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DOMA unveils new seal/Logo

By
Chris Warner
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Dear sisters and brothers,

A few years ago, a clergy member of the diocese petitioned to the Standing Committee that we develop a seal specific to the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic. To date, DOMA is the only diocese in the ACNA without a distinct mark, so we began exploring the possibility of developing a seal and logo that would speak to our uniqueness. A diocese isn’t simply a network of congregations that happen to cooperate, but rather a particular expression of the Church centered around the episcopal ministry. A seal is a visible expression of that corporate and episcopal identity.

This past spring, we contracted with Journey Group of Charlottesville, VA to develop a new new visual identity for the diocese, including a new logo and seal. We shared the logos and seals currently used across the Province and talked at length about the diversity of our diocese and, importantly, the mission and ministry that characterize our work together. I am delighted to share the outcome of the design work with you. We believe it captures our roots as followers of Jesus in the Anglican tradition, the different streams within our diocese, and our desire to flourish in ministry and mission as we serve Christ in this region.

We sought an updated visual identity that captures the three streams of the Anglican tradition–Scripture, Sacrament, and Spirit–along with our goal that clergy and congregations would flourish as we engage with the gospel.
Look closely at the seal and you’ll find the marks of our common life:

  • The arch: the window of a church, and the profile of a bishop’s mitre; the local congregation and the episcopal ministry that serves it
  • The open book: Scripture, our foundation
  • The cross: rising from the open book; the Word became flesh, and he gave his life for the life of the world
  • The sacrament, wreathed in light: Christ present with his people at his table
  • The dove, descending: the Holy Spirit, uniting us to Christ and sending us out as witnesses

OUR NEW LOGO:

We’ve always referred to ourselves as DOMA, so we decided to formally acknowledge the acronym that describes our heart so well. While our seal is a formal, traditional emblem used to authenticate official documents and other acts of the Diocese, this logo serves as the graphic symbol of our Diocese. Many of you know Anglicans have a rich practice of turning almost anything into an acronym! It’s a little funny at times, but as we talked about our own story, one of our designers reminded us that DOMA is also related to an actual word: in Latin, doma means “house,” “dwelling,” or “roof,” sharing its root with the more familiar domus, “home.” As a diocese, our goal is to be a home built on the love of Christ, as expressed through our Anglican tradition and missional service to our neighbors.

We hope you find a home in DOMA and we invite you to be a part of the story God is writing through us. I’m grateful for each of you, and I look forward to seeing God’s story unfold in the years ahead.

A Statement from the the Dean, ACNA, on Episcopal/ACNA fellowship

By
Julian Dobbs
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A situation has arisen in our Province that has given great offense to many who worship in our churches. I want to address this and be plain about the position of the Anglican Church in North America.

At issue is the recent participation of the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, ACNA, with a bishop of The Episcopal Church in a joint dedication of a local school chapel. Many within our Province have been shocked by what appears to be renewed communion with The Episcopal Church, while others are confused by the controversy.

As such, I want to reaffirm the position of the Anglican Church in North America and renew the biblical call to repentance and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is now nearly two decades since many of us separated from The Episcopal Church, whose leadership abandoned the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Departing from those with whom we worshiped and served was costly to our parishes and to our souls. It remains painful for many of us. It was, however, the right thing to do. Just as our Lord is faithful to His children, He calls us to be faithful to His Word. That is unequivocal.

The Global Anglican Council has called those who hold leadership office in the Global Anglican Communion to a principled disengagement from any who promote false teaching.

That same principle governs our relations here in North America with those who have departed from the faith we have received through the Word of God and expressed in the formularies of our Church. The Anglican Church in North America is not in communion with The Episcopal Church, and those who hold ecclesiastical authority in our Province bear a solemn responsibility to uphold this position.

Let it be clearly understood that principled disengagement does not mean indifference. Our position has always been to pray for those who have departed from the faith and to call them to repentance. We continue to plead with the Lord that He would grant them a change of heart and restore them to the faith. It is because we long for that day that we speak plainly. Until it comes, however, we cannot be  in communion with those who have distorted God’s Word.

The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina has communicated with his diocese regarding his original intentions in participating in the dedication and the resulting controversy. Next month, as part of the scheduled College of Bishops meeting, I will lay the seriousness of this situation before the bishops and ask them to consider with me what faithfulness to our Lord and the faith we have received requires of those who have been entrusted with ecclesiastical authority.

