News from the Diocese of South Carolina_______________
Briefly ...
NEW! Jubilate Deo Goes Back to its Old Ways (4/15/08) Click here to read
NEW! Bishop Lawrence is interviewed by American Anglican Council (4/13/08) Click here to read
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Scroll down to read the following ...
1. Bishop Lawrence Authorizes Release of Edited Tapes of Clergy Meeting with Presiding Bishop Katharine (3/5/08) Click here to listen to either audio or video. (Audio version is recommended)
2. Day Two of Bishop Katherine's Visit: Disaffected Clergy Challenge Presiding Bishop (2/25/08)
3. Day One of Bishop Katharine's Visit: Efforts by St. Philip's to Humiliate Presiding Bishop Backfire (2/24/08)
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1. Bishop Lawrence Authorizes Release of Edited Tapes of Clergy Meeting with Presiding Bishop Katharine (March 5, 2008)
Canon Harmon's blog had reported last Friday there would be neither a transcript nor tape of her three-hour meeting with clergy
On Tuesday St. Andrew's, Mount Pleasant posted the tapes at the request of Bishop Lawrence, who was disappointed in the reporting of the Episcopal News Service.
Last Friday the Diocese of South Carolina completed its blackout of the visit of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori by announcing that neither a transcript nor recording of her meeting with diocesan clergy Monday would be made public.
However, disappointed in the Episcopal News Service's coverage, Bishop Lawrence asked the host parish, Saint Andrew's, Mount Pleasant, to post slightly edited audio and video tapes of the event on its parish website so that everyone in the Diocese could could have direct access to what was said. St. Andrews' communications director said the tapes were only edited in a way to protect the privacy of those whose comments were highly personal.
At the meeting, the Presiding Bishop responded to criticisms leveled against her personal faith and her leadership of the Church by members of this diocese. Without a transcript or tape of the meeting the average lay person would have had no substantive opportunity to hear or read the words of the leader of their Church.
On Friday Canon Theologian Kendall Harmon announced on his blog that the Diocese had decided there would be no public transcript or tapes of the meeting because of the sensitive nature of some of the exchanges between the clergy and the Presiding Bishop.
However on Tuesday. a link to St. Andrew's website and the tapes appeared on the official website of the Diocese. It also included a statement from Bishop Lawrence lamenting that the ENS coverage of the visit failed to adequately portray the theological differences many in the Diocese have with the national Church leadership.
Bishop Lawrence's online comment did not mention whether he approved the release of the tapes. However, the rector of St. Andrew's confirmed Wednesday morning that indeed the tapes were made public at the bishop's direction.
Jeffert Schori was in the Diocese last week at the invitation of the Standing Committee, which carefully minimized her contact with the laity and general public. Her schedule was given little publicity, nor was she allowed to preach or celebrate the Eucharist.
The largest gathering at which she appeared was an evensong at St. Philip's in Charleston, where her participation was limited to a single closing prayer. Later on Monday afternoon, she visited Bishop Gadsden Retirement Community on James Island, St. John's Center in Charleston, and Episcopal parishes on Sullivan's Island and Yonges Island.
The decision by the new bishop to make these tapes public is a significant change in the approach of his predecessor, and an encouraging sign to those who want to see greater openness in the way the Diocese does its business.
While SC Episcopalians is not in the habit of patting bishops on the back, we feel compelled to make an exception for Bishop Lawrence in this instance.
Click here to listen to the tapes for yourself
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2. Day Two: Disaffected Clergy Challenge Bishop Katharine during Second Day in the Diocese (February 25, 2008) rev. 2/27
Three-hour praise service, prayer, and conversation is mostly balanced and respectful as she assures participants of her Faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God
"Thanks to her, everyone left there in a better place"
The second and final day of the historic visit of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to South Carolina was centered on a significant and substantive exchange with Diocesan clergy over the direction of the Episcopal Church and questions about her personal faith.
SC Episcopalians spoke to several participants in the three-hour gathering at St. Andrew's in Mount Pleasant, who said the encounter was generally constructive, and provided unhappy clergy a forum in which they could raise their concerns with the leader of the Church directly. Much of the conversation focused on her belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ and comments last year that were twisted by detractors to suggest that her understanding of God was something other than traditional Christian. The visit also included a praise service and prayers.
