Around the Diocese posted Thursday, September 01, 2011
Judge Rules in Good Shepherd, Rosemont, Case
Download the Judgment
On Friday, August 26, the Honorable Stanley Ott issued an Order stating that David Moyer, a Bishop in the Traditional Anglican Communion, and two other individuals no longer have any right or authority to serve as rector or on the vestry of the Church of the Good Shepherd, located in Rosemont Pennsylvania. Judge Ott determined that the Standing Committee and Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese are charged with the responsibility of deciding whether an individual may serve in the pulpit of an Episcopal Church and whether particular members of a vestry have acted in compliance with the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church. Judge Ott’s Order was effective immediately and, as of this date, neither Bishop Moyer nor the two individuals have sought a stay of the Order which, if granted, might allow Bishop Moyer to remain at Good Shepherd pending any appeal.
By way of background, the individuals who founded the Church of the Good Shepherd over a century ago included language in the deeds and in the Church’s Articles of Incorporation which provided that the parish was to be forever operated in accordance with the Canons and Constitution of the Episcopal Church. Fundamentally, of course, this required the Vestry to employ as rector a priest licensed by the Bishop to officiate in this Diocese and to undertake the same burdens and responsibilities imposed by the Episcopal Church and the Diocese on all of the parishes in this Diocese. Bishop Moyer has not been licensed by the Bishop to officiate in this Diocese since 2002; the Vestry has employed a series of assistant rectors at Good Shepherd which likewise had not been licensed and had otherwise failed to comply with the requirements of the Diocesan Canons and Canons of the Episcopal Church.
The Church of the Good Shepherd is one of twelve parishes in the Merion Deanery. Members of that Deanery, which is lead by the Very Rev. Michael Pearson, have met with Bishop Bennison and the Very Rev. Ledlie Laughlin, President of Standing Committee, and expressed their desire to assist the Congregation at the Church of the Good Shepherd during the period until a full time interim rector can be hired. Immediate plans were made to ensure a priest was available to cover all upcoming services at Good Shepherd. While the Parish is without a rector, the Canons of the Diocese provide that it will be under the Special Supervision of the Bishop or his designee. Bishop Bennison has appointed Bishop Rodney Michel as his designee to help guide the Parish over the next weeks and months.
When he learned of Judge Ott’s decision, Bishop Bennison stated that “the Diocese has sorely missed the Church of the Good Shepherd and all of the robust gifts its members bring to our common ministry. We look forward to our future together.”