In the interim, please kneel with me before God’s throne of grace to pray for the renewed faithfulness of His Church.

In Christ alone

Julian Dobbs

August 26, 2026

Bishop of East Tennessee’s statement on the death of Dolly Parton

By
Brian Cole
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Dear People of East Tennessee,

It is with great sadness that we enter a time of mourning for the death of Dolly Parton, one of our greatest regional figures.

I celebrate and honor the impact she has had on East Tennessee and the world, whether from her music or her philanthropic endeavors. East Tennessee has benefited over many decades from Mrs. Parton’s generous giving. From the economic impact of Dollywood to the Imagination Library, from the My People fund to the newly renamed Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital here in Knoxville, countless lives have been positively impacted by her life, a living expression of the call to selfless giving which we recognize in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I will continue to hold the Parton and Dean family in my prayers, and I ask that we all hold ourselves more gently in the coming days as we mourn this loss to our region, our state, our nation, and the world.

Peace,

The Rt. Rev. Brian Cole

August 25, 2026

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of comfort: Deal graciously, we pray, with all who mourn; that, casting all their care on you, they may know the consolation of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 505)

God’s Faithfulness in Brazil

By
Laurent Mbanda
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Greetings in the name of our risen Lord Jesus Christ.

It has been a great joy to gather this weekend in Recife, Brazil, with leaders of the Global Anglican Communion to celebrate the installation of the Very Revd Gabriel Moreira Uchoa Cavalcanti as Dean of the Catedral Anglicana do Espírito Santo.

The service was filled with joy and hope as Archbishop Miguel Uchoa Cavalcanti passed the mantle of leadership of the Cathedral to his son, Gabriel.

This celebration also marked 30 years since Archbishop Miguel planted the church in 1996 with just 30 or so people.

We give thanks to God for all that has grown from those humble beginnings, as churches have been planted, leaders raised up, dioceses multiplied, and the Anglican Church in Brazil established as a faithful and growing province.

Yet amidst the joy of our celebrations was a recognition that these 30 years also tell a story of hope through significant trials.

Faithfulness to the authority of Scripture has come at great cost for our brothers and sisters in Brazil, including the painful loss of their former institutional home and church buildings.

But the Lord did not abandon his people.

When faithful Anglicans in Brazil found themselves separated from their former provincial structures, Gafcon stood alongside them, providing recognition, encouragement and a home within the global Anglican family.

The Diocese of Recife became an extra-provincial diocese of Gafcon, before multiplying through God’s grace and gospel growth to become the Anglican Church in Brazil in 2018, with Archbishop Miguel as its first Archbishop and Primate.

This is a powerful reminder of why Gafcon, now the Global Anglican Communion, has been so important for faithful Anglicans throughout the world.

As we sang together in Recife, we were reminded that the suffering and sacrifice of faithful individuals and churches have not been in vain.

Our hope is not in institutions, buildings or human strength, but in the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Once again, we were reminded of those precious words which have characterised our fellowship over many years: You are not alone.

During our time in Recife, members of the Global Anglican Council also met for important discussions as we continue the transition and development of the Global Anglican Communion.

I ask you to pray for us as we seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance for the important work ahead.

I am also delighted to announce that the G27 Prayer Conference will be held here in Recife from 20–23 April 2027.

This invitation-only gathering will bring together lay people from across the Global Anglican Communion to fall on our knees together in prayer for the glory of God, the proclamation of the gospel, and the growth and strengthening of our global fellowship.

We look forward to sharing further details about G27 in the weeks ahead.

Please continue to pray for Archbishop Miguel, Dean Gabriel, the Anglican Church in Brazil, and the whole Global Anglican Communion.

I also thank God for the generosity of those whose giving enables this important global ministry, including bringing leaders together personally for prayer, fellowship and encouragement.

Thirty years after a small group of faithful Christians stepped out in faith, we have been reminded again that God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.

To him alone be the glory.

Grace and peace,

The Most Revd Dr Laurent Mbanda
Chairman of the Global Anglican Council
Monday, 24th August, 2026

Cathedral asks Stan to scrub porn star footage

By
John Sandeman
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Channel 7 reports: “The Anglican Church has demanded footage filmed inside Brisbane’s St John’s Cathedral be removed from a Stan reality series staying producers misled the Dean about the nature of the program.

