Years ago, I worked for a really difficult boss. And suprisingly, I did well at the job and (usually) enjoyed it. The secret? Making a joke out of her more colorful moments. Indeed, one of my favorite pieces of office art was an elaborately framed, curved surgeon’s needle with about a foot of sutures hanging from it. One Read More
Ed: Originally we had planned not to publish this, and instead afford Bishop Stevenson the respect of allowing him to deal with this quietly. That seemed fair and decent, as he has been consistently fair, decent and kind with us. But after a series of vile, false rumors related to this matter and concerning us came from the Read More
Anglican Watch petitions Episcopal Church leaders for accountability Anglican Watch September 18, 2023 By RNS Press Release Distribution Service Calls for bishops and clergy alike to be held accountable ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Following several high-profile incidents where Episcopal Church members perceived that bishops were given a pass on egregious misconduct or, even worse, rewarded for lousy behavior via Read More
One great truth about change management and family systems is that bringing about change from within can be challenging. People often are too close to the matter, protect their turf, and can’t see the forest for the trees. And it’s doubly hard if you are a bishop or priest whose job could be affected by the outcome. Thus, Read More
More than $400,000 was stolen in a cyberattack on the trust funds managed on behalf of the Diocese of Virginia of The Episcopal Church and its churches, prompting the diocese’s fund manager to implement new security measures. The fraud occurred in November and December 2022. After it was discovered, the diocese first released details in January, though the full Read More
Bill Allport, the rector of the fast-dying St. Paul’s, located in Englewood, NJ, finally ‘fessed up on his way out the door, admitting that he is an alcoholic. The admission appears at 34:07 in the video below. (If your browser doesn’t display the embedded video, you can find it here. Meanwhile, Bishop Carlye Hughes and others have Read More
It’s been fairly said that I’m lousy at self-disclosure. With that in mind, I wanted to share some recent developments slowing down several articles that are in production. I also owe a slew of people phone calls. On September 6, my husband Mike went to the emergency room with classic symptoms of pneumonia. Moments after they started testing, Read More
Demands increase for bishop accountability Following the lackluster response to the allegations of domestic violence by Bishop Singh and the purported sexual assault of Julia Ayala Harris at a church meeting, there have been demands in both Houses of the General Convention to revisit bishop discipline and the related disciplinary canons. But these efforts miss the point and Read More
Published September 6, 2023 in Anglican Journal. Written by Sean Frankling. A proposed settlement for abuse committed by former Anglican priest and scouts volunteer Ralph Rowe, reached earlier this summer could total up to $13.25 million according to a copy of the settlement agreement posted on the website of Koskie Minsky LLP, the law firm representing the plaintiffs. The settlement has Read More
In the category of about damned time, we learned today that The Rt. Rev. Prince Singh, bishop provisional of the Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan, has been restricted from exercising all aspects of ordained ministry. The announcement was made in light of pending Title IV allegations against him. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has recused himself in Read More
One of the challenges in assessing the scale and scope of child sexual abuse in the Episcopal Church is that doing so is over-reliant on data about abusive priests. The so-called Perversion Files of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) illustrate this dilemma. Earlier, we reported on the 547 cases of child sexual abuse connected with Episcopal parishes that we Read More
And don’t think for a moment that ANY of the issues here don’t apply to the Episcopal Church. Scratch the narcissistic, “Aren’t we progressive?,” and you’ll quickly find out that, in many ways, the Romans are more progressive,
It’s official. We’re sick and tired of Glenda Curry, Rob Morpeth, and the other corrupt leaders of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. And we’re doing something about it. Even now, with alleged child rapist Richard Losch set for arraignment, the Diocese is still sitting on its hands. No public statement. No warning to other parents. Nothing. Still worse, Read More
As we continue to follow the sordid story of Aaron Solomon and the unexplained murder of his son, Grant, there’s a new sheriff in town. That sheriff is Nancy Grace. Recent reports suggest Grace will cover the story next week, and we’re told she’s not exactly loving on Aaron. Meanwhile, we’re on the cusp of several breaking developments Read More
Richard Losch, the 90-year-old Episcopal priest who allegedly repeatedly raped a boy in the mid-1970s, is set to be arraigned on related felony charges in New Hampshire on Sept. 18, 2023, at 10:00 AM. To date, neither Bishop Glenda Curry nor the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, where Losch is canonically resident and serves two parishes, have made a Read More
Earlier today, presiding bishop Michael Curry issued a statement about church discipline and accountability. We are calling BS on him. For starters, his effort to address this issue is pure politics. By pushing the matter to the Standing Committee on Constitution and Canons, Curry is trying to keep the matter at arm’s length. Second, Curry has ignored multiple Read More
A friend of Anglican Watch previously served as canon to the ordinary in a prominent east coast diocese. We’ve had many good conversations with her. In the context of clergy discipline, her viewpoint has proved enlightening. Specifically, she reports that it’s hard for bishops to get a good feel for what’s happening inside a parish. And it’s even more challenging, Read More
