Breaking: Bishop Love Writes to the Diocese of Albany: Bishop Herzog turns to Rome

A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.

The HobDee is already aflame with this.

Well said, Bishop. What you need to do going forward should be crystal clear; I pray that you will be guided to do that.

“Bump, bump, bump - another one bites the dust…”

Does William Tighe have a crystal ball that works?  See here
http://titusonenine.classicalanglican.net/?p=15966  comment number 1.

The Albany Catholic diocese is pretty near the worst in the American church.  I hope that there is a separate diocese in the St. Lawrence valley that Bishop Herzog and his wife will join instead of Albany.  Is there no hope for Anglicanism?

This letter is such a wonderful, pastoral response to such a tough situation.  My love goes out to the Diocese of Albany, Bishop Herzog, and Bishop Love.

It’s curious that Rome has become the default option for departing orthodox clergy… theologically, Eastern Orthodoxy seems the more natural destination; and liturgically, their Western Rite (a slightly edited 1928 liturgy) is more suitable to traditional sensibilities than Rome’s Anglican Use (a bizarre mixture of the 1979 BCP with Roman elements). Maybe Orthodoxy is just off the average Episcopalian’s radar?

Orthodoxy may be closer ecclesiologically, but I do not think it is closer theologically. Augustinianism is strong in both the Anglo-catholic and evangelical branches of Anglican orthodoxy

+Dan should have looked at the RC Diocese of Lake Charles. At least one formally Episcopal priest now priest of large congregation. With his wife at his side. I doubt the Romans would accept any Episcopal bishop however, since hardly any of them are Christians.

Does anyone know if +Herzog is going to attempt to be transferred into Rome as clergy?

I doubt the Romans would accept any Episcopal bishop however

If they were smart they would conditionally re-ordain him and put him at the helm of a newly created Anglican Use personal prelature.

(Would be an awful development from the perspective of Anglican realignment, though.)

“I doubt the Romans would accept any Episcopal bishop however, since hardly any of them are Christians.”

I think that Bishop Pope of Fort Worth found out that the Pastoral Directive can apply to married priests from the Anglican Communion, but not as far as married Bishops from the Anglican Communion.

This is sad news not only for the Diocese of Albany, but for all Anglicans in the State of NY and for pecusa.

From the letter.

“Unfortunately, unlike Bishop Bena’s decision to transfer to the Church of Nigeria, continuing as a bishop in good standing in the Anglican Communion, Bishop Dan’s decision has necessitated the resignation of his orders as bishop, priest and deacon. As such, he will not be able to function in an ordained capacity within the Diocese or larger Anglican Communion.”

The bishop did not want to link his decision to go to Rome with considerations of his ordained status. He is at this point a lay person and I understand that opportunities for possible future ordination did not enter into his discernment process. What the future brings will depend on the Lord.

Matt, I believe he can transfer into the priesthood, but I do not think into the episcopate - that marriage thing, but I believe RCC will allow into the presbytery.

My sympathies lie with Orthodoxy, but whether this or Rome, the current crisis certainly tends to plainly reveal the faults of Anglicanism.  It’s not unreasonable for some people to conclude that those flaws are fatal in terms of assurances that the Anglican Communion can be relied upon to stand against the onrushing tide of the larger culture.

In any case, my prayers are with Bishop Herzog and his family, and I hope the Lord will richly nourish them in the Roman Communion.

Hosea,

I agree, but I am not sure how your point refers to my point? He has not sought ordination as a R Catholic priest. He purposefully entered without such considerations

Matt, I’m probably confused to where you’re headed in that post, apologies. However fully agree w/ “What the future brings will depend on the Lord.”

Orthodoxy may be closer ecclesiologically, but I do not think it is closer theologically. Augustinianism is strong in both the Anglo-catholic and evangelical branches of Anglican orthodoxy.

Matt+, I think that Lancelot Andrewes (if he were alive), and perhaps even Michael Ramsey, would disagree with you.

For a historical perspective, see the recent Anglicans and Orthodox: Unity and Subversion 1559-1725, but Judith Pinnington.

IRNS,

I think they would too

I don’t think there’s a sad note in any of this, except for Bishop Herzog’s inability to function as a priest—but that’s a cost he counted and made willingly. God bless both Bishop Herzog and Bishop Love for handling this matter with such abundant grace and goodwill.

I have no trouble at all imagining that in some of the more legalistic quarters of our church, the diocesan would proceed with deposing Bishop Herzog for abandoning the communion of the Episcopal Church.

I certainly wish Dan and Carol Herzog well BUT I am very upset that through his leadership the Diocese of Albany became a hot bed of charismatics and feminist women ordained people. And then he becomes Roman Catholic. What about his stand on WO? You know, you cannot be a little Roman Catholic. It is like being a little bit pregnant. I remember riding with Dan to a retreat before he became Bishop and discussing the impossibilities of a female being a priest. We both agreed about the subject. I left Albany for Fort Worth, he became a Bishop, I returned faced with a bunch of angry women in stoles who, in some cases, I understand, were foisted on churches. Dan thereupon retires and goes to Rome where there are no women ordained people.

