Bishop Ian T. Douglas of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut said Friday that he wants to meet with the parishioners to discuss their options, ranging from rejoining the Episcopal faith to leaving the property.
“It’s a sad circumstance when other Christians are forced to resolve their disputes in court, because that draws significant resources away from our work in the wider world in service of God’s mission,” Douglas said. “It’s been a long and bad process. There are no victors here.”
Parishioners released a statement saying they were going to talk with their lawyers about what to do next. They didn’t say whether they were considering appealing to a federal court.
“Surrender Dorothy!” says His Mistress’s Voice. This is the man who Rowan Williams shifted hell and earth and broke all the rules to seat on his joke Standing Committee. What a disgrace all round.
Hopefully they’ve got a building fund and Schori & Company won’t try to grab that, too. They’ll take everything else, including Sunday School supplies and children’s caryons.
Yes, that sounds like the graduate, as Douglas is, of a liberal New England highly selective college – Middlebury – where a Rockefeller used to chair the department of Religion: “….rejoin the Episcopal faith”, as if there really is such a thing. A helpful collaborator with ++Williams, no doubt.
He says they can join the “Episcopal faith”, which seems an admission that TEC is no longer part of the Christian faith. How apt.
Umm, just exactly what is “the Episcopal faith?” I always thought it meant “Christian.”
Not to defend Douglas, but “Episcopal faith” is the reporter’s expression, not the bishop’s. It’s the kind of expression used by people who know little about religion, like AP reporters. I say this not because I think TEC is still Christian–I don’t–but in the interest of fairness.
Given the recent layoffs at Diocesan House, Dio CT may best be served by leasing or selling the church and its furnishings to its current occupants. The cupboard is getting bare …
Eleanor–They have a scorched earth policy. They would sell it for a crack house or strip club before they would lease or sell to the current occupants.
Empty buildings. Empty faith. Empty hearts.
Empty purse, too. Seriously. They just laid off the people who handled parish transitions, which we’re going to see alot of as the dead mens money runs out parish by parish.
One would hope that a little common sense may develop as the coffers run dry.
Or maybe Groton will get a mosque.
To be fair, the phrase “Episcopal faith” isn’t necessarily meant to imply that it’s not Christian. Not only are these the reporter’s words, they don’t express ignorance of religion either. Case in point, my wife from California was very confused when we first met and I mentioned in passing that I’d “converted” to the Episcopal Church. Her response? “I thought you were already Christian.” In her context in LA, with many diverse religions, one did not “convert” from one Christian group to another. For me, from Western North Carolina, it was and is common for folks to refer to a denomination as a faith. For example, the elderly Baptist Pastor who was a long time friend of the family who, when speaking to me at a family funeral said in his regal drawl (think Senator Sam Ervin), “I do wish you would reconsider the Baptist faith.” Ditto to the use of faith in SBC’s “Baptist Faith and Message.”