Long Island Diocese Looks to the Future
Episcopal News Service. November 22, 1988 [88253]
NEW YORK (DPS, Nov. 23) -- The Diocese of Long Island, the third largest diocese in the Episcopal Church, is beginning to see signs of change. The Rt. Rev. Robert C. Witcher, who is now diocesan, has recently announced his intention of resigning his post as of January 1, 1991. This would mean that the Rt. Rev. Orris G. Walker, Jr., Bishop Coadjutor of Long Island who was consecrated in April of this year, would become diocesan. Walker would be Long Island's first black diocesan.
Witcher is already turning over some areas of responsibility to Walker. The Bishop Coadjutor will soon take charge of the whole process of ordination in the diocese, which is significant because Walker has stated that he is in favor of the ordination of women to the priesthood.
Witcher, in announcing his intention of placing his coadjutor in charge of ordination, stated that he is clearing the way for the ordination of women to the priesthood, in spite of his personal conviction that the apostolic ministry does not include women in that role. Witcher has stated that the change in policy seems inevitable, and that he believes it is approved by the people of the diocese. Long Island has been one of the minority of dioceses in the Episcopal Church that has not yet ordained women to the priesthood.
Long Island now has three women already ordained to the diaconate who are eligible for ordination to the priesthood; and "it is now a strong possibility," Walker said, that they will be ordained early in the new year. Two of the three women, the Rev. Anne Lyndall and the Rev. Noreen Mooney, have already been approved for ordination to the priesthood by the diocesan standing committee. The third woman, the Rev. Janet Campbell who was ordained to the diaconate in June of this year, is awaiting standing committee approval.