CLERGY MEETINGS TODAY,  26 APRIL 2022

News has arrived that the clergy of both dioceses will convene today with their respective bishops. In the Episcopal diocese, Bishop Woodliff Stanley will meet her clergy via Zoom. In the Anglican diocese, the clergy will meet with Bishop Edgar at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul, in Charleston. Find the official announcement of this HERE. Note Edgar's wording about those who won and those who lost, without ambiguity.

Obviously, the topic of conversation will be the SCSC "final" ruling of last week. One should imagine the thrust of the talk in both camps will be about whether to move toward closing down the legal war or to fight on in whatever ways available until the bitter end. 

The weightiest decisions will be on the Anglican side. There, all of the big and powerful parishes, e.g. St. Philip's of Charleston, St. Michael's of Charleston, St. Helena's of Beaufort, and Church of the Cross of Bluffton, have gained complete control of their local properties. However, some of the important smaller parishes, e.g. Old Saint Andrew's of West Ashley, St. James of James Island, and St. John's of Johns Island are returning to the Episcopal Church. There is bound to be a different attitude between the large parishes and the fourteen parishes to be returned to TEC. It will be interesting to see the dynamic between the clergy of the big churches and the rest.

On the Episcopal side, one would imagine talk about the mechanisms of returning the fourteen wayward parishes to the Church as well as repossessing the entity and assets of the old diocese now in the hands of the secessionists.