The work goes on

The ordination of Father Jonathan Filkins

On the morning of August 25th, a very hot Saturday even in northern Pennsylvania, I stood in the company of other priests, including some as notable as Fr. Charles Nalls, with our right hands laid upon the ordinand to the priesthood. Bishop Rocco Florenza, sitting on the episcopal throne, his hands stretched out on the head of the man before him, said the familiar words from the Ordinal: “Receive the Holy Ghost for the Office and Work of a Priest in the Church of God, now committed unto thee by the Imposition of our hands. Whose sins thou dost forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins thou dost retain, they are retained. And be thou a faithful Dispenser of the Word of God, and of his holy Sacraments; In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.” Then I saw the bishop move his head nearer to the new priest’s ear, and say, “stay close to me, my son, and together we will work to build Christ’s Church.” I thought to myself, “now, that’s a true bishop.”

The detractors of faithful traditional Anglicans tell us that we are a small insignificant movement that has barely any present, and certainly no future. Even if that were true, men like Fr. Filkins, Bishop Florenza, the priests I stood with that morning, and indeed the priests I serve with and my own bishop in Easton, Maryland, would put it right. The ordination of Fr. Filkins, who served long as a deacon, points to the future; for those of us who have been together in the same foxhole in the same battle, his ordination is a triumph in itself, a victory against the forces of Satan. It is also a testimony to the character of a man formed by the Holy Spirit amidst hardship. Most men, knowing their calling, would have found a quicker and easier route than Jon Filkins; and most of them would not be as strong for finding it.

When I arrived in the Phoenix Valley in the summer of 2005, I was one of four local clergymen in the Anglican Province of Christ the King. Aside from two priests with their own parishes, I had the pleasure of working with a deacon about whom I knew only a little. But, what I knew impressed me. I knew that he had been turned down for ordination to the priesthood, and yet accepted the situation and continued to serve the people of the Church of the Atonement in Fountain Hills (just east of Scottsdale), and also Christ Church in Carefree. This impressed me because I know how easy it is, in all of the confusion of alphabet soup “Anglicanism” to find some bishop somewhere who, for whatever consideration, will ordain a man. I know also, with the various jurisdictions that have a presence in Phoenix and every major city, it is easy to leave one for another with or without much cause, and seek ordination. Jon Filkins had just cause to do that very thing, but he did not do it. He had been in the APCK seminary (St. Joseph of Arimathea Seminary) in Berkeley California after his ordination to the deaconate, sent with the full approval of the Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of the Southwestern States, Rt. Rev. Frederick Morrison.

While then Deacon Filkins was there, Archbishop Robert Morse told him one day to prepare to be ordained to the priesthood and sent to Boston Massachusetts to a specific Parish. Later, the Archbishop told him to choose his presenter, and get his invitations ready: The date for ordination was set. Deacon Filkins asked, “but, what about my Bishop Ordinary?” It struck him as very strange that Bishop Frederick Morrison would send him to the seminary only to hand his entire vocation over to the Archbishop. The answer to him from Archbishop Morse was not to worry; everything was in place with the full approval of Bishop Morrison. Like a good soldier, then Deacon Filkins obeyed. He chose a presenter and sent invitations to friends and family as he was directed.

A few days later, Archbishop Morse was leaving to go to Washington D.C. From inside the car, Archbishop Morse called to Jon, and said “You need to call your Bishop right away.” The window rolled up, and the car was off to the airport. Without delay, the obedient deacon attempted to call Bishop Morrison. Archbishop Morse returned the following week only to hear that Bishop Morrison had never come to the phone and had never returned any of Deacon Filkins’ phone calls. Therefore, the archbishop himself said, “the ordination is off. You’re in conflict with your bishop.” And then, as if replying to an argument that had never been made, “I won’t break collegiality.” Archbishop Morse then said to him, “you need to leave the seminary as soon as possible.” The deacon had fallen into disfavor with his own bishop for doing what he had been told; he had presumed nothing, and had practiced the virtue of obedience in full trust- as many before him had done since 1978.

“You’re in conflict with your bishop.” A bishop who had never voiced any objections to him? A bishop who could not be bothered to talk to his own deacon under such trying circumstances? A bishop who knew that pain and confusion were sure to come to a man under his pastoral care, but who remained hidden away and indifferent? The conflict was between the archbishop, who had overstepped the boundaries of his authority, and a diocesan bishop who decided to punish this innocent man for the archbishop’s offense. The sad truth is, a lot of good clergy have found themselves victimized over these last three decades. Families of clergy have suffered both emotionally and financially, and the list of bodies buried outside the Provincial camp is long, and somewhat well known (I am exercising restraint. The facts that my fellow clergy have are documented and many).

After more than a year Jon Filkins finally heard from his Bishop Ordinary. He spent his own money to travel to Tulsa Oklahoma to the annual diocesan synod, where Bishop Morrison told him, in front of the standing committee, that under no circumstances would he ever become a priest. The decision of the bishop, without spending any time to get to know this man, was firm and permanent. Under the Canons of the APCK, where all of the bishops must approve every postulant to the priesthood, this meant that then Deacon Jon Filkins would never be a priest, since Bishop Morrison, having once been slighted by the archbishop, would use his veto power to forever treat this human being as a symbol of the occasion.

