Horned Frogs

A recent post by a reader from Texas brought to mind the question of Horned Frogs, and whether they are, in fact, toads. No, they are not, but we have learnt that there are several currently serving as clergy. For, you see, horned frogs of the genus Ceratophrys, in some forms, are beautifully adorned and highly aggressive creatures. Some have an immense body bulk. and all of the horned frogs have enormous mouths and are highly predatory, the food of some consisting almost solely of other frogs, minor clergy, or the contents of collection plates, as the case may be. Large specimens will attack anything which threatens them. They can inflict painful bites, holding on with bulldog tenacity, and even the tadpoles of horned frogs are highly carnivorous.

Some species of horned frogs are small, but several grow to huge size and have beautifully blended coloring of reds, tans, browns, greens, and blacks. This would account for the regular shipments of vestments from C.M. Almy and E-Bay. They are known to move about little, preferring to lie in ambush for the unwary. The "horn" of the horned frogs is a curious triangular prolongation of the edge of the upper eyelid, forming, as it were, a little mitre.

The watchword when approaching them is, "Beware".

Yr. Obed. Serv.,

R. Toad, DD, LSMFT

(Not an Horned Frog)

OF CLERGY EDUCATION AND TABLE-TOP SEMINARIES

"It is easy thus to outline a few external characteristics of the seminary, but difficult to picture its inner life."
-Herbert Baxter Adams

Dr. Toad received the following from a continuing Anglican enrolled in an an accredited residential seminary who had received an advertisement from one of the on-line, "low-cost" Anglican "seminaries":

"Here is a fraudulent seminary if I have ever heard of one! I hate to say it but I am getting so tired of every hack job and wacko out there getting a doctorate of whatever from St. Whoever's Seminary and calling them selves The Right and Most Rev. whoever of whatever Anglican Church. Its ridiculous!"

I have left off the name of the august educational institution referred to in the e-mail pending a bit of investigation (but you know who you are). However, I do note that sham seminaries and questionable degrees (ask me about my "LSMFT", dare ya') abound, and that "clergy" with no visible education, much less formation seem to infest the waters of Christendom. Lest I be unfair, although it's the Toad's blog and I can be as unfair as I wish, the phenomenon is not just limited to the traditional Anglican world. There are vague Bible College degrees aplenty in other parts of the world.

On the one hand, on-line delivery of education, even theological education, can be a cost effective and time saving way of addressing the need for an educated clergy. On the other hand, there is the matter of spiritual formation which you can't get in the soft, warm glow of the computer screen. More to the point, there are any number of entities claiming to confer a degree on the pay-as-you-go plan; e.g. pay us and go with a certificate suitable for framing without worrying about all of that tedious coursework. Then these "clergy" go perpetrate fraud on the unsuspecting worshipping public, frequently burning down the crops and salting the earth.

It's enough to make a Toad bark.

So, here's the deal, Toads and Toadettes. If you have a notion that someone may be running a seminary that is a bit...umm...shall we say "sketchy", send us a post, a link and a brief statement as to why you might think there is a whiff of fakery. And, gang, it has to be a real reason and not because you just don't like St. Swithun's On-line College of Theology and Diesel Engine Repair.

The Barking Toad will put out a periodic article on them, and apply the fraudulizer. Those running the seminaries will be welcome to provide a defense (but no advertisements) setting forth the reasons why their offerings are real. But if you can't substantiate your claims, it will be a rough ride. We promise.

We'll also be looking them up to see whether they have an accreditation of any kind. ATS is the gold-standare, and we realize that there are regional and state accrediting bodies, so we'll be more lenient than say the Department of Defense. (Those party-poopers actually require a Masters of Divinity from a real school to serve as a military chaplain. What cheek!) However, if your alma mater is accredited by oh, say, the Greater Kazakhstanian Board of Independent Educational Bodies and 23rd of October Tractor Factory, you may be in for a thorough barking.

Finally, here's a tip for those of you interviewing prospective clergy, look up all of the schools on the resume, and, when dealing with a "Doctor", ask them for a copy of that dissertation or at least what their area of work. You'll be glad you did.

And remember, "Education is a progressive discovery of our ignorance."
-Will Durant (1885-1981) U.S. author and historian.

