Protocols
1. These celebrations are understood to be a pastoral response to same-sex couples in our communities. The rite is to be part of a Celebration of Holy Eucharist.
2. The clergy involved must seek the Bishop’s support and written permission a minimum of sixty (60) days before the proposed celebration.
3. Matters pertaining to the use of facilities, ceremonial planning and local arrangements will be made with the approval of the Rector of the parish in which the celebration is to take place.
4. It is required that at least one member of the couple be a baptized member of a congregation in the Diocese of Huron.
5. Appropriate pastoral support and instruction must be given at the local level in order to prepare the couple for the celebration and their ongoing Christian life in relationship.
6. As with all liturgical celebrations of the church, these events will be entered into the Parish Register (Vestry Book).
7. Clergy from beyond the Diocese of Huron shall obtain permission from the Bishop of Huron and their own Bishop.
8. Any member of the clergy may decline to preside at these celebrations.
Out of interest which books is this recorded in? Surely the marriage registers would be not be in order but none exists for this innovative gesture?
Interesting that it has to be part of a Eucharist. I am not certain what the norm is in the Church of Canada, but in the Episcopal church, a marriage liturgy at least has the option of a Eucharist or not.
Closing a ceremony like this with Black Mass seems quite fitting.
Very sad news from Canada. The schism continues.
Anglican covenant, here we come.
My how lovely Pope Benedict’s offer looks to Anglo Catholics this morning
To #1: We have a stack of books in the Cdn church- the vestry book, in which +Huron says to record the deed, is the one in which we record all services. Then we have the marriage register, along with the baptism, confirmation and burial registers. So maybe the Bp thinks that as long as it’s not recorded in the marriage register, no one will really think it’s a marriage, or at least they won’t be as upset.
History also teaches us that point 8 is the one most likely to be discarded first…