News Brief
Episcopal News Service. August 28, 1980 [80293]
The Rev. Henry Millis Shires, a New Testament scholar and teacher, died at his home here in early August. He was 67. Dr. Shires was a graduate of Stanford University and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific and earned the Th. D. degree from the Pacific School of Religion. He was an instructor at the Church Divinity School and held a number of parochial and diocesan posts in California before joining the faculty of the Episcopal Theological School in 1954. He retired as professor of New Testament in 1976. He was the author of "The Eschatology of Paul" and "Finding the Old Testament in the New." Services were held here by Bishop John B. Coburn of Massachusetts who was dean for much of Dr. Shires' tenure in Cambridge.
Nine women Church leaders have been nominated to leadership positions for the Triennial Meeting of the Women of the Episcopal Church from which the Triennial Committee will choose presiding and assistant presiding officers at a mid-October meeting. Anna Margaret Feild of New Jersey, former assistant presiding officer, is nominated for presiding officer. Martha Abbot Comstock of New Hampshire and Sarah D. Messick of Delaware are nominated for assistant presiding officer and six others have been nominated for either post. They are: Jeanne H. Babcock, Arizona; Betty T. Baker, Kansas; Wylma E. Gore, San Diego; Adelaide B. Leech, Virginia; Babette C. Prince, New York and Marcy S. Walsh, South Carolina.
An ecumenical school for the children of undocumented aliens has received a $6,000 grant from the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief to hire staff and prepare for the school year. The grant was made at the request of Bishop Richard Trelease of the Episcopal Diocese of Rio Grande in whose jurisdiction the El Paso school exists. A number of recent court and administrative decisions have made it difficult for such children to receive public education.
The National Commission on Hispanic Ministries and the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest are offering a joint fellowship of up to six weeks to encourage theological thinking among Hispanic Episcopalians and to increase published theological works in Spanish. Any Hispanic clergy or lay person can apply. To qualify for consideration the person applying should have experience in education and research. Eligible applicants will be will be required to present a study proposal aimed at eventual publication. The proposal must be filed with the Hispanic Office by March 1st, 1981. The selection will be announced on June 1st. More information may be obtained from the Hispanic Office at the Church Center here: 815 Second Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10017.
The Supreme Bishop of the Philippine Independent Church has issued a strong disavowal of the actions of one of his colleagues in supporting Anglican dissident movements. In a two-page letter, the Most Rev. Macario V. Ga explained that Bishop Francisco Pagtakhan had been relieved of his commission as secretary for foreign missions and ecumenism and admonished -- for the second time -- by episcopal councils of the Church. Bishop Pagtakhan had been a participant in irregular "consecrations" of bishops in the "Anglican Church of North America" and had recently styled himself as overseer to the "Anglican Rite Jurisdiction of the Americas," an organization of somewhat murky origin and purpose within the dissident movement.
The Anglican-Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Commission resumed its work in July 1980 at St. Michael's College here, encouraged by the successful meetings of Archbishop Robert Runcie of Canterbury (then Bishop of St. Albans and Anglican co-chairman of the Commission) with leaders of the Orthodox Churches in early 1979. The Commission welcomed two new co-chairmen, Bishop Henry Hill of Ontario, Canada, and Archbishop Methodios of Thyateira and Great Britain. Delegates from the Episcopal Church are Bishop Robert Terwilliger, Edward R. Hardy, and William A. Norgren. Three sub-commissions dealt with "The Church and the Churches, " "The Communion of Saints and the Departed," and "The Filioque Clause" (and the Son). At the request of the Anglican Consultative Council, the Anglican delegates agreed to send to their Synods two papers explaining the reasons for recommending the removal of the Filioque clause from the creed.