Yr. Obed. Serv.,


R. Toad, DD, LSMFT

Hell in a Handbasket (or a Bookshop)

Well, Toads and Toadettes,

If you are traveling to the U.K. in August, here is a little divertissement to put on your itinerary. And who says that Britain is a post-Christian nation? Of course, if were held on this side of the pond, we know which entity would be holding it in a church! I particularly like the emphasis on the practical aspects of demonic conjuration.

You can see this and so very much more at Treadwell's 34 Tavistock St., Covent Garden http://www.treadwells-london.com/default.asp "Treadwell's follows the traditions of old-fashioned bookselling - a warm welcome for book lovers, hourly rounds of tea, friendly conversation, and regular events." "Overseas visitors are warmly invited introduce themselves to our staff." Now, if we could just get that odour of brimstone out of our clothes after our visits.

So little time, and cut wood has just gotten so expensive hereabout.

Yr. Obed. Serv.,

R. Toad, DD, LSMFT


02 August 2007 (Thursday)
Hell in a Handbasket: A Portable Summary of Demonic Conjuration

Cost: £5
7.15 for 7.30pm start
The author of the demonic grimoire Liber Niger Legionis presents a practical and historical talk, in which he details the variety of techniques for conjuring, summoning and communing with demons in the Western grimoire tradition. After touching upon the methods of mystical illumination (as we see, for example, in the Abramelin), he will turn to concentrate upon the various methods for interacting with the demons of the grimoires. Beyond the standard monotheist texts in the Solomonic tradition, the speaker will make especial reference to the Grimorium Verum (aka the Red Dragon), the Icelandic Galdrbok and Graeco-Egyptian goetic texts. This talk follows on from the 12th July talk overviewing grimoires. ‘Pharaon’, author of the celebrated and highly collectable Liber Niger Legionis (2005); he is a practising sorcerer of some years’ standing. By day he is a doctoral student in the history of religio-magical traditions in Western Europe, and he holds a Master’s Degree in near-eastern religion.

You Don’t Know What You Got

“Most English-speaking people ... will admit that Cellar Door is ‘beautiful’, especially if dissociated from its sense and from its spelling”
-J.R.R. Tolkien

A good Monday morning to all of you Toads and Toadettes,

Just so you that you don’t think I’ve gone barking mad instead of just barking, I have absolutely no idea as to the meaning of the foregoing quote from J.R.R. Tolkien. I am reliably informed that Tolkien of blessed memory noted that the English compound “cellar door” in his essay English and Welsh (1955) and found that its sound is intrinsically beautiful. Further insights into why Tolkien found the term cellar-door aesthetically pleasing can be found in considering texts in his constructed language of Quenya. The poem Namárië opens with the words:

Ai! laurië lantar lassi súrinen,
yéni únótimë ve rámar aldaron!
Yéni ve lintë yuldar avánier
mi oromardi lissë-miruvóreva.

Or, perhaps the old boy was just looking for a new name for a character in one of his epics. After all, Tolkien also once used the phrase to illustrate a point about his writing process during an interview:

"Supposing you say some quite ordinary words to me - 'cellar door', say. From that, I might think of a name, 'Selador', and from that a character, a situation begins to grow."
I get the same feeling when anyone mentions “mortgage note”.

Interesting though all of this may be, I was just looking for something to say about a comment received yesterday from a continuing Anglican priest about saying the Mass in the oratory he has in his cellar. I think we’ve all been there at some point, and maybe many of you still are.
For those of you growing comfy in your buildings, take heed: a cellar could be in your future for any number of reasons. However, after reading the following, I think Lord Byron was right when he said, “The very best of vineyards is the cellar.”

Yr. Obed. Serv.

R. Toad, DD, LSMFT

The Cellar Door

Today I said Mass in the cellar. Not a crypt chapel, but the cellar of my house. In truth, it is a fairly comfortable basement with a nice carpet and divided variously into guest quarters (many wandering clergy have slept there), a play area for the teenager who replaced my little girl, and a small oratory dedicated to St. Cyprian (a/k/a “the bishop who had a pair and wasn’t afraid to use ‘em.”). In fact, we have a first class relic of the saint there along with some others obtained from our friend the “Bone Collector”.

