The first Hispanic woman to serve as a bishop in the Episcopal Church is retiring from the Seattle-based Diocese of Olympia, talking of how she has “loved” being here but hinting at difficulties with the man who beat her in an election for diocesan bishop.
The Rt. Rev. Nedi Rivera, the suffragan (assisting) bishop, said that she and Diocesan Bishop Greg Rickel share the same goals, but are going down “different roads.” In recent months, Rivera has spent one-third of her time doing double duty as interim Bishop of Eastern Oregon.
“I feel for the first time in my life that I am behind the times, slow on the uptake and out of synch with the future: I think I am part of the old order here,” Rivera said in a letter released on the diocesan website.
Does anyone know how many dioceses now have limited episcopal oversight–like Eastern Oregon? Does anyone know if there are any conversations (yet) among the HOB to merge any of those dioceses?
I can’t answer that, LCF+, but I think the trend line is clear, i.e., due to shrinking budgets, and shrinking membership, more and more dioceses will be forced to cut back the services they offer, just as more and more parishes are doing. On the other hand, the ACNA has only just started to grow and is positioning itself for much greater expansion.
But concerning the article, there are certainly ingriguing hints here of trouble within the Diocese of Olympia that practically beg for further exploration. This is, after all, the diocese where a member of the cathedral staff tried to be both Muslim and Christian, with the bishop’s implicit support.
David Handy|
Olympia has gotten better under +Rickel though. The Bishop you refer to David (#2) as encouraging the female Muslim priest was the previous Diocesan, +Warner. +Rickel earned himself some quick early points by returning her (administratively) to Rhode Island and also coming to the rescue of St. Mark’s Cathedral Seattle after Dean Taylor (the highest ranking gay clergyman prior to Gene Robinson’s election in NH) left under quite unhealthy circumstances, such as firing associate canons to pad his own salary, which was more than the Diocesan’s.
I have friends and family in that diocese, which +Warner left in shambles, and +Rickel is picking up some of the pieces. +Rivera was disappointed, it seemed, that she didn’t get “promoted” to Diocesan from Suffragan and she hasn’t appeared happy since. The only major disappointment of +Rickel is the way that he has begun to undo some of the “live and let live” policies regarding property sharing between some Episcopal and Anglican parishes – no doubt a case of a “baby bishop” following orders from 815/PB. As for Nedi, from what I’ve heard I’m surprised it took her this long to step down/aside. She may simply have been being professionally polite to Greg.
One interesting storyline in her past was that her father was a prior bishop of San Joaquin, and the first time he ever received Eucharist from a woman was his from daughter at her [i]Bishop[/i] consecration.
And the present bishop has Ann Redding as a layman in good standing. Not a whole lot better than having her in a collar.
Wow, that was short. Welcome to the TEC — the church with such limited vision and such vast complacency. It is curious to me that one of the folks who put Dio. of Olympia in this situation finds time to grouse about not keeping up with a growing population. This is a portent of what we have to look forward to in the coming rapid decline: finding the appropriate parties to blame. That will occupy a great deal of time, no doubt.
Perhaps Eastern Oregon should simply “fold” as a diocese and put itself under the administrative wing of the General Convention, seeing as how that body has miraculous powers these days.
63 this year. Probably feeling exactly like she was entering wind-down. Enter Eastern Oregon. (The) Bishop with Provisional Authority. Loves the folks. Able to talk vision and ministry. Energy and motivation pick-up. Should be able to give another 4 or 5 years of 100% (she does have that kind of energy).
Booster shot: ongoing talks for a multi-diocesan administrative central office for 6 – 7 small dioceses in the area, including San Joaquin, Nevada, and Eastern Oregon.
Flatiron,
Are your family and friends in Olympia members of TECUSA, and also of a reasserter parish?
Sorry for the delay Rob+; they are across the board in a few places around the diocese, mostly members of TEC and both reappraiser and reasserter