News

For a village of about 1,400 people, playing host to a four-year institution of higher learning was rare.

Professors Anthony Baker and Scott Bader-Saye of Seminary of the Southwest will interview Baron Rowan Williams June 24.

Pope Francis said he and Archbishop Justin Welby “will always have a particular reason to support one another in prayer.”

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald • Brother Alois of Taizé: “We hope the Holy Spirit will disturb us [to] find new ways of creating communion.”

Two priests are nominees to become bishop of the nascent Anglican Diocese of the Upper Midwest.

The Rt. Rev. Steven Andrew Miller of Milwaukee “simply cannot agree” that the authorized rite “is a theologically sound development.”

Bishop C. Andrew Doyle: “We wanted a partner who would honor our family.”

By Steve Waring • Budget subcommittee wants to “engage the church in a discussion of the fact that not all dioceses meet their full asking.”

“[F]ederal question jurisdiction could potentially be expanded to all cases containing tacit First Amendment issues.”

By Steve Waring • Bishop Jeffrey Lee: “[Quincy’s] commitment to Christ and to the fellowship of this church is an act of sheer, foolish, godly trust.”

The June 23 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

By Bellah Zulu, ACNS • African pilgrims returning to Harare after a five-year ban.

G. Jeffrey MacDonald • The new director of the Anglican Centre in Rome says he sees promising signs for more visible ecumenism in these early days of Pope Francis’s pontificate.

The Tablet, based in London, reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Rome will meet later this month.

“The Episcopal Church in Haiti is diverse, strong, working hard for the poor, and most importantly focused on Christ.”

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent • Michael Two Bulls: “What happened in 1973 was aggression. This is about reconciliation.”

Praying together in nature points to common ground
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald

The June 9 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

The Rev. Lorraine Marie Mills-Curran to lead the Association for Episcopal Deacons beginning in June.

Forward Movement’s RenewalWorks is based on research that began at Willow Creek Community Church.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
The Texas-based Iona School for Ministry attracts students from as far away as Nebraska and Wyoming.

When the 78th General Convention meets in 2015 it will welcome laptops, tablets, and smartphones in both houses.

“Bishops are called to believe when others can’t and to proclaim their faith when others won’t.”

Bishop Dan Thomas Edwards: “We are going to try faith, trust, compassion, mercy.”

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent • The Rev. Kurt Dunkle: “Churches that talk about Jesus and use his name are not shrinking.”

“The way the Blue Jays have been playing early on this year, it’s nice to come to a place that abounds with grace.”

“The decision to retire is not easy, but it is right for me at this time.”

“There is no safety in Christ — there is absolute security, but there is no safety.”

The May 26 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

By Phoebe Pettingell
Bishop Lindsay Urwin: “Mary stayed close to Jesus and we must surely seek to do the same.”

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald • TLC Correspondent
Since 2009, the Episcopal Church has established 23 new Latino congregations.

“Hope sprang from real ecumenical activity … and the sheer hard work and organising by local people.”

From the Fourth Consultation of Anglican Bishops in Dialogue

By Rodney Reinhart
Verbal Kwest tells stories of suffering and pain and of Christ’s healing and grace.

The Diocese of New York will accept candidate applications until June 14 for a bishop suffragan to be elected Dec. 7.

The Diocese of New Jersey has elected the Rev. Canon William H. “Chip” Stokes as its 12th bishop.

By Gary G. Yerkey
Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori condemns “ancient demons of individualism, materialism, and selfishness.”

By Grayson Morley
The tour “Shield the Fields: Farmworker Equality” is part of the year-round work of Rural & Migrant Ministry.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
Five Canons Regular of St. Jean-Marie Vianney focus on spiritual growth and strengthening mission congregations.

“The threat and use of economic sanctions are not new experiences for us.”

By Sue Careless
“Anglicans are one universal body. We have internal tensions. … Maybe we will have to live forever with those tensions.”

The May 12 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

By Steve Waring
Donation will pay for renovations at St. James Commons and the ministry of Living Compass.

The “Wiley-Blackwell Companion to the Anglican Communion” explores every aspect of the Communion.

By Douglas LeBlanc
The choir sang “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” as a prelude, followed by the apocalyptic “Ring Them Bells.”

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
“Reconciliation is not an idea. It’s a shared life.”

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
The Rev. Christina Rathbone: Darkness, fear, and hatred “are not the only reality. There is also hope and love.”

Young men and women polished their mad skills of serving at the altar in Acolyte Olympics sponsored by the Diocese of Los Angeles.

The latest edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

New director pledges to “work for the unity of the one holy, catholic and apostolic Church of Christ.”

Bishops of the Episcopal Church offer early prayers for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

“Since the beginning of the Revolution of 2011, the number of incidents of sectarian clashes has increased.”

The Living Church is pleased to announce the fourth annual Student Essays in Christian Wisdom Competition.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
William Jay Lambert’s plans to go fishing yielded to a new calling in Wisconsin.

Church of England’s marriage report: “[N]ames govern how we think, and how we think governs what we learn to appreciate.”

The Rt. Rev. Dorsey McConnell on the inadequacy of Easter symbols.

The Diocese of Fond du Lac will accept nominations beginning April 15 in its search for the diocese’s eighth bishop.

The deadline is April 5, so applicants will need to act quickly.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
“There is always the danger that our Communion may too readily mirror the power relations and power practices of globalization.”

“Archbishop Desmond is one of the spiritual giants of our times — though he will tease me for saying so.”

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
More than 80 percent of graduates of Holy Family School, Chicago, matriculate to above-average high schools.

By Sue Careless
Retired Archbishop Terrence Buckle’s street ministry includes time at the popular coffee shop Tim Hortons.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald
International students play a pivotal role in a post-recession world.

TLC’s new home for its online edition is ready, and it’s time for readers to reset their passwords.

By Steve Waring
About 1,400 people marched through downtown Chicago March 22 in honor of the city’s 806 young victims of gun violence since 2008.

Frances Perkins has won a posthumous honor: victory in the 2013 bracket of Lent Madness.

The Anglican Province of the Southern Cone has agreed to an appeal to approve Michael Pollesel’s election.

By Lee Penn
“The sacramental quality of the marriage or blessing emanates from God, is comprised of God’s divine energy.”

By Peggy Eastman
Nearly 20 bishops led an estimated 300 clergy and lay people on a prayer walk from the White House to the U.S. Capitol.

Douglas Travis will retire May 31 and Cynthia Briggs Kittredge will succeed him as dean and president of Seminary of the Southwest.

The Rev. Ephraim Radner writes of “intimidation and vindictive behavior” in Fort Worth case.

“The Anglican Communion transcends national identities at the same time that its life must be expressed through the many particular cultures of the communion.”

By John Martin
Tweeting his thoughts was just one of many personal touches of the Anglican Communion’s new primus inter pares.

“There can be no final justice, or security, or love, or hope in our society if it is not finally based on rootedness in Christ.”

