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News Advisory The Rt. Rev. James E. Curry, Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, announced today that the Reverend Canon David Cannon has been appointed as priest-in-charge of Bishop Seabury Episcopal Church in Groton. This appointment was necessitated by the recent retirement of the former rector of the Parish and the decision by some members of the Parish, including the lay leadership, to leave the Episcopal Church and join another church. Father Cannon will assume his pastoral duties immediately. Of course, every member of this Church and our Nation enjoys the freedom to worship in the community of their choosing and we wish those who have departed well in their spiritual journey. Bishop Seabury Episcopal Church is named for the first Episcopal bishop in America. The parish has been a valued member of our Diocese for over a century and the departure of parishioners, while regretted, will not end that storied history. Rather, the Diocese will work with the congregation of the Parish and with Father Cannon to grow that community of faith so that it can continue to serve Christ in Groton and southeastern Connecticut. The appointment of Father Cannon begins the work that will continue in earnest over the coming months and years, so that every member of our Diocese can continue to be God’s People On Mission. # # # October 6, 2007 August 16, 2007 The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut has commenced a legal action against the former rector and former wardens of Trinity Episcopal Church, Bristol, who have refused to turn over possession of Trinity Episcopal Church properties and assets as requested. The complaint is available online here: http://www.ctdiocese.org/news/ Complaint080707.pdf. The legal action, dated August 7, is filed in the Superior Court in New Britain, Conn.
On Pentecost Sunday, May 27, some members of Trinity Episcopal Church, Bristol, including its rector the Rev. Donald Helmandollar, voted to align themselves with the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA). CANA is an initiative of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, a foreign province acting outside the bonds, customs and traditions of the Anglican Communion. Media Advisory Top Episcopal Church bishop to visit Connecticut next week One of the responsibilities of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church is to visit the more than 100 dioceses of the Church over the course of the nine-year term of office. The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, will visit Connecticut June 27-July 1, 2007. The highlight of her visit will be to preside at a service on June 30 in New Haven at which the Rev. Dr. Laura J. Ahrens, 44, of Danbury, will be ordained and consecrated a bishop -- the 14th woman bishop in The Episcopal Church and the first in the Diocese of Connecticut. The event will be held at Woolsey Hall, Yale University, New Haven on Saturday, June 30, starting at 10:30 a.m. (see more, below) The Presiding Bishop will be available for questions at a press conference June 29 (see below). During her stay in Connecticut, the Presiding Bishop will also spend time with Diocesan Bishop Andrew D. Smith and his wife, Kate Smith; meet with New England bishops and with Connecticut clergy, in separate meetings; and visit two of the 174 parishes in the Diocese of Connecticut. Press credentials: Neva Rae Fox, office: 800-334-7626, cell: 917 478 5659, or nrfox@episcopalchurch.org Background on ordination of Bishop Laura Ahrens: The prelude music begins at 10 a.m. Diocesan youth will serve as greeters outside and inside the Hall. The service begins at 10:30 a.m. with a procession that includes the Presiding Bishop, bishops and the bishop-elect, clergy, groups of children with banners, and service participants. The actual consecration takes place during the first half of the service; in the second half the newly consecrated bishop will preside at a celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The entire service is expected to last until 12:30 or 1: p.m. and a reception will follow outside or in a nearby building, depending on the weather. Press conference June 29 __________________________________________________
Media advisory Ecclesiastical charges against the Rt. Rev. Andrew D. Smith dropped by Episcopal Church review committee An elected Episcopal Church review committee has decided to drop all charges brought against Bishop Andrew D. Smith by the rectors and vestries of six parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. Those rectors and some of their vestry members (elected lay leaders) had filed ecclesiastical charges against their bishop, alleging inappropriate application of canon (church) law, among other charges. The charges stemmed from the six rectors’ disagreement with Bishop Smith’s decision to support the consecration of Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, and their refusal to accept the Bishop’s attempts at reconciliation including delegation of another bishop to them. “I am thankful to learn that the Title IV Review Committee found no cause to bring a Presentment based on the charges filed against me by the complaining clergy and lay members of this Diocese who found themselves at odds with my decisions and actions as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut,” said the Rt. Rev. Andrew D. Smith in a statement. “My desire has always been to bring reconciliation with the clergy and laity who sought to dissociate themselves from the oversight of their bishop and the mission and life of the Diocese of Connecticut. I will never abandon that desire and hope. “The Episcopal Church has invested significant time and expense in responding to the charges which were filed by these members of the Diocese of Connecticut in 2005. I am deeply grateful for the care and thoroughness with which the Review Committee and the Church Attorney have investigated and considered the evidence, and I am thankful for their finding. “My prayer is that Christ move us through and beyond the antagonisms which infect us in these times into stronger and clearer mission, witness and life together, that we may be a blessing to God.” In spring 2005, the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Connecticut, an elected council of advice, determined that each of the six rectors had “abandoned the communion of the Church.” They communicated their finding to the Bishop, who had the authority to inhibit the priests from exercising their priestly ministry based on that finding. Bishop Smith inhibited one priest in June 2005, Mark Hansen, based on the Standing Committee recommendation as well as other concerns he had for the well-being of the parish at that time. Six months later, following canon law, Hansen was deposed (removed from the priesthood). The formal ecclesiastical charges by the six rectors and some of their vestry members were submitted to the Episcopal Church’s Presiding Bishop, who at that time was the Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold III. He forwarded the charges to an established Review Committee for further investigation. The Review Committee is composed of five bishops, two priests, and two lay persons, appointed at the Episcopal Church's triennial General Convention. The bishops are appointed by the Presiding Bishop, and the clergy and laity are appointed by the President of the House of Deputies. The Committee acts in a way similar to a grand jury, which determines if there is enough evidence to proceed to a church trial. During their investigation, Committee members requested and received numerous documents from the complainants and from the Diocese. Their final decision came in the form of an 89-page decision mailed on April 11, 2007 to attorneys for the Diocese and for the six (now five) rectors and vestry members. There is no provision for appeal. Separately, and at about the same time as the ecclesiastical charges were filed, the rectors and vestry members of those churches filed charges against Bishop Smith in federal court. Those charges were dismissed in a ruling that declared the matter was more appropriate to be decided by church law. The decision was appealed by the rectors and vestry members and the case will be argued in early summer in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The parishes whose rectors and vestry members filed the charges are Trinity Church, Bristol (the Rev. Donald Helmandollar); St. Paul’s, Darien (the Rev. Christopher Leighton); Christ & the Epiphany, East Haven (the Rev. Gil Wilkes); Bishop Seabury Church, Groton (the Rev. Ronald Gauss); and Christ Church, Watertown (the Rev. Allyn Benedict). The former rector and some former vestry members of St. John’s, Bristol, also filed charges, but the congregation has since elected a new vestry and has a new vicar appointed. There are 174 parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, which comprises the entire state. Most, but not all, agree with Bishop Smith’s decision regarding Bishop Robinson and the full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the life and ministry of the church. Two parishes in the Diocese have accepted a delegated bishop through Smith’s office. The six rectors and vestries, now five, acted collectively and with the direct support of the American Anglican Council (AAC). The AAC has been actively engaged in strategies to realign the Episcopal Church within the worldwide Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is a member. The strategy has been to get the Anglican Communion to recognize only the conservative parishes and dioceses as the “true” Episcopal Church, and to effectively “cut out” the vast majority of parishes and dioceses of the Episcopal Church. For a PDF document of the Review Committee’s determination, visit http://www.ctdiocese.org/news/Title_IV_Review_Committee_Decision.pdf
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