Scandal Adds to Episcopal Woes as Defections Rise
In Albuquerque the Cathedral Church of St. John was seen headed toward eventual bankruptcy as its members deserted to other less-ornate, smaller Episcopal churches. Then the cathedral accountant sounded an alarm. In effect, he accused the church leadership of complacency in the sloppy way the cathedral was run. Immediately the area’s bishop rushed to quash the bad mouthing with an apparent cover-up.
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Bishop Michael L. Vono has spent months digging into allegations that the dean of his territorial cathedral misused Sunday collection money from parishioners for his personal enjoyment, including lots of expensive wine, which he was accused of imbibing to the extreme.His Vestry, or board of directors, was accused of trashing the cathedral’s endowment by $2 million through complacency, and of not disciplining the dean. The Vestry includes some of Albuquerque’s leading citizens.
The explosive stream of allegations had been unleashed by the cathedral’s accountant who resigned in early February. Some parishioners encouraged the outburst, and the accountant took his charges to the bishop in a private audience. Vono dispatched his aides to the cathedral where an unpaid volunteer was summarily dismissed at the request of the accused dean, according to church workers who witnessed the expulsion. “It felt like a quiet version of the Spanish Inquisition,” one said.
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It is interesting (but saddening) to read the the Examiner article, which goes on to mention other problems beyond the scandal in Albuquerque. The article left me with an even keener sense than I had previously of the pervasive spiritual sickness in the Episcopal Church. Significantly, as I look around, the only signs of health I can see (in TEC) are in the dioceses either currently or formerly led by the nine bishops who are now being threatened with charges for daring to question TEC’s litigation strategy.
[1] Posted by ToAllTheWorld on 7-2-2012 at 12:23 PM · [top]
Those who are members of large congregations such as Cathedrals are not safe from the day to day problems caused by man, or the larger problems caused by the denomination. In fact, the human scandals may escalate as the denomination falters.
[2] Posted by Undergroundpewster on 7-2-2012 at 12:41 PM · [top]
Pewster, you are probably right. The mess and scandals may worsen as TEC falters.
[3] Posted by SC blu cat lady on 7-2-2012 at 01:55 PM · [top]
This sounds like a job for civil authorities. The state auditors should investigate and if necessary file crimnal charges. Remember Enron and Worldcom? What happened to the situation in Colorado? I served on the board of a national organization that discovered that the exective director had not only been immoral on a number of occasions but spent large amounts of corporate money for personal depravity. We met, he “confessed” and we fired him. Our mistake was not pressing criminal charges. He went on and started a war of lies and seduction of simple Christians and ultimately destroyed a great ministry. This is what the state is for. We were over our head. We just didn’t want to spread the scandle around. We were wrong. Since then I have been in two other situations not as bad and the same pattern follows. RCC could write a book on this and their pedaphiles they had. These predators must be stopped and the law can do it. Soft handed preachers and uninformed laymen can’t. IMHO
[4] Posted by PROPHET MICAIAH on 7-2-2012 at 05:40 PM · [top]
I have an idea we will see more and more of this. When there is lots of money flowing through an organisation, it is somehow easy for the smaller embezzlements to be missed. But once the flow of big money stops, the smaller matters often start coming to light.
[5] Posted by MichaelA on 7-2-2012 at 07:12 PM · [top]
The wine bit reminds me of a certain vicar.
>> http://www.myspace.com/video/charles/our-anglican-clergy-at-work/5635229
[6] Posted by Newbie Anglican on 7-2-2012 at 07:28 PM · [top]
The Dio of RG is a train wreck. For 2002 to 2010 the Catedral lost about 25 percent of ASA and 31 percent of inflation adjusted Plate & Pledge. Not good, but the Dio did even worst. The Dio lost about 37 percent of ASA and 38 percent off inflation adjusted Plate & Pledge. And still worst waas the loss of 54 percent of Infant Baptisms and 55 percent of Marraiges. Also, in 2010 about 30 of its 53 churches had ASA of less than 60. On the brighter side they are making good progress on their second conference and retreat ceenter. There is a good chance that the Center will need a stock of fine wines . Statmann
[7] Posted by Statmann on 7-2-2012 at 09:01 PM · [top]
Thanks Statmann.
I note ACNA claims to have 13 parishes in New Mexico, which isn’t many, but it sounds like they are in better health than most of the TEC churches there.
[8] Posted by MichaelA on 7-3-2012 at 01:04 AM · [top]
Don’t feel bad, Prophet Micaiah. You’d be surprised how little people have learned from the homosexual predator scandal in the RCC, and how easy it is to slip back into the path of least resistance. We had a parish here in town where the priest had a gambling addiction and money started disappearing rapidly. When the bishop found out, he ordered an outside audit, and then turned the matter over to the local police. The people in the parish were outraged - http://tinyurl.com/8xy2uc9
They wanted it handled “within the church family, rather than through the involvement of the police”. They’d learned absolutely nothing. In this case, it’s not the hierarchy that wanted the coverup, it was the laity.
So far, the case is still open, though some reforms have been put in place to keep the problem from happening again: http://www2.canada.com/story.html?id=6247727
[9] Posted by Dr. Mabuse on 7-3-2012 at 07:55 AM · [top]
I hope ACNA gets a parish going in Santa Fe. I found the church situation there appalling during a recent visit.
But in light of this fermenting scandal of the wine-bibbing Dean, I do think we will all now have to cease any talk that The Episcopal Church is not Anglican: http://wannabeanglican.blogspot.com/2012/07/episcopalian-wine-scandal.html
[10] Posted by Newbie Anglican on 7-3-2012 at 10:00 AM · [top]
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