For the millions of Anglicans unable to attend the Archbishop of Canterbury’s inauguration service in person, the web will help make the service accessible.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
Roman Catholics and Episcopalians in Virginia Beach worship together but receive but Communion separately.

The Diocese of Western Michigan has announced two women and one man as nominees to become its ninth bishop.

Rob Bell, a leading author in the emergent movement and former pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, has endorsed same-sex marriage.

The Episcopal Church is accepting nominations through April 10 for its lay representative on the Anglican Consultative Council.

Integrity has launched an interactive map of same-sex blessing rites throughout the Episcopal Church.

The Most Rev. Justin Portal Welby will be enthroned on Thursday, the feast day of St. Benedict.

By Douglas LeBlanc
A visit by John Dominic Crossan has harmed the remarkable friendship between the Rev. Tory Baucum and Bishop Shannon Johnston.

The latest edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

“We wish Pope Francis every blessing in the enormous responsibilities that he has assumed on behalf of Roman Catholics around the world.”

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
Bishop Dean Wolfe: “The house feels like it has gone to second and third miles in dealing with disagreements.”

By Gary G. Yerkey
Christians in Syria say they are attacked because of their faith.

By Barbara Gauthier
In the first three years of its existence, the ACNA planted 230 new congregations.

The Diocese of Southwestern Virginia has elected the Very Rev. Mark David Bourlakas as its sixth bishop.

After making apologies and defraying conciliation expenses, bishops shielded from future charges.

Want to offer advice in the search for the Episcopal Church’s 27th presiding bishop? Here’s your chance.

Marketing Your Parish: Advertising Best Practices for Effective Evangelism is free from the Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication.

Bishop Charles G. vonRosenberg has filed suit against Bishop Mark J. Lawrence in a U.S. District Court.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
A structure task force will “absolutely not” answer to the presiding bishop or others in the hierarchy, said co-convener Katy George.

By John Martin, TLC Correspondent, London
The rank outsider at theologically symbolic odds of 666/1 is the militant atheist Professor Richard Dawkins.

The latest edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

By Patrick T. Twomey
Throughout the week the sermon grows in my mind. I can hear it.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
Historian David Holmes: “It won’t be surprising if [task force members] reach a new understanding of marriage.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury has appointed the Rev. Jo Bailey Wells as his new chaplain.

Pamela Cooper-White will be the Fulbright-Freud Visiting Scholar of Psychoanalysis at the Sigmund Freud Foundation and Museum in Vienna.

The friendship of the Rev. Tory Baucum and Bishop Shannon Johnston has defied the odds.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has signed “A Pastoral Letter about Faith, Finances, and the Federal Budget.”

SaveSaeed.org works to release pastor Saeed Abedini from a notorious Iranian prison.

Bishop Michael Curry interviews the new director of the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies.

Jacob Chimeledya, Bishop of Mpwapwa, will become the new archbishop and primate in May.

By Lauren Anderson
“In Every Place Where God Is Found” exemplifies the Diocese of Florida’s anniversary theme.

Archbishop Valentino Mokiwa is eligible for re-election Feb. 21.

Vicar general thanks Diocese of Maryland for “working with the community during this transition.”

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
Evangelicals drawn to Anglicanism “are looking for worship that has a sense of rootedness and connectedness.”

By Lauren Anderson
Two trees at Emmanuel Church consistently produce delicious ruby red grapefruit and help pay for parish ministries.

The March 3 edition of The Living Church is available online.

Presiding Bishop: “We no longer expect that ... childbearing is the chief purpose of marriage.”

Huntington Williams, Jr., a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and retired Bishop Suffragan of North Carolina, died Jan. 28 at 87.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
“Human Trafficking: A Churchwide Conversation” scheduled for March 6.

A panel discussion at Trinity Wall Street on “Healing a Broken World: Partnership and Reconciliation”

Pope Benedict XVI: “my strengths … are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.”

By John Martin, TLC Correspondent, London
York Minster, the second-largest gothic church in Europe, may shortly be coated in a layer of fat derived from olive oil.

By Sue Careless
About 280 people gathered at the eighth and largest annual Mere Anglicanism conference Jan. 24-26.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, TLC Correspondent
Christians in the Boston area and beyond are learning how to turn small lifestyle adjustments into big donations.

The Rev. R. David Cox is a nominee by petition in the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia.

Edwardes College has received a grant from the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

By Steve Waring
“Nothing is disposable in a mindful universe that reflects the divine intent.”

By John Martin, TLC Correspondent
“We have dusted off the ceremony, brought it into the public realm and put it into the context of prayer and worship.”

By Peggy Eastman
Professor Dwight Zscheile: “The mission field is all around us in our neighborhoods.”

By Peggy Eastman
Chen Guangcheng: “I’m confident that China is moving toward a constitutional government and rule of law.”

The Feb. 17 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

“Justin, of the 105 archbishops of Canterbury, five have been murdered. How does that make you feel?”

By Jeff Walton
Archbishop Robert Duncan: “We’d all like to see the culture of death turn into a culture of life, wouldn’t we?”

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Fr. Patrick Augustine: “I want to stand up and speak for my people: ‘Let my people go.’”

The Diocese of New Jersey has announced three men and three women as nominees in the search for its 12th bishop.

Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) said Jan. 24 that as secretary of state he would work to end the continuing humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

By Gary G. Yerkey
How many of you, I asked, believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God? No one volunteered.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald
“When neutral principles of law are applied … local churches often win.”

The latest edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald
A Roman Catholic-Episcopal congregation faces an uncertain liturgical future.

By Retta Blaney
Bishop Mark MacDonald: “When evil swamps our personal commitment, our piety, we don’t have adequate ways to describe it.”

By John Martin
The vigilant Church Times reporter Ed Thornton managed a notable scoop.

By Gary G. Yerkey
Scholars say hundreds of thousands of people from southern Sudan are taking shelter in caves and living off insects, tree leaves, plants and roots.

The Rt. Rev. Charles Glenn vonRosenberg has been nominated as Provisional Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.

Cathedral adapts blessing rite approved by General Convention.

“Bearing with One Another in Love” urges a non-litigious resolution of tensions in the Diocese of South Carolina.

Trinity School for Ministry will offer a master of arts degree in religion entirely online for students who prefer distance learning to a residential program.

Archbishop of Uganda: “Our grief and sense of betrayal are beyond words.”

The Diocese of Pennsylvania will vote Jan. 12 on calling the Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel III as its provisional bishop.

The Diocese of South Carolina has sued the Episcopal Church in an effort to retain its property, seal, and historical names.

The Jan. 20 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2013 focuses on the continuing struggle for human dignity by India’s Dalit population.

The Rt. Rev. Jane Holmes Dixon died at her home Christmas morning of a heart condition.

The Jan. 6 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

Interview by Richard Mammana, Jr.
“I look to people like the Anglo-Catholic priests of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who were working in cities.”