Today’s post is about a long-time friend of Anglican Watch, Carson Barker. Barker’s situation exemplifies how badly the Church can behave, even as it prides itself on doing great things. For starters, we like Carson. She’s been through some tough times, but she strikes us as kind, funny, and generous in her assessments of others. Carson’s issues began with a Read More
Investigators need your help‼️ Were you at Grant’s visitation on Friday, July 24, 2020, his memorial service Saturday, July 25, 2020 at Grace Chapel Church, or his grave side service the same day at the Williamson Memorial Funeral Home Garden of Angels … 1, 2 or all? If so, and you made ANY pictures of Grant, of the Read More
We can all agree that a priest who has an affair with a parishioner has committed abuse. But what about the priest who has an extramarital experience with someone not a parishioner? Is this ever okay? Anglican Watch believes the answer is no. Previous coverage The topic of clergy adultery is one we’ve covered previously. For instance, we have Read More
Episcopal priest Thomas Hudson, who was named in the Maryland attorney general’s report on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, resigned in 2023 one step ahead of a pastoral directive from Bishop Eugene Sutton. The resignation is effective immediately and follows Hudson being placed on administrative leave. Hudson previously served as a public high school teacher, a Read More
The following is by Ryan Burge, reprinted with permission. Anglican Watch believes that Burge implicitly identifies two trends that are fast killing the Episcopal Church: The prevalence of monoculture parishes, resulting in decreased exposure to persons different than us. Conduct within parish family systems that does not engender trust. Note that Burge’s analysis indicates that regular attendance correlates with Read More
In light of recent high-profile cases in which bishops have faced no consequences for violating church canons, more than three dozen Episcopal bishops have signed a letter calling for accountability for all bishops. The letter is being circulated for signature in advance of the upcoming meeting of the House of Bishops. Anglican Watch endorses the letter and calls on Read More
As COVID deaths shot up, Episcopal burials dropped By Mary Ann Mueller VOL Special Correspondent www.virtueonline.org August 30, 2023 A funny thing happened as a result of COVID. The result is that the 2020 and 2021 Episcopal Church statistics have been skewed particularly for the number of church burials which were conducted. VirtueOnline has done a deep dive Read More
Sources close to the matter tell Anglican Watch that Episcopal priest Dan McClain, rector of St. Paul’s in Dayton Oh., has been telling parishioners that the Title IV case we filed against him is fast coming to a close. That is a lie. While we will protect the integrity of the process by not publishing specifics, the matter is far Read More
The recent news that alleged child rapist and Episcopal priest Richard Losch has been indicted for child sexual abuse raises a related issue. Specifically, numerous leaders in the Episcopal Church knew of the allegations yet did nothing. Those who ignored the problem, despite more than a dozen emails from the victim pleading for help: – Presiding Bishop Michael Read More
Anglican Watch has filed an internal affairs complaint with the Gallatin police department over its conduct in the Grant Solomon case. A copy of the complaint is posted below. Those wishing to file their own complaint can email in**@ga********.org.
Julia Ayala Harris, President of the House of Deputies, issued the statement below this post earlier today. Anglican Watch deeply regrets her experience. But we also note that Harris is part of the problem. Specifically, we have contacted her previously on issues involving clergy misconduct, only to be ignored. So, she joins the Jewish priest and the Levite in Read More
Richard Rorex Losch, an Episcopal priest canonically resident in the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, has been indicted by a grand jury in Grafton County, New Hampshire, of a Class A Felony Aggravated Felonious Sexual Assault involving a minor under the age of 13. The case is State v. Richard Losch Docket: 215-2023-CR-0609 and has its genesis in conduct dating from Read More
Sources close to the matter have told Anglican Watch that Bill Allport, the troubled rector of St. Paul’s, Englewood, NJ, has been terminated. The church has been trying to get rid of Allport since early 2023. His last day with the parish is, appropriately enough, Halloween. Allport comes with a ton of alleged baggage, all of it profoundly troubling. Issues Read More
There’s an old saying that where you sit depends on where you stand. And while that probably is true for team members at Anglican Watch, we nonetheless feel obligated to ask the question: Why does TEC attract so many batsnot cray clergy? We’re thinking narcissists, sociopaths, abusers, alcoholics, and more. We don’t have answers. But in our work, we’ve come Read More
There is little doubt that the Episcopal Church as we know it is dying and will be gone within 20 years. But how do today’s numbers compare to historical data? The answers may surprise you. For starters, the American colonies were hardly a bastion of Christian faith. Experts agree that no more than 10-20 percent of colonists were Read More
As a reminder, Anglican Watch is offering two rewards relating to the murder of Grant Solomon. The first is in the amount of $20,000 and is for anyone providing information leading to the arrest and conviction of Grant Solomon’s murderer(s). The second is a major reward, of at least $10,000, for anyone who can identify the three men Aaron Solomon Read More
Did you ever see a situation where you take one look and think, “Wow, that’s a recipe for disaster?” We see a fair number of those on the Anglican Watch beat. But the situation that takes the cake right now is the decision by the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio to leave rector Dan McClain in place despite an Read More