St. James Celebrates Return
After 145 Sundays of worshiping in public spaces while locked out of their parish building, St. James in Newport Beach celebrated their return with Bishop John Taylor preaching. The congregation has been in exile ever since Bishop Jon Bruno decided to sell the property to developers. As part of the agreement for their return, the parish has dropped "the Great" from their name to be plain St. James Episcopal. The update carried news that they would return
here. The Living Church
has a good article with details here on the first service. The parish has now launched a new web site to replace "Save St. James" and it is
here.
Appellate Court Rules for Fort Worth Episcopalians
Ever since
oral arguments in April 2016, loyal Episcopalians in the Diocese of Fort Worth have been waiting for the Texas Court of Appeals to issue a decision. It came last week, and based on a decision of identity (who was the "real" diocesan corporation), the court awarded Diocesan property to those who stayed in the Episcopal Church. They also ruled that based on the deeds and documents, All Saints Church property belonged to those who stayed in TEC. The trial court was instructed to review the deeds and documents for a number of other church properties. The Bishop for Episcopalians in Fort Worth have responded
here. Bishop Iker leader of the break-away group ( also claims to be the Episcopal Diocese, but participates in ACNA),
has announced that they will appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. Anglican.ink published
an opinion piece by Alex Haley (the lawyer for the break away group that lost in the San Joaquin property cases) which is, not surprisingly, critical of the decision. The
178 page opinion is a mixed blessing for Episcopalians because it ruled against any Dennis Canon claims.
Canadian Anglicans Grapple with Assisted Euthanasia
Canada has a new law allowing assisted suicide for geriatric patients who have terminal illness. It was used by a couple who had been married for 73 years and feared one surviving the other. They arranged a farewell with a family gathering and the presence of the Anglican cathedral dean for their deaths. This
has led to a debate over the church's involvement and whether the law is too lenient.