By Douglas LeBlanc
Dorsey McConnell felt some anxiety Oct. 20 when donning a costume for a skit during his ordination and consecration as a bishop.

Three thousand people, including several archbishops from across the Anglican Communion, attend the ceremony.

By Gary G. Yerkey
The dean of Washington National Cathedral vowed Dec. 16 to make the cathedral the “focal point” of gun-control efforts.

The bishops of Connecticut: “We hold the victims, their families, and all who are affected by the shooting in our thoughts and prayers for healing and strength.”

By Ken Chitwood
St. Martin’s Church in Houston, the largest congregation of the Episcopal Church, at 8,600 members, dedicated two new facilities Dec. 2.

By Gary G. Yerkey
Kerns Group Architects, based in Arlington, Va., has extensive experience designing worship spaces.

Church Publishing’s eBook edition contains the complete contents of the authorized 1979 Book of Common Prayer and is fully searchable.

Trinity Wall Street’s choir provides backing vocals for “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

“I just wish to serve as God has called me to serve.”

“The uniqueness of marriage is that it embodies the underlying, objective distinctiveness of men and women.”

The latest edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

“I have not renounced my orders as a deacon, priest or bishop any more than I have abandoned the Church of Jesus Christ.”

Bishop Mark Lawrence is “removed from the Ordained Ministry” of the Episcopal Church “for causes that do not affect his moral character.”

The Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies reviewed more than 500 applicants for the restructuring task force.

The Diocese of Southwestern Virginia has announced four nominees in the search for its sixth bishop.

Archbishop David Moxon is heading to Rome as the Anglican Communion’s chief representative to the Roman Catholic Church.

The Rev. David Marshall will direct the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies and teach on Christian-Muslim relations.

By Morning Star News
The Sudanese military in the last two weeks has bombed more non-Arab people in largely Christian areas of the Nuba Mountains.

“I am grateful, in a profound way, that … my mother, my biological mother, brought me to term.”

The Diocese of Uruguay says it feels “abandoned and unsupported” in its bid to transfer to another province.

By John Martin
The Church of England’s House of Bishops will meet in emergency session early Wednesday to consider next steps on women in the episcopate.

By Douglas LeBlanc
Little time passed Nov. 17 before Episcopalians began condemning the Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence and the Diocese of South Carolina.

The Dec. 2 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

A plea to both sides in the South Carolina battle: Step back from the brink.

Bishops of Communion Partners “call upon all concerned to seek a non-juridical solution to these difficult matters.”

The Rt. Rev. Kenneth Cragg — priest, bishop, and missionary scholar — died Nov. 13. He was 99.

By Lauren Anderson
“This is a church that doesn’t set a limit, but sees a horizon to go to and beyond.”

By Douglas LeBlanc
The Episcopal Church has made its first reference to a “Continuing Diocese of South Carolina” in a 2,000-word statement published online Nov. 9.

By John Martin in London
When Bishop Justin Welby appeared alongside the Lambeth Palace public affairs director, the sense of relief was almost palpable.

Bishop Justin Welby: “To be nominated to Canterbury is at the same time overwhelming and astonishing.”

Bishop Justin Welby’s thoughts on justice draw the British daily’s attention.

“I would like to be known, in headlines or otherwise, as a bishop who cared about God and cared about the people.”

“I needed an opportunity to celebrate the unity that we have in Christ, but also an opportunity to reaffirm my allegiance to Christ.”

The Anglican Consultative Council has elected six new members to the Anglican Communion Standing Committee.

Archbishop of Canterbury: “God expects us to be disciples today, not the day after tomorrow.”

S. Stephen’s Church in Providence, Rhode Island, has acquired a major manuscript collection of material by the Rev. Henry Waterman.

The Nov. 18 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

By Steve Waring
On receiving St. Tikhon's cope, Metropolitan Hilarion looked like a beaming young boy on Christmas morning.

Members of the Anglican Consultative Council reflect on the present and future of the Instruments of Communion.

The Diocese of North Carolina has nominated four women and one man in its search for a bishop suffragan.

Archbishop Rowan Williams was excited about a book launch in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland, on Sunday.

“God’s love for the world is extraordinary; without cause, absolutely free, absolutely, overwhelmingly unreasonable.”

“It would be a painful loss to lose members of the Diocese of South Carolina from our Church.”

The Anglican Communion’s Standing Committee has decided to convene a subgroup to consider next steps.

Global South letter: “We all want to assure you and the Diocese of South Carolina of our continuing prayers and support.”

CROSSWalk resists youth violence in Chicago.

“It felt good to be there praying with the man. It felt like I was where I belong, where God wanted me to be.” —Bishop M. Thomas Shaw

In a pastoral letter to Episcopalians in Maryland, Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton reflects on gambling, the Maryland Dream Act, and same-sex marriage.

Bishop Russell Jacobus: “I do not believe we are prepared in this diocese to proceed with the blessing of same-sex relationships.”

The November 4 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

“Don’t see religion as a political entity but in its own context.”

The Diocese of South Carolina’s standing committee has withdrawn the diocese from the Episcopal Church.

Bishop Stephen Lane and three other church leaders join in a “Civil Discourse on Same-sex Marriage.”

The Anglican Church of Canada’s General Synod has released several YouTube dialogues involving African and Canadian bishops.

By John Martin
Delay in appointing a successor to Rowan Williams prompts questions about the viability of the role.

By Peggy Eastman
Dean Gary R. Hall: “The holy family are refugees.”

“I believe that the interests of the Diocese are best served if the process envisioned by the Standing Committee begins sooner rather than later.”

The Association for Episcopal Deacons has announced a search for an executive director.

Hail! Holy Hill! is by historian Robert W. Prichard and Julia Randle, the seminary’s former archivist.

By E.P. Licursi and Michael A. Bird
What most profoundly affected our young people was the extraordinary generosity and spirit of the Cuban people.

The Oct. 21 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

The Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus, Bishop of California, was turned away from the Rt. Rev. Salvatore Cordileone’s installation as Archbishop of San Francisco.

The presiding officers of General Convention have announced 261 appointments to the church’s committees, commissions, agencies and boards.

The former stewardship officer at the Episcopal Church Center has died in Michigan.

The Rt. Rev. Richard Clarke has been elected the 105th Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.

“Some Catholics may find themselves less at home with Salvatore Cordileone’s installation and they may come to the Episcopal Church.”

By John Martin
How deep is the deadlock as the Crown Nominations Commission continues to work toward recommending a successor for the Archbishop of Canterbury?

The World Council of Churches is headquartered in Geneva, even though there are probably more Christians in a neighborhood of Lagos or Nairobi than all of Switzerland.

Water Missions International, an engineering ministry founded by Molly and Gerorge Greene III in 2001, received the Solar World Einstein Award on Tuesday evening in Frankfurt, Germany.

