Unofficial Watchdog of the Episcopal Church
As the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama slogs through the process of identifying a successor to retiring bishop Glenda Curry, enormous problems with clergy discipline and organizational integrity remain. Thus, if the Diocese is to survive in its current form, whoever next serves as bishop diocesan has a lot of hard
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The Court for the Trial of a Bishop released the following statement this evening, concerning the restart date of the Ecclesiastical Trial of Bishop Stewart Ruch. This statement and further information about this case can be found on the ACNA’s Ecclesiastical Court Updates page. The Trial Court of a Bishop
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Over the past year, we’ve had several situations in which we’ve faced external pressure to edit or remove content because someone doesn’t like it. When that happens, things usually end badly, with this publication having to tell someone to take a hike and the hiker feeling that our staff wasn’t
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Source: Anglican Ink The former headmaster of St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Middletown, Del., has entered a plea agreement with state prosecutors after being charged with 25 counts of felony dealing in child pornography. On 4 September 2025 Justin Lee Smith pled guilty to a single count of dealing in
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We recently had the chance to speak with a former member of Elmbrook Church in Wisconsin, Michael Goldmann. Based on our conversations, we have serious concerns about spiritual abuse and possible anti-law enforcement bias at Elmbrook Church, a non-denominational mega-church located in Brookfield, WI. About Michael Goldmann Michael is a
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We’re a little behind schedule with today’s post due to the horrific news of the death of Charlie Kirk. While we ardently disagree with many of Kirk’s views, we categorically reject violence. Such behavior has no role in our society. Also, we are removing comments about the situation at St.
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Source: Anglican Ink St. Christopher’s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Key Biscayne, has been rocked by allegations of large-scale financial misconduct. Police have confirmed they are investigating a possible fraud scheme involving roughly $519,000 siphoned from parish bank accounts. The Key Biscayne Independent reports church officials discovered irregularities in financial records this
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The victim in a series of an alleged series sexual assaults by gay employees of St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue has sued the Episcopal Diocese of New York, St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, Bishop Matthew Heyd, and several other individuals. Although the plaintiff is named in the lawsuit, we are
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Source: The Living Church The music director at the cathedral of the Diocese of Albany has denied allegations in a civil lawsuit that he groomed and sexually abused a young chorister two decades ago, when both were singers at the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys in New York
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Anglican Watch has learned that a member of St. James Texarkana has filed a Title IV complaint with the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas against rector James Halt. We are withholding the name of the complainant. The allegations claim that Halt attempted to push a gay couple out of the parish
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September 5, 2025 Dear Seminary of the Southwest Alumni and Friends, With a heavy heart, I write to inform you that yesterday the Board terminated Dean and President Scott Bader-Saye effective immediately. Dean Bader-Saye’s termination comes following his admission of developing an inappropriate relationship with an employee with whom he
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[Episcopal News Service] Former Florida Bishop John Howard “sort of fell off the radar” and has not been heard from since February, a church attorney told a disciplinary hearing panel Aug. 20 in the Title IV cases against Howard, who is accused of discrimination and financial impropriety. More than 40
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[Episcopal News Service] The Very Rev. Bernard J. Owens, dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 4 issued a statement saying the cathedral’s communications manager, Brett Boardwine, has been placed on administrative leave after he was charged with attempted sexual conduct with a minor, and “importuning,” the
