This year\u2019s diocesan convocation comes at a time of transitions at many levels in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. The fall meeting of the House of Bishops in New Orleans, the Sept. 30 deadline set by the Anglican Communion Primates, and the guest list for the 2008 Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops are some of the factors that likely will bring about significant changes in the Church.<\/p>\n
Here in the Diocese of the Rio Grande we will experience this volatile time with particular sadness, as it is likely that the clergy and almost all of the members of the Pro-Cathedral of St. Clement in El Paso will have made the decision
\nto separate from the diocese and the Episcopal Church. The contributions St. Clement\u2019s, our largest congregation, has made to the diocese for more than a century are incalculable. We are dealing with the loss of a number of effective
\ndiocesan leaders from that congregation and the very significant support that St. Clement\u2019s provides to the life and mission of the diocese.<\/p>\n
It is an acute sense of alienation from the Episcopal Church that has led St. Clement\u2019s to take these steps, and many in this diocese feel the same way…<\/p>\n