Episcopal Committee Is Working on Rite for Blessing Same Sex Unions

Posted by Kendall Harmon

Armed with a new $400,000 grant and the support of the Episcopal Church, a Berkeley seminary is convening priests from across the country to craft the liturgical rite for same-sex couples to receive religious blessings.

The new rite, which will take years to complete, will most likely consist of a series of original prayers, Bible readings and two essays: one on the theological meaning of same-sex blessings, and one advising priests who administer the new rite. If approved, the new blessing would be just the third addition to Episcopal liturgy since 1979.

“This is very significant,” said the Rev. Ruth Meyers, chairwoman of the church’s Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, who is heading the effort. “It does acknowledge a fuller participation of gays and lesbians in the life of the church.”

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams • Anglican Consultative Council • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Global South Churches & Primates • Instruments of Unity • Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion) • Same-sex blessings • Windsor Report / Process • * Christian Life / Church Life • Liturgy, Music, Worship • Parish Ministry • * Culture-Watch • Marriage & Family • Sexuality • Civil Unions & Partnerships • * Theology • Anthropology

8 Comments
Posted July 30, 2010 at 7:01 am [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. rugbyplayingpriest wrote:

yes but on what authority?

July 30, 9:07 am | [comment link]
2. Undergroundpewster wrote:

The prayers will of necessity be “original.”

July 30, 9:49 am | [comment link]
3. slanehill wrote:

Most of the grant money will finance travel and accommodations for a series of meetings to garner contributions from all 110 Episcopal dioceses, most in the United States.

What self-indulgent, self-important people. $400,000 for 4 people to travel around and FUND RAISE????  Did they never hear of the Internet, Skype or even old-fashioned conference calls? How about using all that money for the supposedly important Millennial Development Goals?

July 30, 9:51 am | [comment link]
4. Rod L Ronneberg STS wrote:

Wow - the cast of characters for ECUSA should not surprise anyone.  And the Arcus Foundation’s involvement is indeed unfortunate - this group, through their financial help, enabled the ELCA’s Churchwide Assembly last August to put in place a new teaching on human sexuality, marriage, and ordination.  ECUSA and ELCA are shadowing each other.  Again - wow!  Jim Carrey, I believe in the movie, “The Mask”, has a great line for this: “Sum-body stop [them]!”

Rod L. Ronneberg, STS +

July 30, 10:00 am | [comment link]
5. Frank Fuller wrote:

Come now. $400K is cheap to overthrow the consistent teaching of the still-current Book of Common Prayer and unilaterally amend the nature of a sacramental rite of the universal Church.  Heck, it’s a bargain! For them that want it.

July 30, 10:05 am | [comment link]
6. Larry Morse wrote:

The theological meaning of same sex blessings? Can these appalling creatures really mean :“theological?” Can they really mean “meaning?”
You would think that nothing these theological coyotes could do would take my breath away any more, but this phrase goes beyond English’s ability to convey a sufficient sense of dishonesty, chutzpah, and hypocrisy. The Chinese have a phrase, to be sure, but I cannot print it here, although it the very phrase one needs.  Larry

July 30, 10:38 am | [comment link]
7. Archer_of_the_Forest wrote:

Why don’t they give me the $400k, and I’d be happy to write up as many same sex blessings as they’d want.

July 30, 8:03 pm | [comment link]
8. robroy wrote:

Archer writes, “Why don’t they give me the $400k, and I’d be happy to write up as many same sex blessings as they’d want. “

I would have to agree. How hard is it? Probably, Archer and I could develop them for the cost of a couple of venti frapucinos:

“Jesus performed his first miracle at the commitment [left undefined] celebration in Cana of Galilee. We come now today to celebrate the commitment [left undefined] of X and Y.”...
“Do you X take Y to be your committed [left undefined] [insert here: partner, husband, wife]? And do you Y…”

I think that I would make it easy to modify in the near future, “Do you X take Y [, Z, etc.]...?” That way we could easily incorporate Gene Robinson’s so-called other sexualities.

Will the Arcus foundation be giving us a grant for $8.43? (Maybe we should throw in a request for a couple of those biscotti things.)

July 30, 8:50 pm | [comment link]
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