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Steenson as an Anglican BishopFormer Anglican Bishop Jeffrey Steenson is widely revered among Anglicans as a man of profound integrity and service in the Lord’s vineyard. Last week he spoke at the Anglican Use Conference. He spoke with his usual clarity and Anglican eloquence. Welcome home, Jeffery.His full address can be found here.It all begins with the conviction that the Catholic Church simply is. She is not one option amongst many. People who become alienated from their own churches will sometimes think that the next step is to go down to the marketplace and see what is on offer:...

A STATEMENT TO THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH NEW ORLEANS, 25 SEPTEMBER 2007 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Please let me begin by thanking you for your gracious hospitality to me during the time I have been privileged to belong to this House. I appreciate your careful and deliberate efforts to embrace the practical values of Christian community. At no point have I thought to myself, “I don’t want to be in communion with these people.” Quite the opposite: I have deeply valued these relationships and sincerely hoped that they might model a way of remaining...

Yesterday evening before supper I was able to sit down and chat with Bishop Steenson, Diocese of the Rio Grande. I had never met him, and it was such a pleasure getting to know him a bit better. Our conversation was wide ranging and covered a variety of topics: the day's schedule, the tone of this meeting compared to prior meetings of the House of Bishops, what he thought of the divisions amongst institutionalist and idealistic progressives, how the Camp Allen bishops were holding together, the "Episcopal Visitors" plan from Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, and Bishop Steensons interesting history as...