The oratory exists because, until recently, I had a downtown parish and couldn’t just pop in to say the offices or to get the Sacrament for emergencies. Funny how those needing Communion of the Sick so frequently are not in extremis on sunny days in June, but in the dark hours of rainy winter nights. So, I built St. Cyprian’s Oratory after obtaining a permission to reserve the Sacrament and to say the occasional Mass here when necessary. Little did I know how vital this little patch of “church” would become to me as a priest.

You see, I left “civilian” life some seven years ago, giving up secular income at the insistence of my archbishop who felt that I needed to devote full time and attention to the ministry. I already had done so as a deacon and priest serving missions, but he wanted to make sure I understood that I was to serve the people of his “cathedral” church with no means of support other than a not-too-sumptuous stipend and, of course, the salary and benefits of my wife’s job. (Sound familiar?)

And try to serve my people I did. Even with the struggles of an inadequate facility, no room for children, no parking and a neighborhood utterly hostile to a traditional Christian message (my favorites were the lesbian couple who regularly would wheel their “acquired” child past the doors declaiming against us), we managed to bring Word and Sacraments to a city in need. With the aid of dedicated folks and some great clergy, we founded a mission some two hours away, a mission that is getting ready to move forward. I suppose I took for granted the building that housed the parish, a locus to pray with others in the Mystical Body of Christ, and to gather in that Body for the celebration of the Eucharist.

Yet, in January of this year, the “front office” determined to “reassign” me full time to the mission. My family lost its local parish church (departed clergy and their kin can’t hang about)-the only parish my daughter had ever known. Gone were the feast days and weekday Masses, as my parish is now hours away and unreachable through the weekday traffic. And so, the cellar, to pray for those committed to my care and cure, and to say the Mass, to do that which is highest and best. (I note here that I thank God daily for the wonderful parish family the mission, who have, as a Baptist colleague says. “loved us up”—it is a singular honor to serve them.)

Today, Sunday made this more poignant. With my wife away and unable to travel to my parish (and thanks to the good father who looked after the flock!), I said Mass in the cellar on the Sabbath Day.

The congregation: my daughter and I were there, and the dog (while we love him, we don’t really include him in the average Sunday attendance and Communion as do some others).
With candles lit and the altar set, we joined in the celebration of the Eucharist on this Eighth Sunday in Trinity. The cellar fades away in the Mass. It is the same in any setting: a parish church, a house, the tailgate of a 2 ½ ton truck, a portable altar and soldiers on a hillside. It is timeless and boundless; it is immersion in the Body of Christ. Perhaps life as a mission priest and chaplain has changed things for me. I just think it is the reality of Christ present in the Sacrament. It might as well be a cathedral. He is there always, particularly wherever His Mass is celebrated.

At times like this, we may miss community, those whom we love and serve and delight in sharing this most sacred of aspects of our Christian life. We may also want a hymn or a chant or some “extras”, perhaps even a church no matter how humble. But, wherever the Mass is said and in whatever circumstances, it is a moment of precious reality, a reality of life united with Christ Jesus in His church.

So, this day, rejoice in community, enjoy those surroundings you have built to the honor and glory of God. But know this: you have that which can never be taken away unless you alone permit it. Know that “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:19).

Even in the cellar.

Comment Problems

As the site gets up and running, we have had some problems with folks wanting to post comments not being able to get through. The problem should be repaired by the web trolls,but, if you have problems, please e-mail stirenaeus@hotmail.com and we'll try to sort it out.

Yr. Obed, Serv.,

R. Toad, DD, LSMFT

AN ANGLO-CATHOLIC ECCLESIOLOGY FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

Good afternoon, all you Toads and Toadettes,

Here is a little something from an Anglican news service blog that is worthy of comment. I am not sure where it might fit in Avery Cardinal Dulles' Models of the Church, but I find it heartening to see some genuine theological work being done amongst the Anglo-Catholic set. I paerticularly like the bit in paragraph eight, "Separation brings woundedness."
Have a read and comment if you dare, and we'll see what happens.

Yr. Obed, Serv.,

R. Toad, DD, LSMFT


By Stevens Heckscher Ph.D.
Special to VirtueOnline
www.virtueonline.org
July 24, 2007

As a response to the recent pronouncement of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on churches separated from Rome1, I set forth the following twelve propositions as the starting point for an ecclesiological position based on the Anglican Tradition. I believe that they are for the most part consistent with the general tenor of patristic thought.

