St. James' Episcopal Cathedral in east-central Fresno has a new name -- St. James' Anglican Cathedral.
New marquee signs bearing the name change have been installed at the church, headquarters for the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, and just east on church property at Cedar and Dakota avenues. The church is at 4147 E. Dakota Ave.
The Rev. Carlos L. Raines, St. James' pastor and the cathedral's dean, says the name change is a statement to the community that St. James' and other diocesan parishes have differences with the U.S. Episcopal Church.
In 2003, the U.S. Episcopal Church elected V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire as its first openly gay bishop. In December, delegates at the Diocese of San Joaquin convention in Fresno voted to split from the U.S. Episcopal Church and align with the Anglican Communion over differences about sexuality and the Bible.
The Anglican Communion, which has 77 million members worldwide, oversees the U.S. Episcopal Church.
The Diocese of San Joaquin split will require a second vote in October, at the 2007 convention, to become official.
Of the name change taking place before the second vote, the Rev. Van McCalister, diocesan spokesman, says, "We're already, by association, constituent members of the Anglican Communion." So St. James' and other diocesan parishes have a right to claim Anglicanism, he says.
-- Ron Orozco, The Fresno Bee
A letter to the editor by Edward Brennan of Visalia in today's Fresno Bee notes, in part, that:
"The name change at St. James Episcopal Cathedral to "Anglican" is a wake-up call for Episcopalians. The bishop has been in disagreement with the Episcopal Church for years and at the last Diocesan Convention the constitution was purged of all references to the Episcopal Church.
The bishop also made clear his intention to place the Diocese of San Joaquin under the authority of the Anglican churches of the Global South. If you are curious about the future orthodoxy that the bishop will impose, ask your local minister to provide the congregation with the Resolutions Adopted at the May 6, 2002 Deanery Meeting."
Aghaveagh notes:Holy Family Church in Fresno just installed new signs reading "Holy Family Episcopal Church" (Italics mine). They, however, have no plans to update these signs in the near future.
7 comments:
The Anglican Communion, which has 77 million members worldwide, oversees the U.S. Episcopal Church.
I see that Fresno upholds a high standard of reportage. Is single-source reporting standard?
Paul,
Most days we're satisfied if they match the right photos to the obits, and report the weather with different adjectives:
Monday: Sunny and hot
Tuesday Hot, with plenty of sunshine
Wednesday: Continued sun and heat
Thursday: Warm and sunny
etc.
This past week they forgot to print the inside of the newspaper. Two blank pages.
Nonetheless, Ron Orozco is the main reporter on religion, so you'd think the nuances of Anglican/Episcopalian polity would not be beyond him.
Go easy on the Bee, guys...who among the rest of us can tell what is going on with the anglicans and the episcopalians? Let him throw the first ...
I'll tell ya, nicholodeon . . . .
I have to tell my Fresno story, which may have some relevance to the newspaper deficiencies. My brother was married some years ago in the Church of the Brethren in Fresno, which has stained-glass windows with stained-glass ribbons at the bottom with the title of the scene. In the side room where the groomsmen assembled, there was a window with an angel speaking to Mary, titled "The Enunciation".
Again -- high standards.
Paul (a)! Too funny! The 'Church' of the Brethren...are there no cistern allowed?
None of them they mushy-mouthed angels fer us in Fresno!!!
I guess I should cut The Bee a break...if only they wouldn't treat stories on psychic detectives, haunted-house hunters, and "plant yer 'mater seeds with manure in a cow-horn by the light of the moon" homeopaths as real news.
It don't hurt to be "skeptible."
The cistern may be in the crypt. Hidden, like.
Post a Comment