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Following is a press release issued by the Episcopal Diocese of Easton. We applaud the move to bring in Shane, as well as efforts to resolve ongoing conflict within the Diocese caused by retiring bishop Santosh Marray’s narcissistic machinations. August 15, 2025 The Standing Committee is pleased to announce the
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Source: The Living Church The Rev. Hunt Priest, the founder of a society dedicated to helping clergy integrate the use of psychedelic drugs into pastoral care, has been deposed from the ministry of the Episcopal Church by Bishop Frank Logue of Georgia. An August 5 accord announcing the action concludes
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The Wartburg Watch, a sister publication of Anglican Watch, has been knocked offline, apparently by hackers. Operated by a dear friend of ours, Dee Parsons, the publication covers a wide-ranging array of abuse, with an emphasis on evangelical churches. Dee’s efforts, along with those of Amy Smith, Julie Smith, Jules
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Following is a letter from the Episcopal Bishop of Ohio, Anne Jolly. While we have sharply divergent views than ACNA, particularly on LGBTQ+ issues, Anglican Watch predicts we will see a continuing exodus of members from the Episcopal Church due to the latter’s dysfunctional clergy disciplinary system, as well as an overall
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A long-running conflict at Incarnation Anglican Church, located in Williamsburg, VA, has again entered the public eye following the release of a letter from the Standing Committee of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic (DOMA) declining to address allegations of misconduct by DOMA Bishop Chris Warner. We provide the full letter
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We’ve previously covered the ongoing Title IV issues with Cayce Ramey in the Diocese of Virginia. A review of the information posted on the Diocese of Virginia website reveals that, despite a Court of Appeals decision overturning the Title IV hearing panel’s decision to defrock Ramey, the Diocese is moving
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The Episcopal Bishop of Central New York, DeDe Duncan-Probe, is ignoring the express provisions of the Episcopal Title IV clergy disciplinary canons in parishioner Win Limmer’s complaint against Episcopal priest Rebecca Roberts. Roberts serves as rector of St. Peter’s Cazenovia. Limmer’s complaint alleges that Roberts has bullied and abused Limmer,
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Details are thin this morning about the active shooter at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis. However, the situation underscores the dangers of fabricated claims of threatening behavior and domestic terrorism by Episcopal clergy. These dangers include: The risk that “crying wolf” will result in a delayed or ineffective
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“The most powerful form of lie is the omission.” — George Orwell For a long time, Anglican Watch has been aware of an ugly truth about the Episcopal Church: Despite our glorious history of using music and the arts to glorify our worship, church musicians in the denomination often are
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Following the recent arrest of Angie Solomon over allegations that she attempted to hire a hitman to kill her ex, former WSMV anchor Aaron Solomon, it hasn’t been easy to cover her story. That’s due in large measure to the criminal court’s gag order and other pretrial conditions that it
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Last week, we posted about the situation involving allegations of misconduct by the Rev. Rebecca Roberts, rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal in Cazenovia, New York. Since then, Anglican Watch has received a copy of Title IV intake officer The Rev. Julie E. Calhoun-Bryant’s intake report, which recommends dismissal of the
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Anglican Watch has received reports that George McFarland has accepted a nomination to potentially return to the Tenth Presbyterian Session. While we have been unable to verify the reports independently, if true, the news portends ongoing problems for the church. Why? The answer is simple: Most of the church’s current
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Screen cap of “St. Nicholas,” by St. Thomas Resident Pornographer Erich Erving. Full frontal nudity redacted. Want a great way to spot a toxic church? Perhaps the best way is when a church has actual knowledge that a priest has sexually assaulted a parishioner, yet the priest remains on staff.