The Supreme Court of Virginia will hear an oral argument Oct. 16 from The Falls Church (Anglican), which has asked it to overturn a ruling by Fairfax County Circuit Judge Randy Bellows.

Bishop hopes to include “same-sex relationships and those who struggle with the church’s decisions.”

By John Martin
There seem to be two leading candidates and one who may spring a surprise.

The October 7 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

“Jazz brings freedom into structure so there’s room for the Spirit to move.”

Bishop Kirk Smith: “In every aspect of his life, [Jesus] was ‘counter-cultural,’ and I suspect his celibacy was, too.”

“Parishes and other worshiping communities need to prepare before incorporating these rites into their life, and they must satisfy me that they have done so. Doing less is to invite conflict and misunderstanding, and to dishonor anyone who is to receive the Church’s blessing.”

Members reflected on the Christian calling to work for the visible unity of God’s Church as ambassadors for Christ in the ministry of reconciliation.

Nearly 40 religious leaders have signed the Religious Institute’s “Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Family Planning.”

The School of Theology, the University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn., has entered into a partnership with Westcott House, Cambridge, U.K.

The Diocese of Eau Claire has announced four self-nominated people in the search for its sixth bishop.

The Diocese of Fort Worth’s standing committee has called the Rt. Rev. Rayford B. High, Jr., as the third provisional bishop of the diocese.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and dozens of other Christian leaders concerned about poverty in the United States and around the world have released two exclusive video presentations by President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney outlining their policy presc

On a weekend in August 300 Episcopal laymen from across Tennessee met to talk about sports in an unusual setting.

The Sept. 23 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

An interview with Duo Dickinson, Architect
By Richard J. Mammana, Jr.

By Gary G. Yerkey
Several Episcopal churches are helping house and feed 40 homeless families displaced during the Democratic National Convention.

Archdeacon Winslow worked at Ground Zero in New York for a week after the terrorist strikes of 9/11.

Jena Lee Nardella, cofounder and executive director of Blood:Water Mission, offered the benediction Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention.

Nashotah House Theological Seminary and the Cathedral Church of All Saints, Milwaukee, will present “Evensong according to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer” Sept. 9.

By Lauren Anderson
Telecoil technology helps believers hear more clearly.

The Church of the Province of West Africa plans to create two provinces with two archbishops.

Liberty Institute: “When the factions of a church disagree about its hierarchical nature” courts must “dismiss the action for lack of jurisdiction.”

+Dabney Smith: welcoming visitors represents the “church in action” and “our sense of God’s mission to the world.”

The Rev. Harwood “Woody” Bartlett and his stepdaughter Amanda Bolster have discussed their blended family for WABE-FM’s StoryCorps Atlanta.

Two thousand people attended an outdoor service on Sunday 26 August during the ‘Refresh2012’ Beach Festival in Weymouth.

By Steve Waring
A coalition of Wisconsin faith leaders will help prepare a curriculum for First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program.

Roger J. White, Bishop of Milwaukee from 1985 to 2003, has died of complications from a brain aneurysm.

The rector of St. Martin’s Church, Houston, asks God to “make the American ideal a certainty — not just for some, but for all.”

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald
“I will not be as much in demand,” said A. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop Coadjutor of New Hampshire.

The September 9 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

Bishop of Buckingham Alan Wilson, a married father of five, caused a row in the Church by urging leaders to “get our head around blessing gay people’s relationships.”

We do believe it is possible to offer up non-partisan prayers, especially during these anxious days in our world.

By Douglas LeBlanc
The Very Rev. Douglas Hahn, rector of St. Thomas Church, Columbus, was elected on the second ballot Aug. 18.

By George Sumner and Stephen Andrews
There is nothing like a Global South conference to challenge Minority World assumptions about the Majority World.

By Steve Rabey
“It’s a choice between aligning with a parachurch organization or with a historical, ecclesiastical group.” —Rector Matt Burnett

“Even one death is one too many, and there must be an end to this senseless loss of life.”

Saint Paul's College, founded by the Rev. James Solomon Russell in 1888, will not open for classes in the fall.

Jonathan Myrick Daniels “gave the greatest gift, the gift of life.”

“He must have the capacity to collectively put into effect the decisions taken at Lambeth Conferences and Primates Meetings.”

The August 26 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

The director acts as an ambassador between the Vatican and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Diocese of Milwaukee has encouraged participation in a Day of Prayer for the Sikh Community.

“By undermining this sacramental ‘syntax’ … we risk pandering to a culture of spiritual tourism.”

“We are pleased that the church’s discipline has also begun to change so that priests may offer a generous pastoral response consistent with Connecticut’s embrace of marriage equality.”

“The call to restructure the Church is a response to growing grassroots awareness that we must change or die.”

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and the Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane have joined the U.S. State Department’s 2012 Hours Against Hate campaign.

“I have attempted in this two-point policy to find a solution that will honor the conscience of all.”

“The Bishop has asked for a period of grace as he prayerfully seeks the face of the Lord.”

Four North American participants report on the Global South Conference on the Decade of Mission and Networking, which met July 16-21 in Thailand.

The latest edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

“I believe that human relationships — same-gender ones included — can and do find perfection in Jesus Christ and that all our standards of perfection are measured through our relationship with him.”

“I know that in difficult times in our church I do not bear the most heavy load.”

“No sharing of Winston is complete without a funny story.”

“Even during the most controversial matters at hand, in which profound disagreements were voiced and significantly split votes resulted, both sides remained respectful and reached out to one another after all was said and done.”

In loving, faith and hope are made strong, and the human family flourishes; not just despite tragedy, but even in its very teeth.

Bishop Mark Sisk: “This seems to me to be a typically oblique way for the Episcopal Church to approach a complex but important matter: indirectly.”

“It’s a unique process that is not interfaith dialogue, not traditional conflict resolution.” — Brian Cox

Bishops W. Andrew Waldo and Mark J. Lawrence reflect on the decisions of General Convention.

By John Martin
After the July sessions of its General Synod in York the Church of England remains in limbo on women in the episcopate.

By Joe Thoma
One of the most passionate debates in the House of Bishops came during its last legislative day, July 12, over implementation of a 2009 mandate on health insurance.

By Matt Townsend
In a whirlwind session July 12, the House of Deputies passed several resolutions that were a matter of considerable discussion at General Convention.

By Matt Townsend
The House of Deputies passed a resolution that authorizes the use of the lectionary for Sundays and Holy Days as published in the Book of Common Prayer (1979)

By Matt Townsend
More than 30 deputies stood in silent protest July 12 of the Episcopal Church’s provisional rite for blessing same-sex couples.

By Lauren Anderson
As patience started to wane and jokes became little punchier, the House of Deputies passed a host of public-policy resolutions during its final legislative day July 12.

Here's to the kind souls who bring us good art, arguments, books, causes, and colors.

From Indianapolis: The Living Church, General Convention edition

The July 29 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

By Lauren Anderson and Matt Townsend
The House of Deputies passed the 2012-15 budget without amendment July 11.