Perhaps as penance Rome should make him worship in some Albany parish for a number of years under a rector of the female persuasion whom he ordained. :(`

I actually think it was some of the same ordianands that drove him into early retirement.

Another example of a bishop going to Rome is the now Monsignor Graham Leonard, former Bishop of London. Monsignor Leonard is married and has two children. Neither Rome nor Orthodoxy would ever allow a married bishop, but some former Anglican clergy have been given positions of fairly high pqwer within individual dioceses.

Post removed at author’s request.

Help I posted the above to the wrong thread.  If you would be so kind as to remove it,  I would be most grateful.

So what does this say to the rest of us?  To those who think you can find ways to coexist with TEC? Two Godly bishops have shaken the dust from their sandals.  Without a legitimate and orthdox Anglican province in the US, how many more will be out the door as well?  How long can Canterbury afford to wait?  Is September a real deadline?

Paplist: You stated:“Perhaps as penance Rome should make him worship in some Albany parish for a number of years under a rector of the female persuasion whom he ordained. :(`”

I trust that you are aware that Bishop David Ball, the supposed traditionalist, actually ordained the first women in Albany Diocese and a number of them after that. 

By comparison, +Herzog only ordained three, and that was up until the 2003 G.C. consent of V.G.R.. He hasn’t performed a female ordination since late 2004. 

You’d better get your facts straight before you assign blame for “the messing up the diocese by ordaining women.”

Albeit
Yes, Bishop Ball ordained the first woman (1) after being heckled and tormented by Bishop Vince Petit, his assistant Bishop at the time, shoved at him by the national church (whose daughter came at about the same time and was Bishop Ball’s deployment officer; she got divorced and ordained in that order) and the head of his committee on Ministry, a passive aggressive extreme liberal. I always wondered about the timing of all those forces against Bishop Ball at the time; National Church conspiracy to force its nasty agenda on Albany? Remember, just because you are paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t really out to get you.

Anyway I believe Bishop Ball regretted his decision. Still, it took the force feeding of Bishop Herzog to entrench the ordained females (not only ordained but also placed from elsewhere) within the Diocese. Plink, another Anglo-catholic diocese shot to hell. It would seem to me Dan Herzog either showed questionable integrity either while bishop (he force fed females into pulpits and ordained right up to his last days) or he is showing it now by becoming obedient to Roman discipline.

Dan had done good things in this diocese. On this issue his actions have shown, evidently, he made a mistake.

YIC, AP+

I was a member of the Diocese of NJ from 1986-1991; Vince Petit was our Suffragan, and I do not think he ever served in any other diocese.  Are you sure you have the right assistant bishop?

Yes. I remember him distinctly yelling at me at my institution for not having a stole on in processional. That Vince Petit. Daughter Joan. Assistant bishop, Diocese of Albsny, late ‘90’s.

Indeed, +Petit’s daughter was the Deployment Officer for the Diocese under Bishop Ball. He was retired and went to Albany to assist +David Ball. With Claire Stahler (presently the Queen of Albany Via Media) as Chair of the Commission on Ministry, they worked tirelessly to change “bring the diocese out of the Dark Ages.” (Word I heard directly from +Petit mouth). The stalled local ordinations and brought in numerous liberal priests from outside the diocese.

The liberals, who controlled the Search Committee, made a major miscalulation when they deliberately leveraged to get +Herzog (the only local boy) onto the ballot for Bishop.  They were positive that he wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance of being elected. 

+Petit became a low key member of the liberal Fr. Wayne Schwab’s “Anyone But Herzog” campaign and worked to leverage one of the other more liberal candidates into the office of Bishop. (Schwab+, a non-resident priest, was the former Evangelism Director at 815 Second Ave. during the infamous “Decade of Evangelism.) 

Surprise!  +Herzog won on the first ballot. +Petit immediately left the diocese, followed shortly after by his daughter. An angry Claire Stahler was disempowered very early on in +Herzog’s ministry.

Let’s be honest here, +Herzog’s greatest achievement wasn’t the creation of the Spiritual Life Center, which is marvelous in itself, it was his exhaustive efforts in bringing Albany Diocese back to it’s orthodox roots and saving it from the brink of the reappraiser abyss.

Albeit
You are correct and I realize the danger the diocese was in at the time. I worked tirelessly to get Dan elected and I do not regret it a bit, especially given who he was running against. BUT that doesn’t make the WO issue disapear into thin air. It was a tragic mistake on David Ball’s part; I will never be sure that it wasn’t something a bit more nefarious on Bishop Herzog’s part. Whether he ordained one or three there still appeared in the diocese a whole bunch during his tenure. And his becoming RC reinforces my suspicions about the issue..

YIC, AP+