Humble and obedient servant

Even with all of this provocation, the good Deacon never abandoned his post, and never ran off to the alphabet soup Anglicans. When I arrived in Arizona, and the Church of the Atonement was in the hands of a priest, he felt free to move away where he came under the pastoral care of a different bishop- Bishop Florenza. I did not know the story in those days, except for a very brief account by a few people who made it all sound a little confusing. When I heard from Bishop Frederick Morrison about this matter, the story was cleaned up, with a few subtractions and a few additions, all of which I believed at the time since I could not imagine that my bishop would ever tell me anything that was at all misleading. But, I knew Jon Filkins just long enough to know that he was the kind of man I would want with me in a foxhole. I knew that he had suffered some amount of injustice, even if it was only due to innocent failure of communication (something I thought, at the time, that I could try to put right), and that he had demonstrated humility, obedience and patience. He did not speak ill of the bishop, or of the archbishop at any time during the months that he served with me as deacon in the Church. He had been the pastor of the congregation for the months leading up to my arrival, and humbly took the place of a deacon under my authority as the priest. I relied on his understanding of the people in that church, since he knew them and their own peculiar ways as individuals. He loved them, and they loved him.

Father Jon Filkins has stepped into his new role as the rector of a country church in northern Pennsylvania. His congregation has been under the care of an elderly priest, Fr. Livingston, who is retiring and moving to North Carolina. St. Alban’s Anglican Church is near a college town that contains Penn State University. His prospects for evangelism sound particularly exciting, since Anglicanism does very well in college towns, especially for men who know how to make use of the intellectual resources available to us. Fr. Filkins is a living demonstration of God’s faithfulness, just as he is an example of patience and humility. And, his ordination is just another proof that we are moving ahead and taking ground.

The soul that to Jesus hath fled for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell shall endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

Taking This Bull by the Horns

Do your damndest

I have learned that at least one of the clergy of the Diocese of the Southwestern States, Anglican Province of Christ the King, has written to a correspondent of mine to say that, in addition to what I have reported about my dismissal from the Church of the Atonement, there are “other issues” about me. Furthermore, a priest in the Diocese of the Western States, to be exact in California (yes, you know who you are) told the former chancellor of the whole APCK that he knows “the real story” about me.

Well doggone fellas, don’t keep me in the dark. None of the priests of the APCK has anything of mine to keep under the seal, since my confessor was a Roman Catholic priest the whole time. So, you are all free to say anything and everything that you know. And remember, truth is the one valid defense in cases of slander or libel. But, if any one of you claims to be keeping anything under the seal, I give permission to make it all public. You can use the comments right here (just watch your language)- everyone from his Grace, Frederick the Bishop, to the most junior priest- or a layman- anybody. I really want to hear “the real story” and “other issues.” Was I ordained by the “Dead Hand”? Was I a bank robber? Do I kick dogs? Do I have a secret second wife and family hidden from the little woman? Am I really Baby Face Nelson, finally exposed after all these years? What, pray tell, is the juicy scandal?

Let ‘er rip! Do your damndest!

ON OTHER FRONTS

The Barking Toad is a blog that has been inactive for about two years, but is suddenly bursting with activity. The Toad himself has not revealed his identity; but it seems he knows a lot. I get the idea he was in on some sensitive information.

An Imprimatur

Archbishop Mark Haverland, Metropolitan of the Original Province of the Anglican Catholic Church, has told me he fully supports the post below, More on Alleged Donatism, and has given permission to note this approval publicly.

Now It's Official

The following report was written by Auburn Faber Traycik. I have been sitting on this until it appeared on Virtue Online

JUST WEEKS after an Anglican Province of Christ the King (APCK) bishop voiced serious frustration with longstanding divisions in the mainstream Continuing Church, he and nearly all parishes and clergy of his diocese have left the APCK for the Anglican Church in America (ACA). In a July 23 letter lamenting the APCK's failure to advance dialogue begun with the ACA and another leading Continuing body, the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC), a few years ago, Eastern States Bishop Rocco Florenza told new APCK Archbishop James Provence that 12 of the 14 congregations in the eastern diocese are realigning with the ACA, and that he is going with them...

See the rest here.

Bishop Florenza's letter to the bishops of the Province of Christ the King:

Dear Archbishop Provence:

This letter is to advise you and bishops Wiygul and Morrison that I have received notification that the following parishes and missions within my diocese have elected to separate from the Province of Christ the King and have affiliated with the Anglican Church in America , a body of faithful, traditional Anglicans with whom we are in communion:

1. Anglican Church of the Resurrection, Ansonia, CT
2. Anglican Church of the Ascension, Manchester, CT
3. Holy Apostles Anglican Church, Peewaukee, WI
4. Saint Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, Liverpool, N.Y.
5. Saint Alban's Anglican Church, State College, PA
6. Saint Mark's Anglican Church, Benton, KY
7. Saint Anne's Anglican Church, Columbus, OH
8. Saint Paul's Anglican Mission, Crystal Lake, IL
9. Saint Matthew's Anglican Mission, Custer, WI
10. All Souls Anglican Mission, Schylerville, N.Y.
11. Saint Michael's Anglican Mission, Albany, N.Y.
12. Saint Therese Anglican Mission, Washington, N.J.

