Dear St. Stephen’s
Community,
Following is the September
24 letter from the St. Stephen’s Vestry to Bishop Michael Smith regarding same-sex
marriage rites in the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota, followed by Bishop
Smith’s response as of today (October 1).
Your continued prayers and support
on this issue are requested.
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Letter
from the St. Stephen’s Vestry:
September
24, 2015
Re: Same Gender Marriage Liturgy in the
Diocese of North Dakota
Dear Bishop Smith:
At its General
Convention in Salt Lake City this past summer, as you know, the Episcopal
Church adopted Resolution A054, which states in pertinent part:
Bishops exercising
ecclesiastical authority or, where appropriate,
ecclesiastical
supervision, will make provisions for all couples
asking to be married in
this Church to have access to these.
We
are aware that you have consulted with some priests within the Diocese,
soliciting their view on the matter as you decide how you will “make provision”
for same sex couples in our Diocese to exchange marriage vows within the
context of our church’s liturgy. As such marriages may take place beginning on
the first Sunday of Advent, November 29, 2015, and because this is an issue of
paramount importance to gay and lesbian couples within our congregations, we
respectfully ask that you share your initial thoughts on the matter of “making
provision” prior to Diocesan Convention in Bismarck on October 16-17, 2015, and
invite feedback and comment from delegates at that Convention before making a
final decision.
We
also ask that you give strong consideration to a process by which priests in
the Diocese of North Dakota who are willing to do so are allowed to perform
marriage rites for same sex couples in their home parish. We feel strongly that
a couple that is resident in North Dakota should be allowed to marry in the
Diocese of North Dakota, and not be required to travel to Minnesota, South
Dakota, or other states. We are aware that some bishops in the Episcopal Church
who are in good conscience opposed to same-sex marriages are referring gay and
lesbian couples within their dioceses to neighboring dioceses, often in
neighboring states. This quote from a letter sent recently by St. Andrew’s
Church in Albany to the Bishop of Albany captures our concern about such an
approach:
Compelling priests
who support the Convention’s action to deny
their parishioners
access to the approved marriage rites goes
beyond merely coercing
them to say “no” in order to be obedient
to their Bishop. It puts
them at odds with the Holy Spirit moving
within them, doing
damage to their own souls. It makes them into
liars – falsely
representing their beliefs to those couples, their
parishes, and to the
world outside to whom they are charged with
carrying Christ’s
message. It makes them complicit with a
policy that they know to
be destructive in the lives of their
parishioners. It erodes
the bonds of trust necessary if a
pastor is to be able to
minister to the entirety of their
community.
Some have suggested
that this issue can be addressed via the provisions of Delegated Episcopal
Oversight (DEPO). This is not an option we support because it would create
division among congregations in our Diocese – some being DEPO-designated
congregations and others not. At St. Stephen’s we value our longstanding
relationship to other congregations within the Diocese and see any solution
which brands some congregations as “different” from others in this way as
damaging to those relationships and to the Diocese as a whole.
We recognize and
respect your strong view on this matter, as reflected in your participation in
the Communion Partners Salt Lake City Statement issued on July 2, 2015. At the
same time, we ask you to recognize that a large majority within The Episcopal
Church do not share those views.
We ask that you “make
provision” for marriage of same sex couples within the Diocese of North Dakota
in a manner which honors and respects their devotion to each other and our
church, and makes known to them that they are loved and welcomed by many within
our own Diocese.
This letter is sent on behalf of the
undersigned and the other members of the vestry of St. Stephen's: Bryan
Gelinske, Sandy Kenz, Annette Morrow, and Gin Templeton.
Sincerely,
Leo F.J. Wilking
Senior Warden
Catherine McMullen
Junior Warden
cc: All Priests and
Priests-in-Charge, Diocese of North Dakota
All Senior Wardens, Diocese of North
Dakota
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Response
from Bishop Smith:
October 1, 2015
Dear Father Jamie, Leo,
Catherine, and the St. Stephen’s Vestry:
I received your thoughtful,
respectful letter on “Same Gender Marriage Liturgy in the Diocese of North
Dakota” this week. I notice you copied the priests and senior wardens of the
diocese, so I am attaching your letter and adding the deacons and other lay leaders
to keep them in the loop.
You can expect a fuller
treatment of some of the issues you raise in the November issue of The Sheaf. In this week before the
pre-convention meetings, however, let me make three observations for the good
of our order:
1. My conversations have
been with the priests in charge on these matters because they alone have the
responsibility and authority to make decisions on which marriages to solemnize
or not.
2. Same sex marriage is not
currently on the agenda for the upcoming diocesan convention. If you or anyone
else wants to bring any issue for discussion at convention, our diocesan canons
state that a resolution must be submitted sixty days in advance, unless
two-thirds of the delegates want to take up a matter.
3. The level of controversy
and division over this issue is reflected in the mail I am receiving. It is
running about 50% in support of my position and 50% against.
Sincerely,
+Michael