“The Diocese says the production was presented to Dean Dr Peter Catt as a documentary exploring faith and the experiences of someone previously excluded from religious communities because of sex work, but the finished program instead featured adult-content creators and a filmed religious ceremony inside the cathedral.”

Their report then goes on to give the background to the story of the Nine Stan show described here by The Other Cheek, and the subsequent apology by Bishop Jeremy Greaves.

The channel 7 report.

Brisbane Archbishop apologises for Stan porn star video

By
Jeremy Greaves
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Jeremy Greaves

20 August 2026
Ad Clerum re Use of Cathedral in STAN reality TV show

Dear sisters and brothers, On behalf of the Dean (who is currently on leave) and the Cathedral Chapter, I would like to apologise for the distress and anger generated by the Dean’s decision to allow St John’s Cathedral to be used as a backdrop for a reality television program currently streaming on STAN. Like many of you, l am shocked by the content, nature, and intent of the program, which does not align with the faith and values of this Diocese. The Diocese has contacted the program’s producers, requesting all vision, images and content featuring people other than The Very Rev’d Dr Peter Catt (Dean of Brisbane) be immediately removed, including the completely unacceptable vision of children in the Cathedral. As I have sought to understand how this situation has come about, conversations with multiple Cathedral staff suggest that the program’s producers misled the Dean.

Pitched as a documentary program that would explore faith, intention, and life’s complexities, through the experience of an individual who had previously been excluded from faith communities because of past involvement in sex work, the series is nothing more than click-bait, reality TV content that shamelessly attempts to validate the porn-industry. I unreservedly condemn any attempt to validate an industry that exploits women and girls and contributes to degrading and unhealthy messaging around sex and sexuality. Despite being misled by the program’s producers, it is clear to me that there are a number of gaps in our policies and procedures concerning approvals for filming in any of our churches or other properties. This is a situation which should never have happened, and have asked for an immediate review of policies and procedures to ensure thorough due diligence is carried out before any third-party is granted access to a Church site.

If you have any questions, please direct them to archbishop@anglicanchurchsq.org.au.
Grace and peace

(signed)
The Most Reverend Jeremy Greaves KCSJ
Archbishop of Brisbane

A controversial ceremony at Brisbane Cathedral

By
John Sandeman
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Filming of scenes for a controversial online show ‘Turned On: Dirty, Sexy Money’ at Brisbane’s Anglican Cathedral has drawn a shocked reaction after Collective Shout campaigner Melinda Tankard Reist posted about it.

Making the point that the series is “part of a PR blitz” for the sex industry, Tankard Reist’s critique of the Cathedral taking part in the show is scathing: “In episode 6, UK p*rn performer Lily Phillips, 24, claims to want to ‘reconnect with her faith’ and find a welcoming community. So the producers contact the Cathedral for her (all part of the pre-planned scripting, I’m sure- there was no indication she was moving to QLD from UK).

“Five minutes due diligence online would have revealed Phillips widely-reported history including a publicised ‘101 men in a day’ sex stunt, reports of attempting to recruit ‘barely legal’ male school leavers at Gold Coast schoolies week and what seems to be fake conversion scams like her recent ‘baptism’ followed by a p*rn-themed ‘prayer meeting’ with a group of men she was about to film a gang bang with.

“But the church became a prop in a mainstream series for clicks, sexual solicitation and more paid subscribers – most of them married men spending money that should have supported their wives and kids.

“Phillips and her collaborators are shown selecting their best lingerie for the ‘re-affirmation’ ceremony.”

Here is a Facebook response from the cathedral from today Monday 17th. There’s no text under the pic.

Was the ceremony genuine?
Here’s a description from the Collective Shout post. (The Other Cheek finds part of it a bit too frank in its description – but it is easy to find.)

“The Dean, Very Rev’d Dr Peter Catt (pictured in the Stan promo) invites the sexfluencers to the altar.

“’Do you turn to Christ?’ our man of God asks Phillips.

“’I do.’

“’Do you renounce evil?’

“’I do.’

“’Do you repent of your sins?’”’

“’I do.’

“After the ceremony, the young content creator duo known as ‘The Twins’, in a rare moment of truth, declare: ‘;She has a right to practice her religion. But we don’t believe her!’ Though slightly late to realise it, one of the identical twins says she doesn’t want to be ‘a pawn in someone’s publicity stunt.’”

