The Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Kaeton who blogs at Telling Secrets has an Episcopal Year in Review. Kaeton asked her readers to tell her what stories they thought stood out:
It’s the eve of the new year of 2012. Already, 2012 is distinguished by an optimism that is probably mostly due to the fact that it’s not 2011.
As editors of magazines and newspapers are compiling lists of the “Top Ten” stories, I wondered what might be the stories in The Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion that have caught our attention.I asked readers here and on FaceBook what those stories might be for them. What follows is a highly unscientific and patently unreliable poll of what we might remember from 2011. They are in no particular order of priority. I hope you’ll chime in if you think something got left out.
1. “Papa don’t preach”: The Anglican Covenant.
2. “Much ado about nothing”: The Rt. Rev’d V. Gene Robinson plans retirement in 2013.
3. “Its mine. No, it’s mine.”: The on-going Property Disputes
4. “Jesus meets the money changers. Again”: Trinity Wall Street and Occupy Wall Street
5. “Arrested theology”: Bishop George Packard arrested for civil disobedience
6. “Restructuring for mission – er, dollars”: The Sauls Plan
7. “Be a blessing – give a blessing”: SCLM proposes Rites of Blessing
8. “On the road again”: The Travels of the Presiding Bishop
9. “One strike and yer out?”: The Case of Bede Parry
10. “I wanna be you”: The ABC meets The Pope
I’m delighted that the election and consecration of Mariann Budde as the first woman to be bishop of the Diocese of Washington, DC is not headline news. That’s the best news, I think, of 2011.
As I consider it, 2012 has to be better. Overall, 2011 couldn’t have been much worse.
Then again, 2012 will bring us General Convention AND the Church of England Synod which will consider both the “appointment” of women to the episcopacy and the ratification/approval/acceptance of The Anglican Covenant Contract.
Fasten your seat belts, dearies. Looks like may well be a bumpy ride after all
Read it all and Elizabeth’s pithy comments here.