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To: Marauder
Speaking as an ex-Episcopalian . . . we would love to welcome you across the Tiber.

We were in a similar situation -- we had a relatively orthodox parish that was untouched by controversy -- until our rector retired and we could not find an orthodox replacement. (The revisionists have controlled the seminaries for years now, and they will not admit an orthodox candidate or ordain one that managed to slip through.) When our new rector came out in support of GC 2003, that was our signal to depart.

The only thing you might consider is that your parish's portion to the bishop and to the national church is now being used to litigate against orthodox parishes and rectors AND laymen and sue them out of existence. If your parish is contributing to the church at large, can you justify that? Then, of course, there's the issue of being 'yoked to an unbeliever' -- which we ourselves ignored until our faces were rubbed in it. But we should have left sooner - we bailed in September 2003 but the handwriting had been on the wall for awhile. I know it's not easy to pull up stakes and depart, I was a sixth generation Anglican (if you don't count an intervening Methodist who happened into the line).

I was pleased and surprised to find how little doctrinal difference there actually was to deal with, and how orthodox my new parish is. Of course, we were so "High Church" that our noses bled, but the only points of doctrine that we needed to revisit were the validity of Anglican Orders and the supremacy of the Pope (had no problem with either -- all these Episcopal shenanigans certainly challenge the idea that the denomination is part of the Church that Jesus promised the gates of hell would not prevail against, and the Good Lord knows we need Adult Leadership.)

That said, if you're in California, I would look first and make sure you can find an orthodox Catholic parish. The Vatican has apparently decided that the heretical Cardinal there is too entrenched and his retirement age too close to unceremoniously boot him (as they have booted others who were involved in the late scandals).

The "spirit of Vatican II" (not the actual documents) allowed some ordinaries to run wild, and they were not reined in by the Vatican as they should have been -- largely because of fears of anti-Catholic sentiment in the U.S. This has made a horrible mess in some places, because the heterodoxy seemed to go hand in hand with homosexual misconduct.

But I think you'll find that the misconduct was confined to a relatively few areas (not that that makes it any better for the sufferers) and, more importantly, that virtually all the cases are now far in the past, the perpetrators defrocked, in prison, or dead, and their enablers under discipline. Dioceses are now required to make regular reports regarding any complaints, and you will find that information on the diocesan website.

49 posted on 07/16/2007 3:32:01 PM PDT by AnAmericanMother ((Ministrix of Ye Chase, TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary (recess appointment)))
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To: AnAmericanMother
Speaking as an ex-Episcopalian . . . we would love to welcome you across the Tiber.

And as I say, if what you describe happens in our parish, we'll be there. But we're in the West Texas Diocese, and the predominant attitude is orthodox, with very few liberals in our parish.

Still, what you say about the revisionist control of the seminaries is disturbing, and if when our rector retires we cannot find an orthodox replacement, we're outta there.

51 posted on 07/16/2007 5:53:39 PM PDT by Marauder (¡Viva! Sir Salman)
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