In charity and in accordance with the standing practice of the Province, I have exercised my authority as bishop ordinary to dispense them from the canons pertaining to the departure of parishes from this body. As well, I have issued letters dimissory to the clergy of those parishes and missions so that they may affiliate with the Anglican Church in America without interruption to their respective ministries and work for Christ

I have not granted these requests lightly, but after much prayer and reflection on the needs of the people and clergy under my pastoral care and on the future of Christ’s church as it is found in the traditional Anglican expression. I believe that I can do nothing less and remain true to Scripture, tradition and the foundational principles of our movement.

I have been a member of the clergy of this Province since its inception. Now, as a bishop. I must say that I no longer believe that it is possible to remain divided from those with whom we share the same Apostolic origins, the same theology and the same Sacraments. As stated in my recent pastoral letter to my diocese, such division stands in contradiction to the will of Christ, has been a stumbling block to our work for Him in the world, and has inflicted damage on the witness of the traditional Anglican expression. Our clergy recognize this, and, more importantly, our lay people well-know the cost of a fragmented witness. This was the reason for such great hope over our meetings in Fond du Lac two years past, and cause for such great disappointment when our Province, which had convened those meetings, did not move forward to build on that moment.

A community truly centered on Christ present in the Sacrament cannot be closed in upon itself, as though it were somehow self-sufficient; rather it must strive for harmony with other catholic communities. We cannot erect artificial barriers to the unity of the church based on old wounds and particularized views of communion based on those past events. We are called as the people of God to press forward together, to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Accordingly, I have requested that I be received into the Anglican Church in America, together with the people and clergy of the parishes and missions named above, to serve them as a pastor and bishop for such time as God allows me to so to do. This request has been granted and is effective this 23rd day of July, in the year of Our Lord 2007.

In Christ,

The Rt. Rev. Rocco A. Florenza

Two Perspectives, From Inside and Outside

Crow can be a healthy dish.

In previous postings I presented the subject of the 2004 pilgimage to Fond du Lac, knowing exactly and only what we were supposed to see from inside the Province of Christ the King. I have stated rather boldy that position as fact. Having received better information, I am aware that the ACC had made clear their position ahead of time to (now retired) Archbishop Morse, and that this information did not go further as it should have (I know that Bishop Florenza was not informed at all, and expected the ACC bishops to receive alongside the others). The picture is very clear, and what happened was a case of manipulation. Throughout the APCK, the whole affair was chalked up to having learned from experience the bitter lesson: There is no point in trying to unify the jurisdictions. I am sorry to say, I do not think that was an accident.

This does not mean that I have reversed my view that the ACA should be treated as a full partner in going forward to promote unity in the Continuing Church. Neither does it reverse my position that the ACC needs to beware of further manipulation in coming to the aid of the APCK for a temporary new relationship that is really meant to further isolate the ACA because of Bishop Rocco Florenza and his diocese. But, I know that progress will not be made without discussion that involves theological clarity, and goodwill from all concerned, both the ACC and the TAC-ACA. I have seen, very recently, a very different attitude in very significant men in the ACC. It is different from what has been presented locally by a few priests, and what was presented in rather harsh and rigid comments by one priest on this blog (very much the opposite of our own Fr. Kirby, who has consistently represented the ACC intelligently, and charitably).

However, with a new Archbishop in the APCK, that jurisdisdiciton should cease to be, to a very unfortunate degree, too much of a personality cult. But, will they become truly collegial? The exclusion of Bishop Florenza from the voting process is disturbing; however, that was done by the retired Archbishop. Again, it pains me to speak this way, because I have had only affection and respect for the retired Archbishop as well as for the new one, having enjoyed our few times when we met face to face, and when I spoke to Archbishop Morse over the phone on several occasions. And, I do not want to detract from the good things he has accomplished, including his very effective personal evangelism as a college chaplain on the very difficult Berkeley campus.


Bishop Florenza has not had an easy time making his decisions, and did not come to them rashly or quickly. Much will be made of his comments about unity, and I know in advance that people will write comments calling the whole matter into question. However, I believe that his conclusion is valid; he does not see any possible way to work toward unity strictly from within the APCK unless the habits of decades are unlearned. Furthermore, he must act as a shepherd to protect those under his care from harm, and this protection has proved, over and over, to be very difficult to give, sometimes impossible, strictly within the APCK.

Letter from New APCK Archbishop

The following pastoral letter from the new archbishop of the Anglican Province of Christ the King, the Most Revd James E. Provence, was published on the APCK website. Notice the absence of any mention of seeking unity with the Anglican Church in America.

