NOTES ON 2-22-2022
Greetings blog reader. It is the 22day of the 2nd month, of the year 2022. Numerologists are having a field day, as are the astrologers. Along the Gulf coast none of this matters because they are in the midst of Mardi Gras fun. They have a week to go and will make the most of it. It's too bad we uptight Protestants above the coast never learned to join in the levity of the pre-Lent period. I think a little silliness might do us good especially now in this day and age of darkness.
I really have nothing new to report today. Since I have not made a posting in nine days, this is just to let you know I am still here and keeping an eye on things and will relay significant news as it occurrs.
As for the plague, the fourth great surge seems to be over. There has been a big decline in new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the last two weeks. The nation is slowly edging back to "normal" even though the pandemic is still going on. In the U.S., there have been 78m cases and nearly 1m deaths. In the country as a whole, 65% of the people are fully vaccinated, in SC 56%, and in AL 50%. Barring a new variant, there is good reason to hope the pandemic is finally waning.
As for the South Carolina Supreme Court, I remain mystified at their doings. It has been 13 days since the Episcopal lawyer Utsey asked for guidance from the SCSC on how to respond to Runyan's opposition to the submission of the 1987 diocesan convention journal. In the 13 days, there has been no reply from the SCSC on the sccourts website. Your guess at what is going on in the SCSC is as good as mine. I am still trying to wrap my head around that strange hearing last December 8, and I am not getting very far.
The new diocese that split off from the Episcopal diocese of SC is about to put on a big show. On 12 March at 10:00 a.m., they will hold an ordination and consecration of a bishop coadjutor. It will be livestreamed. Foley Beach will preside at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, in Charleston. "Chip" Edgar is set to become the II bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina upon the retirement of the first diocesan bishop, Mark Lawrence. Interesting to note that Steve Wood, the bishop of the ACNA Diocese of the Carolinas, and rector of St. Andrew's of Mt. Pleasant, will be prominent in the service. Since Edgar is dean of the cathedral church of Wood's diocese, there has been speculation of a merger of Lawrence's and Wood's dioceses. They are overlapping units of the ACNA.
According to the ADSC proposed 2022 budget , Mark Lawrence will be on the diocesan payroll until March 31, 2022. Edgar began drawing bishop's salary on February 1, 2022. Perhaps one may assume from this that Lawrence will retire and Edgar will become the diocesan bishop in the month of March, a very brief coadjutor period. This means double salary for only two months. Last year, the talk was that Lawrence would retire by the end of 2022. Apparently, Lawrence is resigning as bishop next month. This may explain the mystery of why the ADSC public relations people have been refusing to call Edgar bishop coadjutor when, in fact, he was elected bishop coadjutor. The "coadjutor" period will be so short as to be insignificant. Lawrence's address to the diocesan convention on March 11, will, apparently, be his farewell address. It appears that he will exit the stage as bishop shortly thereafter. (I will have much more to say about the Lawrence years later.)
Perhaps symbolizing the state of the pandemic, there are signs of spring in the south. The bulbs are blooming in my garden. Rainy weather has kept me from making pictures in the last few days, but here are two from last year at this time. Peace.
