Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: San Joaquin Diocese found breaking up hard to do, but still a relief

Posted by Kendall Harmon

Each [side] says it's the only true Diocese of San Joaquin.

As in a bitter divorce, each claims to be noble but wronged. One has the house, the other, at least for now, rents an apartment with help from Mom. Though children struggle with loss, each spouse is glad to be free.

"We have that kind of fervor that you would have found in the early church," said Nancy Key, spokesman for the reorganized Episcopal diocese

The other side is no less exuberant.


"We've been able to get about the gospel and doing our work as a church without being distracted by the kinds of arguments that folks seem to want to get into in the Episcopal Church. We're not about trying to change the church. We are trying to be the church as best we can and as imperfect as it is," said Rev. Carlos Raines, who has remained rector of St. James Cathedral.

When the diocese voted in september 42 of 48 parishes chose to leave the Episcopal Church, leaving six buildings in Episcopal hands and fragments of other congregations in community centers or rented churches.

Although much about San Joaquin's experience is unique, its story is instructive about the problems that may lie ahead for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, which will vote Saturday on whether to join San Joaquin in seceding.

Read it all.


Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Conflicts • TEC Conflicts: Pittsburgh • TEC Conflicts: San Joaquin

15 Comments
Posted September 28, 2008 at 7:26 am [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. DonGander wrote:

“We have that kind of fervor that you would have found in the early church,” said Nancy Key

But you have little of their theology.

Don

September 28, 8:23 am | [comment link]
2. Frances Scott wrote:

I would be interested inknowing exactly who it was that signed the letter received by Mr. Hopper.  I much doubt me that it was the ABC!

September 28, 12:08 pm | [comment link]
3. DonGander wrote:

“...I received a letter indicating that the only officially recognized diocese was that of the Episcopal Church.”

I would rather first seek to know the congregation which I was to attend was in communion with Jesus Christ. It would be nice if such a congregation were also in communion with the ABC. But which is pre-emminent?

In the second choice, we know that ++Schofield is in communion with Archbishops Orombi, Akinola, and others. That is sufficient for me. On the first, I believe ++Schofield to be in communion with Jesus Christ because he speaks as a brother of Jesus Christ. I have seen some of his personal writings. The gospel which he presents is clear - and it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

But for 2,000 miles I would gladly place myself under his administration.

Don

September 28, 3:31 pm | [comment link]
4. Cennydd wrote:

And one more thing:  Our Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin IS in communion with Rowan Cantuar, since we are a diocese of the Anglican Church in the Province of the Southern Cone of the Americas, which is a member province of the Anglican Communion.  Therefore, our diocese is most DEFINITELY in communion with Canterbury through our Archbishop, the Most Reverend Gregory Venables.  Anything to the contrary is simply not true!

September 28, 4:16 pm | [comment link]
5. robroy wrote:

I am sure the good people of the Anglican diocese of San Joaquin wish the (rump) TEC diocese of San Joaquin all successes…except on the legal front tongue wink

September 28, 5:02 pm | [comment link]
6. MargaretG wrote:

It would be appreciated, Hopper, if you would scan the letter and send it to Kendall as I am sure we would all like to see exactly what it said and who wrote it etc.

September 28, 5:29 pm | [comment link]
7. Gregory wrote:

In July I wrote this,
“In addition, I have been in conversation with Archbishop Rowan. Over the weekend I
received the following message from him: “I understand that Bishop John-David
Schofield has been accepted as a full member of the episcopal fellowship of the Province
of the Southern Cone within the Anglican Communion and as such cannot be regarded as
having withdrawn from the Anglican Communion.””

September 29, 9:19 am | [comment link]
8. cramner wrote:

So why hasn’t the rest of the communion been told all this?

September 29, 1:33 pm | [comment link]
9. augustin wrote:

#14
They certainly do!

September 30, 8:38 am | [comment link]
Registered members must log in to comment.



Next entry (above): Diocese of Albany’s Christ Episcopal Church was almost famous

Previous entry (below): Robert J. Shiller: Everybody Calm Down. A Government Hand In the Economy Is as Old as the Republic.

Return to blog homepage

Return to Mobile view (headlines)