Deputies Concur on Blessings
A049 House of Deputies Concur with House of Bishops
lay 86 yes 19 no 5 divided 5 78%
clergy 85 yes 22 no 4 divided 76%
motion carries in lay and clery orders
Statement from Integrity:
The Episcopal Church at its 77th General Convention, meeting in Indianapolis, decided today, by a large majority, to authorize a service for same-sex couples. Starting on December 2, 2012, Episcopal clergy, with the agreement of their bishop, will be able to bless same-sex unions using the provisional liturgy authorized today by the Convention, the Church’s governing body.
Integrity USA has been working for thirty five years towards the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the Church. Same-gender unions have been blessed in Episcopal churches all over the country for decades, but this is the first time a church-wide public service has been agreed. It is a milestone in the journey toward achieving full inclusion, and being able to truly declare that “all means all” in the worship life of the denomination. It will enable Integrity to reach out to LGBT persons who have been rejected by the churches they were raised in, as well as those who were raised without any connection to Christianity.
The new blessing liturgy is not a marriage service. It does not use the language of marriage, but emphasizes the lifelong, monogamous, committed nature of the relationship being blessed. Integrity will continue to work for full marriage equality in The Episcopal Church. The president of Integrity, The Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall, said “This is a hugely important moment in the history of this church. The Episcopal Church does not have statement of belief other than the ancient creeds. We say that if you want to know what we believe, you can look at the words of our worship. So a liturgy for blessing same-sex relationships brings gay and lesbian couples fully into the life of the Church and proclaims that the Episcopal Church considers that their lives can be holy and blessed by God.”
This permission for same-sex blessings follows the addition of “gender identity and expression” to the non-discrimination laws of The Episcopal Church yesterday. This change makes it unlawful for transgender persons to be excluded from leadership positions, either lay or ordained, based solely on their status as transgender.
The U.S. Episcopal Church became the biggest church in the United States to approve a provisional rite for blessing gay unions after its House of Deputies gave its final approval Tuesday.
Text below:
RESOLUTION TEXT
1 Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 77th General Convention
2 commend “Liturgical Resources I: I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing”
3 for study and use in congregations and dioceses of The Episcopal Church, with
4 the following revisions:
5 Throughout “I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing” change “same-gender”
6 to “same-sex”;
7 BB p. 184 (Te bendecire pdf, p.1): change “Resources for Blessing Same-Gender
8 Relationships” to “Resources for The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong
9 Covenant in a same-sex relationship”
10 BB p. 240 (Te bendecire pdf, p. 83): Add rubric after first rubric, stating: “At
11 least one of the couple must be a baptized Christian.”
12 BB p. 240 (Te bendecire pdf, p. 83): In paragraph 2, line 1, delete “at least one of
13 whom is baptized,”
14 BB p. 241 (Te bendecire pdf, p. 85): In Presider’s address to the assembly, delete
15 “come what may,” (paragraph 1, line 9)
16 BB pp. 241-242 (Te bendecire pdf, p. 85): In Presider’s address to the assembly,
17 delete all of paragraph 2 (“Ahead of them…calls us all to share.”)
18 BB p. 242 (Te bendecire pdf, p. 85): In Presider’s address to the assembly,
19 change “let us pray, then,” (paragraph 3, line 1) to “Therefore, in the name of
20 Christ, let us pray”
21 BB p. 245 (Te bendecire pdf, p. 90): After the bidding for peace in their home
22 and love in their family, add the following bidding: “For the grace, when they
23 hurt each other, to recognize and acknowledge their fault, and to seek each
24 other’s forgiveness and yours: Lord, in your mercy (or Lord, in your goodness)
25 Hear our prayer.”
26 BB p. 246 (Te bendecire pdf, p. 91): Change rubric that begins “After a time of
27 silence” to the following: “The leader may add one or more of the following
28 biddings”
29 BB p. 247 (Te bendecire pdf, p. 93): In Commitment (both forms) line 7, change
30 “I will honor and keep you” to “I will honor and love you”
31
BB p. 248 (Te bendecire pdf, p. 94): In first form of blessing rings, change line 2
Printed: Tuesday, July 10, 2012 at 07:03 PM.
