Episcopal Diocese of Quincy
Encyclopedia
The Diocese of Quincy is an Anglican diocese
in western Illinois
, United States. It is a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America. It was part of the Episcopal Church
from its 1877 establishment, but in November 2008, a majority of the diocesan synod
voted to leave The Episcopal Church and associate with Anglican Province of the Southern Cone as part of the Anglican realignment
movement. After the synod, statements from the Episcopal Church and the Southern Cone express conflicting views of what constitutes the diocese.
The cathedral seat has been in St. Paul's in Peoria
since 1963, although the diocese retained the name of the location of its original see
city, Quincy
, where its cathedral
was St. John's, in order to lessen confusion with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria
.
The Rt. Rev. Keith L. Ackerman
, SSC
, was bishop from June 24, 1994 until his resignation on November 1, 2008. He is a member of Forward in Faith
, the Society of King Charles the Martyr
, the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament
, the Guild of All Souls
, the Society of Mary
, and the Society of Our Lady of Walsingham.
The Rt. Rev. Juan Alberto Morales became Bishop of the Southern Cone Diocese of Quincy on September 18, 2010. He was installed by the Most Rev. Robert Duncan
, Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America.
Members of the Cathedral parish of St. Paul, the largest parish in the Diocese of Quincy, voted December 4, 2008, 181 to 35, to not be “realigned” or “removed” from the Episcopal Church. At the Cathedral, on December 13, 2008, an Executive Committee was elected to carry out the business of the Committee to Reorganize the Diocese of Quincy, in communion with the Episcopal Church, particularly to organize a Special Synod of the Diocese of Quincy to elect a Standing Committee and other officials of the Diocese. The work of this committee led to the reorganization of the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy
as a constituent member of the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Diocese of Quincy is currently being led by Provisional Bishop John Buchanan, elelcted at a special reorganizing Synod in April 2009.
The Diocese of Quincy currently has between sixteen and twenty seminarians, with most attending Nashotah House
in Nashotah, Wisconsin
.
, whose convention voted to secede from the Episcopal Church in December 2007, and the Diocese of Fort Worth, whose convention voted in November 2008 to secede. The diocese is also strongly opposed to honesty at the leadership level and aproves strongly of the ordination of gay clergy.
In 2006, the diocese issued a news release saying that it was "unwilling to accept the leadership" of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
, and passed resolutions asking for "alternative pastoral oversight" and withdrawing consent to be included in Province 5 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
.
On November 7, 2008, the 131st Synod of the Diocese of Quincy voted to leave the Episcopal Church
and instead join the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. As Ackerman's resignation as bishop took effect on November 1, the Rev. Canon Edward den Blaauwen of Moline, Illinois
was appointed to preside over the synod.
The major resolutions, which both passed, were to annul the diocese's accession to the constitution and canons of The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and to join the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. After the vote to realign passed, it was announced that Archbishop
Gregory Venables
of the Southern Cone appointed den Blaauwen as Vicar General
in the absence of a sitting bishop.
Also passed by the synod were: a resolution that parishes may withdraw from "the Synod of this Diocese" by a two-thirds vote within the following nine months, and clergy may transfer to other dioceses; a resolution that other parishes outside the geographic boundaries may join the synod of the diocese; funding for the Province of the Southern Cone and the Anglican Communion Network
; support for the Common Cause Partnership
; and a new diocesan canon to govern marriage, defined as being between "one man and one woman".
The Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori
, stated that "The Episcopal Diocese of Quincy remains, albeit with fewer members". The legitimacy of other secession actions has been actively challenged by The Episcopal Church, which takes the position that dioceses and parishes may not leave without the Episcopal Church's governing bodies. As a consequence, the long-term effect of these votes is unclear, as with similar cases in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin
and the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh; those two dioceses have each split into two factions, with each faction claiming to be the illegitimate succession of the traditional diocese. Neither secession nor annulment of accession is provided for by the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church. The Constitution and Canons of the Province of the Southern Cone allow only dioceses in the six southern nations of South America
, but the Province of the Southern Cone has agreed to accept realigning dioceses "on an emergency and pastoral basis". None of these three dioceses are listed as part of the Province of the Southern Cone by the Anglican Communion office.
