A review of the top news events in the Episcopal Church during 2001 can be summed up easily by one word: Litigation. Lawsuits seemed to be everywhere, with dioceses suing parishes, clergy suing the church and each other, and churches and clergy suing dioceses.

Litigation kept civil and ecclesiastical courts busy, especially those involving a small parish in the Diocese of Washington. Christ Church, Accokeek, Md., and its associated chapel, St. John's, Pomonkey, attracted national and international interest in its dispute with the Diocese of Washington and its bishop.

The story of the little Maryland parish's call of the Rev. Samuel Edwards as its rector continued throughout 2001, and was not totally settled as the year came to a close. The dispute actually began in 2000, when Christ Church called Fr. Edwards on Dec. 13. It wound up being a battleground for a clash between persons who uphold a male-only priesthood and a female bishop.

The Rt. Rev. Jane Holmes Dixon, Bishop Pro Tempore of Washington, told the Christ Church vestry on March 8 that she would not approve of the call of Fr. Edwards after reflecting on the "spiritual needs of Christ Church, as well as its harmonious, religious communion with other parishes." In a letter to the vestry, Bishop Dixon listed 12 specific considerations in rejecting the call. Among them were the fact that Fr. Edwards does not accept the ordination of women, that he would not guarantee he wouldn't lead Christ Church out of the Episcopal Church, and that he had written articles criticizing the Episcopal Church.

Charles Nalls, a lawyer representing the vestry of Christ Church and Fr. Edwards, claimed Bishop Dixon's decision was not valid because it came later than the 30 days allowed by canon law for a bishop to respond when a call is made. He also challenged Bishop Dixon's rejection of the call because Anglican primates had said divergent views on ordination of women should not be the basis for adverse action by the church.

As the year unfolded, a series of legal and ecclesiastical events kept Christ Church in the news. Bishop Dixon went to Christ Church on a Sunday morning and was told she was not welcome to celebrate the Eucharist. She and a number of followers then left the church and held an impromptu Eucharist on a nearby basketball court. Through the summer until October, members of the parish met on Sundays in two locations - supporters of Fr. Edwards at the church and followers of Bishop Dixon in another location. The latter group called itself Christ Church in Exile.

In May, the Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker, Bishop of Fort Worth, the diocese where Fr. Edwards is canonically resident, said he had agreed to a plea from the rector, wardens and vestry to place the congregation under his episcopal oversight and protection.

Later in the summer, presentment charges were made against both Bishop Dixon and Fr. Edwards. A review committee appointed by the Presiding Bishop quickly dismissed charges against Bishop Dixon, and allegations against Fr. Edwards had not been settled by early December.

Finally, on Oct. 29, Judge Peter J. Messitte of the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md., ruled that the decision as to who will be rector of Christ Church is up to the bishop. In his ruling, Judge Messitte said Fr. Edwards must vacate the rectory owned by the parish within 10 days. An appeal filed on behalf of Fr. Edwards meant he had until Nov. 30 to leave the premises.

Another suit which attracted considerable attention involved the Rt. Rev. Charles I. Jones III. Bishop Jones resigned as Bishop of Montana after the Court for the Trial of a Bishop voted 7-2 in favor of a sentence of deposition. In 2000 the court had found Bishop Jones guilty of "conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy and immorality" with a woman parishioner and member of the church when the bishop was a vicar in the Diocese of Kentucky from 1977 to 1985. It was the third time Bishop Jones had been punished for this offense. In June Bishop Jones filed a notice of appeal of his sentence of deposition.

As always, there were various lawsuits involving church properties and church officials. In the Diocese of East Carolina, a lawsuit filed by the diocese to recover the property of St. Andrew's Church, Morehead City, N.C., which had dissociated itself from the Episcopal Church and left for the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA), ended in a mistrial. And in Mobile, Ala., an out-of-court settlement was reached between Christ Church, Mobile, and the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast. Earlier, the clergy and most members of the parish left the Episcopal Church for the AMiA, but under the settlement the AMiA congregation gave up its claims to the church property. Another suit seems likely in the Diocese of Pennsylvania, where St. James the Less, Philadelphia, which already had declared itself independent, sought to keep its building. And a complicated case in the Diocese of Massachusetts, involving St. Paul's, Brockton, remained unsolved after several years of legal wrangling.

Among the litigation involving church leaders were two lawsuits in the $5 million range. The Rev. Robert Trache, who had been elected Bishop of Atlanta, then had his consent withdrawn, sued the Episcopal Church, Bishop Griswold, and the director of the Office of Pastoral Development, the Rt. Rev. F. Clayton Matthews. A priest in the Diocese of New York, the Rev. Janet B. Kraft, filed a civil complaint for breach of contract, wrongful discharge, wrongful denial of employment, and defamation. The Rt. Rev. Richard F. Grein, who retired in October as Bishop of New York, was named in the suit.

Litigation was prominent to the north as well, as the Anglican Church of Canada continued to deal with charges made by former students at schools run by the church in conjunction with the government 30-40 years ago. Because of the cost of the lawsuits the Diocese of Cariboo was to close permanently at the end of 2001, and Canada's General Synod faced major financial problems.