By Lauren Anderson and Matt Townsend
The House of Deputies discussed the proposed 2012-15 budget in its morning session July 11. Communication funding and diocesan asking rates were at the forefront.

From Indianapolis: The Living Church, General Convention edition

“The liturgy ‘The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant’ is for all practical purposes same-sex marriage.”

By Matt Townsend
The House of Deputies adopted Resolution A049 July 10 authorizing the provisional use of a blessing liturgy for same-sex couples.

By Joe Thoma
The House of Bishops concurred with the House of Deputies July 10 to “decline to take a position on the Anglican Covenant,” but affirmed participation in the wider Anglican Communion.

By Matt Townsend
The House of Deputies has passed Resolution C095, which could prepare the way for major changes in church structure over the coming triennium if approved by the House of Bishops.

The House of Deputies elected lay and clerical representatives to Executive Council July 10.

The sculpture Mate Tourist by Tom Otterness stands near an entrance to the Indiana Convention Center

By Matt Townsend
In a joint session to the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, the Program, Budget & Finance Committee presented the 2012-15 Triennial Budget for the Episcopal Church.

By Matt Townsend
The House of Deputies has passed Resolution A067, which if approved by the House of Bishops would would fund a $210,000 project on theological education in the Episcopal Church.

From Indianapolis: The Living Church, General Convention edition

By Lauren Anderson
The House of Deputies has elected the Rev. Gay Jennings president with 426 votes — five more than what she needed.

By Lauren Anderson
The House of Deputies passed resolutions protecting church members from discrimination based on “gender identity and expression” in amendments to two non-discrimination canons July 9.

By Joe Thoma
The House of Bishops authorized a provisional rite July 9 for blessing same-sex relationships.

By Douglas LeBlanc
“This is not a discernment process,” Michael Rehill tells conference panels. “You are a court.”

By Matt Townsend
Shedding tears of joy, the Rev. Canon Gay Jennings, Ohio, sang the hymn “Sing a New Church” with the Rt. Rev. Samuel Johnson Howard, Bishop of Florida, after the Committee on Structure approved a resolution on structural reform.

Video by Matt Townsend
Members of General Convention’s Structure Committee discuss their progress on Resolution C095, which would establish a task force for structural reform.

From Indianapolis: The Living Church, General Convention edition, July 9

By Joe Thoma
The House of Bishops expressed its collegiality July 8 in a “mind of the house” resolution, after a closed-door discussion about accusations against nine bishops.

By Lauren Anderson
The House of Deputies approved Resolution A157, which eliminates a constitutional requirement that any bishop elected within 120 days of General Convention must obtain consent from a majority of deputies.

By Matt Townsend
Same-sex blessings emerged again as a subject of complex and fervent debate July 7, as the Committee on Prayer Book, Liturgy and Music heard testimony on a resolution that would authorize such blessings in the Episcopal Church.

By Douglas LeBlanc
Friends of The Living Church packed into an upstairs room designed for 175 people to hear Episcopal leaders speak of their faith and how it affects their work.

From Indianapolis: The Living Church, General Convention edition, July 8.

By Joe Thoma
The House of Bishops approved Resolution D002 that would amend two canons to say that “gender identity (one’s inner sense of being male or female) and expression (the way in which one manifests that gender identity in the world)” should not be bases for exclusion from consideration for ordained ministry.

Bishop William Mchombo, acting provincial secretary of the Church of the Province of Central Africa, talks with Joe Thoma, communications officer of the Diocese of Central Florida, and Christopher Wells, editor of The Living Church.

By Joe Thoma
Many bishops urge frugality for the Episcopal Church, but they concurred with the House of Deputies July 7 in establishing a “Mission Enterprise Fund” for underrepresented populations at the diocesan level.

By Lauren Anderson
The House of Deputies has voted to eliminate the canon requiring a newly elected presiding bishop to resign from the bishop’s previous jurisdiction before assuming the office.

By Matt Townsend
General Convention’s Structure Committee passed a resolution July 7 that, if ratified, would remove the requirement that a presiding bishop-elect resign from a diocesan role.

By Lauren Anderson
Notes on Inter-religious relations, ECW’s ministries, Youth Presence, and Pension Fund elections.

From Indianapolis: The Living Church, General Convention edition

By Joe Thoma
General Convention’s Evangelism Committee’s support is waning for Resolution C040, which would allow Episcopal congregations to “invite all, regardless of age, denomination, or baptism to the altar for Holy Communion.”

By Lauren Anderson
Critics of the proposed Anglican Covenant said at an evening open hearing July 6 that it creates a central authority and threatens the Episcopal Church’s self-governance.

By Matt Townsend
General Convention’s Structure Committee heard testimony July 6 suggesting a reimagined role for the presiding bishop, a unicameral General Convention and markedly younger leadership.

By Joe Thoma
On the second legislative day of General Convention the House of Bishops consented to the election of eight new bishops after struggling in private with complaints brought against nine of its own.

By Lauren Anderson
General Convention’s Evangelism Committee heard the cases for and against repealing a canon that specifies Holy Communion as intended for baptized Christians.

Eight of the nine bishops accused of violating the church's canons have responded in an open letter to the House of Bishops and addressed to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.

From Indianapolis: The Living Church, General Convention edition

The Rt. Rev. Wallis C. Ohl, Bishop of Ft. Worth, and the Rt. Rev. John C. Buchanan have asked General Convention to “set the record straight” on hierarchy in the Episcopal Church. They also have accused nine brother bishops of “boundary-crossing.”

Do we love all the members of our Church enough to take the time to get this right?

By Matt Townsend
The subject of confirmation stirred passionate testimony July 5 before General Convention’s Education Committee. Clergy and laypeople addressed the committee on Resolutions A041, A042, A043 and A044, all of which address the nature of confirmation as a necessary step in becoming Episcopalian.

By Lauren Anderson
In a meeting July 5, the World Mission committee heard from the Episcopal Church’s mission partners who said they did not receive full funding in the past triennium that they were promised.

By Joe Thoma
The House of Bishops’ first legislative session on the afternoon of July 5 carried a light workload, with half of the allotted time spent devoted to private table conversations and receiving a handful of resolutions from committees.

By Douglas LeBlanc
General Convention’s Committee on Prayer Book, Liturgy, and Church Music has endorsed continued trial use of Holy Women, Holy Men. During lengthy discussion July 5 of the proposed successor to Lesser Feasts and Fasts, numerous people testified that the text should be revised heavily.

By Joe Thoma
Before General Convention held its first legislative sessions July 5, conversation on Independence Day centered on funding for outreach, evangelism and administration despite a shrinking budget.

By Lauren Anderson
Christian leaders have reached diverse conclusions about health-care reform and the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that the Affordable Care Act stands the test of the Constitution.

Standing Committee: “spurious complaints against bishops further demonstrate the urgent need to revisit the Title IV disciplinary Canons.”

