It's been quite a day
The Diocese of South West Florida, (in which I am licenced to minister) had a “Clergy and Bishop Day” today at nearby St. Boniface Church.
As a retired Priest I was under no obligation to attend, but decided to scope it out and get a free lunch.
There was a time of black comedy as the Bishop arrived two and a half hours late. There had been a nasty accident on Interstate 75 (which is in some ways the “spine” of the Diocese), and as he related it, he was making friends on an Interstate parking lot for two and a half hours.
So we began the Eucharist without him, and he preached his “O.K” sermon when he arrived, half way through the service.
That was all very fine as I was chatting with the nine Priests whom I’ve already gotten to know, and the whole gang was nicely relaxed in lovely warm weather.
The (good) free lunch was served and I sat at table with three women including Pat Powers (a good friend of my Cambridge parishioner Mary Caulfield), and Andi Taylor, formerly a colleague in Massachusetts, and now the Assistant at St. Boniface.
The Bishop - his name is Dabney Smith - addressed us. He is a genial and humorous man who is very comfortable in his own skin. He talked a bit about how it felt after being in his Office for a year.
He made it clear that he is a theological conservative. And he added that he loves the Episcopal Church and intends to stay. (Important, as his very conservative predecessor became a Roman Catholic shortly after retiring). Perhaps most importantly, he emphasised that he wants to be Bishop for all of the Diocese, and affirmed the place of conservatives (like him) and liberals (like me?).
Then came “question the Bishop” time.
There were the usual brown-nosing questions/statements from the predictably brown-nosing clerics.
There was a confused and unfocused question/statement from a Priest who seems to think that our wonderful Presiding Bishop, Katherine Jeffords-Schori is an heretic.
Bishop Smith responded with a lovely endorsement of the Presiding Bishop, and exhorted us not to react to “what folks report about the Presiding Bishop”, but to check the web to see what in fact our P.B. said.
Wise advice in this “sound bite age”.
Then the wonderful Rector of St. Boniface Church Ted Copeland asked the leading question. “Bishop”, he said, (in so many words) “we have heard great things from you today. But we are always having to relate to parishioners what we think you said. How can you as Bishop get your own good words out to the wider audience?”
Bishop Smith replied in generalities. So I asked a follow up question - along these lines.
“Bishop Smith, I know that you are a conservative, and although you and I will have to disagree on certain matters, I respect your honesty. When I was interviewed by you I disclosed myself as a gay Priest, and your response was wonderfully affirming. I think that Ted was asking ‘will you say to the wider audience what you say to us in private’?’
I think that Bishop Smith heard me.
But I was heartened by the response (after the meeting) of other Clerics.
Some thanked me for “a good question”. A few hinted that they too were gay, but closeted within the Diocese.
And two Priests (with gratitude) told me that I was the first Priest ever to “come out” to her/his peers at a Diocesan Clergy gartering.
Good Lord, this is not the Diocese of Massachusetts!
And I am grateful for the holy/silly boldness which retirement affords!
And the day ended with fun. The former Secretary at St. James’s, Cambridge, Judy Beers, is in town. She is visiting her friends Ron and Charlotte Thompson who, thanks to her introduction, have become my friends.
I invited Judy, Ron and Charlotte to be my guests tonight for dinner at a local seafood restaurant - the “Lazy Lobster”. We had a good dinner and great conversations. Then the bill arrived. I could not pay it. I had left my bill-fold at home!
Much mirth and giggling all around. Ron met the bill with his credit card, and I will give him a cheque to cover it.
What a nice try on my part, to squirrel out of a bill!
As a retired Priest I was under no obligation to attend, but decided to scope it out and get a free lunch.
There was a time of black comedy as the Bishop arrived two and a half hours late. There had been a nasty accident on Interstate 75 (which is in some ways the “spine” of the Diocese), and as he related it, he was making friends on an Interstate parking lot for two and a half hours.
So we began the Eucharist without him, and he preached his “O.K” sermon when he arrived, half way through the service.
That was all very fine as I was chatting with the nine Priests whom I’ve already gotten to know, and the whole gang was nicely relaxed in lovely warm weather.
The (good) free lunch was served and I sat at table with three women including Pat Powers (a good friend of my Cambridge parishioner Mary Caulfield), and Andi Taylor, formerly a colleague in Massachusetts, and now the Assistant at St. Boniface.
The Bishop - his name is Dabney Smith - addressed us. He is a genial and humorous man who is very comfortable in his own skin. He talked a bit about how it felt after being in his Office for a year.
He made it clear that he is a theological conservative. And he added that he loves the Episcopal Church and intends to stay. (Important, as his very conservative predecessor became a Roman Catholic shortly after retiring). Perhaps most importantly, he emphasised that he wants to be Bishop for all of the Diocese, and affirmed the place of conservatives (like him) and liberals (like me?).
Then came “question the Bishop” time.
There were the usual brown-nosing questions/statements from the predictably brown-nosing clerics.
There was a confused and unfocused question/statement from a Priest who seems to think that our wonderful Presiding Bishop, Katherine Jeffords-Schori is an heretic.
Bishop Smith responded with a lovely endorsement of the Presiding Bishop, and exhorted us not to react to “what folks report about the Presiding Bishop”, but to check the web to see what in fact our P.B. said.
Wise advice in this “sound bite age”.
Then the wonderful Rector of St. Boniface Church Ted Copeland asked the leading question. “Bishop”, he said, (in so many words) “we have heard great things from you today. But we are always having to relate to parishioners what we think you said. How can you as Bishop get your own good words out to the wider audience?”
Bishop Smith replied in generalities. So I asked a follow up question - along these lines.
“Bishop Smith, I know that you are a conservative, and although you and I will have to disagree on certain matters, I respect your honesty. When I was interviewed by you I disclosed myself as a gay Priest, and your response was wonderfully affirming. I think that Ted was asking ‘will you say to the wider audience what you say to us in private’?’
I think that Bishop Smith heard me.
But I was heartened by the response (after the meeting) of other Clerics.
Some thanked me for “a good question”. A few hinted that they too were gay, but closeted within the Diocese.
And two Priests (with gratitude) told me that I was the first Priest ever to “come out” to her/his peers at a Diocesan Clergy gartering.
Good Lord, this is not the Diocese of Massachusetts!
And I am grateful for the holy/silly boldness which retirement affords!
And the day ended with fun. The former Secretary at St. James’s, Cambridge, Judy Beers, is in town. She is visiting her friends Ron and Charlotte Thompson who, thanks to her introduction, have become my friends.
I invited Judy, Ron and Charlotte to be my guests tonight for dinner at a local seafood restaurant - the “Lazy Lobster”. We had a good dinner and great conversations. Then the bill arrived. I could not pay it. I had left my bill-fold at home!
Much mirth and giggling all around. Ron met the bill with his credit card, and I will give him a cheque to cover it.
What a nice try on my part, to squirrel out of a bill!
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