Dear People of the Diocese of the West

Many of you may have read the press release issued from the House of Bishops of the ACA in connection with our meetings March 1-3 in Orlando, Florida. I reprint it here:

We, the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church in America of the Traditional Anglican Communion have met in Orlando, Florida, together with our Primate and the Reverend Christopher Phillips of the "Anglican Use" Parish of Our Lady of the Atonement (San Antonio, Texas) and others.

At this meeting, the decision was made formally to request the implementation of the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus in the United States of America by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

As I’ve reminded you before, it is very important that you keep the House of Bishops in your prayers daily. It is important to attend to what your bishop tells you and also your priests who will have been in touch with us. This means that it will not be useful, but it will be unhealthy for the Church to draw conclusions from the statements of others who think they know the details, when they really have no accurate information, or only partial information. There is already incomplete and/or inaccurate information being distributed on the internet. It is impossible to keep this from happening. Many people desire to distort or embellish what has been said and done. It accomplishes nothing positive and causes much confusion. This is a very challenging time in the life of the Church and I ask you to work with me as we seek to be obedient to God’s Will for our ministry in the Anglican tradition.

The deliberations in Orlando were focused on the Petition which was made by the College of Bishops of the TAC which was issued to the Roman Catholic Church in October 2007. We have been dealing with their response which was received in October 2009; a document entitled Anglicanorum coetibus, the Apostolic Constitution, which invites Anglicans to find ways to be “in communion” with Rome.

Read again the words of the Concordat of agreement between the Anglican Church in America and the Traditional Anglican Communion in 1989-90:

“WE, the Bishops of continuing Anglican Churches in full Communion with each other, with expressions of concurrence of the clergy and laity thereof, hereby unite in a worldwide Communion of orthodox Churches in the Anglican Tradition, and invite all faithful Bishops, Churches and Provinces which uphold the principles set forth in the Fundamental Declarations herein to participate in this our solemn purpose and act.

WE further declare that the Churches, Provinces and Dioceses of this Communion desire to be in full Communion with the whole of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ, and in endeavoring to promote Christian Unity shall continue to regard as the minimum basis for such unity the sharing of common Scriptures, Creeds, Sacraments and Ministry as identified in the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1886-88.”

Your bishops are attempting to do our part in fulfilling this “desire to be in full Communion...” When you consider the responsibility the bishops have for the Church, we are doing what bishops have done since the Council of Nicaea (AD 325) and after; attempting to articulate “the Faith once delivered...” as given to us in the Scriptures and the Tradition that has affirmed them throughout history.
Each bishop of the ACA will be communicating with the priests and deacons of our dioceses within the next several days. Your priests will be given information which will lead to a clearer understanding on the part of all of us of the responsibilities to participate in Our Lord’s call to the unity of the whole Church.

Once the clergy have met, and they have conveyed the information to all the laity in parish gatherings, a specially called Diocesan Synod will determine what direction the people of the Diocese of the West will take.

It is my hope that we can work, pray, and give of ourselves unselfishly to honor God - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost - seeking to love Him and serve Him for the life of His Church. May God bless every prayer we offer and may His Holy Spirit guide us into all truth.

+Daren K. Williams, Bishop Ordinary
Diocese of the West, ACA