Clergy from the Diocese of the Rio Grande greeted Bishop Jeffrey N. Steenson with a standing ovation last week during a conference at the Holy Cross Retreat Center in Mesilla Park, N.M.The expression of respect and affection for Steenson came five days after he released a “very difficult letter” announcing his intention to resign as bishop of the 8,000-member diocese in New Mexico and West Texas.
Steenson said his “conscience is deeply troubled about where the Episcopal Church is heading.”
According to clergy in the room, the response was one of compassion for Steenson’s realization that he could no longer uphold the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Episcopal Church, which has lost dozens of congregations in recent years.
But along with the sadness there was confusion, trepidition and, for some, a feeling of abandonment.
Most clergy and lay people had hoped that Steenson, a gentle, pastoral man, could help heal the rift in the diocese and in the worldwide Anglican communion over issues of governance and sexuality.
Steenson, who was consecrated a bishop in 2005, opposed the ordination of the gay bishop Gene Robinson in 2003 and official blessings of same-sex relationships.
But he also believed conservatives and traditional people should stay within the church and work for change.
Now he has announced that he will join the Roman Catholic Church, which he called the “true home of Anglicanism.”
Other bishops have left the Episcopal Church for the Roman Church, but only after retirement.
As Steenson explained to local clergy why his deeply held convictions could no longer allow him to continue to provide leadership with integrity, “The general mood was one of sadness,” said the Rev. Dr. Colin P. Kelly III, the rector of Trinity on the Hill in Los Alamos and head of the diocese’s standing committee.
Although, “This is just not where I am,” Kelly said, “I respect his decision. He was the exact perfect man for the job, and his way of leaving with honor and integrity proves he was the right man for the job.”
Ray Raney, rector of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Edgewood, said most of the clergy “wished he weren’t doing this but understood where he was coming from.”
The bishop, Raney pointed out, is “taking the honorable path rather than trying to lead the diocese out of the church,” Raney added.
Many priests learned about their bishop’s decision last Sunday morning. But Steenson told the clergy that he had begun talking to Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, last summer about the direction his life was taking.
Kelly said the standing committee, which will help choose Steenson’s successor, will meet Thursday.
The committee is required to submit a letter of support to the House of Bishops before it considers Steenson’s request.
While Steenson did not confirm his intention to seek ordination in the Catholic Church, he did tell clergy that he plans to study early church history in Rome. For the time being, he will continue living in Albuquerque and working on the airplane he is building in his garage.
Meanwhile, the diocesan clergy say they don’t want to rush to choose Steenson’s successor.
“Most clergy on both sides like the idea of a long-term interim bishop to give us time to grieve and to begin healing,” said the Rev. Richard Murphy, rector of St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in Santa Fe, adding that the diocese needs a person trained in reconciliation and mediation.
Departure’s impact
Earlier this month, members of the Pro-Cathedral of St. Clement’s in El Paso voted to leave the Episcopal Church, and Steenson helped negotiate a deal that will allow the congregation to keep the church’s property for $2 million.
Two other churches in the diocese, St. Francis on the Hill in El Paso and St. Mark’s on the Mesa in Albuquerque, have also considered breaking with the national church and seeking other alliances.
The impact of Steenson’s departure on those who are teetering on the edge is a big question.
Kelly said Steenson’s resignation might cause some churches to decide now is the time to make a move because there is no bishop they have to get past.
Others might continue to take a “wait and see” attitude.
He said he thought a lot depends on the response of church primates to the steps taken by the House of Bishops meeting in New Orleans last week to head off a schism with the worldwide Anglican community.
At the close of their six-day meeting, the bishops agreed not to consecrate anyone whose “manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church,” and not to authorize public rites for same-sex unions or same-gender blessings.
If the primates conclude that the U.S. bishops have done enough, Kelly said, that “takes the wind from sails of those who believe the church is not staying in the communion,” and those congregations might wait a while before considering further action.
The Rev. Frank Schuster, who became the rector in Taos five months ago, said he didn’t know whether Steenson’s departure would be a catalyst for an exodus from the diocese, but that when he was interviewing for his job, the church was “looking for someone who would not take them out of the Episcopal Church.”
His congregation, he said, has made the choice to stay together.
In the days after Steenson’s announcement, lay people and even some clergy flooded the conservative Web site standfirminfaith.com with comments on the decision.
Many praised his character, but some posters accused him of betrayal for resigning rather than taking the Diocese of the Rio Grande out of the Episcopal Church.
One writer even predicted a massive exodus from the church in the wake of Steenson’s departure.
And a self-described former Episcopal priest, now a Roman Catholic, urged Episcopalians to “come home,” declaring that, “The only thing you have to lose is endless turmoil and distraction from Christ’s mission.”
In his own comments, Steenson has indicated that pressure from the right was a major contribution to his decision.
According to Raney, the bishop noted the intervention of ultraconservative primates, particularly those from Africa and the Southern states, in local dioceses has destabilized the conservative movement in the Episcopal Church. Because of their interference, it has become more difficult for more traditional Episcopalians to influence church policy.
“Each person must speak from his or own careful conviction. As long as people are able with integrity to speak, that’s healthy for church. We’re balanced by that,” Kelly explained. “But when people from one direction or another start leaving, that balance becomes unbalanced. I weep when that happens.”
But, he said, “There are still plenty of voices that are out there.”
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