During the ceremony, Vono thanked the diocese for engaging the hard work of reconciliation and vowed to continue that work, along with reconnecting with the wider church, Goodman said.
“It’s been such a great time of celebration,” [Mark] Goodman said of the series of events, which began Oct. 21 with the diocese’s 58th annual convention and culminated with Vono’s Oct. 22 ordination and consecration at the Hilton Hotel in Albuquerque.
“The diocese has done some very good, very hard work of reconciliation and now to have the bishop come alongside us and continue to lead us in that direction is a great joy. The expression of joy was bubbling over. We want to let everyone know we’re heading in new and wonderful directions,” Goodman said.
Vono, 61, was ordained and consecrated before a congregation of more than 1,200 local, interfaith, ecumenical and international guests.
I hate it when ecclesiastical hierarchs use the much overused and now utterly banal term “hard work” when they are really talking about sitting in a chair and having conversations around a table. Hard work is what real people do, cleaning hotel rooms, washing dishes at Taco Bell on the late shift, building roads, farming, and so forth. Hard work is not what overeducated TEC clergy and laity do when they try to get along and work together. That’s called good manners. When face to face with people who disagree with you, you work it out in the name of Jesus Christ. That’s not work, it’s ministry.
+Vono has quite a challenge in halting the decline in Rio Grande. Its experience in 2002 through 2008 was awful with Members down 20 percent, ASA down 28 percent, and Plate & Pledge down 29 percent when adjusted for inflation. And 2009 was more of the same in all three areas. It may be better in 2010 with no further large parish losses. But Money may well be a problem with 70 percent (37 of 53) of its churches with Plate & Pledge of less than $150K in 2009. Statmann