The Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald, serving in the dual role of assisting bishop of the Navajoland Area Mission and national indigenous bishop in the Anglican Church of Canada, has informed Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori that he will step down from his Navajoland ministry next month. He has been serving in both capacities since 2007 when he was appointed to the newly created Canadian post.
 
“I am grateful to God for my association with you all and wish you the very best for the future,” Bishop MacDonald wrote to the Navajoland congregations. He explained that during General Convention he spoke with the Presiding Bishop and they “agreed that it was time for me to make a formal presentation of my plans for my remaining time with the Episcopal Church in Navajoland, as well as the date for my resignation.”
 
“Though I am happy to assist where needed or requested, in most cases, including the consultation process you are beginning, it is best that you work with the committee we designated at convocation and the executive of [the Navajoland] Council."
 
Prior to the Navajoland convocation’s meeting June 12-14 at Good Shepherd Mission in Fort Defiance, Ariz., Bishop Jefferts Schori nominated the Rev. Canon David Bailey, canon to the ordinary for the Diocese of Utah, as a possible choice for interim bishop. Her proposal also included identifying and training Navajo leadership, and fundraising in conjunction with the Episcopal Church Foundation.
 
But several speakers said they felt that the proposal had not been discussed adequately within Navajoland. As debate continued, Bishop MacDonald put forward an amendment to provide additional time to assess the area’s views and needs. A committee has been working to facilitate the election of an interim bishop next month. The mission hopes to be able to elect a Navajo bishop by 2013, and Bishop Jefferts Schori said “It is my hope to ordain a Navajo bishop during my tenure as Presiding Bishop.”
 
The Rev. Canon Charles K. Robertson, canon to the Presiding Bishop, said that Bishop Jefferts Schori had accepted MacDonald's resignation.
 
“She wishes him great blessing in his full-time ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada, and is actively supporting the people of Navajoland as they move forward in their own mission and ministry,” Canon Robertson said.
 
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