We will have a Solemn High Mass with the Bishops of the Diocese and a setting aside of Mr. Andrew Bailey to the office of the Subdeaconate. Following the celebration, dinner will follow in the undercroft. Please sign up in the Narthex if you are planning to attend or call 323.660.2700 as soon as possible.Well, since there are only two days left in the month, I guess they'd better get on it -- and come to think of it, don't they need a bishop? Indeed, from the text of the announcement, they would appear to need more than one.
Which brings up another interesting question: Since September of last year, Brian Marsh has had two suffragan bishops in the ACA Diocese of the Northeast:
Perhaps the most dramatic moments at synod came with the election of two new Bishops Suffragan. Fathers James R. Hiles and Owen R. Williams were each elected overwhelmingly to the office of Bishop Suffragan. A Suffragan Bishop is an assistant bishop, one who serves at the request of the Bishop Ordinary. The Bishop Suffragan is a man in episcopal orders, though he does not have the right of succession. Both Bishops-elect, upon their consecration, will assume responsibilities within the diocese and, when necessary, the national church. We pray that their service to God's holy church will be rewarding and productive.Shouldn't this free Bishop Marsh to perform the duties he took upon himself as episcopal visitor to the Diocese of the West? Indeed, the writeup just above suggests that the two new suffragans could perform duties on behalf of the national church themselves. However, as of today, all events relating to the Diocese of the West continue to be canceled. Frederick Rivers is still listed as absentee "priest in charge" on the St Mary of the Angels web site, with Michael Eldred, by all accounts a marginal wannabe, saying mass.
Every opinion I've heard from priests, both inside and outside the Continuum, is that an absentee priest in charge is no way to rebuild a parish or foster reconciliation. Marsh's total inaction is revealing, and I can see only two possible explanations: he's at a loss over what to do over St Mary of the Angels (and for that matter, the entire Diocese of the West), or his conscience is troubled. I suspect it's some combination. It's hard to avoid the impression that both Marsh and Stephen Strawn relied on the utterly unscrupulous Anthony Morello to do all the necessary dirty work, and once Morello departed this life for his ultimate reward, Marsh is incapable of continuing that, or indeed any other, style of leadership.
So where is the standing committee? Does anyone know? It seems to me that as it applies to St Mary of the Angels and the Diocese of the West, Marsh is guilty of dereliction of duty.