Besides being conduct unbecoming of a church, this action is a violation of the guarantee of the right of free speech found in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.

My principal concern was to not leave unchallenged the assertion that the Episcopal Church is a unitary hierarchical organism at all levels, and that the dioceses are entirely creatures of General Convention.

To date, I have not seen a copy of the “complaint,” nor do I know who issued it, or what it says.

The July 15 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

By Steve Waring
Credit unions, a longtime ministry within the Episcopal Church, will become more prominent if General Convention approves Resolution A084.

The Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander, who left the University of the South’s School of Theology when he became Bishop of Atlanta in 2001, will return to the school Aug. 1 as its dean.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has proposed an alternative budget for the Episcopal Church in 2013-15 for consideration at the 77th General Convention.

By Douglas LeBlanc
At 759 pages and 155 resolutions, the Blue Book for the 77th General Convention addresses a broad range of topics, from blessing rites for same-sex couples to an embattled budget, from a kinder approach on clergy removal to additional Bible translations for lectionary readings.

“This is a defining moment in the life of the Episcopal Church, being the first formal adoption of doctrine, discipline and worship which are contrary to the unequivocal mandate of Holy Scripture, the historic Christian faith, Anglican doctrine, and the pronouncements of the four instruments of Anglican unity.”

Join us for The Living Church’s Conversation on the Church, July 6, Adobo Grill, Indianapolis

The U.S. Supreme Court declined certiorari June 18 in two cases regarding property disputes between congregations and the denominations they have left.

The July 1 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

By Lauren Anderson
Dwarfed by surrounding skyscrapers in downtown Indianapolis, Christ Church Cathedral remains the oldest building on Monument Circle, contributing to the church’s inherent sense of tradition and history.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has announced that the Very Rev. Canon David Richardson, the Archbishop’s Representative to the Holy See and Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, intends to retire at Easter 2013.

The Church of England holds as a matter of doctrine that marriage is a lifelong union of one man with one woman.

Archbishop David Chillingworth: “We invoke the history of Samuel Seabury, consecrated in 1784 by the Scottish bishops as the first bishop of the church in the United States of America.”

The Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, Bishop of Los Angeles, discusses the grace of God he has experienced while undergoing treatment for leukemia, which is now in remission.

Four dioceses — Atlanta, Rhode Island, Texas, and Western Massachusetts — elected bishops Saturday.

The June 17 edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers.

Ballot results for bishops-elect to be confirmed by General Convention.

The Presiding Bishop and Ft. Worth’s standing committee will nominate a new provisional bishop to be approved by the diocesan convention.

By Bob Libby
Around the rubble of Trinity Cathedral in Port au Prince the bishops processed, entering a makeshift shelter covering an overflow congregation of more than a thousand.

The Rev. Canon Leonel L. Mitchell, one of the scholars responsible for the Book of Common Prayer (1979), died May 23 in South Bend, Indiana. The veteran liturgist and theologian was 81.

“Tim has written several acclaimed books on spiritual life,” writes senior warden Mark Jones of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia, S.C. He is “a former editor for Christianity Today magazine and recently taught spiritual formation to students at the Anglican School of Theology in Alexandria, Egypt.”

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori responds to news of Bonnie Anderson not seeking re-election as president of General Convention’s House of Deputies.

TLC is pruning its lists on Constant Contact, and invites you to sign on.

The House of Bishops of the Church of England today concluded its consideration of the draft legislation to enable women to be consecrated as bishops. It agreed that the legislation should be returned to the General Synod for final approval.

The Diocese of Lexington has announced five nominees in the search for its seventh bishop.

Reporting by Sue Careless and commentary by Jeff Boldt

“We invited Barbara to tap into our inner poet and claim a creative expression of our faith,” said Bishop Laura J. Ahrens.

“I’ve wanted for a very long time to say something to you,” Charles Colson said to Lanny Davis. “I am sorry, may God forgive me.”

From the Church of England Evangelical Council: “The Church of England’s teaching about marriage and sexual relationships other than marriage currently faces a number of challenges.”

Courts in California, Virginia rule in favor of Episcopal dioceses.

The General Theological Seminary is partnering with GreenFaith, a leading interfaith environmental coalition, and the Green Seminary Initiative to create a new environmental certification program specifically designed for seminaries and theological schools.

Responses from Connecticut, New Hampshire, and North Carolina.

The sixth bishop of Eau Claire, Wis., will lead the flock of Christ half time, may hold another part-time job — and will want this work enough to offer a voluntary “Here am I.”

Luke Broadwater and David Greisman report for The Baltimore Sun:

Ft. Worth leaders are “exploring an appropriate response to such a shameful action by these members of the House of Bishops.”

Bishop J. Jon Bruno writes: “I want you folks to be as positive as you can be, and I need your prayers and support at this time.”

“We thank God for the discovery of one another in contending for a common cause.”

Bishop C. Andrew Doyle writes: “How do people with differing views on sexuality and blessing of same-gender relationships stay together for the sake of the Gospel? How is it that we are able to remain one church?”

Seven bishops and the Dallas-based Anglican Communion Institute filed a brief with the Texas Supreme Court Monday regarding The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth v The Episcopal Church.

By John Martin
Is the Church of England an island of or an island off Anglicanism?

“We asked ourselves, How can we create a safe place for theological minorities? That question cuts in both directions.” — Bishop Edward Little II

“I think we need to reaffirm our strong commitment to each other through the saving power of Christ revealed in the Gospels.” — Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph.

Under terms of the settlement, the Diocese has given Truro Anglican a rent-free lease of the church buildings at 10520 Main Street in Fairfax, as well as two rectories, until June 30, 2013.

“May Sudan and South Sudan come to a settlement which will bring lasting peace with justice to both nations and all who live within their borders.”

Three member bishops of Communion Partners have submitted a General Convention resolution that affirms the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant.

The Living Church is pleased to announce the third annual Student Essays in Christian Wisdom competition.

The Diocese of Texas has announced two nominees as it seeks a new bishop suffragan: the Rev. Beth Fain, rector of St. Mary’s Church, Cypress, and the Rev. Jeff Fisher, rector of St. Alban’s Church, Waco.

By Douglas LeBlanc
The Rev. Roger A. Ferlo compares his new calling as the first president of two federated Episcopal seminaries to helping an internet startup firm. Ferlo will become president of Bexley Hall and Seabury-Western seminaries July 1.

By Douglas LeBlanc
Even as the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant approached its rejection by a majority of dioceses in the Church of England, three Episcopal Church bishops are sponsoring a resolution that supports a continuing Covenant discussion.

The Rt. Rev. Francis Lyons, Bishop of Bolivia for 11 years, has accepted an invitation to become assistant bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba writes: “None of us, as individuals or churches, can see ourselves as self-determining.”

The proposed Anglican Communion Covenant has failed to achieve support from a majority of dioceses in the Church of England, but the communion’s Secretary General has said the global discussion will continue.