The Clergy and People of the Province

Dearly Beloved Brethren,

The Feast of St. Peter this year was one of historical significance for the Anglican Province of Christ the King. On that day, in the cathedral church dedicated to Peter, the fisherman who became a fisher of men, Robert Sherwood Morse handed over apostolic responsibility for the clergy and people of the APCK to his successor, James Eugene Provence. To underscore the sacramental character of the office of archbishop, the election took place at the offertory of the Mass. Following the announcement of the new archbishop, the Mass continued, reminding us that without Christ, our work is in vain.

After the Liturgy, many clergy and laity approached Archbishop Morse to offer their thanks for his nearly thirty years of leadership and for giving us an orderly succession.

The election of the Second Archbishop is also a fitting tribute to the courage of Bishop Albert Chambers who entrusted us with the Apostolic Ministry. Acknowledging that trust, your bishops are committed to increased efforts toward unity with the other two branches that spring directly from the root of the Chambers Succession: the Anglican Catholic Church and the United Episcopal Church, North America. We believe that any progress toward unity must begin at that source.

While unity is an important goal, the primary responsibility of bishops is to feed the flock of Christ with the Word of God and the sacraments of the Church. This is the commission given to Peter, to the rest of the Apostles and to the bishops in their direct succession. Aware of this solemn responsibility, it is our commitment to continue leading this branch of Christ's Church in this most holy mission.

Yours in Christ Jesus,

The Most Rev. James E. Provence

ACA Responds to Florenza

The following was published on July 11 in The Messenger, the newspaper of the Traditional Anglican Communion:

IN a Pastoral Letter recently read to parishes and missions of the Anglican Province of Christ the King's (APCK) Diocese of the Eastern States, Bishop Rocco Florenza pledged increased “cooperation and fellowship” and declared “a state of genuine unity and full communion” with the Anglican Church in America. In response, the following statement has been issued by Bishop George Langberg, speaking for the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church in America:

“We rejoice at the news that this significant step toward the greater unity of the Church has been taken by Bishop Florenza and others. We join our brother in Christ in proclaiming that we are in full and unimpaired communion with each other, and we are committed to working with him toward the vision our Lord expressed for His Church in John 17 – that we might be one, as He and the Father are One. Our hope and prayer is that our work together may inspire others to set aside man-made divisions and come together in fulfillment of Christ's explicit Divine Will for His Church.”

When asked to explain what shape Bishop Florenza's “genuine unity” and the ACA bishops' “working together” would take, Bishop Langberg referred to the “form follows function” principle of architecture and engineering, saying, “We first need to focus on getting everyone on both sides thoroughly committed to following our Lord's clearly-expressed will for His Church. Once we all thus agree on what we are determined to do, we can address the issue of how to make it happen, in full confidence that if we trust in the Lord, He will direct our paths.”

Haverland on Church Unity

STATEMENT FROM THE METROPOLITAN OF THE ORIGINAL PROVINCE OF THE ANGLICAN
CATHOLIC CHURCH CONCERNING CHURCH UNITY

For the past twelve years, the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) has had an official policy of seeking unity among Continuing Anglicans in general, but of seeking it first with the Anglican Province of Christ the King (APCK) and the United Episcopal Church of North America (UEC), which are the other two Churches that share our beginnings in the Congress of Saint Louis (1977), in the Affirmation of Saint Louis, and in the 'Chambers Succession' of consecrations of bishops in Denver (1978). In part, this beginning point rested on a judgment of principle, namely that the unfulfilled hopes of 1977-1978 should be realized as soon as possible. In part, this judgement rested in the practical expectation that Churches with so much in common might find it easier to unite than would bodies with less in common.

In any case, it seems to us now desirable to state firmly and clearly the following points:

1. The ACC believes itself to be in a state of full communio in sacris with the APCK and the UEC;
2. The ACC believes that anything which divides these three bodies from each other is regrettable and should be stopped or overcome;
3. The ACC believes that anything that undermines the internal unity and stability of any of these three bodies harms us all and harms the cause of unity among Catholic and Orthodox Anglicans. In particular we believe that one cannot serve the cause of unity by undermining or dividing any of the foundational Churches of the Continuing Church movement;
4. And, finally, the ACC believes that we cannot be in a state of full communio in sacris with any ecclesial body which is a member of the Lambeth Communion or which is in communion with any body that has such membership.

I now call upon the of bishops UEC and the APCK to join me in affirming these points. I pledge to assist them in sustaining their own unity and stability. And I pledge to work with them, quietly and patiently, in order to build full organic unity amongst ourselves.

The Most Reverend Mark Haverland, Ph.D.
Archbishop & Metropolitan
July 3, 2007. Athens, Georgia

TAC Responds to Bishop Florenza

The following statement was carried on The Messenger, the newspaper of the Traditional Anglican Communion:

THE Primate of the TAC welcomes the overtures recently made by one of the dioceses of the Anglican Province of Christ the King, as a further deepening of the unity of the Continuum in the United States. This is not a sudden process, but one that has come from a deepening of prayer, friendship and conversations across the old divisions of the US Continuum.

