Tag Archives: John Privett

Archbishop John Privett to retire

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Anglican Church of Canada bishops are fleeing their vocation faster than a dog runs from his own excrement. Privett joins bishops Michael Bird, Fred Hiltz, Colin Johnson, and Donald Phillips in their escape from the asylum.

Privett’s most recent accomplishment of note was to fire, for no particularly good reason that he was willing to identify, Jacob Worley, a conservative priest in the Diocese of Caledonia.

From here:

Dear Friends,

Many of you will know that in July, I was blessed to be able to take a 6 day silent retreat at St. Bueno’s Retreat Centre in Wales. It was for me a time of intentional discernment.  During the course of that retreat it became clear to me that the time had come for me to retire from my ministry as Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province and as Bishop of Kootenay. The only question that remained was the timing of the announcement and my retirement.  Before the summer was over, I knew that it would be this spring and had decided that I will retire as of May 31, 2018.  I have informed the senior Bishop of the Province, Bishop Larry Robertson, the Provincial House of Bishops and our Diocesan Council of my intention.

Rev Jake Worley experiences Anglican compassion

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In his statement announcing the firing of Rev. Jacob Worley, bishop John Privett, said:

I can say, we don’t want to create hardship for the Worley family, so we’re trying to act as compassionately as possible.

The Anglican Planet has this update on what is happening to the Worley family:

For those of you who have been following Jake Worley’s situation, we want you to know that one of his (former) parishioners has started a fund to help the Worley family. Jake and family were packed up and ready to leave Caledonia, but have run into more trouble. We are posting this as they really need our prayer and support. He and his family have packed up their house and rented a Uhaul to move themselves south. Regrettably, due to the conditions in Northern B.C. the RCMP have grounded all of the Uhaul trucks until spring for not having snow tires (apparently this is their company policy). Apparently there are no other truck rental companies in the region, and so they are at a bit of a loss. Their plan is to drive south and leave their possessions in their rental house and hope that some better plan will come up before their rental term is over December 31st. The only other option is to hire movers, and the lowest estimate they had was $17k, which they simply cannot afford. Please continue to pray for the Worleys and if you can afford to be generous, please support their moving fund.

I shudder to think what a bishop not acting compassionately looks like because images of being burned alive at the stake spring to mind.

The Gofundme page for the Worleys is here.

Bishop Bill Anderson explains why he moved to ANiC

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It seems that the firing of Rev. Jacob Worley was the last straw for Bishop Anderson.

From here:

“Last week, I transferred,” Anderson said Wednesday, November 22, adding that he had had “ongoing concerns for a long time about the direction things have been going in the Anglican Church of Canada,” but that the overturning of the Rev. Jacob Worley’s election as bishop last May, followed by his firing this November, together served as “the final straw.”

The bishop went on to assert what everyone suspects but Archbishop Privett, employing Goebbels’ principle – if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it – denies:

… the real reason for Worley’s being blocked as bishop and then being fired lay with his views.
“I think the issue was much more, quite frankly, the fact that he represented a conservative stream of theological thought that was offensive to the extremely liberal drift of the bishops of the provincial house,” Anderson said. “The whole thing smacked of a kangaroo court.”

I have a suspicion that this could be the catalyst that begins the unravelling of the diocese of Caledonia.

Archbishop John Privett tells us why he fired Rev. Jacob Worley

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First of all, he informs us that, although he is reluctant to spill the beans, his hand has been forced because of all the attention his despicable action (not exactly his words) has generated on social media.

He goes on building the reader’s anticipation – you are probably salivating already – by declaring that he really is going to reveal “the specifics of the termination”. Wait for it……

” Mr. Worley’s termination was not based on any particular theological point of view.”

Note the “Mr.”

And, other than more blather about the meaning of “Without Cause” and some self congratulatory remarks about a meagre severance package, that’s it. No explanation at all.

The letter is posted on the diocesan website for the edification of its readers, who Privett obviously believes are gullible idiots.

I know Anglican bishops regard obfuscation as a vocational calling, but surely even the most inept specimen in the area of rational thought would not try to pass off a claim that something was not done for a particular reason as an explanation for why it was done.

Yet, that is exactly what Privett does.

The letter also discusses the move of Bishop Bill Anderson to ANiC, an announcement that, I trust, stung Privett et al. no more than they deserve; I can almost feel the gnashing of teeth from here. In that section, Privett declares: “we seek to have positive ecumenical relationships with them [ANiC] as brothers and sisters in Christ”, a piety whose sincerity is not exactly confirmed by the string of lawsuits launched against said brothers and sisters in Christ.

