A Day Like Any Day

Here on Preludium there has not been much recently about the ordination today (Saturday, May 15, 2010) in California of two wonderful people to the episcopate. Religious blogs have made up for that however, with "countdowns," laments, shouts for joy, grumbling about the distancing of The Episcopal Church from the Anglican Communion and so forth.

I must confess I have been preoccupied with the very local logistics of getting together an overnight camping trip for 18 young people and 9 adults, and with several meetings concerning a wide variety of concerns in the Episcopal Church - UTO, Haiti, International Anglican Peace and Justice issues, theology of giving, and so forth.

Over at An Inch at a Time and Telling Secrets there are really fine reflections on the fact that seven years after Bishop Robinson's consecration this event seems, well, almost "normal." I await the notes of Caminante, who always has wonderful insights.

So The Episcopal Church now has a lesbian-in-committed-relationship in its bishop ranks. It is a big deal and no big deal at all. It is of course a big deal. Mary Glasspool is a fine priest and will be a fine bishop and it is a big deal that the Church can say "yes," expressing both our support and our will without having to stumble about. It is of course not a big deal at all. Those of us who know her have not been surprised that she has been elected, consented to and today ordained.

So here is to Mary and Diane, and to all those who have been chosen for this peculiar and difficult ministry as bishops. May they live and prosper in their ministries and may we all be the better for it.