The Rev. Judith Gentle-Hardy, rector of Holy Trinity Church, Marlborough, Mass., and her entire congregation have again confronted the Bishop of Massachusetts, the Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE.

During the diocesan convention Nov. 6-7, a six-part resolution was passed, said Ms. Gentle-Hardy, under the leadership of Bishop Shaw. That resolution said "God calls some homosexual people" to live in committed relationships, that it is appropriate for the church to bless such unions, and that homosexuals in such relationships can be ordained [TLC, Dec. 13]. Ms. Gentle-Hardy and her congregation are taking their bishop to task "because he's in open defiance of Lambeth," she said, and that defiance "has clearly shown that he has stepped outside the boundaries of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church; that he's taken himself out of the faith."

Ms. Gentle-Hardy and her parish took a firm stand opposing Bishop Shaw's vote on the sexuality resolution during the Lambeth Conference [TLC, Oct. 10].

Two letters, one from Ms. Gentle-Hardy and one from Linda Markey Brooks, senior warden, and Donald C. Richards, junior warden, tell Bishop Shaw that the parish no longer recognizes his episcopal leadership.

A resolution attached to the letter from the wardens, and signed by every member of the parish states, "We, the parish of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Marlborough, Massachusetts, do hereby affirm that we cannot recognize the episcopal authority of M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, as our bishop and as a bishop of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We know full well the seriousness of this affirmation and do so because M. Thomas Shaw has willfully and persistently adhered to serious error in matters of faith and morals by knowingly ordaining persons who are actively engaging in homosexual activity and by sanctioning the blessing of same-sex unions by clergy of the Diocese of Massachusetts ..." Both letters were dated on the Feast of Christ the King, Nov. 22.

The parish is appealing "to the orthodox Bishops of the Anglican Communion to provide us with alternative episcopal oversight at your earliest convenience and through whatever jurisdictional arrangement you deem appropriate," the resolution states. Those appeals, Ms. Gentle-Hardy said, have been made to those bishops through conversations.

A diocesan staff member declined to respond, other than to say that Bishop Shaw does not comment on personal correspondence.