Unity always comes at a price. Jesus prayed unconditionally for the unity of His followers on the night before He died, and the price was paid the next day on the Cross.

Coming at the close of the truly extraordinary and heroic ministry of Archbishop Morse, the timing of this announcement is both poignant and prophetic. Poignant, because he is the last of the first four bishops of the Continuum who chose to walk apart from one another to leave Episcopal office. Prophetic, because his successors are now making the moves, sacrificial of their own interests, that are now uniting this generation of those who stand apart from the Anglican churches that still abandon Gospel Truth and Catholic order.

May Archbishop Morse be richly blessed in this life and the next for his witness, and may the movement that he helped to found deepen its obedience to the Son of God who prayed for unity, and died.

Provence is New APCK Archbishop

Fr Hart was right. The following is from the APCK website:

Bishops of the Anglican Province of Christ the King elected the Most Reverend James Eugene Provence the 2nd Archbishop in the Pro-Cathedral of St. Peter, Oakland, California, on Friday, June 29, 2007.

The new Archbishop will continue to administer the Diocese of the Western States, and Archbishop Robert Morse will continue to direct St. Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Theological College in Berkeley, California.

What to expect

Do not expect me to write this way often. Normally, I write to edify and teach. But, too many issues are coming at us so fast that clarification is needed. Normally, I write as a pastor and teacher; but sometimes one must accept the role of a prophet, however relunctantly.

This weekend you can expect to see Bishop James Provence become the new Archbishop of the APCK. Bishop Provence is a very sound orthodox man whose grasp of theology is excellent, and with whom I have had only pleasant, and edifying, conversations. However, real leadership will continue to come from Archbishop Robert Sherwood Morse. I mean "leadership" in the sense that Ronald Reagan was a leader; that is, apart from official status or position, someone people follow. What I saw during a visit to Berkeley was that his real heart is in the personal witness he continued to give to students at the University campus there, never tiring from this task despite his advanced age (which may have slowed down his walk, but never his mind), and in St. Joseph of Arimathea Seminary. I could not help but feel both respect and affection for the man I saw.

Also, expect that Bishop Rocco Florenza and his whole diocese will be forced out of the APCK, despite that fact that his recent actions do not violate any portion of Canon Law.

Unfortunately, despite its orthodoxy and very high standard of education for clergy, the APCK has a track record of destroying some of its most faithful and effective clergy. We can only hope that the new archbishop will make it his task to find a way for this to end. Instead of Canon Law prevailing, and instead of true pastoral oversight from the bishops, the clergy have been kept in line with intimidation, watching examples made of men who fall into disfavor, not because of sin or heresy, but because of their public profile, or because of imagined threats that they pose to some unwritten rules to maintain the structure.

One example of the kind of behavior that must end is the case of Fr. Novak, a faithful priest who took his role as Ecumenical Officer too seriously. Because he was actually getting something accomplished, his income was taken away, and the Provincial Development Fund foreclosed on his Church (that is, the bishops as a group sold the church property after calling in their loan by majority vote). Fr. Novak is now selling vegetables for a living, and holding his congregation together as they enter a different jurisdiction. Another case is that of Fr. Samuel Edwards, highly respected (as he ought to be) everywhere by faithful Catholic Anglicans- that is, everywhere except among bishops of the Province of Christ the King. Over the years many others have simply been thrown to the wolves for no genuine reason, without regard for the needs of their families and without any process of Canon Law (the old dodge, not charging someone with anything, so that he cannot defend himself).

And, the Provincial Development Fund needs to become what it was truly meant to be: A method of building churches. Right now, it can be used either for that, or simply as a method of holding power over clergy and congregations not really different from the power held by bishops of the ECUSA in their dioceses, except that a church may eventually pay off its debts. These loans involve interest, despite an ancient Canon from the Council of Nicea (AD 325).

The APCK has always had a reputation for being aloof and tyrannical. Frankly, with all the good that one may find there, the challenge to the new archbishop will be to clean up this reputation, and call for the Council of bishops to abide by their own Canon Laws, and to learn to respect the priesthood as a thing higher than their own persons. Even if they have been elevated to the episcopate, the priesthood of Christ in His Church is still greater than any one of them. As long as the clergy are Canon Fodder, the old reputation will cling.

Unity or Schism?

The following is from David Virtue:

The Bishop of the Eastern States of the Anglican Province of Christ the King, (APCK) the Rt. Rev. Rocco A. Florenza has written a letter to his clergy and people declaring that "a state of genuine unity and full communion" now exists with the Anglican Church in America (ACA).

Bishop Florenza's unilateral action has neither been approved nor disapproved by the other bishops of the APCK, a denomination which stands at a crossroads.

The timing of this announcement comes as Archbishop Robert Sherwood Morse has said he will step down as the head of the Continuing Church body.

The election of his successor is scheduled for the end of June.

The staunchly Anglo-Catholic APCK was formed in 1977 following the Affirmation of St. Louis because of fundamental changes by the Episcopal Church at the 1976 Episcopal Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota to accommodate new beliefs and practices i.e. the ordination of women to the priesthood and the adoption of the revisionist 1979 Prayer Book.