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32 to “as signs of the enduring covenant”
33 BB p. 248 (Te bendecire pdf, p. 95): In Blessing of the Couple, add rubric
34 between first and second paragraphs: “The Presider continues with one of the
35 following”
36 BB p. 248 (Te bendecire pdf, p. 95): In Blessing of the Couple, add third
37 paragraph after the “Amen”: “or this / God, the holy and undivided Trinity,
38 bless, preserve, and keep you, and mercifully grant you rich and boundless
39 grace, that you may please God in body and soul. God make you a sign of the
40 loving-kindness and steadfast fidelity manifest in the life, death, and
41 resurrection of our Savior, and bring you at last to the delight of the heavenly
42 banquet, where he lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.”
43 BB p. 257 (Te bendecire pdf, p. 104): In paragraph under E. Vocation, change “1
44 Samuel 18” to “1 Samuel 3”; and be it further
45 Resolved, That the 77th General Convention authorize for trial provisional use
46 “The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant” from “Liturgical Resources
47 I: I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing” beginning the First Sunday of
48 Advent 2012, under the direction and subject to the permission of the of a bishop
49 exercising ecclesiastical authority; and be it further
50 Resolved, That bishops, particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions
51 where same-sex gender marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships are legal,
52 may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this
53 Church;, including adaptation of the liturgy and declaration of intention
54 contained in “I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing”; and be it further
55 Resolved, That bishops may authorize adaptation of these materials to meet the
56 needs of members of this Church: and be it further
57 Resolved, that the provision of Canon I.18.4 applies by extension to “Theological
58 Resources for Blessing Same-Sex Relationships,” namely, “It shall be within the
59 discretion of any Member of the Clergy of this Church to decline to [preside at
60 any rite of blessing defined herein]”; and be it further
61 Resolved, That this convention honor the theological diversity of this church in
62 regard to matters of human sexuality, and that no bishop, priest, deacon or lay
63 person should be coerced or penalized in any manner, nor suffer any canonical
64 disabilities, as a result of his or her conscientious objection to or support for the
65 77th General Convention’s action with regard to the Blessing of Same-Sex
66 Relationships; and be it further
67 Resolved, That the theological resource for the blessing of a life-long covenant
68 be further developed by the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music over
69 the 2013-2015 triennium with specific attention to further engagement with
70 scripture and the relevant categories and sources of systematic theology (e.g.,
71 creation, sin, grace, salvation, redemption, human nature); and be it further
72 Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music include the work
73 of diverse theological perspectives in the further development of the theological
74 resource; and be it further
75 Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music develop an open
76 process to review “I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing,” inviting
77 responses from provinces, dioceses, congregations, and individuals from
78 throughout The Episcopal Church and from throughout the Anglican
79Communion, and from our ecumenical partners, and report to the 78th General
80 Convention.
EXPLANATION
In response to Resolution 2009-C056, the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music developed liturgical and theological resources for blessing same-gender relationships. Throughout the triennium, the commission heard stories of the urgent pastoral need for these resources in congregations of The Episcopal Church. Because these
are new resources for a pastoral situation not previously recognized in official liturgical books of The Episcopal Church, the commission recommends that they be used under the direction of a bishop exercising ecclesiastical authority, and that there be a process of review in order to refine the materials, so that they are in keeping with Anglican theological and liturgical tradition.
Posted by Ann Fontaine on July 10, 2012
________________________________________________________________
Thanks to Ann Fontaine for this news appearing now on the ‘Episcopal Cafe’ website in the USA. This is the long-awaited permission to go forward with a Service for Same-Sex Blessings in the Episcopal Church, in recognition of the need for a meaningful spiritual affirmation of the reality of Church members who want to acknowledge before God and the Church the monogamous, faithful and committed relationship they have with their Same-Sex partner.
What many Anglican Churches are realising is that – whether the Church recognises such relationships or not – they are actually there, among our congregations, and need to be recognised in some way that is fitting for their social and spiritual welfare. In the absence of an actual Marriage Rite for Same-Sex couples, this is perhaps the best the Church can do to encourage Gay people to commit their lives to one other person in love and faithfulness.
Father Ron Smith, Christchurch, New Zealand