November 23, 2017

To the Beloved People of God in the Diocese of Caledonia:

You will no doubt know that I have made the difficult decision to terminate the position of the Rev. Jacob Worley. Generally, it is inappropriate to talk about individual personnel matters and the specifics of the termination, but because Mr. Worley’s termination has been made a subject of wide comment on social media, to my regret I think it necessary to make an exception in this case.  Firstly, let me assure you that Mr. Worley’s termination was not based on any particular theological point of view. Our church and this Diocese will always welcome clergy and parishioners from a wide range of faith perspectives and theological views that fall within the breadth of our Anglican tradition. Our unity always rests in our love for Christ and Christ’s love for us.

Mr. Worley’s position was terminated “Without Cause” on November 20. This is a legal phrase which means that rather than a termination without pay, the Diocese is providing Mr. Worley with a severance payment which includes paid leave, accommodation and an additional money payment which will provide a severance package equivalent to remuneration through February 28, 2018. His total severance package will be the equivalent of stipend, benefits, pension contribution, car allowance and housing allowance. The severance package is subject to withholding for all applicable taxes.  I want you to know that the severance package that the Diocese is voluntarily providing is beyond the minimum required by law. This severance package leaves Jacob free to apply for other positions in the future. It is now my understanding that there is no immediate need for the Worleys to leave Canada. I anticipate this severance package will assist with the Worley’s transition.

It is with great sadness that I also write to inform you that I have received a letter from your retired Bishop Bill Anderson relinquishing the exercise of his ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada. This means that he will no longer function as a bishop in our church. After many years of faithful service, Bill has left The Anglican Church of Canada. With many of you, I feel a great loss, but respect his decision.  Bishop Bill has indicated that he will hold a service for ANiC (The Anglican Network in Canada) in the coming weeks. ANiC was established in recent years after significant theological disagreements between members of the Anglican Church of Canada. Some felt they could no longer walk together and left our church. Although ANiC uses the name Anglican, it is not a church with which we are in communion nor is it part of the Worldwide Anglican Communion. Nevertheless, we seek to have positive ecumenical relationships with them as brothers and sisters in Christ.

In accordance with Canon 1 of the Diocese of Caledonia, I have Episcopal jurisdiction and oversight until such time as a Bishop for the See is chosen and consecrated, and possess all the powers of the Diocesan Bishop. In that capacity I have worked alongside your Executive and the official Diocesan leadership to guide the life of the diocese during this past year. We have faced some difficult decisions and gathered for two Electoral Synods. I am grateful for the financial assistance of the Ecclesiastical Province and the General Synod in helping support the Diocese.  In all things I have been aware of your care and respect for one another and the desire to bring honour and glory to God.

It has been my unique privilege to get to know many of you and to experience something of your life in this Diocese.  I give thanks for your faith and your faithfulness and pray that you will continue your witness to the love of Christ in all that you do. You have a promising future with a strong history, gifted lay and clergy leadership, a rich variety of cultures and a shared commitment to the Gospel.  I look forward to welcoming your new Bishop-elect David Lehmann in a service of consecration which will be held on the Feast of the Confession of St. Peter, January 18, 2018 at 1:30 pm in the Cathedral Church of St. Andrew in Prince Rupert. All are invited to attend.

Faithfully,

Archbishop John Privett

More on the firing of Jacob Worley

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In a extraordinarily hypocritical statement – even for an ACoC archbishop – John Privett still refuses to reveal why Rev Jacob Worley was fired, hinting that to do so would be to reveal something “personal” – a hint that is dripping with the innuendo of a dark and shameful secret – about Worley. I suspect it would actually reveal something personal about the bishops who made the decision, namely that there are none whose intolerance is as venomous as that of those who claim to be standard bearers of tolerance.

He goes on to note that the decision was not “precipitous”, nor was it made by Privett alone. To cap this sanctimonious tripe, he declares that those making the decision were acting as “compassionately as possible”. There is no compassion as heartwarming as Anglican compassion, a compassion that deprives a person and his family of his livelihood, home and country of residence and refuses to state why.

In a telephone interview with the Anglican Journal, Privett stated that he made the decision, as he has episcopal authority during a vacancy, but that he “did not act alone,” rather in consultation with the diocesan leadership. Privett declined to speak further about the reasons behind the termination, saying, “I don’t think it’s appropriate to speak about personal matters. Those are confidential.

“What I can say, though, is that it was not precipitous. I thought about it carefully, I discussed it with others, and I do believe the decision was in the best interests of both the diocese and the Worley family.”
Privett says the diocese is “looking into” the details of Worley’s immigration status, as they were unaware of the details of his residency before making their decision.

“I can say, we don’t want to create hardship for the Worley family, so we’re trying to act as compassionately as possible.”