The Right Rev. George Langberg is President of the ACA. This Continuing Church body is a constituent member of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) whose Archbishop is Australian-born John Hepworth.

In his letter, Florenza sharply criticized what he called "the brokenness of our witness for Christ as traditional Anglicans.

"Now, some thirty years after the Affirmation of St. Louis...the traditional Anglican expression in the U.S. has grown increasingly fragmented. At present between 20 and 40 groups calling themselves "Anglican" stand divided; and the few major groups whose roots are grounded in the Denver Consecrations, despite sharing communion and in some cases clergy, remain apart." Florenza said the divisions were "man-made."

"How is it possible to remain divided if we share the same apostolic origins, the same theology and the same Sacraments? Such divisions contradict the will of Christ [and] present a stumbling block to out work for Him in this world, and inflicts damage on our witness as traditional Anglican Christians."

Florenza then wrote, "It is in the interest of unity of the Body of Christ that the Diocese of Eastern States, Anglican Province of Christ the King, has renewed its commitment to ever-closer work with those who share the same origins, theology and sacraments."

Florenza then said as "your diocesan bishop I have pledged to increase our cooperation and fellowship with the Anglican Church in America (ACA), a respected body that has been in real and visible communion with this diocese and with the province. Therefore, I now declare openly a state of genuine unity and full communion with these our brothers and sisters who hold fast to the same eternal truths as do we."

A source told VOL. "Bishop Florenza is moving unilaterally toward unity with the ACA because he feels it is right and he has grown tired of the solitary status quo."

"If Florenza encounters opposition from his fellow APCK bishops to his agreement with the ACA, he has the option to move his entire diocese into the ACA," said the source. "Bishop Florenza's letter is a Godly challenge to the current direction of the APCK and is a much needed breath of fresh air and vitality."

I was tipped off to this development early last week, but chose to wait until it actually occurred. I wrote to Bishop Florenza, asking for confirmation and comment, but received no reply.

My source had the following to add: "There is no specific declaration of secession from the APCK, but the idea is that +Morse and the other bishops will take this much as a bull takes a matador's red cape, and go after +Fiorenza to depose him; and then the diocese and most of its clergy and parishes will decamp for the ACA."

We would welcome comment from those involved, particularly Bishop Florenza and Archbishop Morse.

It Was True

David Virtue was right about the upcoming selection of a new archbishop for the Anglican Province of Christ the King. The following from the APCK website:

Dear Brethren:

On St. Peter's Day, June 29th, at 11:00 a.m. the College of Bishops will meet at St. Peter's Pro-Cathedral, Oakland, California for the Liturgy of St. Peter. Then in solemn assembly the Bishops will elect the new Archbishop for the Province of Christ the King.

The Mass will be open to all those who wish to attend this historic occasion. It is significant that the election take place at St. Peter's Pro-Cathedral on St. Peter's Feast Day for the Province was first established in that church.

Please pray for the Bishops at this time.

With every good wish and blessing,

The Most Reverend Robert Sherwood Morse

ACC, UECNA in Communion Accord

(Archbishops Haverland, left, and Reber)

I read the following news this morning with great joy.

On Ascension Day, May 17, 2007, The Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) and the United Episcopal Church (UECNA) entered into a communion agreement. Archbishop Stephen Reber of the UECNA and Archbishop Mark Haverland of the ACC signed the agreement at Saint Stephen's Pro-cathedral, Athens, Georgia to restore or reaffirm the state of communio in sacris between the churches. This agreement came into immediate effect, though it still needs to be ratified by the ACC Provincial Synod and the UECNA Convention.

“This comes at a time when Anglicanism in the USA is at a crossroads, when people are looking for firm ground to stand on and a place to belong,” said Bishop Leo Michael of the UECNA, who was present at the meeting along with Bishop Presley Hutchens of the ACC. The four Bishops celebrated Ascension Day with a noon Eucharist after signing the agreement.

“We recognize in each other the presence of the essentials of the Christian Faith, Catholic Order, Apostolic Succession, Anglican worship, and Christian morals,” said Archbishop Mark Haverland.

The 1977 Congress of St. Louis, thanks to the efforts of the Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen (FCC), was an answer from faithful Episcopalians and Anglicans, both laity and clergy, to the exigencies of changes wrought by the then Episcopal Church USA. Their ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate and the doctrinally controversial 1979 Book of Common Prayer necessitated the birth of the Continuing Church. The churches were determined to “continue in the Catholic Faith, Apostolic Order, Orthodox Worship and Evangelical Witness of the traditional Anglican Church, doing all things necessary for the continuance of the same.”

Thirty faithful years later, impelled by the commonness of origin and the common participation in the one holy catholic and apostolic church, the ACC and the UECNA have come forth with a pastoral provision. The effect of the agreement will be to make explicit the somewhat doubtful continuation of the communion that many believe has always persisted between the two churches, both of which stem from the Denver consecrationsof bishops in January 1978.

