OF HEROES AND CHRONICLERS
As the schism winds down and its loose threads are being tied off, it is appropriate to reflect on the near past before we move on, as we should, into the future. Of course, the schism can never, and should never, be removed from the memory of the past. It is now, and will be forever, in the DNA of the Diocese of South Carolina. The diocese of today has been forged in the fire of this unwelcomed conflagration. The character of the diocese today is the result of the events visited upon it in the past few decades. The loyal Episcopalians of lower South Carolina did not ask for what happened to them, and neither did they shy away from the challenge of the moment.
Therefore, it was appropriate for the diocese to pause last week and remember the heroes of the hour and the chroniclers who wrote about them. The greatest heroes were those faithful Episcopalians who refused to follow the erring crowd, who kept the faith and who fought the good fight even when it was hard to do. Frances Elmore, of Florence, was one of those. At the break in late 2012, she and Dolores Miller gathered up the dozen or so faithful Episcopalians of Florence and formed a church. I know firsthand because my daughter Elizabeth was in that little band. At first they met in living rooms, then in an old rural school and in borrowed quarters of a Lutheran church. Finally, they settled in a repurposed shoe store. By the time of Miller's death, a few years ago, St. Catherine's Episcopal Church was a strong and vibrant congregation. It was highly fitting last week for Bishop Woodliff-Stanley to recognize Elmore with the high honor of Bishop's Cross. Find a video of the Bishop's Cross presentation HERE.
It was appropriate too for the bishop to recognize the work of the "chroniclers," including Steve Skardon and Minerva King. For a decade before the break of 2012, Skardon single-handedly related information and challenged the various maneuverings of the old diocesan leadership which for years worked to remove the majority of the diocese from the Episcopal Church. His blog, scepiscopalians.com , was the only source of information available to the public that was not controlled by the schism-bound diocesan authorities. The Episcopal Forum tried also to promote reason but it was swept aside by the diocesan powers of the day. Without Skardon, the schismatics would have had complete control of the public message and a free run of the public perception of the issues of the day. He refused to concede the stage to them. This makes him both a hero and a chronicler. Find a video of the Chronicler awards HERE . The bishop recognized my work on history too, but I was not able to be present. I appreciated her kind words and look forward to receiving the award at some future time.
