Anglican Priest deposed, but not rejected! [MI, Fr Gene Geromel]

FiF NA ^ | 8/05/2005 | The Rev’d William Ilgenfritz

[sionnsar]

Swartz Creek, MI

This morning at 10:00am the Bishop of Eastern Michigan read a letter deposing Father Gene Geromel from the priesthood of the Episcopal Church.

Father Geromel and Father Bill Ilgenfritz, Vice-President of Forward In Faith North America, were escorted to the chapel at the Diocesan House. The Pascal Candle was burning and the Letter of Deposition was placed upon the altar. Following the reading of a rather lengthy statement by Bishop Edwin Leidel, stressing his “generosity” toward Father Geromel, the bishop and two presbyters (priests) signed the deposition on the altar and ceremonially handed it to Father Geromel.

Then Father Ilgenfritz read a letter signed by thirteen bishops to the Episcopal Church USA rejecting the deposition and licensing Father Geromel to function in 7 dioceses of the Episcopal Church.

More than 30 members of Saint Bartholomew’s Church together with members of the local press waited patiently in the lobby of the Diocesan House. The Reverend D.O. Smart, Dean of the Mid-Continental Convocation of the Anglican Communion Network, commented to reporters, “Bishop Leidel has asked Father Geromel to be disobedient to Holy Scripture and the Tradition of the One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and to embrace a counterfeit Gospel.”

14 year old Samantha Holove, member of St Bartholomew’s, confronted Bishop Leidel, “Why is it wrong to stand up for Jesus? Why is it wrong to stand up for what we believe in?” Bishop Edwin Leidel offered no response.

[sionnsar]

Fr Gene Geromel: Background Timeline and Information

Fr Eugene Geromel

The Revd Eugene (Gene) Geromel

Contact: Fr. Gene Geromel - 810-635-9100 (Office)

Background Timeline and Information

2005 Jan-present 
Father Geromel has affirmed his commitment and participation in the life of the Episcopal Church. Father Geromel as continued to receive communion from Episcopal Church USA bishops and serves in Episcopal Church organizations.

2005 Jan 
Bishop Leidel (Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan) send a notice of inhibition and impending deposition against Father Geromel for abandonment of the communion of the Episcopal Church USA.

2000-2005 
Father Geromel continues to report marriages, burials and other priestly activity to Bishop of Michigan as a non-parochial priest of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan. The reports are received by the Diocesan Office.

2000 Feb 6 
St. Bartholomew withdraws from the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan and becomes an “independent church” to ensure pastoral oversight from a bishop upholding Biblical teaching and practice. Father Geromel continues to provide pastoral care for the congregation.

2000 Feb 6 
Diocese of Eastern Michigan agrees to sell the church property to St. Bartholomew (Swartz Creek, MI) for $264,000.

1999-2004 
Fr. Geromel repeatedly requested Bishop Leidel to transfer of letters dismissory to the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, who agreed to pastoral oversight.

1999-present 
Bishop Leidel (Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan) allows fellow Episcopal Bishop Keith Ackerman to preach, confirm, and celebrate Holy Communion at St. Bartholomew’s Church, Swartz Creek, with Father Geromel as Rector.

Biographical Information

Priesthood:
1974 May 4 by Bishop Lloyd Gressle in the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem

Education & Teaching:
Adjunct Professor of Spring Arbor University, 1993-2005, teaching courses in Organization Theory and Behavior, and Leadership
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), 1993 from Michigan State University
Master of Science Administration, 1992 from Central Michigan University
Master of Science in Administration, Psychology, 1978 from Central Michigan University
Master of Divinity from Philadelphia Divinity School, 1973

Appointed Vicar of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Swartz Creek, MI, 1994 by Bishop Stew Wood

Elected Rector of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Swartz Creek, MI, 2000

Currently employed by St. Bartholomew’s, Swartz Creek, MI, as a pastoral minister (a currently unaffiliated congregation; St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church continues in communion with Forward In Faith North America, the Anglican Communion Network, and other parts of the worldwide Anglican Communion).

Author of five books and over 100 articles on spiritual life and in business publications.

Married for 28 years and has 4 grown children.
Date of birth: 1948 May 19

[sionnsar]

Eastern Michigan Bishop Deposes Orthodox Priest
David Virtue, 8/04/2005

SAGINAW, MI (8/4/2005)--The invitation of "sentence" arrived in the mail. Fr. Gene Geromel, 57, a priest in the Episcopal Church for 31 years, was told he was being deposed by the bishop of Eastern Michigan, Edwin Leidel at precisely 10.00am.