1. Christ established one Church, and only one2 . The actions of sinful men cannot establish any other. Relationships may be severed, communion broken, even Christian communities anathematized by other Christian communities, but there is still only one Church.

2. According to the Creeds, this Church is "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic." We may not say that part, or parts, of the Church have these marks but other parts do not. The marks pertain to the whole Church.

3. The so-called "branch theory" often (and in my opinion mistakenly) considered to be the Anglican position, is therefore false. I, personally, have never subscribed to it, and I cannot find it in any Anglican formularies. We may not say such things as, the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Church (for example) are "branches" of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

4. Baptism confers membership in the Church, thus membership in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, for there is no other. We may not say (for example) that baptism performed in the Catholic Church confers such membership, but that! baptism in Protestant Churches does not. Baptism cleanses fro! m sin, g rafts the recipient into Christ, and confers membership in the Church. All baptized persons are therefore members of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church 3.

5. Unfortunately, schism is a fact, and has been for most of the history of the Church, especially since the Great Schism between East and West from the eleventh century. Since the Reformation, schism has become very widespread.

6. The schisms of the second Christian millennium are fundamentally different from those of the first millennium. Those of the first were generally over differences in Trinitarian or Christological doctrine, and were dealt with by the Councils. Those of the second millennium were more ecclesiological, generally beginning with breakdown of communication (as in the eleventh century), or with responses to excesses of authority or practice. Responses generated reactions, resulting in schisms. Many of the schisms of the second millennium persist to this day, and what follows herein is concerned with them.

7. Schism creates separated Christian communities. Among these communities, in varying ways and to varying degrees, there are breaches of communio in sacris, differences over matters of faith, and atrophy or deliberate denial of sacraments, rejection of authority, enmity, hatred, accusations, lack of trust, and disruption of fellowship. However, schism does not create new churches, or new "branches" of the One Church. It merely creates communities, variously separated from one another, which have no independent standing as separate churches, for there is but one Church.

8. Separation brings woundedness. Failure of charity, enmity, even mutual hatred, and breach of communion are among the wounds that these communities share, and these wounds are inflicted upon the whole Church, not merely on communities that have their origins in schism. In particular, schism and its consequent woundedness are qualities shared by all parties, not simply by one side of a dispute or separation.

9. Schism also denies the parties to it access to the varying gifts that God in His wisdom imparts to separate communities and to illuminated individuals within them. For example, most Protestant communities are denied the grace of the Apostolic Ministry of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. By the same token (for example), Roman Catholics are denied full benefit of the authentic insights of the Reformation.

10. Thus all members of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church share in the woundedness of the whole. Even if proper obedience e to Pap al authority is a gift of God to the whole Church (as many Anglicans believe), those in obedience to the Pope also suffer deprivation, because they do not have full access to the gifts of other, unfortunately also separated, Christian communities, with which, and among which, communion has been sundered. The Pope himself is diminished because he does not have full access to the gifts possessed by, for example, the Lutherans or the Eastern Orthodox. Likewise, Anglicans, Orthodox, and Protestants are all variously but similarly diminished.

11. Therefore, although all validly baptized persons are members of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, not one of us belongs to a community that does not share in the woundedness of the whole. The degree of this deprivation may differ among communities, but the woundedness and its consequent deprivations are qualities shared by the whole.

Nevertheless, in a great Mystery, wherever the Bishop is, surrounded by his clergy and his lay people, in the local Eucharistic community, the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church is mystically and supernaturally present4.

12. Approaches to Christian unity must therefore begin, as Nicolas Zernov taught us fifty-five years ago5 , with mutual, corporate, public repentance, and continue with honest and mutually respectful dialog. Among the questions that need to be answered is this one: To what extent are the various existing barriers to intercommunion essential matters of faith and practice?

While unity of faith is a prerequisite to sharing in the sacraments, I believe that there may be space for more latitude regarding some issues than is commonly realized. Thus we need to ask, and debate seriously, charitably, and with mutual respect: What beyond acceptance of the Scriptures with the Tradition of the Church, the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds, the Sacraments, and the Apostolic Ministry must be agreed upon before intercommunion can be established.6

We all are wounded. Jesus Christ Himself is wounded. I join my tears with His.

