Ed Murray (candidate for Seattle mayor and his sister is Senator Patty Murray) and Michael Shiosaki will mark the 22nd anniversary of the day they met by legally tying the knot Saturday at St. Mark’s Cathedral, with a full marriage ceremony out of the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (see below) and music from 3,944 pipes of the mighty Flentrop organ.
…“We wanted to get married in our home state: We were going to wait it out and be married here,” said Shiosaki.
But where? Murray is a practicing Catholic. Shiosaki is from a Methodist background, … [but] Archbishop J. Peter Sartain laid down Roman Catholic Church law about same sex “marriages” — quotations courtesy of Sartain — last December. No Catholic priest can officiate. No Catholic facility can be used for marriage ceremonies or receptions. Clergy are even verboten from offering pre-marital counseling.
But a big part of the Seattle-area faith community backed marriage equality. Episcopal Bishop Greg Rickel spoke out in support, just a week after Sartain sent out his first broadside to Catholic parishes opposing same-sex marriage.
Read it all here.
Policy of the Diocese of Olympia – read more on diocesan policy here.
Part of the pastoral letter from Bishop Rickel:
Since the issuing of that pastoral letter, I have received questions and requests for clarification which I will now attempt to address. As a reminder, the General Convention resolution A049 did not change the Prayer Book definition of marriage. That official definition is still the joining of a man and a woman in a lifelong, committed relationship. However, Resolution A049, as passed, did contain the following resolve:
Resolved, That bishops, particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions
11 where same-gender marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships are legal,
12 may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this 13 Church, including adaptation of the liturgy and declaration of intention contained 14 in “I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing”;
Part of the “generous pastoral response” I now intend to offer is to allow the usage of the liturgies attached to the prior guidelines, as well as the new rite approved as part of A049. This is a change from my May letter in which I stated that I would authorize only the new rite approved as a part of A049.
After consultation with several of you, several of my colleagues, and much prayer, I have decided to allow all three here in the Diocese of Olympia. Furthermore, I would very much like your feedback on the use of these as you proceed and I would very much appreciate you copying that feedback to Canon Janet Campbell which will help in her liaison role with the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music.
Additionally, there seems to be some confusion as to whether you may call these rites “marriage”. As I stated in the prior letter you have my permission to sign the marriage licenses issued by the state, and should you desire to do that, I find no rational reason that you would not call it “marriage.”