At 8.45am Fr. Geromel drove up to his parish, St. Bartholomew's in Swartz Creek where he met with 30 parishioners. With him was Fr. Bill Ilgenfritz, V-P of Forward in Faith, NA (who is based in the Diocese of Pittsburgh) and together they drove to diocesan headquarters in downtown Saginaw.

When he arrived he asked if he could take with him his senior and junior warden to see the bishop but was told he could not. The bishop and two presbyters then emerged from their officers and escorted Fr. Geromel and Fr. Ilgenfritz into the chapel where the Paschal Candle was burning brightly. "The lit candle was for my requiem," he told VirtueOnline. There was a brief pause and then Bishop Leidel solemnly read a statement of deposition talking up his generosity and then moved towards the altar where he formally signed it. He gave a copy to Fr. Geromel turned on his heels and left the chapel.

Fr. Ilgenfritz rose and made a statement in the presence of Fr. Geromel and the Rev. D.O. Smart Mid-Atlantic Dean of the Mid-Continental Convocation of the Anglican Communion Network then met in the hallway with the local press, TV and radio. The Rev. Smart, told reporters, “Bishop Leidel has asked Father Geromel to be disobedient to Holy Scripture and the Tradition of the One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and to embrace a counterfeit Gospel.”

They then got into their car and headed back to meet three other former priests who have also been deposed by the revisionist bishop. "I celebrated a mass with everyone present," said Fr. Geromel to VirtueOnline.

Asked what it will do for his parish and property, Fr. Geromel said nothing. "We have been an independent parish under Forward in Faith NA. We bought our parish five years ago from the diocese. Bishop Leidel has no power over them [the parishioners] or me.

Asked why he did this now, at this time, Fr. Geromel said he didn't know why. "It was decided unilaterally by the bishop to give me 5 years to come back to the flock. I have publicly stated that under the Eames Commission that were we in impaired communion [error in original] With the bishop, and he was always welcome at the altar if he repented his positions. He has never done that.

Fr Ilgenfritz, who accompanied Fr. Geromel told VirtueOnline that the reading of the deposition in front of a lit Paschal Candle was disturbing and deeply symbolic. "I read a brief statement and listed 13 bishops signed with 7 diocesan bishops immediately licensing Fr. Geromel to serve in their dioceses.

"What we are seeing here is a pattern. What Bishop Charles Bennison do to Fr. David L. Moyer and what Bishop Andrew Smith has done to Fr. Mark Hansen reveal that the circumstances are so closely orchestrated it is a obviously a plan," said Ilgenfritz.

"I was invited to diocesan offices by my friend Fr. Geromel and I wanted to be there with him for the sentencing," he said.

Said Fr. Geromel, "I didn’t expect he would be deposing me. He inhibited me in January and it has been five years since my parish left the church. I asked him to transfer my Letters Dismissory to a FIFINA bishop several times and he repeatedly said no. So he finally came up with a canon to back it up and depose me.

[sionnsar]

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Speak the truth in love. Eph 4:15

[Vicomte13]

I am a broken record, but I will keep repeating it, because it needs to be said.

The legions of Satan ACT. They USE the canon law. They THROW OUT priests, lock doors, seize property. They command. And they resort to the civil authorities, police and courts, when they get resistance.

The orthodox faithful complain.
They stand in the parking lot.
They threaten and promise that "Ok, this is really it!"
There is a bale of last straws out there.

The primary response has been to simply leave.
Not to stand and fight and declare that the bishops ARE NOT BISHOPS when they stand for a false gospel, and refuse to obey them utterly and completely, just as the Anglicans did to the Latin Bishops a few hundred years ago.

But there is none of that willingness to be, well, PROTESTANT in the Protestant tradition.
That there IS an Anglican Church is because the ministers and people of the Church of England stood up and physically expelled the Latin Bishops from the church there.

Good or bad (I think it was bad) that is what made Anglicanism a separate and distinct religion.

There is no willingness to do that now, and now the sins are not just simony and quarrels over some king's divorce. No indeed! Now the sins are sodomy, overt ordination of sodomites, expulsion from the clergy of minister who say that's wrong.

At least this fellow made sure that he holds onto the title of the property.

[polymuser]

A year ago:

SAGINAW, MI-(7/24/2004)--Three biblically orthodox rectors in the Flint River Convocation (Deanery), in the Diocese of Eastern Michigan, angry and disappointed by the church's consecration of an openly homoerotic non-celibate bishop; the affirmation of same-sex blessings and other doctrinal innovations, have resigned from their parishes and one has renounced his orders in the Episcopal Church.

What doubly angered the priests was that Leidel allowed a non-celibate gay man and his partner to come in as an interim priest at St. Jude's in Fenton, Michigan. "We were betrayed, the bishop lied to us. He said he would never do that," they said. Then he did.

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/print.php?storyid=1091