---Stevens Heckscher, Obl. OSB, Ph.D. is Lay Associate for Spiritual Direction, chorister, and acolyte at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont, PA. He studied Mathematics at Harvard, Leiden, and Cambridge (UK), and Christian spirituality at the Shalem Institute, Washington, DC. He taught mathematics for twenty years at Swarthmore College, and although officially retired from scientific work, still actively pursues research in mathematical community ecology as a consultant. He is the author of a number of theological and scientific papers. Feast of St. Benedict, 2007

FOOTNOTES:

1. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, July 10, 2007. Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church. Available online at See also, Dominus Iesus, The Vatican, September 5, 2000; available online at: http://tinyurl.com/2pzqa9
http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?recnum=3022

2. In this we agree with Dominus Iesus, op. cit., IV.

3. Compare Dominus Iesus, loc. cit. See also the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, available online at http://anglicansonline.org/basics/Chicago_Lambeth.html

4. Cf. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrneans, 8.2. Throughout his letters, Ignatius argues that, where there is no bishop, there is no Church. That is why, while stressing that baptism always initiates the recipient into the One Church, I refer to all Christian confessions, in some of which the Apostolic Ministry is lacking, as "communities". Whether or not this Ministry is present, I am arguing, no one community, separated by schism from others, contains, or circumscribes, the One Church. Yet by a Holy Mystery the One Church is mystically or supernaturally wholly present in any Eucharistic community presided over by the Bishop. Part of the woundedness, or deprivation, since the time of the Great Schism in the eleventh century, lies! in the fact that the Bishop is out of communio in sacris with! many ot her Bishops. Ignatius could not have foreseen this eventuality.

5 N. Zernov, The Reintegration of the Church, SCM Press, 1952; p. 44: "The healing of schisms must begin with severe self-examination; only when the members of each confession accept their guilt in the disruption of Christian fellowship will the reintegration of the Church become a practical task instead of remaining an unattainable ideal."

6. This is an expansion of the essentials for restoration of uni! ty set forth by the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, op. cit.

What A Difference Three Years Doth Make

Well, Toads and Toadettes,

As I have been following the recent events in “continuing” Anglican world, an astute reader (or at least a reader with a good memory), forwarded me this piece from The Christian Challenge magazine. We’ll follow this piece in the comment section with some contemporaneous on-line commentary from Dr. Toad’s E-Mail Archive.

Your correspondent was there and sober for all of the events, so let’s see how things fare as we swelter our way through the summer heat, with a little cool breeze from back in Wisconsin.

Yr. Obed. Serv.

R. Toad, DD. LSMFT


A "HISTORIC MOMENT" FOR THE U.S. CONTINUING CHURCH

Key Continuing Bishops, FIF Leaders, GatherFor Events In Wisconsin, Pennsylvania

By Auburn Faber Traycik The Christian Challenge (Washington, DC)September 28, 2004

Veteran Continuing Church members might well have said it could never happen.

But it did.

So it was that bishops of the three core Continuing Church bodies--the Anglican Province of Christ the King (APCK), the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC), and the Anglican Church in America/Traditional Anglican Communion (ACA/TAC)--came together in Wisconsin September 24-26 for prayer, worship, and free and frank discussions.

[So far, so good. And they didn’d even have their tasters with them.-ed.]

Not only that, the prelates were joined by the Rev. David Moyer, head of the Episcopal Church traditionalist organization, Forward in Faith, North America; and the Rev. David Chislett, Vice President of Forward in Faith-Australia.

The "extramural" Anglican bishops and Frs. Moyer and Chislett gathered in Fond du Lac primarily for the APCK's pilgrimage to the grave of Anglo-Catholic luminary, Blessed Bishop Charles Grafton (Second Episcopal Bishop of Fond du Lac 1889-1912), a biennial APCK event geared to provide participants an opportunity for prayer, and spiritual instruction and refreshment. Some 100 persons from across the U.S. took part in the pilgrimage.

It was all at the invitation of APCK Archbishop Robert S. Morse, though the Archbishop himself says it was really the Holy Spirit--and quite possibly Bishop Grafton--who "arranged a confluence of events" leading to the ecumenical gathering. "I think Bishop Grafton might have interceded for us," the tall, white-haired prelate said, smiling.