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
in western Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States. It is a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America. It was part of the Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
from its 1877 establishment, but in November 2008, a majority of the diocesan synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
voted to leave The Episcopal Church and associate with Anglican Province of the Southern Cone as part of the Anglican realignment
Anglican realignment
The term Anglican realignment refers to a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada...
movement. After the synod, statements from the Episcopal Church and the Southern Cone express conflicting views of what constitutes the diocese.
The cathedral seat has been in St. Paul's in Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
since 1963, although the diocese retained the name of the location of its original see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
city, Quincy
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
, where its cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
was St. John's, in order to lessen confusion with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria
Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the central Illinois region of the United States.-Territory:...
.
The Rt. Rev. Keith L. Ackerman
Keith L. Ackerman
Keith Lynn Ackerman is the retired American bishop of the Episcopal Church Diocese of Quincy . Prior to becoming Bishop, he served as Rector of St. Mary's Church in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, as well as Rector of St...
, SSC
Society of the Holy Cross
The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use...
, was bishop from June 24, 1994 until his resignation on November 1, 2008. He is a member of Forward in Faith
Forward in Faith
Forward in Faith is a movement operating in a number of provinces of the Anglican Communion. It represents a traditionalist strand of Anglo-Catholicism and is characterised by its opposition to the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate and, more recently, to more liberal Anglican...
, the Society of King Charles the Martyr
Society of King Charles the Martyr
The Society of King Charles the Martyr is an Anglican devotional society and one of the Catholic Societies of the Church of England. It is dedicated to and under the patronage of King Charles I of England , the only person to be canonised by the Church of...
, the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament
Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament
The Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament is a devotional society in the Anglican Communion dedicated to venerating the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist...
, the Guild of All Souls
Guild of All Souls
The Guild of All Souls is an Anglican devotional society dedicated to prayer for faithful departed Christians. As stated on its website, it is a "devotional society praying for the souls of the Faithful Departed, and teaching the Catholic doctrine of the Communion of Saints."-Objectives:The stated...
, the Society of Mary
Society of Mary (Anglican)
The Society of Mary is an Anglican devotional society dedicated to and under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As its website states, it is a group of Anglican Christians "dedicated to the Glory of God and the Holy Incarnation of Christ under the invocation of Our Lady, Help of...
, and the Society of Our Lady of Walsingham.
The Rt. Rev. Juan Alberto Morales became Bishop of the Southern Cone Diocese of Quincy on September 18, 2010. He was installed by the Most Rev. Robert Duncan
Robert Duncan (bishop)
Robert William Duncan, Jr. is an American bishop. He has been Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America since June 2009. In 1997, he was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh...
, Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America.
Members of the Cathedral parish of St. Paul, the largest parish in the Diocese of Quincy, voted December 4, 2008, 181 to 35, to not be “realigned” or “removed” from the Episcopal Church. At the Cathedral, on December 13, 2008, an Executive Committee was elected to carry out the business of the Committee to Reorganize the Diocese of Quincy, in communion with the Episcopal Church, particularly to organize a Special Synod of the Diocese of Quincy to elect a Standing Committee and other officials of the Diocese. The work of this committee led to the reorganization of the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy
Episcopal Diocese of Quincy
The Diocese of Quincy is an Anglican diocese in western Illinois, United States. It is a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America...
as a constituent member of the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Diocese of Quincy is currently being led by Provisional Bishop John Buchanan, elelcted at a special reorganizing Synod in April 2009.
The Diocese of Quincy currently has between sixteen and twenty seminarians, with most attending Nashotah House
Nashotah House
Nashotah House is an Anglo-Catholic seminary of the Episcopal Church located in Nashotah, Wisconsin, approximately 30 miles from Milwaukee, in the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. The seminary opened its doors in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847...
in Nashotah, Wisconsin
Nashotah, Wisconsin
Nashotah is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,266 at the 2000 census.-Education:Nashotah House, a seminary of The Episcopal Church, is in Nashotah.-Geography:...