The Other Cheek has not watched the show, and even if this writer had, he might not be the wiser as to whether there was any degree of repentance before the baptism. Collective Shout suggests that the content of the show indicates otherwise, with a following scene of Lily Phillips recruiting Gold Coast tradies into taking part in sexual activity that this site is too prudish to describe.

A News.com.au story covers how Phillips sees the baptism.

UPDATE: although the traditional baptism vows were used, the ceremony was in fact labelled as a ‘reaffirmation ‘”, Melinda Tankard Reist tells The Other Cheek.
“I think for me, I do believe that God’s rules have definitely evolved,” Phillips told the news site.

The report continues: “Phillips has been vocal in the past about her relationship with her faith, adhering to what she refers to as ‘bespoke religion’, adding that her faith has always been a huge part of who she is and is responsible for grounding her and reminding her what truly matters.

““There was a point when… all I cared about was monetary stuff. I think what faith has helped me to do was really ground me and make me so grateful for what I already have,” she explained.

“While her career choice might strike many as far from biblical, she doesn’t believe God would judge her.

“’Obviously, I think at the end of the day it’s something that is natural, sex,’ she explained.

“’I don’t think he’s against gay marriage anymore, I don’t think he’s necessarily against abortions, I think as the world evolves so has God.’”

It just may be that Phillips chose a progressive Cathedral to at least in part match her bespoke faith.

The shaming of Jason Arday

By
Rowan Williams
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A young man who has lived with different kinds of disadvantage all his life is elevated to a position of  influence and privilege. In this position he is exposed to consistent, merciless attack, until there is no way back. It ends in death. Summarised like this, it has an almost archetypal quality. The proverbial Martian observer would very likely catalogue it with the rituals of sacrificial scapegoating chronicled in many pre-modern societies – the outsider selected for both sacred dignity and ritual humiliation so that some existing order can be consolidated by an act of collective violence.

One of the many things we ought to be reflecting on in the wake of the shocking and tragic events leading to the death of Jason Arday is the nature of the shaming rituals of modern culture, the careful gradation of verbal violence from judicious headshaking through to unbridled, annihilating, joyous venom. The philosopher Bruno Latour wrote that “we have never been modern”; it is sometimes alarmingly clear that we have never been “secular”. We still repeat the ceremonies of public humiliation and cathartic sacrificial violence. A debased media culture and the fever-ridden jungle of online comment are just another iteration of habits deeply rooted in human society-building. We should not deceive ourselves into thinking that we have outgrown any of this.

Read it all in the New Statesman

Is this the Church of England’s Arday affair?

By
Nigel Biggar
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I lament Jason Arday’s apparent suicide. I shake my head at the dreadful pity of it. Yes, he had been serially dishonest. And yes, the immediate responsibility lay with him: the hand that killed him was his own. Yet his death was still a tragedy. He’d become so trapped in a fantasy about himself, it seems, that when reality finally broke in, Nemesis came with it. A terrible reckoning caused the self he’d invented to disintegrate. It must have seemed to him that black nothing remained.

But Jason’s responsibility is widely shared. It also belongs to all the adults who indulged him. Who failed to make him reckon with the truth. Who lowered the threshold so he could clamber over it. Who encouraged him to dismiss criticism as expressions of racist bad faith. Who, year after year, aided and abetted the elaboration of his fantastic claims. Who patronised him.

Why did they do it? For many, no doubt, because uncaring kindness was so much easier than telling the truth. For some, evidently, because their own academic standards were hardly higher than his. For others, because he was a useful poster boy for their ‘decolonising’ crusade.

But is it credible that not one of the seasoned teachers or academics who vetted him in the course of his career failed to see what is now so glaringly obvious – that the emperor was stark naked? I think not. I’d wager a modest fortune that some did see it, but knowing what it would cost them to say so, suppressed the thought and bit their tongues. Why? Lest they be accused of racism, their friends step away, and their careers suffer.

There’s a warning in this sorry tale for the leadership of the Church of England. The Church commissioners, including both archbishops, persist in their support for ‘Project Spire’, the policy of devoting £100million to paying reparations for the church’s alleged profiting from transatlantic slavery. Reliable sources tell me that the project has been vigorously championed among the commissioners who are responsible for managing the church’s assets, including the First Church Estates commissioner, Alan Smith. They also observe that the decision to proceed with the project was made in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 and the consequent anti-racist, knee-bending panic. Apparently, only one of the commissioners’ 27 board members voiced an objection to it. Was that because all the others were convinced supporters? I know for a fact they weren’t. So why didn’t more doubters speak up? Could it have been – as an eye-witness reports – that dissent was suppressed, because senior church figures are concerned about being branded racist?

