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Chicago Provides Poignant Moment on the Transition Journey for Browning and Griswold

Episcopal News Service. December 4, 1997 [97-2034]

(ENS) In what turned out to be one of the most poignant diocesan visits of his 12 years, Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning was warmly welcomed to the Diocese of Chicago November 21 by the man who will succeed him, Bishop Frank Tracy Griswold III.

Griswold called the visit "a wonderful irony. Our intent was to thank him for his ministry but I had no idea that it would also involve my own transition."

The visit, scheduled long before Griswold's election last summer as the 25th presiding bishop, was the last for Browning and he held an open dialogue with delegates to the convention, saying that he was "delighted to join you in these very, very interesting days."

In a wide-ranging conversation that incorporated expressions of deep feelings and flashes of humor, Browning said that his office in New York "is looking strange. The photos and mementos are already on their way to the retirement home in Oregon -- the Japanese prints, Navajo rug, photos of Desmond Tutu and Archbishop of Canterbury Runcie, even the wedding photo with Patti," he said. "The office may be looking sad but it is also exciting, empty, expectant. And Frank Griswold looks good in the office."

Role of a presiding bishop

Responding to questions, Browning said that the "most thrilling moment of my time as presiding bishop was the consecration of Barbara Harris" as the first woman bishop in the Anglican Communion. It didn't take much time to identify the bruising events of 1995 as the most stressful. He admitted that he was "almost immobilized" by the suicide of the bishop of Massachusetts, the apparent embezzlement of several million dollars by the church's former treasurer, formal heresy charges against a retired bishop for ordaining an openly gay deacon, as well as calls for his resignation. Yet he felt strong support from his staff and others throughout the church.

"There may not be much real power in the office but there is substantial moral authority," Browning asserted. While a presiding bishop can't expect everyone to follow his lead, he has "the right and calling to speak when there are moral and ethical issues involved, especially when he acts on what the church has said, when he speaks for the community that has already spoken."

He expressed excitement and encouragement over the "increasing participation of youth" in the councils and conventions of the church, but expressed deep concern for "the lack of partnership between the church at the local level and the diocesan and national level -- how we see each other, live together and carry out our mission."

Browning celebrated the Eucharist at Epiphany Church, greeted students at the parish's St. Gregory's School and joined leaders of the 13 diocesan charitable organizations for a luncheon.

Signs of intimacy

Presiding over his last diocesan convention, Griswold looked back on his own dozen years and drew on a depth of feelings and humor. Like Browning, he was also counting the days until a major transition in his life, trying to finish his responsibilities in Chicago.

He admitted in the opening of his sermon at the diocesan Eucharist that he had been thwarted by Windows 95 in trying to prepare notes on his computer, entertaining it as a possible "sign from God."

In an attempt to express his surprise and gratitude for "the amount of affection that has passed between us over the years," Griswold had to pause to compose himself, promising with a grin, "I'll be okay." He told the story of an incident while on personal retreat early in his tenure as bishop in Chicago. Taking off his episcopal ring, it was suddenly caught in the sunlight. He said that he suddenly realized that the ring was a "powerful sign of our intimacy," much like the rings exchanged during a wedding ceremony. "It was an expression of the reality of the last 12 years when that intimacy was forged, when we shared good moments and bad. It's all about being the church."

He said that he had been "profoundly shaped by you, as I hope you have been shaped by me. It has been a wonderful, grace-filled time."

During the convention he publicly embraced two other clergy in the diocese whose gifts have been recognized by the church. Griswold's canon for pastoral care, Chilton Knudsen, was elected bishop of the Diocese of Maine and Dean Mark Sisk of Seabury-Western Seminary was elected bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of New York. During a coffee break there were jokes about the sudden "brain drain" in the diocese, accompanied by a few boasts about the high quality of leadership in Chicago.

Celebrating a ministry

The diocese is honoring Griswold with a fund for new congregations. The goal of $1 million would be used "to provide seed money to develop new congregations and to re-start existing congregations where the community and circumstances have changed." Fund chair Colin Silvester of Lake Forest told the convention that the idea came from Griswold's response to a question on what kind of gift could best honor his leadership. "This is a joyful and appropriate way to celebrate his ministry," Silvester said.

At a banquet in their honor, Griswold praised Browning's "absolutely consistent call for inclusivity" in the church, adding that he had "never met anyone who has a more pastoral heart." In response, Browning said that he was "deeply grateful to God for Frank's election." Phoebe Griswold, who faces a transition of her own, thanked the diocese for "allowing me to be myself."

The Griswolds will move to New York some time after his installation at the Washington National Cathedral January 10.

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