Hello friends at Anglican Watch. My name’s Mary, and I am a psychologist who specializes in helping child sexual abuse victims. My experience includes providing expert witness testimony in high-profile child sex abuse prosecutions nationwide, and I teach various courses on this topic at a major medical school. You also should know that I am…
Disclosure: Anglican Watch editor Eric Bonetti had no role in the production of this post due to a potential conflict of interest There is an excellent article on Fauquier Now about the meltdown at Trinity Upperville, which can be found here. We would like to respond to some of the comments made in the Diocese’s letter to…
We’ve gotten several questions about Jonathan “Johnny Boy” Adams, the rector of Trinity Upperville, who has allegedly engaged in grooming activity towards one or more boys who are not members of his parish. (“Johnny Boy” is Adams’ preferred moniker when interacting with boys. He just doesn’t like it when parents find out about his handle….
Based on some of the comments we’ve received, it appears several readers have rushed to Jonathan “Johnny Boy” Adams’ defense without reading the police report we obtained via FOIA. Adams is the rector of Trinity Episcopal in Upperville, and allegedly has engaged in grooming behavior towards boys. In light of this failure to read supporting…
The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia recently released an updated statement of alleged offenses against Episcopal priest Cayce Ramey, reflecting additional potential misconduct. Ramey briefly gained notoriety after refusing to participate in Holy Communion to object, he claimed, to the denomination’s refusal to repent for its role in slavery. Among the additional charges against Ramey are…
Over the past year, Anglican Watch has covered the Title IV cases against Cayce Ramey, an Episcopal priest canonically resident in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. Now, with one of the two original cases still grinding along, Anglican Watch has learned that two additional Title IV charges are pending against Ramey. The news comes from…
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 forward with two separate Title…
There’s a perception in some quarters that Anglican Watch is hostile to the Diocese of Virginia (DioVA). We’ll leave that to others to decide, but we want to be clear on our position about Cayce Ramey and the Diocese. Specifically, DioVA had it more right than wrong in going after Ramey, despite the Court of…
The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia has filed a second Title IV clergy disciplinary case against Cayce Ramey, the priest who claims to be engaging in a eucharistic fast over the Episcopal Church’s role in slavery. The second case alleges that Ramey violated a pastoral directive imposing administrative leave by attending the denomination’s 2024 General Convention,…
Disclosure: Grace Episcopal School is part of Grace Episcopal Alexandria, where Anglican Watch editor Eric Bonetti was a member A recent investigation by Anglican Watch revealed two concerning developments at Grace Episcopal School, located in Alexandria, Virginia. The school is part of Grace Episcopal Church, the only Anglo-Catholic parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia….
The old saying about the devil being in the details is often true. And it’s never as true as when we consider proposals to redeem a corrupt clergyperson like Anne Turner, whom the Diocese of Virginia suspended a year ago for adultery from her position as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Alexandria, VA. Indeed,…
It’s no secret that Anglican Watch is not a fan of the Diocese of Virginia (DioVA). Indeed, we had our genesis in the horrific way the Diocese brushes off conduct that, in other dioceses, results in clergy being defrocked. (Think Amjad Samuel, the words “bullying” and “shunning” and you’re almost there. The conduct in DioVA went far…
Reposted from October 2023. Some time ago, then canon to the ordinary for Virginia, Mary Thorpe, told members of St. Thomas’ McLean that the reason they were having trouble finding a rector is that, having had their previous rector removed in a Title IV case, they were “damaged goods.” That comment, none too compassionate, underscores the fact…
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,…
Anglican Watch frequent fliers club members know we are not fans of the Diocese of Virginia. Indeed, from where we sit, the diocese has been poorly governed for years, and things only got worse during the litigation and Shannon Johnston’s tenure. Neither is it a secret that we’ve been dubious about Mark Stevenson. But our view…
Anglican Watch recently passed a milestone, which we marked without fanfare. That milestone is the eighth anniversary of Episcopal priest Bob Malm’s abusive behavior that ultimately led to the creation of this publication. And while we didn’t pull out the champagne and caviar to celebrate, we extend our congratulations to Malm for this, the major accomplishment…
Anglican Watch has been closely watching efforts at conflict resolution at Calvary Episcopal, Front Royal. We believe the measures are worthwhile and encourage the parish to continue efforts in this space. We also encourage the parish to treat the matter as one where all topics are fair game. Among other things, we’re thinking of issues with…
According to The Virginian Pilot and My Christian Daily, John Blanchard, pastor of Rock Church in Virginia Beach, Va, had protestor Jamie Thomas, 43, handcuffed outside the church and taken before a magistrate last Sunday. He was charged with stalking and disclosing expunged police records — both misdemeanors — and was released on his own…
In light of the horrific shootings at Covenant School, Anglican Watch is updating our coverage of abuse at the church and related issues. We also remind those hurt by this senseless tragedy of the importance of seeking trauma-informed mental health care.
