Images of Patty McKellar courtesy of her husband, Judson By Fletcher Lowe My longtime friend Patty McKellar died of a disease that still strikes deep fear in many of us. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or progressive muscle weakness, is the disease that shortened the career and life of the beloved baseball player Lou Gehrig. It summons fearful images of paralysis and … [Read more...] about Song in the Valley of Death
death
Turning a Page in Maryland
The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Bishop of Maryland, offers multiple prayers after the sentencing of former bishop Heather Cook:Dear friends in Christ,As you may know Heather Cook was sentenced to seven years in prison on Oct. 27 exactly 10 months to the day she drove drunk and killed cyclist Thomas Palermo. Before the judge handed down the sentence Heather spoke to the … [Read more...] about Turning a Page in Maryland
Cook Pleads Guilty on 4 Charges
Justin Fenton writes for The Baltimore Sun:Former Episcopal bishop Heather Elizabeth Cook pleaded guilty Tuesday to automobile manslaughter and three other criminal charges related to the December drunken-driving death of a bicyclist in North Baltimore.Prosecutors said they would ask for a sentence of 20 years, with all but 10 years suspended, to be followed by five years’ … [Read more...] about Cook Pleads Guilty on 4 Charges
Alcohol Panel Speaks Directly
By G. Jeffrey MacDonaldAs a General Convention panel dug into substance abuse issues Thursday, some members wondered whether the committee is dodging the sort of drinking problems that made the committee necessary.The Special Legislative Committee on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse passed a resolution calling on oversight bodies to ask candidates for ordination about their … [Read more...] about Alcohol Panel Speaks Directly
Heather Cook’s Trial Postponed
Kevin Rector writes for the Baltimore Sun:The trial of former Episcopal bishop Heather Elizabeth Cook in the December drunken-driving death of a popular bicyclist in Baltimore was postponed Thursday until Sept. 9.The postponement was granted during a brief court proceeding by Circuit Judge Wanda K. Heard, who spoke in private at her bench with attorneys from both sides before … [Read more...] about Heather Cook’s Trial Postponed
Heather Cook Deposed
The Diocese of Maryland has accepted the resignation of Heather Cook as suffragan bishop, and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has announced an accord in which Cook accepted a sentence of deposition from ordained ministry.The diocese announced at 3 p.m. (EDT):The Right Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton and the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland today … [Read more...] about Heather Cook Deposed
Addiction and Repentance
The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Bishop of Maryland, writes to members of his diocese:During Lent, we are called to self-examination, called to identify what holds us back from walking in the light of God. And this process calls us to say, “I’m sorry.”For me personally and as your bishop, the process of repentance must begin with the Palermo family, who suffered the … [Read more...] about Addiction and Repentance
On Healing and Wholeness
Adapted from the Office of Public AffairsTwo days after inhibiting the ministry of Heather Cook, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued this statement about the case.Healing is the primary work of people of faith and the communities of which they are a part. Christians, as disciples of One who came to save (rescue, heal, make whole) the world and its inhabitants, … [Read more...] about On Healing and Wholeness