Members of both churches will be welcomed at the altars of both bodies, and the clergy of both will be available for baptisms, funerals, and marriages as needed. Each church has agreed to consult carefully with the other in all matters affecting the other, including episcopal acts and ecumenical relations with other bodies and churches.

“This agreement constitutes an important movement towards restoring the unity of the Continuing Church, which stems from the Congress of Saint Louis and the Denver consecrations," said Archbishop Mark Haverland. “It is the contention of both that this Continuing Church subsists in the ACC, the UEC, and the Anglican Province of Christ the King. The organic unity of these three Churches remains our first and most urgent ecumenical task.”

Both the churches pledge to work towards full organic union in a patient, unhurried manner, meanwhile respecting inessential differences and the other church's internal integrity.

“His church is trustworthy, not because it depends upon men, but because it depends upon Him who endowed it with power and who is ever present in its council called in His name” said Archbishop Stephen Reber of the UECNA.

No Comment, sort of

In response to the questions raised by David Virtue's report that Archbishop Morse plans to retire, as mentioned here, I cannot confirm or deny any aspects of the report. The last time I spoke with Archbishop Morse was about one month ago, and this subject never came up. Therefore, I simply refer the readers to the Archbishop's own words, which are short and to the point (and I will not attempt to add my thoughts to what he has said). The questions are answered to a degree which leaves everything quite vague. This may indicate one of two things: 1) The Archbishop has not decided, or 2) he is deliberately keeping things quiet. Either way, I respect his wishes.

As I looked at the comments that followed the piece posted by Albion on our own blog, the subject of disunity came up once again. And, indeed, the scandal of our fragmentation should be faced as a problem to be solved. One comment referred to an unkown "archbishop" of an unknown "archdiocese" in an unknown "province." We have a word for that: Vagans. This is not a problem of Anglican splintering, however, but rather a consequence of religious freedom such as that guaranteed in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. After all, this freedom has resulted in schisms before. (The Methodists and the Reformed Episcopal Church both split off from Anglicanism long before any of us were born, and the Methodists came up with endless splinters throughout the Twentieth Century. And, in the 1960s that crazy racist Bishop Dees led his own little group out of the Episcopal Church)

The vagantes will never stop appearing (especially at every full moon), and this must be distinguished from the disunity that exists among the leading jurisdictions of tradional Anglicans who believe in The Affirmation of St. Louis. Anybody can buy a church start up kit at Walmart, and create an "Archdiocese" in his garage, complete with members among his family, neighbors, and relatives. Even his dog may join. Each such kit has an inflatable bishop consecrated by the "dead hand." (Well, alright, so maybe not.) But, the disunity among the actual jurisdictions that called themselves (at the beginning) the Continuing Church is a more serious problem. However, there is more agreement than disagreement, more common ground than division.

One thing I have observed, however, and I will dare to comment with an air of authority that only knowledge and experience can provide. As an experienced exorcist (that kind who has had to drive real demons out of real people), I have learned that spiritual warfare is always a reality. We ignore it at our own peril, forgetting the words of Saint Paul: "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices ( II Corinthians 2:11)." I am amazed at the ease with which the enemy keeps using the same devices over and over again, with a terrifying degree of success. The deadly sin most exploited is pride.

Archbishop Morse to Retire: Virtue

A bit late on the pickup here, despite being tipped off yesterday by reader Clifford Bronson that David Virtue had reported the following:

"Archbishop Robert Sherwood Morse has made it known that he intends to step down as Archbishop of the Anglican Province of Christ the King on July 1, 2007. There will be a meeting of the APCK House of Bishops in late June to choose his successor. His retirement will complete thirty years of service as the head of the APCK. Back in the late 1970s, Morse, then an Episcopal priest, predicted that the Episcopal Church would descend into apostasy as a result of the 1979 Prayer Book and the ordination of women. He was one of the first to separate and create a Province for orthodox Anglo Catholic parishes as a bulwark for orthodoxy. The history of TEC since 1979 has confirmed the archbishop's worst fears. The leading candidates to succeed him are the Rt. Rev. Rocco Florenza (DOES) and the Rt. Rev. James Provence (DOWS). The Anglican Province of Christ the King currently has 57 parishes and missions across the United States. The archbishop had a heart attack recently that has convinced him it is time to step back."

I assume that the news about the retirement is true, although I just checked the APCK website and found no reference to it on their news link. But I wonder where the bit comes from about the leading candidates being Bishops Florenza and Provence.

I am also curious about what all this may mean for the prospects of the APCK moving toward union with the Anglican Catholic Church. It has been my understanding, and I may be completely wrong here, that Archbishop Morse has been a fierce opponent of union with the ACC or any other continuing jurisdiction.

As our own Fr Hart is on the road at the moment and likely to be out of contact, can someone else shed some light on this report?

ACC-APCK Unity

Talk about the possibility that a second Anglican province might emerge in the United States has been generating some discussion at the ACC Members List over on Yahoo. It stems, in part, from my observation, as made here, that the continuing movement is not in a very good position to provide a common welcome mat to those orthodox Episcopalians who cannot, in good conscience, affiliate with such a province.