It was bound to happen. Earlier today, the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia announced that the Trustees of the Funds (TOTF) experienced a major cyber attack. The TOTF holds investment funds for the Diocese, numerous parishes, and related organizations. As a result of the hack, two parishes lost investment funds. While the Diocese has not disclosed…
Anglican Watch has uncovered allegations of questionable gifting practices at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Va. These include reports that prominent parishioners paid for a 300-person reception celebrating the rector’s 20th anniversary with the parish. Additionally, we believe another prominent parishioner may have paid for Warder’s wedding reception in 2010. These allegations are part of Anglican…
Full disclosure: The press release references Anglican Watch editor Eric Bonetti This summer, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) issued this press release about Episcopal priest Bob Malm, canonically resident in the Diocese of Virginia and presently serving St. Peter’s Episcopal Church-on-the-Canal. The church is located in Bourne Ma. Both the Diocese of Massachusetts…
It’s been rightly said that I am bad at self-disclosure. In an effort to address that, and to possibly offer something of value to others this holiday season, I’m writing about my experiences with non-sexual abuse and the resulting depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome arising from the conduct of my former priest, Bob Malm. Context…
As church governance geeks, the staff here at Anglican Watch love to read really banal stuff. That includes minutes, reports, studies — all the stuff that people in the church say they read, but usually just skim. And in digging through the mountains of paper coming out of the Diocese of Virginia annual convention, much of it…
You can’t make this stuff up. Even as Dr. Oz takes heat from Democratic candidate John Fetterman for holding a rally at the Stone Gables Estate, a venue unwilling to host same-sex weddings, Episcopal Bishop Elect E. Mark Stevenson continues consecration plans at The Saint Paul’s Baptist Church in Henrico, Va. The church does not…
Anglican Watch is pleased to announce its first annual Top Ten Toxic Terrors of TEC list for 2022. Inclusion on the list is intended to highlight people, churches and dioceses that are causing lasting harm to others due to abusive conduct. This is vital for the survival of the denomination, as the church cannot change if…
Earlier today, Anglican Watch issued the following press release calling for drastic reform if the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia wishes to survive. Anglican Watch, the online watchdog publication for the Episcopal Church, is calling for sweeping reforms in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia as the diocese prepares to consecrate E. Mark Stevenson as its next bishop. Among…
For years, the hot mess that is the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia (DioVA) has been looking for a savior. Not the type born in Bethlehem under a star, but one wearing a funny hat, sporting a chasuble, and carrying a staff. But with time fast running out for the Episcopal Church, I gotta break it…
It’s no secret that Anglican Watch tends to focus on the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia (DioVa). But it’s not because our editor lives in the diocese. Nor is it because of his negative experiences with the diocese. Instead, it’s because the sheer size of the diocese makes it a bellwether for the larger denomination and, in the…
The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, one of the original dioceses of the Episcopal Church, is the largest domestic diocese in the denomination. As such, its fate is inextricably linked with that of the larger church and serves as a bellwether for the future. And the recent bishop search and the challenges the diocese experienced suggest…