Theology professor Joel Scandrett will be interim director of the Robert E. Webber Center for an Ancient Evangelical Future as it moves to Trinity School for Ministry.

By John Martin
“The truth is that a billion people are going hungry today when there is no need for it,” says Sally Keeble, director of the Anglican Alliance and a former U.K. government minister.

“I favor extending the blessings of the Church equally to all the members of the Church. My position departs from the tradition of the Church, and there are many who hold differing faithful and conscientious positions.”

By John Martin
The appointment of Rowan Williams is a coup for Cambridge University, as he is expected to attract a long queue of doctoral theology students from across the world.

“It has been an immense privilege to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury over the past decade, and moving on has not been an easy decision.”

By Douglas LeBlanc
The Diocese of New Hampshire, which elected the first bishop of the Episcopal Church who spoke openly of his same-sex partnership, has nominated another openly gay man to become the diocese’s 10th bishop.

Bishop, educator and ecumenist Arthur A. Vogel died March 6 in Kansas City. He was 88. A native of Milwaukee, Vogel was a graduate of Nashotah House Theological Seminary and the University of Chicago and earned a Ph.D. at Harvard University in 1952.

The Diocese of Rhode Island has announced nominees from five states in the search for its 13th bishop. One challenge the new bishop will face is a cathedral in limbo.

By Ron Csillag
Like many Christian missionaries who ventured into Canada’s far North, John Sperry packed his Bible, a prayer book, warm clothes, and basic dental tools. Saving souls was one thing; pulling teeth required pliers.

The Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) of the Episcopal Church has forwarded to the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies excerpts from its report, “I Will Bless You, and You Will Be a Blessing”: Resources for Blessing Same-Gender Relationships.

Charlie Patton reports for the Jacksonville Times-Union:

"[O]ne of the greatest misunderstandings around concerning the Covenant is that it’s some sort of centralising proposal creating an absolute authority which has the right to punish people for stepping out of line. I have to say I think this is completely misleading and false."

By Peggy Eastman
All Saints Church in Chevy Chase, Md., will host a free healing and prayer retreat for combat veterans and their spouses April 10-12. The April retreat, called WHI Washington, is a project of the national Welcome Home Initiative (WHI) and is open to high-ranking officers who have seen combat.

A nominee by petition, the Rev. Scott T. Quinn, has joined the final slate as the Diocese of Pittsburgh seeks its eighth bishop. Quinn, 57, rector of Church of the Nativity, Crofton, served as canon to the ordinary while the Rt. Rev. Robert Johnson was provisional bishop. Quinn is a 1982 graduate of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry.

By Gary G. Yerkey
The team charged with overseeing construction of a new Episcopal cathedral in Haiti is expected to decide within the next few weeks on the architectural firm that will design and coordinate the construction of the new facility.

The Rt. Rev. Edward Robinson de Barros Cavalcanti and his wife, Miriam Cotias Cavalcanti Nunes Machado, were murdered in their home in Olinda, Brazil, late Sunday. The bishop was 68 and his wife was 64.

Members of the Anglican Communion with Internet access can now watch three videos produced by the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order (IASCUFO) in which its members speak about the Covenant.

The Washington premiere of Love Free or Die, director Macky Alston’s documentary about the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, prompted a frequently political post-film discussion this week. Gillian Laub photo courtesy of Reveal Productions.

By John Martin
In the matter of deciding whether women should be appointed as bishops, the Church of England is engaged in a process with all the hallmarks of a Phony War.

While counter-protesters sought to undermine our stand for life, they could not squelch the energy and enthusiasm expressed by our under-30 compatriots, who now represent the largest contingency of pro-life activists.

Who says gay marriage is not big in Utah? At the Sundance Film Festival, one of the higher-profile documentaries proved to be Love Free or Die.

Whatever else may be said of the Diocese of Western Michigan’s Cathedral of Christ the King, it embodied the spirit of the late 1960s.

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of Washington has announced a new diocesan initiative called People of the Way, which will draw from Brian McLaren’s Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices.

Reverse Engineering the Crystal Cathedral

About 260 people gathered at the seventh annual Mere Anglicanism conference in Charleston, South Carolina, Jan. 19-21 to hear bishops and deans from across the world speak about their confidence in "The Once and Future Church."

The rector of All Saints Church in Pasadena, California, has endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment that reverses the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in 2010 on political donations by corporations.

Covenant, founded in August 2007 as a weblog community of “evangelical and catholic” Christians, begins a new life today.

The Rev. Jeffrey Steenson, newly appointed ordinary of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, will receive members of Mount Calvary Church, Baltimore, on Sunday morning.

No clergy within the Diocese of Pittsburgh appear on the slate as the diocese seeks its eighth bishop. The diocese announced four nominees Jan. 15.

If the Ordinariate in the United States is a Vatican effort to poach disgruntled Anglicans, Sunday-golfing ex-Anglicans or never-were Anglicans, its newly appointed leader has not received that memo.

The CANA Congregations suggest that a ruling for the denomination would be to defer to the hierarchy 'with a vengeance.' This Court disagrees. … [W]hile the CANA Congregations had an absolute right to depart from TEC and the Diocese, they had no right to take these seven Episcopal churches with them.

Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi of Uganda has announced he will retire in mid-2012, six months before the end of his 10-year term.

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba writes: “It concerns me greatly that, from what I read online and elsewhere, and from the responses I received to the article I wrote for The Living Church last year, too much of the debate around the Covenant seems to have lost sight of our true context.”

The Rt. Rev. Clarence C. Pope, second Bishop of Fort Worth, died late Jan. 8 in Baton Rouge. His death prompted sympathetic notes from the Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker, Pope’s successor in Fort Worth, and the Diocese of Louisiana.

In a 26-minute interview with the Rev. Todd Wilken, the presiding bishop addressed questions of pantheism and panentheism; the identity of Jesus Christ; the Episcopal Church’s decision to consecrate bishops in same-sex relationships; the Anglican Church in North America; the emergent church; and the Atonement, among other topics.

From NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams: “Elmer Mejia became a Navy diver and medic, and in his early 20s volunteered to work at a clinic where he was exposed to the plight of the lobster divers for the first time. It was run by an Episcopal priest from Wyoming, Gus Sabrador, who became Mejia’s mentor and asked his American congregation to help Mejia go to medical school.”

Because he is married, the 59-year-old Father Steenson will not be ordained a bishop and will not be able to ordain priests.

The Rt. Rev. David Colin Jones is not surprised by the Sudanese church’s renewed statement regarding the Episcopal Church and same-sex couples.

The Living Church is pleased to announce improvements to livingchurch.org that offer a more rewarding experience for members and new visitors. Over the next few weeks you will notice changes: larger images, an easier-to-read design, and a crisp, clean look.