Read it all at Spiked

New Primate of Burundi is installed at service in Bujumbura attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury

By
Press Release
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The Most Revd Eraste Bigirimana has been installed as the new Primate of the Anglican Church of Burundi at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Bujumbura on August 23.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, preached at the service. The Deputy Secretary General of the Anglican Communion (the Rt Revd Dr Jo Wells) and the Chair of the Anglican Consultative Council (Canon Maggie Swinson) were also present, along with bishops and representatives from DRC, Tanzania and Uganda.

Archbishop Eraste was elected as Primate on May 21, 2026 and is now the sixth Archbishop and Primate of the Province. He succeeds the Most Revd Sixbert Macumi, who has led the Anglican Church of Burundi since 2021.

Speaking about his installation earlier this year, Archbishop Eraste said: ‘As I look forward to my installation on the 23rd August 2026, my hope is that it will mark a new season of unity, spiritual renewal and faithful service to the people of God. I ask for your continued prayers as we work together to advance Christ’s mission in Burundi and beyond.’ 

In her sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury reflected on the lessons about leadership shared by Jesus in John 21:15-17, in which Peter is called to be a shepherd, and reiterated by Peter in 1 Peter 5:1-4 as he advises leaders to be ‘eager to serve… as shepherds of God’s flock’.

Archbishop Sarah said, ‘Jesus calls Peter with all his weaknesses and his strengths. He calls him to nurture his flock… Archbishops are called to share with the whole people of God in the ministry of the Gospel of Christ. Each one of us is called to proclaim Christ’s promise of hope and eternal life in a world of death and despair. Bishop Eraste, this is the hope to which you are called. And in a broken world, God calls you to be a servant leader. Guard the flock; exercise the ministry of a shepherd; contend for and uphold the unity of the church, guiding it in witness and service.’

Addressing the congregation during the installation, Archbishop Eraste pledged ‘to uphold justice, truth and love. In the ministry entrusted to me by God, I will seek to be a good example to the flock of Christ. I will endeavour to fulfil these responsibilities with the help of God’.

The Deputy Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Bishop Jo Wells, also spoke at the service to convey the greetings of the Secretary General and to bring encouragement to the Church. ‘Across the Communion there are 42 provinces and at least 170 countries. You are part of something so big and high and wide and deep, like the love of God that sustains us’. Bishop Jo also thanked the former primate, Archbishop Sixbert, for his service and faithfulness and shared encouragement for the new Primate and his wife, Consulate, who will support him in his ministry.

Prior to the installation, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, shared prayers and good wishes to the new Primate, saying: ‘In 2024, I visited the Anglican Church of Burundi and was privileged to experience the diverse ministry of the province, in the areas of education, youth and community work. As Archbishop Eraste takes up his ministry, we assure him of our prayers and support as he continues to invest in the spiritual life and growth of the churches of Burundi. We celebrate the Anglican Church of Burundi as part of the global family that is the Anglican Communion.’

Born in 1964 in what is now Buhumuza Province, Archbishop Eraste comes from an Anglican family. He attended Buhiga Teachers’ College and in 1987 entered the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Burundi, specialising in African Languages and Literatures. He holds two degrees: one in Human Sciences/African Languages and Literature, and another in Divinity (Theology) from Uganda Christian University. 

Bishop Eraste was consecrated as Bishop in 2005, becoming the first Bishop of Muyinga Diocese and in 2013 moved to lead the Diocese of Bujumbura. In September 2025, Archbishop Eraste was appointed as Coordinator of the Anglican Francophone Network (Réseau Francophone Anglican).  

Archbishop Eraste is also a member of the National Security Council and, as such, is a trusted figure in civil society. His appointment to leadership promises to enhance the collaborative relationship between the Anglican Church of Burundi and the Government of Burundi, which regularly work together to advance development initiatives. 

More information

Learn more about the Anglican Church of Burundi.

See the Archbishop of Canterbury’s full sermon at the Installation of the Primate of Burundi.

See the live stream of the service. 

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