The Rev. Fred Risard, vicar of St. Nicholas’ Church, Atwater, Calif., has written to Bishop John-David Schofield of San Joaquin, informing him that the congregation has retained legal counsel, and asking for clarification regarding a planned visitation on Dec. 23.
 
“If you do decide to come, please let us know in advance your purpose and your status as a bishop of The Episcopal Church,” Fr. Risard wrote. “Will you be coming as our Episcopal Bishop, having repented of your actions at diocesan convention, seeking forgiveness and reconciliation? Or will you be coming to worship as a visiting foreign bishop seeking to reconcile with your former congregation and vicar, and, following the Mass, to join us as we take groceries and coats to the poor?”
 
In an interview with a reporter for The Living Church, Fr. Risard said he is concerned that Bishop Schofield was planning to relieve him of his responsibilities as vicar at St. Nicholas. Fr. Risard said he wants to remain a priest of The Episcopal Church. He abstained from the votes to leave The Episcopal Church and from the one to affiliate with the Southern Cone on Dec. 8 during diocesan convention.
 
In his address to convention, Bishop Schofield stated that parishes hold legal title to church property and are free to remain with The Episcopal Church. He also reassured rectors in his address that he and other members of the diocesan staff would assist them if they desired to receive oversight from an Episcopal bishop. Bishop Schofield has not extended the same offer to the mission congregations because San Joaquin holds legal title to those properties. Canonically, the bishop is the rector of a mission congregation and retains the right to appoint or remove vicars at will. The Rev. Van MacCalister, public relations officer for the diocese, said he had not seen the letter from Fr. Risard and declined comment.
 
Fr. Risard said St. Nicholas’ has retained Michael Glass as legal counsel and declined further comment on the relationship, citing client-attorney privilege. Mr. Glass, a San Rafael, Calif.-based attorney who represents congregations and individual Episcopalians who wish to remain in The Episcopal Church, told Episcopal News Service on Dec. 11 that he, local leaders, David Booth Beers (chancellor to the Presiding Bishop), and leaders from Episcopal dioceses surrounding San Joaquin “are coming together very soon to finalize our coordinated efforts to provide for the leadership needs, the legal and pastoral issues, and the financial concerns of our brothers and sisters in San Joaquin, and to provide for the continuation of the diocese.”
 
Fr. Risard said St. Nicholas’ is not contemplating legal action against Bishop Schofield or the diocese. However, he believes the proposal to leave The Episcopal Church is illegal and should never have been put to a vote at convention. Fr. Risard said he is hopeful that a growing number of clergy will realize its illegality and refuse to be intimidated by Bishop Schofield any longer.
 
“All I’m doing is trying to put pressure on the bishop to clarify his status in The Episcopal Church,” he said. “By not following him into the Southern Cone, he is not our bishop. Other clergy need not be fearful of the bishop. They need to come to their own conclusions about what he has done. He is not getting away with that with me.”
 
Steve Waring
 
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