After the meeting, many had praise for the Presiding Bishop's demeanor, intelligence, and the clarity of her answers. "Thanks to her, everyone left there in a better place than when they went in," said one clergyman from Charleston.
Most participants agreed that Canon Theologian Kendall Harmon; Dow Sanderson, the rector of the Church of the Holy Communion in Charleston; John Barr of Sumter, and Bishop Lawrence gave the most eloquent representations of the hybridized Anglicanism that many in this Diocese advocate.
The Presiding Bishop listened intently to their arguments and responded in thoughtful and measured ways, according to those with whom SC Episcopalians spoke.
A number of the more traditional Episcopalians in the room said they were impressed that remarks of Bishop Lawrence and other speakers who reflected the reality that the parishes in the diocese reflect a wide diversity of styles and hold different points-of-view about the future of the Episcopal Church.
"For the first time, I feel like someone has noticed that my parish and my ministry exists," said one clergyman from a traditional parish. In the past Bishop Salmon insisted that the Diocese was solidly unified in its positions on key issues. In fact traditional parishes were marginalized and largely unrepresented in the policy-making councils of the Diocese.
All seemed to give high marks to Bishop Lawrence for making the encounter a constructive one.
Thumbs down for Wood and Zadig. The most unflattering comments from the meeting participants were directed at Steve Wood, the rector of the parish at which the meeting was held, and Al Zadig, the young rector of St. Michael's in Charleston.
Wood had trashed the Presiding Bishop online several days in advance of the meeting and several of his clergy colleagues described his attack on her as "disgusting". Yet given the opportunity to address his criticisms of her directly in a public forum on his home turf, he remained silent.
Unfortunately, after the meeting, he again took to his blog, suggesting that "Ms. Jefferts Schori" is the "anti-Christ".
SC Episcopalians has not reviewed the entire dialogue from the end of Monday's meeting, but according to many who were present, Zadig seemed determined to continue to mischaracterize the Presiding Bishop's faith even after she had just spent two hours explaining it.
The PB seemed frustrated and expressed her disbelief that he could not grasp what had already been said. Even her critics described Zadig's comments as off-base.
Bishop Lawrence intervened and ended the meeting.
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3. Day One: Humiliating Treatment of Bishop Katharine Backfires on First Day of Historic Visit to Charleston (February 24, 2008) 9 p.m.
Nearly 500 welcomed the Presiding Bishop at St. Philip's, while the Diocese continues to insist that she neither preach nor celebrate the Eucharist
Steve Wood fires an ugly attack as Diocesan clergy prepare to meet Church leader at his parish Monday morning
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori proved to be a strong and popular draw in Charleston Sunday afternoon as nearly 500 people filled St. Philip's for a service of Evensong. By any measure, it demonstrated that she has many admirers in a Diocese that is supposedly united in its opposition to her leadership.
St. Philip's was her first stop on a two-day visit during which she will meet privately with Diocesan clergy, many of whom resent her leadership and question her faith in Jesus Christ.
At the insistence of our leadership, Jefferts Schori will not celebrate the Eucharist or preach while she is in the Diocese. They believe it may be dangerous to their spiritual health to share the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ with someone who does not share their own narrow understanding of the Bible. Many right-wing clergy see the manipulation of sacraments as a way to express contempt for fellow Christians whose experience of God is not precisely in line with their own.
Mindful of these concerns, Jefferts Schori is describing the focus of her visit as educational. After the service at St. Philip's she said she was looking forward to learning more about the work the Diocese is doing in the mission field.
St. Philip's embarrassed the Diocese. In spite of its beauty, St. Philip's proved to be an inhospitable and inappropriate location for the Diocese to welcome the Episcopal Church's only superstar, particularly since there were other more welcoming parishes that had asked to host her.
The service itself, in one of Charleston
most historic churches, was joyless except for the voices of a
wonderful youth choir and an announcement that the Presiding Bishop was
sitting in the sanctuary.
Many at the evensong were annoyed right off the bat to find that the service leaflet referred to the Presiding Bishop simply as "The Right Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori". Her correct title is "The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate". The first title means that she is simply a bishop, while the second properly recognizes that she is the leader of the Episcopal Church and in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury as the Anglican Primate in the United States.
Through logic that is often unique to Charleston, people at St. Philip's do not recognize her as the leader and Primate of the Episcopal Church even though she was duly elected under the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and recognized as such by the Archbishop of Canterbury. They erroneously believe that as Primate she has some kind of "authority" over them, and they vehemently reject that non-existent authority.