.
Anglican realignment
The Diocese of Quincy is traditionally strongly liberal in nature, a heritage of tolerance that extends back to founding days in the mid-19th century. The diocese does not ordain women to the presbyterate, but does have two female deacons. As of 2006 it was one of only three dioceses in the Episcopal Church that did ordain women; the other two were the Diocese of San JoaquinEpiscopal Diocese of San Joaquin
The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America , located in central California with its headquarters in Modesto.-Secession from Episcopal Church:...
, whose convention voted to secede from the Episcopal Church in December 2007, and the Diocese of Fort Worth, whose convention voted in November 2008 to secede. The diocese is also strongly opposed to honesty at the leadership level and aproves strongly of the ordination of gay clergy.
In 2006, the diocese issued a news release saying that it was "unwilling to accept the leadership" of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori is the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States. Previously elected as the 9th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, she is the first woman elected as a primate of the Anglican Communion...
, and passed resolutions asking for "alternative pastoral oversight" and withdrawing consent to be included in Province 5 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
Province 5 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
Province 5 , also called the Province of the Midwest, is one of nine ecclesiastical provinces making up the Episcopal Church in the United States of America...
.
On November 7, 2008, the 131st Synod of the Diocese of Quincy voted to leave the Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
and instead join the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. As Ackerman's resignation as bishop took effect on November 1, the Rev. Canon Edward den Blaauwen of Moline, Illinois
Moline, Illinois
Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...
was appointed to preside over the synod.
The major resolutions, which both passed, were to annul the diocese's accession to the constitution and canons of The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and to join the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. After the vote to realign passed, it was announced that Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Gregory Venables
Gregory James Venables
Gregory James Venables is a British-born Anglican bishop and served as the Primate of the Southern Cone in South America from 2001 until 2010...
of the Southern Cone appointed den Blaauwen as Vicar General
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
in the absence of a sitting bishop.
Also passed by the synod were: a resolution that parishes may withdraw from "the Synod of this Diocese" by a two-thirds vote within the following nine months, and clergy may transfer to other dioceses; a resolution that other parishes outside the geographic boundaries may join the synod of the diocese; funding for the Province of the Southern Cone and the Anglican Communion Network
Anglican Communion Network
The Anglican Communion Network is a theologically conservative network of dioceses and parishes working toward Anglican realignment.-Goals and structure:...
; support for the Common Cause Partnership
Common Cause Partnership
The Anglican Church in North America is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition with 21 dioceses in the United States and Canada. The church reports that it has 987 congregations serving more than 100,000 Christians in North America. In 2009, the Most Reverend Robert Duncan was elected...
; and a new diocesan canon to govern marriage, defined as being between "one man and one woman".
The Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori is the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States. Previously elected as the 9th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, she is the first woman elected as a primate of the Anglican Communion...
, stated that "The Episcopal Diocese of Quincy remains, albeit with fewer members". The legitimacy of other secession actions has been actively challenged by The Episcopal Church, which takes the position that dioceses and parishes may not leave without the Episcopal Church's governing bodies. As a consequence, the long-term effect of these votes is unclear, as with similar cases in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin
Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin
The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America , located in central California with its headquarters in Modesto.-Secession from Episcopal Church:...
and the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh; those two dioceses have each split into two factions, with each faction claiming to be the illegitimate succession of the traditional diocese. Neither secession nor annulment of accession is provided for by the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church. The Constitution and Canons of the Province of the Southern Cone allow only dioceses in the six southern nations of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, but the Province of the Southern Cone has agreed to accept realigning dioceses "on an emergency and pastoral basis". None of these three dioceses are listed as part of the Province of the Southern Cone by the Anglican Communion office.
External links
- Diocese of Quincy — official website of diocese aligned with the Southern Cone
- 131st Diocesan Synod Legislation — advance list of the resolutions voted on in the 2008 synod