Not All Doves Are White

I was at a Latin-speaking convention with a very Anglican faculty member of Westminster seminary, and now am involved with an evangelical woman to whom I had to explain that Catholic schools do not require one to become monks or even think deeply about it. Such divergent opinions brought to my mind the diversity of the army of Christ. The generals of the army ought to be the bishops, although human frailty is all too evident. The danger, however, of generalship is that the combination of greater influence and misanalysis of what needs doing can lead to defeat as easily as victory. It seems to me, therefore, that one must be careful how and on what grounds one criticizes the bishop unless one has surveyed the topography previously. Certainly, no man lacks faults; but if one wishes to make a critique of the actions of a general, it would prove useful to lead forth a well-disciplined argument concerning whither the army has wandered and the general has erred. It is fully understandable that the Nigerian bishop, surveying the shattered hopes of his native land, would decry particular forms of moral decay while other bishops in other countries would face other challenges.

Rose steps out

Well, I suppose I should introduce myself. In the blogosphere, I'm Rose Maniple. I was raised in a Roman Catholic family, and for many years found sustenance in that tradition. At the apex of my adherence, I was a member of Una Voce (for the Traditional Latin Mass) and was preparing to offer my vocation to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. However, several events, including the passage of the Civil Marriage Act, and the promulgation of the Instruction on gay priests forced me to reluctanctly swim the Thames. I was received into the Anglican Communion at the Easter Vigil in 2006, and since then have been able to combine my liberal social justice values with traditional creedal orthodoxy and a fondness for the ceremonial of the traditional Roman Rite.

I look forward to bonding virtually with everyone here and I thank Josh for his invitation to be a part of this project.

Quick Introduction

I'm Fr Rob Laws- sometimes known as PadreRob. I am the Canterbury Chaplain at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va and the part-time Assistant Rector at Trinity Episcopal Church, across the street from the university. I also blog at a priest's musings on the journey.

I was raised in the Pentecostal Tradition, since my grandfather- who was my pastor as a child- converted to the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) after he had an experience at a prayer meeting in which he was "baptized in the Holy Spirit" and received glossolalia.
I became attracted to the Episcopal Church while studying at Duke Divinity. After worshiping in my first High Church Mass, I knew I had found a spiritual home.

Although I appreciate the Pentecostal tradition, I am not a charismatic. I am one of those progressive catholic types: an affirming catholic who believes part of the baptismal covenant asks us to welcome all who seek to follow Christ and to embrace the gifts and callings of God in all people- including the calls to holy orders- regardless of gender, race, and sexual orientation.

Want to know anything else? Just ask :)

Peace to all. Be at peace and embraced by the Love that created you and sustains you.