When Diana Walworth of Adrian opened a letter several years ago from a discernment team at her church, St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal, telling her the team had discerned that she should study to become a priest, she was pretty stunned.
“I had no idea what I’d done (to get such discernment),” she said.
In fact, when she and the other members of her church had filled out sheets earlier listing what they each saw as their gifts and talents, “I told Sandy””ˆ”” the church’s then-rector, the Rev. Sandy Benes ”” “that ”˜I’m not sure they’ll find anything for me to do, because all I have is the ability to love.’ ”
It so happened that another person in the church, Tecumseh’s Mark Hastings, received the same letter ”” and had very much the same reaction. And over the years since that day, he said, there have been plenty of times when “you go through periods of saying, ”˜Am I worthy?’ ”
Is this the wave of the future as parishes downsize?
It’s the wave of the present.
Deleted for unnecessary sarcasm-ed..
Quite the sequence:
Pre-Canon 9 – exceptions & discretion.
Within the limits of Canon 9.
Extra-Canonical 9.
No Canon 9.
Whatever.