurial,” she said.

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Episcopal church officials on Friday gave the bar-hopping, big-spending Rev. Gregory Malia six months to straighten up and fly right or face the consequences – defrocking. The Diocese of Bethlehem, Pa., also barred Malia, 43, from using ecclesiastical titles or holding himself out as a priest until his case is settled.

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Nine priests and six deacons were, yesterday, ordained by the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Oleh Diocese, Delta State with a charge on them to affirm their loyalty to the Christian faith.

Giving the charge while ordaining the clergies at the Cathedral of St. Pual, Oleh, Bishop of the Diocese, Rt. Revd Jonathan Edewor told them to uphold their ministries, adding that they were ordained for the service of God.

He told them to help converts in order to bring about peace through the teaching of the word of God and said the diocese, which was created about 10 years ago, was growing to the glory of God.

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A few statistics tell the story.

A majority of seminary students now carry educational debt, and they’re borrowing larger amounts than in the past. Graduates confirm that their debt affects their career choices, holds them back from purchasing homes, prevents them from saving for their children’s education, limits their retirement savings, delays health care and creates distress.

Christian Century magazine recently reported that “churches are paying their clergy proportionately lower salaries today then they did a generation ago, making it more difficult for ministerial candidates to justify the high cost of a graduate degree.”

Fewer than 7 percent of clergy in most Protestant and Catholic denominations today are under age 35.

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The small group of dissidents called a congregational meeting. They went to court to try to stop the installation of Mr. Braxton in April. The truth is that they did not get much traction until they mentioned to the Daily News the $600,000 compensation package — which included salary, a housing allowance, retirement benefits and tuition for Mr. Braxton’s 4-year-old daughter. It became front-page news with Mr. Braxton identified as the “600K Pastor.”

From then on, there was no putting the wafer back in the sacristy. Everyone picked up the story. Anonymous emails circulated around the congregation attacking the pastor and his style. Mr. Braxton told me that he realized he had become the embodiment of a conflict within the church and had to leave so that healing could take place.

Jean Schmidt, the chairwoman of the church council and a supporter of Mr. Braxton, expressed the hope that Riverside will learn a lesson from this period of adversity. This is a time, she said, for “deep soul-searching” that will ultimately “allow us to move forward as a stronger and more unified congregation.”

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St. Paul is an example of a priest who was completely identified with his ministry — just as the holy Curé d’Ars would also be — conscious of possessing a priceless treasure, that is, the message of salvation, but in an “earthen vessel” (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7); thus he is at the same time strong and humble, intimately persuaded that everything is God’s doing, everything is grace.

“The love of Christ possesses us,” the Apostle writes. This could well be the motto of every priest — that the Spirit compels (cf. Acts 20:22) him to be a faithful steward of the mysteries of God (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2). The priest must belong totally to Christ and totally to the Church; to the latter he is called to dedicate himself with an undivided love, like a faithful husband to his bride.

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