Washington, USA - The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia ordains this week its largest class of priests in decades -- 16 -- even as it remains in an intense legal battle with conservative congregations that voted one year ago to leave the church.
Eight Virginia congregations announced last Dec. 17 that they were leaving the Episcopal Church, which is part of the Anglican Communion, and aligning with more conservative parts of the Anglican world, in Africa. At least 15 Virginia congregations have left the diocese and are locked in a court battle over tens of millions of dollars in church property. A small number of Episcopalians in other parts of the country have since made similar moves, including in San Joaquin, Calif., where this month a diocese voted for the first time to leave the U.S. church.
Yet even as Anglicans continue to debate such issues as what scripture says about human sexuality and how their governance system works, both sides continue to develop.
In three services, Sunday, yesterday and today, the Virginia diocese is ordaining men and women to serve in the Richmond area and Northern Virginia. They will join 450 other clergy in the diocese.
It isn't clear why this class is so large, said diocesan spokesman Patrick Getlein, though he noted a stepped-up effort to bring young Episcopalians into the clergy. Several members of the class are technically parts of other U.S. dioceses.
Of the 15 congregations to leave, four had members who remained in the Episcopal Church and reorganized into new congregations: St. Stephen's in Heathsville, St. Margaret's in Woodbridge, The Falls Church in Falls Church and Church of the Epiphany in Herndon. Church property is controlled by the voting majorities who say the U.S. church forfeited land and historic buildings because of its more liberal views.
The Virginia-based group created to be a home for breakaway conservatives, called the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, ordained four new bishops Dec. 9. The group now counts about 8,600 members across the country.
The Episcopal Church has about 2.1 million members.