In a BBC interview that went to air after his death Dec. 15, Christopher Hitchens said he had no fear of dying. “I won’t know what’s going on.” What if there was a state of consciousness of this life? “I will be surprised, but I like surprises.”

Bishop Mark Sisk writes: “While many tactics of the Occupy movement have proven effective and creative, I feel it necessary now to reiterate our Church-wide commitment to non-violence.”

The Rev. Canon Christoph Keller III remembers his father, the Rt. Rev. Christoph Keller, Jr., in a video by General Theological Seminary.

Members of the Diocese of South Carolina’s standing committee write that “out of the great depths of our love and concern for our people, we will continue to assert the autonomy that is historically and constitutionally ours.”

“We are holding them all close in prayer, both those who are leaving to become part of the Ordinariate and those of our sisters and brothers at St. Timothy’s from whom we have been separated for nearly three years. We want to assure them they are welcome in The Episcopal Church and in this diocese.”

“Sadly, this prevents a pastoral solution to a sensitive issue of spiritual discernment,” says Bishop Jack L. Iker. “We are grateful to Bishop Keith Ackerman for his willingness to provide Sunday services at St. Timothy’s beginning on the first Sunday after Christmas Day.”

From the Diocese of South Carolina

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

By Francis Omondi

“Since we [bishops of Province IV] have had no direct communication from you regarding these reported actions, we determined that it is our duty as bishops of this province to address these concerns in direct communication with you, as Jesus exhorts his followers in Matthew’s Gospel (18:15-20), and in accord with our ordination vows regarding the unity and governance of the church.”

Archbishop Rowan Williams writes: “The question remains: if the moratoria are ignored and the Covenant suspected, what are the means by which we maintain some theological coherence as a Communion and some personal respect and understanding as a fellowship of people seeking to serve Christ?”

The Rt. Rev. Dorsey F. Henderson Jr., president of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops, writes: “Applied strictly to the information under study, none of these three provisions was deemed applicable by a majority of the Board.”

In early 2008 Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori visited the Diocese of South Carolina. One segment of her visit was “Charity and Clarity,” a gathering with diocesan clergy at St. Andrew’s Church, Mt. Pleasant.

Council urges General Convention not to adopt the proposed Anglican Covenant.

Executive Council “expresses thanksgiving for those who worked at producing the Anglican Covenant” and adds that the Episcopal Church is “unable to adopt the Anglican Covenant in its present form.”

The Diocese of Upper South Carolina approved a resolution Oct. 22 asking Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and Bishop Mark J.

It is only a few miles from the modest hamlet of Bladensburg, Maryland, to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. But when the multicultural former Episcopal congregation of St. Luke’s, Bladensburg, arrived at that towering edifice Oct.

Bishop Dorsey Henderson sent this message to members of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops on Oct. 17, and released a copy to The Living Church. Jack W.

Bishop Dorsey Henderson sent this message to members of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops on Oct. 14, and released a copy to The Living Church.

Church Attorney Josephine H. Hicks performs legal work for the Episcopal Church’s Disciplinary Board for Bishops but is not a member of it, the Rt. Rev. Dorsey Henderson said in an interview with The Living Church.

From the Diocese of South Carolina:

Ahead of meeting the South African prime minister John Vorster in 1970, Archbishop Michael Ramsey frowned repeatedly into a mirror.

Bishop Dorsey Henderson’s statement, published Oct. 12 by The Living Church, has prompted a response by the Anglican Communion Institute. An excerpt:

In response to questions from The Living Church and others, the Rt. Rev. Dorsey Henderson, president of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops, provided this explanation regarding accusations brought to the board against the Rt. Rev.

The Rt. Rev. Mark J.

In 1996 the Court for the Trial of a Bishop gathered at the Cathedral of St. John in Wilmington, Del., to hear the doctrinal case involving Bishop Walter C. Righter.

The correspondence published by the Diocese of South Carolina:

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has restricted the ministry of the Rt. Rev. Vincent W. Warner amid allegations of recurrent marital infidelity. Warner was Bishop of Olympia from 1990 to 2007.

Catholic Voices
By Michael Nai Chiu Poon

The Bishop of Los Angeles and other clergy have condemned the conviction of 11 Muslim students who repeatedly heckled a speech by Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to the United States. The students were convicted on misdemeanor charges in Orange County Superior Court.

Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Rt. Rev. Bolly Lapok, Bishop of Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, has been elected fourth archbishop of the Province of South East Asia.

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Adapted from Anglican Communion News Service:

From the Episcopal Church’s NewsLine:
A Pastoral Teaching from the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church
Quito, Ecuador
September 2011

As the Diocese of Central Florida searches for its fourth bishop, seven nominees reflect its primarily evangelical identity.

From The Associated Press:
A delegation of U.S. Christian and Muslim leaders returned from Iran Monday disappointed they could not immediately secure the release of two Americans jailed as spies for more than two years, but optimistic their release was imminent.

The Rt. Rev. Walter Cameron Righter fought in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, but among Episcopalians he may be best known for his sojourn with the Court for the Trial of a Bishop.

News Analysis

Members of the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s Search/Nominating Committee write that they will receive names until September 30, and add:

By Catherine Kohn
In some of the darkest moments of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center ten years ago, Nathan Brockman saw Christian hope embodied at the parish of Trinity Wall Street.

News Updates

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Catholic Voices
The Authority of General Convention: A Conversation
Introduction by Daniel H. Martins, convener

Catholic Voices
The Authority of General Convention: A Conversation
Part 2
By Ephraim Radner

Catholic Voices
The Authority of General Convention: A Conversation
Part 2
By R. William Franklin

Catholic Voices
The Authority of General Convention: A Conversation
By R. William Franklin

The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, 25th presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, in an interview with Duke Divinity School’s Faith & Leadership:

From a statement posted on Patrick Marker’s Deception in Conception weblog:

“The psychological evaluation had determined that I had a proclivity to reoffend with minors. Abbot [Charles] Wright called Conception Abbey’s Abbot Gregory Polan with this information,” Bede Parry writes. “Abbot Polan would later share the information with Robert Stoeckig from the Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas, Episcopal Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and the human resources department at Mercy Ambulance in Las Vegas.”

The Rt. Rev. Russell E. Jacobus writes: “I have made the decision that it would be imprudent to try to bring the two dioceses together at this time with this uncertainty and division, and have determined to withhold my approval of the junctioning.”

When the Rt. Rev. W. Andrew Waldo planned a trip to New York to hear his son play lead cello in a concert, he also made an appointment to visit Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori at the Episcopal Church Center.

St. Paul’s Cathedral stands as an iconic symbol of continuity amidst London’s ever-changing skyline. It has witnessed three centuries of social change, including two World Wars, which it survived unscathed. Not since Adolf Hitler’s blitz in 1942 has St. Paul’s been forced to close its doors.

From the Episcopal Church’s Office of Public Affairs:
A Pastoral Letter on Israeli-Palestinian Peace
 On the holy mountain stands the city he has founded;