[Well, not exactly. At least two APCK priests urged the invitation as a sign of visible unity, and a chance to move the unity discussions along. One of those priests, Fr. Victor Novak, the Province’s Ecumenical Officer, is no longer with APCK. Following the meetings and urging the bishops to press forward on the unity front, something one might reasonably expect of an Ecumenical Officer, the good father was frozen out and given the now famous “silent treatment”. He departed the APCK in June 2007 after the Provincial Development Fund forced the sale of his parish’s building on its 10th anniversary.-ed.]

Whoever was most responsible for it, Morse's invitation to the bishops, clergy and laity of the two other leading Continuing bodies and two FIF leaders reached across the divides created by the Continuing Church's difficult early history with new signs of hope for the future. It came, interestingly, at a time when "official" Anglicanism faces a potentially large chasm of its own.

"It was a beginning," Archbishop Morse told TCC, and TAC's Primate, Archbishop John Hepworth of Australia, termed it a "historic moment for the Continuing Church in the United States."

While the APCK and ACC, led by Archbishop Brother John-Charles of Australia (who was unable to be present), had engaged in dialogue over the past year, it was the first real opportunity for bishops of the APCK (which may now be the largest U.S. Continuing Church body) to meet and talk (either for the first time, or for the first time in many years) with bishops of the ACA and TAC, the largest international Continuing Church fellowship. The ACA is the TAC's U.S. branch. Together, the APCK, ACC and TAC include an estimated 265,000 orthodox Anglicans.

[The APCK currently consists, charitably, of about 1,800 souls, following the departure of an entire diocese, while estimates of the ACC vary from 3,000 to 5,000 although exact numbers are elusive.-ed.]

Hepworth also saw Morse's outreach as significant because the TAC and FIF have already forged a communion relationship.

Bishops attending the pilgrimage in Fond du Lac, in addition to Morse and Hepworth, included, from the APCK: Bishop James Provence (Diocese of the West), Frederick Morrison (Southwest), and Rocco Florenza ( Eastern States); from the TAC: Archbishop Louis Falk (ACA Primate); Bishops Louis Campese (ACA-Eastern U.S.) and James Stewart (West); from the ACC: Bishops William McClean (Mid-Atlantic States), Rommie Starks (Midwest), and Bishop -elect Presley Hutchens (New Orleans).

The Pilgrimage was marked by frank and collegial discussions among bishops and clergy as well as opportunities to join in the Mass and at prayer and in study. Friday's Holy Eucharist was celebrated by the APCK's Bishop Florenza and sung Evensong by Archbishop Hepworth. Bishops and clergy of the TAC/ACA received Holy Communion at the crowded Mass.

[Looks like de facto communion between the ACA/TAC and APCK in a remarkable moment, marred only by the refusal of the ACC to make nice. See below.-ed.]

Later, the Rev. Dr. Paul Russell, professor of theology at Mount St. Mary College and an internationally recognized patristic scholar, presented a well-received program to the pilgrims on the teachings of the Desert Fathers.

The day was capped by a banquet at which Archbishop Hepworth offered a toast to Archbishop Morse, saluting his example of steadfastness in the faith.

On Saturday, pilgrims, clergy and laity, joined in a religious procession through the streets of Fond du Lac to the cathedral (of the still-conservative Episcopal diocese), which houses the shrine of Bishop Grafton. Traditional Anglicans, arrayed in a line stretching over several city blocks, sang hymns as they marched to the cathedral with banners and pennants fluttering against a grey Wisconsin morning.

At the Mass celebrated by Archbishop Morse, Bishop Morrison preached on the unity of the Church in the Blessed Sacrament. The theme was most appropriate to a gathering of brethren who often appear to be separated, and emblematic of the spirit of this historical Grafton Pilgrimage.

[There would be that visible communion thing again. The ACC bishops had found reasons to leave early.-ed.]

NOR DID THIS NOTEWORTHY ECUMENICAL EVENT conclude in Fond du Lac. "Part II" took place as Archbishops Morse, Hepworth and Falk, Bishop Provence, and Frs. Moyer and Chislett joined in Evensong and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at Moyer's parish, Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont, Pennsylvania, on the evening of Sunday, September 27. Good Shepherd's magnificent choir made the service, attended by over 100 persons, especially memorable. The visiting leaders greeted congregants at a reception following the service, and then were warmly hosted by Fr. Moyer and his wonderful wife, Rita, at a private dinner at the rectory.