That has led to talk about a first step toward doing that as being a unification of the Anglican Catholic Church and the Anglican Province of Christ the King. Running almost in parallel to that discussion has been one on the assertion that the ACC and the APCK are already in communio sacris.

I am still new to the continuum and do not understand why the two jurisdictions have not been one since the beginning, or if they are effectively in communion, and any enlightenment on that issue would be welcome.

In this post, however, I would rather focus on something else.

I am starting from the premiss that there is no good ecclesiological or theological reason why separation should continue, and that unification is, by definition, a desirable thing.

Given that, I have come up with the following suggestions of how we could begin to move toward unity. I welcome others.

+ If unity is to come about, it will be best and most quickly achieved it it comes both "from above" and "from below" ie by cooperation among the bishops of both jurisdictions and among parishes.

+ A first step could be agreement by bishops that, in any given geographical area, neither jurisdiction will plant a mission where the the other jurisdiction already has a presence. A corollary to that would be that officials in each jurisdiction, when approached by someone seeking a place to worship, or even proposing the creation of a mission, be directed to the mission/parish of the other.

+ A parallel step would be for the clergy and people of ACC and APCK parishes that overlap geographically, entirely or in part, to take active steps to work and worship together. The former would entail agreeing on joint outreach and pastoral care projects, while the latter would be fixed annual occasions for coming together at the altar, beginning perhaps with the patronal festival of each church.

+ Much farther in the future, in eventual discussions on organic unity, it could be agreed that the older of the two jurisdictions' primates would become primate of the unified church, with the younger becoming coadjutor. Once the younger took office, the oldest of the other old jurisdiction's bishops would become his coadjutor. That should conceivably give the "two sides" enough years to grow beyond a sense of separation and into one of unity.

+ A similar arrangement could be done at the diocesan level. New dioceses of the unified church would be fashioned, to a certain extent, by combining existing ones. There, the same procedure could apply, with the older of the two bishops becoming the ordinary, and the younger his coadjutor, etc.

We are blessed to have as co-hosts of this blog priests from the ACC and the APCK, respectively, Fr Matthew Kirby and Fr Robert Hart. I also know that bishops from both jurisdictions have been introduced to The Continuum, and hope they are at least occasionally reading. We undoubtedly also have lay people from both jurisdictions as readers.

I would welcome all of you to become active participants in this thread.

The harvest is ripening. Are we going to be ready?

Post Script, Septuagesima- High and Low

Because I was addressing rather specific matters in my sermon for my congregation, and had not posted last year's Septuagesima sermon, I posted the 2006 sermon on Saturday, Feb. 3rd, 2007. I had forgotten to remove the mention I made of the fact that in some places people were still singing the Gloria. This created some misunderstanding. First of all, the mention was not an endorsement, neither was it an innovative bit of liturgist self styled rubrics. Neither did we do so ourselves.

When I arrived in Fountain Hills Az., it was clear that the priest who had founded the Church of the Atonement was rather self-styled, and flew a few of his ideas under the radar. One of the results of his ministry was that he left behind a group of people who wanted to be Low Church. The problem is, the APCK simply does not do Low Church. Upon dropping the Gloria on Septuagesima in 2006, I thought it best to mention it, so that they would know that nothing was forgotten (in recent years the ECUSA has stopped doing the Pre-Lenten season in any significant way, and these people had left the new and thoroughly morphed ECUSA a few years before).

ROOM FOR LOW AND HIGH CHURCH?

In the year since, I have not been teaching my people all the fine points of High Church rubrics, but rather the depth of Catholic Theology, without which High Churchmanship is just a show. Now that they appreciate the Catholic Theology of the Anglican Province of Christ the King, High Churchmanship is simply expected- expected as a result of understanding, not as a result of mere taste, or legalism. We still have a bit of travelling to do, but the progress is obvious.

As I said, the APCK does not do Low Church. This may sound like a scandalous thing to say, as far as some people are concerned. But, we all need to ask how practical, how honest and how peaceful it is to attempt to fit two churches (at least) with two theologies, under the same roof. Has it ever really worked? Archbishop Morse has been quite clear from the start, that the Elizabethan Settlement is a failed experiment. This is quite true.

In the early to mid Twentieth Century, Anglo-Catholicism had made such a strong mark that the Church of England, on behalf of the Anglican Communion everywhere, was engaged in serious efforts at reunion with Rome, and at becoming one Church with the Orthodox, both at the same time. But, when the forces of revisionist Theology began to prevail, a Protestant paradigm had to become dominant, effectively killing the meaning of those earlier efforts. This was necessary in order to allow women's "ordination" and everything else that followed. A strict belief in the Church as an extension of Christ's Incarnation, guided into all truth by the Holy Spirit, gives authority (as it must) to Tradition. But, Protestantism has no fixed interpretations, no authoritatve doctrine, except whatever I think the Bible says, and whatever I feel led by the Spirit to do.

The Affirmation of St. Louis calls us to the Catholic Faith. To live by it, we cannot try to be a house divided, even one divided with good manners. It simply does not work.