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You’d think that, by now, parishes in The Episcopal Church would be tired of pulling the whole “So-and-so is a terrorist, so we’re barring them from the church” routine. Yet, even with the storm brewing in the Episcopal Diocese of New York and the profound damage to parishes that comes
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Shamelessly reprinted with permission from The Wartburg Watch. This is not the first time that The Wartburg Watch has written about Peeping Toms. You can read about Rick Trotter at this post: How Fellowship Memphis and Downtown Church Mishandled Rick Trotter’s Alleged Voyeurism Further fallout from the Rick Trotter case
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Screen cap of porn by choir school resident pornographer Eric Erving. Full frontal nudity redacted. This morning’s post is a short one. But it’s important. Simply put, look for additional issues to come out of St. Thomas’ and its choir school over the failure of church officials to fulfill their
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Featured photo is a screen cap of religious-themed pornography produced by The Rev. Mark Schultz’s husband, Erich Erving. Schultz and Erving live at the St. Thomas Choir School and are accused of jointly sexually assaulting an adult male parishioner. Full frontal nudity in the image has been redacted. Amidst the
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By John B. Carpenter It’s not sexy, but it’s a scandal. The editors of The Gospel Coalition’s (TGC) flagship academic journal, Themelios, which TGC unfailingly promotes as “peer-reviewed,” break commitments with writers, disregard the verdicts of their expert reviewers, thus putting out a typical editor-curated magazine but in the name
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Photo courtesy St. John’s Episcopal Church, Chula Vista The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego has initiated Title IV clergy disciplinary proceedings against the Rev. Roger Haenke, rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Chula Vista. The news comes amidst allegations on social media that Haenke engaged in sexual misconduct with
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Update: On August 7, 2025, DioNY intake officer Alison Quin denied that the email in question is the one actually sent by Bishop Heyd. Anglican Watch recently obtained a copy of the email Bishop Matthew Heyd sent to clergy in the Episcopal Diocese of New York in which he tried to
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As we continue our coverage of the meltdown at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, Anglican Watch has confirmed that additional victims of alleged sexual misconduct have come forward. The Episcopal Diocese of New York knows of the victims. There are three troubling issues involving this development: We have seen no
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The Episcopal Title IV clergy disciplinary canons have many problems, not just the fact that they’re huge and unwieldy. And while we can’t possibly hope to cover all the issues with Title IV in one post — or even a series of posts — one big problem is the willingness
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Some time ago, Anglican Watch covered allegations of misconduct involving Daniel McClain, then the rector of St. Paul’s Dayton. These allegations ran the gamut, from bullying parishioners to an extramarital affair. Relatedly, one of the secondary players in the drama was Branches and Vine Cottage School, which McClain’s children attended.
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While we’re on the topic of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and its sordid track record of retaliating against victims of sexual abuse, a review of Bishop Matthew Hyde’s criminal history reveals some interesting inflection points. That includes having been criminally charged for passing bad checks. To be clear,
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Anglican Watch has extensively covered the meltdown at Tenth Presbyterian (PCA) in Philadelphia, which started several years ago when he church obtained a court injunction prohibiting church member and whistleblower Phil Snyder from approaching the church. Today, we’re pleased to report that Phil was able to attend the recent Survivors Network
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Sources within Opus Dei tell Anglican Watch that the Episcopal Diocese of New York (DioNY) is continuing its efforts to use Title IV to conceal its efforts to investigate, harass, intimidate, and oppress the victim in the sexual harassment case at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue. Specifically, we have learned
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ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 30, 2025 /Christian Newswire/ — Anglican Watch, the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church, today condemned the Episcopal Diocese of New York’s misuse of the Title IV clergy disciplinary process in the case of an adult victim of sexual assault at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue. Specifically, the
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As Anglican Watch continues our investigation into corruption at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, we’ve come to realize that life at the parish is really first class. As in, first-class staterooms on the Titanic, after that nasty scraping sound along the hull. And there’s no better example than the outrageous
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The Episcopal Diocese of New York appears to have a dual standard regarding confidentiality in the midst of the Title IV cases against various clergy at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue involving sexual assault and related misconduct, including an attempt at cover-up. That includes contacting the victim’s employer with defamatory comments
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Following is an Anglican Watch press release sent this morning to newswires in New York. NEWS PROVIDED BY Anglican Watch July 28, 2025 ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 28, 2025 /Christian Newswire/ — Anglican Watch, the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church, today demanded that the Episcopal Diocese of New York stop leaking confidential information
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Christian Zaleski, the former Episcopal High School part-time lacrosse coach who lost his job and faced criminal charges after he vandalized the homes of students, may be at it again. Since Anglican Watch first covered the story, we have received multiple requests from Zaleski asking us to take down posts about him.
