Posted on: January 25, 2011
The Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston, Bishop of Virginia, will begin working with parishes immediately on guidelines for blessing same-sex unions.
Bishop Johnston announced his decision at the Diocese of Virginia’s 216th Annual Council, which met Jan. 20-22 in Reston.
The bishop will work “with those congregations that want to establish the parameters for the ‘generous pastoral response’ that the 2009 General Convention called for with respect to same-gender couples in Episcopal churches,” he said Jan. 21. “I hope that the 2012 General Convention will authorize the formal blessing of same-gender unions for those clergy in places that want to celebrate them. Until then, we might not be able to do all that we would want to do but, in my judgment, it is right to do something and it is time to do what we can.”
The next day the council approved a resolution that urged Bishop Johnston to work on such parameters.
On another matter, the Rt. Rev. David Colin Jones, bishop suffragan since 1995, announced that he will retire at the conclusion of the 2012 annual council.
“I confess that I approach this day with mixed feelings. I love this diocese and I love serving you. But I am also looking forward to a new chapter in life while my health is strong,” Bishop Jones said. “For the next year, I intend to be fully engaged in my duties. Beyond that, I will be open to new paths in which the Lord may direct me.”
The council approved Bishop Johnston’s request to conduct a search for a new bishop suffragan. Pending consents by a majority of bishops, the diocese will elect a new suffragan on April 21, 2012.
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