The Episcopal Diocese
of Hawai'i
The Right Reverend Richard S.O. Chang
Bishop of Hawai'i
October 20, 2004
|
MEMO TO: |
All Canonically Resident and Licensed
Clergy of the Diocese All Senior and Bishop’s Wardens All Junior Wardens The Diocesan Council The Standing Committee |
|
RE: |
The Windsor Report |
I invite each of you to embark upon a pilgrimage. It is an invitation extended to us in the Diocese of Hawai`i by the Most Reverend Robin Eames, Archbishop of Armagh, on behalf of the Lambeth Commission on Communion. This is a pilgrimage “towards healing and reconciliation”. In the words of Presiding Bishop Griswold, “It is my earnest prayer that we will undertake this pilgrimage in a spirit of generosity and patient faithfulness, not primarily for the sake of our church and the Anglican Communion but for the sake of the world our Lord came among us to save.”
This Report of the Lambeth Commission requires careful study and discussion. We cannot focus on certain recommendations as has happened in the media. We must discuss the full Report in light of the mandate given the Commission by the Most Reverend Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. I believe that it is important that we begin our conversations together in this Diocese.
I believe that it is critical for us to hear from each other as leaders in the Diocese of Hawai`i after you have read the Windsor Report, so that we can better understand the Report and its implications for this Diocese and the Episcopal Church in the USA. The House of Bishops has adopted a process by which bishops will study and reflect on the Report. Beginning with provincial meetings of the House of Bishops prior to December 1, the full House will gather for a special meeting on January 12-13, 2005, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Therefore, I am scheduling a series of meetings throughout our Diocese in the month of November, to begin the process of discussing the Windsor Report.
| Thursday, November 4 | 7:00 – 9:00 pm | Holy Nativity Church, Honolulu |
| Friday, November 5 | 7:00 – 9:00 pm | Good Shepherd Church, Wailuku |
| Saturday, November 6 | 2:00 – 4:00 pm | St. James Church, Kamuela |
| Sunday, November 7 | 2:00 - 4:00 pm | St. Michael’s & All Angels, Lihue |
| Monday, November 22 | 7:00 – 9:00 pm | St. Timothy’s Church, Aiea |
| Tuesday, November 23 | 7:00 – 9:00 pm | St. Christopher’s Church, Kailua |
| Sunday, November 28 | 1:00 – 3:00 pm | Grace Church, Molokai |
I ask that each of you attend one of the scheduled meetings. Prepare yourself for that meeting by reading the Report, including Appendix, in its entirety. It is important that we discuss it as a whole rather than focus solely on the recommendations. Get your copy of the Windsor Report from our Diocesan Web Site, http://episcopalhawaii.org.
I will be present to serve as the convener for each of the meetings. I hope these meetings will help each of us gain a better understanding of the Report, so that we may help our congregations and members of our Diocese in their understanding of it. Likewise, our time together will help prepare me for my meetings with the House of Bishops.
We will not complete our discussion and study of the Report with this one meeting. This is only the beginning of a long process. Some elements of the Report may require response by the General Convention that will not meet until June 2006. The Commission has truly invited us on a pilgrimage to unity as the members of this Diocese, ECUSA, and the Anglican Communion. I invite you to embark on that journey together with me in respectful conversation.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
Richard S.O. Chang
IV Bishop of Hawai`i