The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin filed a lawsuit last week against St. James Anglican ”” the historic Red Church ”” in Sonora. It was news to St. James’ priest, the Rev. Wolfgang Krismanits, on Monday afternoon.
“We’ve had no word whatsoever,” he said. “I’ve seen nothing yet. I didn’t get an e-mail. I didn’t get a phone call.”
When told that a news release dated Friday said a lawsuit had been filed against his congregation, Krismanits replied with frustration: “This is what (the Episcopal[ians]s) are doing. They’re telling everyone else, but they’re not contacting the congregation until after it’s done.”
In related news, Scholastic, Inc. reported that it also had been sued by the Episcopal diocese; Emily Elizabeth Howard of Scholastic said that the lawsuit cited several claims seeking to take their Big Red Dog away. Scholastic claims to have no knowledge of ever being a parish within the Episcopal church.
A spokesperson for the diocese commented that while people can choose to leave the Episcopal Church, they cannot take lucrative fictional characters with them: “Even 15′ big red dogs named Clifford must be preserved to honor the devotion and witness of Episcopalians of the past for Episcopalians of the future. Our hierarchy has determined that in the plot line of Clifford’s Good Deeds, he acceded to the constitution and canons of the Episcopal church, including the Dennis Canon. We think California courts should find that Clifford is an Episcopal dog, held in trust for the Episcopal church.”
The diocese noted that it currently had no plans for Clifford if it should succeed in the lawsuit.
😉
Openness, transparency, and a new sheriff with legal beagles and personal litigation assistants! Evangelism, TEc-style. No wonder they need product placement in Canada and soon will in TEc; somebody gotta pay da lawyers.
In a related development, the Episcopal Diocese of Manor Farm has sued the Little Red Hen for baking her bread and not allowing the Dog, the Cat and the Duck to eat it, even though they did not contribute anything to the growing of the wheat, the making of the flour and the baking of the bread. The diocese is asking that it be given the bread and that the Little Red Hen be enjoined from only sharing the bread with her chicks.
A press release from the Episcopal News Service said that the national denomination was disturbed by the Little Red Hen’s departure from the church’s longstanding doctrine regarding sharing with the needy, and that the Little Red Hen held the bread in trust for the national denomination.
“Ours has been a long tradition of sharing with those less fortunate,” said church spokesanimal Wanda Duck, “and we do not believe in being exclusionary.” Canon Historian the Reverend Donald Dog confirmed that there had been a long history in the church of share and share alike among all animals. “We believe in the full participation of all the baptized,” stated Canon Dog.
It was anticipated that Bishop Katherine “Kat” Cat would soon be iss
Not sure why it dropped the rest:
It was anticipated that Bishop Katherine “Kat” Cat would soon be issuing a declaration that the Little Red Hen had voluntarily abandoned the communion of the Church and would also be required to turn over all her farm tools and baking pans.
Not to forget the farm! Puhleeeeeze. This is the EcUSA/TEc we are discussing! Land grabber by legal fiction par excellent!
I wonder if +Jerry Lamb really thinks that suing a departed parish for the property that they have always owned, which their deed says is theirs…..and nobody else’s, even though the parish has changed since it was founded and is no longer Episcopalian (a choice which they have every legal right to make, by the way)…..is truly a “Christian thing to do?”
Or is it just “Nothing personal, you understand? Just business.” All cold-hearted and cruel legalese……as we’ve come to expect.
[blockquote]Episcopal Bishop Jerry Lamb was at his home in New Mexico and unavailable for comment.[/blockquote] Where the bishop is, there is the church.