Please pray for Bishop Love
Dear fellow members of the Diocese of Albany,
The Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany has received the decision of the Hearing Panel and its guilty verdict against our bishop, The Rt. Rev. William Love. The Standing Committee joins many in the diocese in our deep disappointment in this verdict. In particular, we join Bishop Love in his strong disagreement with the finding that B012 was passed as an authorized revision to the BCP. Those of us who were deputies to General Convention will attest that B012 was never presented as a Prayer Book Revision. On the contrary, there was much talk of B012 being offered, at least in part, in lieu of a Prayer Book Revision.
As Bishop Love said in his letter to the diocese, we “had very much hoped …[for] a very different outcome regarding the Hearing Panel’s ruling. Unfortunately, that was not to be.” We continue to offer our unequivocal support of Bishop Love and pray for him and his family. He is a humble servant of our Lord and we look forward to continuing to partner with him as he faithfully leads our diocese in ministry.
We as the elected leadership of this diocese also want to acknowledge how this verdict and the subsequent discipline that will be forthcoming, has, and will, rekindle old hurts within many in the Diocese of Albany. There is no denying that we are not all of one mind on the issues that have brought us to this point, and we could easily allow this to further divide us. It seems to us, however, that though the hurt is real and the divisions undeniable, there remains more that unites us than divides us. We are honored to live and serve in a Diocese full of clergy and laity who love each other deeply. We are a people who have an amazing sense of resilience and persistence.
We may disagree passionately, but we can also love deliberately because of the one who first loved us, Jesus Christ. Jesus has shown us that self-sacrifice and forgiveness are the way to the Father’s heart. As we face the challenging days and weeks ahead – and not just our diocesan struggles, but also the many struggles we face as a nation and a world – may we be deliberate about choosing self-sacrifice…choosing forgiveness…choosing love…and, most importantly, choosing love-incarnate, Jesus Christ. May our focus continue to be on proclaiming Him and His kingdom.
Faithfully, yours in Christ,
The Rev. Scott Garno, President
Barbara Beaulac, Secretary
The Rev. Katherine Alonge-Coons
Chris Cassidy
Randy Demler
John Hyde
The Rev. Brad Jones
Terry Mumby
The Rev. David Ousley
Janet Papa
The Rev. Elizabeth Papazoglakis
The Rev. Derik Roy
Episcopal Diocese of Albany | 580 Burton Road, Greenwich,
Greenwich, NY 12834
