Posted on 02/12/2006 1:32:31 PM PST by NYer
For months, internal debate has revolved around outgoing Bishop Daniel Herzog, who is accused by some in his flock of concealing church finances, short-circuiting the election of his successor and sidelining those who clash with his theological beliefs.
The climate in the diocese has added significance because of the high-profile battle Herzog has waged as a national leader in the Episcopal Church's internal fight over the ordination of clergy priests, which Herzog vociferously opposes.
Dissension within the Albany diocese reached a climax with an extraordinary letter last September.
Albany businessman Thomas Maggs, a trustee seen as closely aligned with Herzog's conservative vision for the diocese, abruptly resigned. His job as a fiduciary, Maggs wrote in a letter obtained by the Times Union, had become impossible. The bishop had stonewalled his every request for financial information.
Maggs and others feared the information clampdown hid major debts that have grown out of Herzog's pet project -- the creation of a 612-acre retreat in the hills of Washington County. A conversation with the diocesan accountant, William Kahn, only reinforced Maggs' concerns.
"The picture painted by Mr. Kahn was not a pretty one," Maggs wrote to Herzog in his resignation letter. "He confirmed my worst fears by telling me that our borrowing in the current year had outpaced our income. He urged me to share this information with the rest of the trustees and stated that we should be provided with any financial information necessary to fulfill our role as a fiduciary."
In 2002, the 19-county diocese of about 20,000 baptized members began selling church real estate worth millions of dollars to raise money for Herzog's project, known as the Christ the King Spiritual Life Center. That angered some parishioners who cherished the old properties. Lives were disrupted in the case of the Nelson House adult home in Albany, when 60 senior citizens were forced to relocate.
The diocese hired Mathew Baker to run the new retreat center, which opened last year. Baker's father also was hired to manage the retreat's construction. Inside the church, questions arose over using charitable funds intended for health care on a faith-based healing ministry at the center that has nothing to do with actual medicine.
The dissension deepened in January when one of the diocese's most accomplished clergy followed Maggs' letter with his own plea to church authorities for transparency. The Rev. Gary Kriss, the semiretired former dean of the diocese's mother church, Cathedral of All Saints, labeled the trustee's departure and recent layoffs at the Spiritual Life Center as "unmistakable clues to the gravity of this situation."
"My concern is that if information is being withheld, there must be a reason for withholding it," Kriss, 59, wrote in an e-mail to the Times Union. "Much concern, on the part of many people, would be resolved if there was full disclosure."
.... more .... at above link.
Christ the King Spiritual Life Center is the centerpiece of Episcopal Bishop Daniel Herzog's planned complex in Easton. The upcoming election of a new bishop has raised concerns about a looming financial crisis. (Michael P. Farrell / Times Union)
Bishop Daniel Herzog
Thought this might be of interest to you and your list. Ironically, here in Albany NY, the Episcopal Diocese is run by a Conservative bishop whereas the RC Diocese is hamstringed by an ultra liberal. Both bishops are exacerbated at their inability to sway their respective Churches in their direction. There is a God :-)!
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Have you taken over the list from Sionnsar?
No, just helping out!
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.
FReepmail sionnsar if you want on or off this moderately high-volume ping list (typically 3-9 pings/day).
This list is pinged by sionnsar, Huber and newheart.
Resource for Traditional Anglicans: http://trad-anglican.faithweb.com
Humor: The Anglican Blue (by Huber)
Speak the truth in love. Eph 4:15
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