A non-litigious event of importance took place June 24 in Denver when the Anglican Mission in America consecrated four more bishops to join the two originally consecrated in Singapore. Anglican primates of South East Asia and Rwanda were among those who consecrated the former Episcopal priests. Bishops Thaddeus R. Barnum, Pawleys Island, S.C.; Alexander (Sandy) Greene, Denver; Thomas W. Johnston, Little Rock, Ark.; and Douglas B. Weiss, Campbell, Calif., joined Bishops Charles Murphy and John Rodgers as leaders in the AMiA.

Forward in Faith North America (FIFNA), an organization of traditionalists which does not accept the ordination of women, announced in October that it would consecrate its own bishop in 2002. The organization said a bishop to be elected will provide pastoral care for parishes and individuals both within and outside the Episcopal Church. It is anticipated that one or more Anglican primates will be the consecrating bishops. The announcement came a few months after FIFNA's leaders met with Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold. Several items were discussed at that meeting, including the establishment of alternative episcopal oversight.

The church's plan to double attendance by 2020 underwent some changes when it was addressed by the national Executive Council in October. A task force appointed to develop a plan reported to the council at its meeting in Jacksonville, Fla., and the larger body referred it back to the Standing Commission on Domestic Mission, the group which had first dealt with the matter after it was adopted by General Convention in 2000. A new strategy group was formed to implement the plan, and it will be assisted by planning teams.

Executive Council also approved moving church headquarters from the Episcopal Church Center, 815 Second Ave., New York City, to the General Theological Seminary, also in Manhattan.

Primates of the 38 churches of the Anglican Communion came to the United States in March for their annual meeting, held at Kanuga Conference Center in North Carolina. Meeting amid tight security, the primates developed a plan for increased accountability among the various provinces. The primates also emphasized the importance of unity and committed themselves "to seek for ways to secure sustained pastoral care for all in our Communion."

The Episcopal Church's House of Bishops met twice during 2001, gathering at Kanuga in March and in Vermont in September. Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey met with the American bishops in March. The archbishop spoke of the need to live with disagreements within the Anglican Communion. "How do we care for minorities within the family?" he asked. At their September meeting, the bishops discussed the impact and implications of globalization and issued a pastoral statement.

The Episcopal Church and its members all over the country were involved in relief efforts following the terrorist attacks on New York City and near Washington, D.C., Sept. 11. The clergy and members of several New York City parishes provided a variety of services, and St. Paul's Chapel of Trinity Church, Wall Street, served as a focal point for caregivers.

A few days after the tragic events, many church members observed the 25th anniversary of the approval of the ordination of women, although observances in some places were postponed because of the terrorist attacks.

The long-awaited celebration of the Episcopal Church's new relationship of full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) took place Jan. 6 in Washington National Cathedral. Presiding Bishops of both churches and a large congregation celebrated the official beginning of implementation of the document Called to Common Mission.

Several months later, the ELCA amended the CCM document by allowing pastors to perform ordinations in special circumstances.

The Rev. John Danforth, Episcopal priest and former senator from Missouri, was named special peace envoy to Sudan by President George Bush. He made his first visit to the war-torn African country in November.

The Diocese of Delaware and its bishop, the Rt. Rev. Wayne Wright, made news in October by issuing guidelines for the blessing of same-sex relationships. While the diocese was not the first to do so, it is believed to be the first time the bishop and standing committee gave such public approval.

Among the prominent appointments during 2001, the Rt. Rev. C. Christopher Epting was named deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations for the Episcopal Church. The Very Rev. Robert S. Munday became dean and president of Nashotah House seminary, and the Rev. James Kowalski was named dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. Stephen Duggan retired as treasurer of the Episcopal Church, succeeded by Ralph L. O'Hare.

As usual, there was considerable change in the episcopate. The following bishops were elected and consecrated during 2001: Gladstone B. Adams, Central New York; Philip Duncan II, Central Gulf Coast; J. Neil Alexander, Atlanta; Don E. Johnson, West Tennessee; Pierre Whalon, Convocation of American Churches in Europe; Francisco Duque, Colombia; and Lloyd E. Allen, Honduras. Consecrated during 2001 after being elected in 2000 were Bishops Katharine Jefferts Schori, Nevada; Roy F. Cederholm, Jr., suffragan, Massachusetts; and Thomas C. Ely, Vermont. Elected in 2001 but not yet consecrated were: the Rev. James M. Adams, Western Kansas; the Rev. Mark H. Andrus, suffragan, Alabama; the Rev. Carol Gallagher, Southern Virginia; the Very Rev. Robert Gepert, Western Michigan; and the Rev. G. Wayne Smith, Missouri.

An American, the Rt. Rev. Frank Lyons, was consecrated as Bishop of Bolivia.

The church mourned the deaths of three retired bishops: John F. Ashby, Western Kansas; Gerald Francis Burrill, Chicago; and David Cochran, Alaska.