Talk about winning the culture wars! Today Kyle and I attended the blessing of a civil marriage of two men. The marriage was performed in Massachusetts and blessed in a church where one of the men is the Rector. The current Bishop of Maine, and former Canon from Rochester, The Rt. Rev. Steve Lane, officiated. The current Bishop of Rochester, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Prince Singh, celebrated the Eucharist and the retired Bishop of Rochester, The Rt. Rev. Jack McKelvey, preached. And did he preach! (McKelvey and his wife were the witnesses when Kyle and I were married in Toronto, Feb. 22, 2008.)
Coming on the heals of the Presiding Bishop calling out the Archbishop of Canterbury for his wimpy unwillingness to really get what Pentecost is really about, it crowned a week of bringing the legislative victories of General Convention to the pews of your run-of-the-mill Episcopal Parish.
But wait, there's MORE! This did not happen in San Francisco, NYC, South Beach or Provincetown. This happened in BATH, NY. In the heart of the Southern Tier of New York, trust me, this place could not be more Middle-America. The demographic of the small city in rural NY is probably little different than any village of 5,641 in Nebraska or Eastern Oregon.
I could not be happier for The Very Rev. J. Brad Benson and Dr. Carl Johengen. I hope they sent this in to the New York Times.
Likewise, I could not be prouder of the Episcopal Church!
(Photo by David Gandell)
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