Those who planned Sunday's service appeared to have manipulated scripture readings to highlight those that condemned sexual immorality and urged cessation of rebellious acts against God, pointed references to Jefferts Schori's full inclusion of homosexuals in the life of the Church. The organ prelude, Bach's "O Man, Bewail thy Grievous Sin", helped drive the point home.
Members of Sunday's congregation, largely comprised of people from other parishes, became increasingly irritated when it was clear that Bishop Katharine would have no meaningful role in the service except to offer up a single final prayer. SC Episcopalians learned that even before she arrived, her office was advised that St. Philip's didn't care if she even vested and processed.
However, the growing displeasure with the direction of the service reached a breaking point toward the end, when St. Philip's rector, Haden McCormick, finally announced that the Presiding Bishop was present and thanked her for coming.
At the mention of her name, the congregation erupted into enthusiastic and sustained applause. When McCormick tried to tamp down the extended ovation, it only seemed to re-energize.
Following the service, the congregation was invited to meet Bishop Katharine at a very modest reception in the parish hall, which proved to be an inadequate venue for such a large crowd. Many people, waiting in the long line outside, left.
Inside, the reception was a relatively minor effort. Even with a professional chef on staff, St. Philip's managed only a few trays of cookies as refreshments.
Those who did get inside were rewarded with brief upbeat remarks from the the Presiding Bishop. She was told in advance to keep her comments to ten minutes.
Even with those constraints, the Presiding Bishop proved to be adept speaker, whose self-depreciating humor endeared to her listeners as she then spoke eloquently of the Episcopal Church's commitment to mission and the work it is doing around the world. She briefly tried out her version of a southern accent, and generously posed for photographs and autographed her book. Normally a very reserved person, she seemed to endure awkwardly the Southern-style hugs and kisses from her many admirers.
After her remarks, those at the reception, including the PB, were told they had to clear out since St. Philip's needed the room for another activity.
Why the Diocese chose to "welcome" the Presiding Bishop at such a dysfunctional location is a mystery. McCormick is President of the Standing Committee of the Diocese which might explain it. However, at least three other more suitable Charleston parishes -- Grace, Holy Communion, & Bishop Gadsden -- had issued invitations to the PB weeks ago ... only to have them nixed by the Diocesan leadership.
Lawrence proves to be gracious host. Newly-consecrated Bishop Mark Lawrence presided over the service and graciously introduced the Presiding Bishop at the reception. He too was greeted warmly with applause. Most of the planning for the PB's visit was done before his consecration.
The timing of the Presiding Bishop's visit this early in Lawrence's episcopate may not have been the best for him. He's still settling in to his new role and has only had a few weeks since Salmon's departure to establish his authority, especially among the more unruly clergy. At a meeting of Charleston clergy earlier in the week, the new bishop had pleaded with them to respect the Presiding Bishop and receive her with appropriate courtesy even though they may oppose her leadership.
St. Andrew's proves to be an un-gracious host. Unfortunately at least one of them, the Rev. Steve Wood of St. Andrew's in Mount Pleasant, couldn't restrain himself and unleashed a sarcastic online attack against the Presiding Bishop. Wood referred to her as "The leader of the Episcopal Church - an entity that resembles the out-of-control satellite soon to reenter the earth's atmosphere threatening physical damage from both the breakup of its structure to the toxicity of the fuel which drives it."
At Lawrence's request, Wood had agreed to host the meeting between Jefferts Schori and Diocesan clergy at his parish Monday morning.
Wood said he decided to go along with the request based on the assurance that Bishop Jefferts Schori "will not exercise the perogatives of the episcopal office nor will we share Eucharistic fellowship." Wood also explained that he was inspired to host the meeting because of the example of Jesus "who ate with both tax collectors and sinners as well as Pharisees."
A number of clergy and lay people at Sunday's evensong said they were angered and disgusted by Wood's attack. Jefferts Schori will meet with Diocesan
clergy Monday morning and then end her visit at Bishop Gadsden
Retirement Center on James Island where a large friendly crowd is
expected. Members of the public can greet Bishop Katharine at Bishop Gadsden there at 5:30 p.m.
The Charleston Post & Courier, whose publisher is a member of St. Philip's, has carried no information on the historic visit of the Presiding Bishop, so those seeking information about her schedule should rely on the Diocesan website.
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