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When covering church abuse, it doesn’t take long to realize that the best allies are often the most improbable. That’s the case at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, where, right behind the scenes, the conservative Roman Catholic group Opus Dei is proving very helpful to those hurt by the Episcopal
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Sources inside the Diocese of New York (DioNY) tell Anglican Watch that multiple lawsuits appear imminent in the meltdown involving sexual assault, shunning, defamation, retaliation, and more at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue. The lawsuits will be filed against both the parish and the Diocese. Once the church of the Vanderbilts
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Screen cap of piece by St. Thomas resident pornographer Erich Erving. Full frontal nudity redacted. Anglican Watch has received reports from a source close to the matter that St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue’s retaliation for complaining about sexual harassment may be expanding. Specifically, we have now identified five persons allegedly
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ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 24, 2025 /Christian Newswire/ — Anglican Watch, the Episcopal Church’s unofficial watchdog, today sharply criticized the Episcopal Diocese of New York for ignoring the requirements of the church’s Title IV clergy disciplinary canons. The move follows retaliation by the Episcopal Diocese of New York against a male adult
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Anglican Watch (AW) previously covered issues with Robbie Giannetta, the head of security for St. Thomas’ Fifth Avenue, and his company, Blue Perimeter, LLC. These issues included hiring convicted felon and drug dealer Tristan Rodas as an unlicensed security guard for the church. So, after seeing Giannetta working the entrance
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Today’s post highlights one of the ugliest aspects of the failed parish and diocesan responses to allegations of abuse at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue. Specifically, in addition to retaliating against the complainant, the parish and the Diocese have gone out of their way to harm the complainant, with the
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Ed: The news below comes as no surprise to us, given the ongoing issues with integrity and clergy discipline in Episcopal Church, as well as lack of accountability and lack of urgency. We cannot overstate the importance of the Episcopal Church cleaning up its act. Source: Anglican Ink, by Canon
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Yesterday, members of the Anglican Watch team, like many others, watched intently the NewsChannel 5 live stream of the Williamson County probable cause and bond reduction hearing in the Angie Solomon case. But there’s a not-so-minor problem with all of this. Specifically, we have received unconfirmed reports from someone close
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Sources close to the case tell Anglican Watch that, absent unforeseen circumstances, prosecutor Antonia Barry intends to retry Episcopal priest Richard Losch over allegations that he raped a boy at a New Hampshire boy scout camp in the 1970s. A previous trial ended in a hug jury. Anglican Watch endorses plans for a
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ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 25, 2025 /Standard Newswire/ — Anglican Watch, the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church, today called on state attorneys general to investigate the denomination’s ongoing refusal to comply with state mandatory child sex abuse reporting obligations. Of particular concern is the refusal of Episcopal Church officials to report
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Anglican Watch has been watching the mainstream coverage of Angie Solomon’s arrest. We find the coverage biased, and we object. To be clear, outlets from People to the NY Post and syndication that extends to AOL and Yahoo have all picked up news of Angie’s arrest. Further, we are ardent
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David Valencia, a former Anglican priest who was sentenced to prison and required to register as a sex offender following a conviction for sexually assaulting a teenaged girl, has resurfaced in Florida. Sources tell Anglican Watch that Valencia moved to Florida from Ligonier, PA, after local residents realized that he was
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Ever work at an organization in crisis? A place where things are so bad that the only thing to do is to start over? If so, you’ll feel a sense of déjà vu when you learn that sources close to the matter tell Anglican Watch that Grace Chapel, located in
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TLD: It’s time for Bishop Lucinda Ashby and ECR Director of Communications Carole Bartolini to tender their resignations As the scandal grows over Episcopal Bishop Lucinda Ashby’s handling of a registered sex offender in her diocese, Anglican Watch is increasingly concerned about the Diocese of El Camino Real (ECR) and its misleading
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It’s long been a fundamental tenet within private companies that illegal conduct by an employee can and should result in immediate termination. Yet the Episcopal Church, which far too often treats Title IV, the clergy disciplinary canon, as the only solution to clergy misconduct, almost invariably ignores criminal conduct and
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