Further discussions between the bishops and clergy at Rosemont, focusing on TAC's eight-year discussions with the Roman Catholic Church, were expected to follow before the leaders parted ways early in the week.

[Well, now, here are the once and the future APCK archbishops in a tete a tete with their TAC/ACA counterparts once again. It leads to say, “What happened?”-ed.]

Morse, now 80 and the leader of the APCK since its inception some 25 years ago, told TCC he believes "rapport" was established among the leaders at Fond du Lac, and he seemed open to the possibility of further similar encounters. He indicated his concern that Continuers fulfill Christ's basic call to Christians to be "people who love one another."

[Well, I think there might be some Angricans out there who don't exactly follow this part of the playbook. They put the "rap" in rapport. Has anyone mentioned Deerfield beach yet?-ed.]

Moyer told TCC that, in the APCK, Archbishop Morse "has something that works, something that he has sacrificed for that is bearing fruit." But he believes that the prelate is so committed to the "depth of Anglican Catholicism" that he knows that more is needed for the APCK's future.

Hepworth revealed that, when he was a young priest, Morse was his "hero" for his fight for the faith. Therefore, Hepworth said, it was "deeply moving" for him when he "knelt at the communion rail and received Holy Communion from Archbishop Morse personally."


The "emerging relationship" between the APCK and TAC/ACA which grew out of the Fond du Lac meeting was "deepened" by participation in the Evensong at Good Shepherd, he said.

[Gosh, that Communion thing just keeps coming up.-ed.]

The ACC bishops at Fond du Lac opted to refrain from receiving Holy Communion at any of the pilgrimage Masses, apparently due to the presence of bishops from the ACA, a body formed from a merger of part of the ACC and of the entire American Episcopal Church (dating from the 1960s) in 1991. But '"at least they appeared," Morse said.

[The ghost of Deerfield Beach dwells on in a snit grounded in human judgment and old wounds. What about that "people who love one another" bit? Perhaps one can love some of the people some of the time...wel, you get the idea. Perhaps Rodney King had a point.-ed.]

Moreover, Hepworth said he had received from ACC Archbishop Brother John-Charles a document setting forth a "pathway" for closer ties between the TAC and ACC--an indication that the ACC's top leader, at least, sees greater unity among Continuers as a priority.—

Permission to circulate the foregoing electronically is granted, provided that there are no changes in the headings or text, and this notice is included. For reprint permission, or to learn more about or to subscribe to THE CHRISTIAN CHALLENGE, the only independent hardcopy publication providing such a broad scope of news for orthodox Anglicans, contact TCC at: 202/547-5409, e-mail: atraycik@aol.com; fax 202/543-8704; 1215 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003.

Well, by now you have all seen it, a very bold and straightforward stand. But, just in case you hadn't it's:

Bishop Rocco 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 ChristI 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

The Bad Vicar

Well, here's a little something for those of you who have had a vicar like this, wish you had a vicar like this, or want to be a vicar like this! Click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQiyltvIcEQ

Good evening, everyone,

Welcome to The Barking Toad, another of the millions of opportunities for the really cranky to blow off steam in a semi-constructive or, at least, non-violent way. (Well, maybe the language might get a bit rare, but we can't really get at one another, can we?)
For those who have clicked on the profile of your host, you will know that he is a priest of the catholic variety. That is about all he will offer by way of identity.
This little commentary will explore a variety of topics ranging from liturgy to philosophy, and from cigars to incense (both fitting in the same category).
Whether you are bufo ecclesiae or just a wandering bufo bufo, we hope that you will find either something edifying here, or, at least a place to bark.

Yr. Obed. Serv.

R. Toad, DD, LSMFT

At last we are up and running again after a mere two years in process. For those who would like to post, there will be a word verification. While management hereabout doesn't particularly like this feature, the very delay in our launch has been occasioned by trolls infesting the site with spam and "interesting" comments.
Now you all are free to bark away, wasting precious hours of your life attached to your computer to vent your spleen, tell the world about how things would be if you ran the church, propound your latest theological views, and such like.
Just remember one thing: It's not about you...it's about me.

Yr. Obed. Serv.,

R. Toad, DD, LSMFT