Seattle cleric a finalist for California post
By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times staff reporter
One of the Seattle area's most prominent clerics, the Very Rev. Robert Taylor, dean of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, is among five finalists for the position of bishop of the Diocese of California.
If elected, Taylor would become the second openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion to which it belongs.
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Taylor is known for his graciousness and his work on social justice, community outreach and interfaith efforts. He helped fight against apartheid in his native South Africa, which he left in 1980 with help from Nobel laureate and Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
At St. Mark's, Taylor has made the cathedral a focal point for social-justice activities. He and Rabbi Daniel Weiner of Temple De Hirsch Sinai are co-founders of Faith Forward, a social-action group for people of faith.
He served as chairman of King County's Committee to End Homelessness and is founding president of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation, which raises money for Tutu's peace center in Cape Town, South Africa.
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In addition to Taylor, the finalists include the Rt. Rev. Mark Handley Andrus, an assistant bishop of the Diocese of Alabama; the Rev. Jane Gould, rector of St. Stephen's Church in Lynn, Mass.; the Rev. Bonnie Perry, rector of All Saints' Church in Chicago; and the Rev. Canon Eugene Taylor Sutton, canon pastor at Washington National Cathedral in the nation's capital.
The candidates will meet collectively with members of the California diocese April 24 to 29, with the election May 6. The bishop-elect is to be confirmed at the denomination's national gathering June 13 to 22.
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Among the five finalists to succeed the California Diocese's Bishop William Swing, who is retiring, Taylor and Perry are openly gay.
That's not meant to be a political statement, said the Rev. Jack Eastwood, an adviser to Bishop Swing. "We're trying to find the best person to lead this diocese," which is diverse in its ethnicity, sexuality and income levels.
The full article can be read at
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002818625_taylor21m.htmlFrom his election as dean in 1999 until the consecration of Gene Robinson in 2003, Taylor was the highest ranking out gay person in the Episcopal Church hierarchy. His long-time partner is also an active member of St. Mark's parish.
Under the canon law of the Episcopal Church, the diocese has complete control over who it elects as bishop. The National Convention, which meets every three years, may only either accept or reject the diocese's choice. Rejection has been extremely rare; the closest it has ever come, to my knowledge, was over Gene Robertson three years ago.
For the benefit of non-Episcopalians, here is a vocabulary list:
Rector: The priest who serves as primary minister for a parish.
Chapter: A council of priests from around the diocese that oversees the finances and day-to-day operation of diocesan resources. The Chapter is also the body that hires a new bishop for the diocese when an opening occurs.
Canon: A priest who is a member of the diocese's Chapter.
Dean: Technically, the diocesan bishop is the rector for a cathedral's parish. Because a bishop's duties mean he is usually absent from his home church, the vestry of the cathedral hires a dean to serve as the parish's primary minister. The dean is also head of the cathedral's chapter.
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