Anglican_Diocese_of_the_Upper_Midwest

Anglican Diocese of the Upper Midwest

Anglican Diocese of the Upper Midwest

Anglican diocese in the United States

The Anglican Diocese of the Upper Midwest is a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. It includes about two dozen parishes in the American states of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, and South Dakota. As of December 2023, the state with the greatest number of parishes is Wisconsin.

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History

The decision to create a diocese in the Midwest of the United States was taken on 27 April 2013, at a gathering of 117 Anglican priests and laity, at the Church of the Resurrection, in Wheaton, Illinois. The movement to initiate a new diocese was started by several parishes in the states of Wisconsin, northern Illinois and Iowa, under the leadership of Robert Munday, former Dean of Nashotah House, a few months before. It had the support of the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter of the American Anglican Council, whose President was Bill Chapin. The diocese was divided in four deaneries and its first elected bishop was Stewart Ruch, Rector of the Church of the Resurrection, in Wheaton.[2] The diocese was approved at the Provincial Council of ACNA at 18 June 2013. Bishop Stewart Ruch was consecrated the first bishop at 28 September 2013.[3]

Sexual abuse and investigation

In 2019, a lay leader at the church of Christ Our Light in Big Rock, Illinois, Mark Rivera, was charged with two felony counts of criminal sexual assault of a minor and predatory abuse.[4][5] 10 survivors came forward to report Rivera to the diocese, which only acknowledged some of the allegations.[6] In 2021, Bishop Ruch took a leave of absence after admitting he had made a "regrettable error"[7] after it was found that he mishandled the allegations of sexual abuse, and failed to inform the members of his diocese about the allegations.[8][9][10]

Ruch's mishandling of the allegations provoked not one but two parallel investigations[11] — one into the accusations against Rivera and the diocese's response and another into allegations that Ruch and other Anglican Church in North America leaders had created a culture of coercion and control in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest.[12]

On August 15, 2023 and November 6, 2023, the Anglican Church in North America announced that two sets of allegations of abuse mishandling against Ruch would advance to an ecclesiastical trial.[13] [14][15]

Meanwhile, members of two Minnesota parishes (Church of the Redeemer in Saint Paul, and Restoration Anglican in Minneapolis) have independently voted to transfer out of the Anglican Diocese of the Upper Midwest during the summer and fall of 2023.

References

  1. [1]
    "Congregational Reporting: 2022 in Review" (PDF). Anglican Church in North America. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  2. [2]
    New Anglican Diocese to be launched in the Midwest, Virtue Online, 23 May 2013
  3. [3]
    Meet Bishop Stewart Ruch of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest, ACNA Official Website
  4. [4]
    "Anglican Diocese Now Seeks Long Delayed Transparency, Accountability for Arrested Lay Leader – Ministry Watch". ministrywatch.com. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  5. [5]
    "Upper Midwest lay leader indicted for two more sexual assault charges | Anglican Ink © 2022". anglican.ink. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  6. [6]
    "Alleged Victims Say ACNA Church Leaders Failed to Acknowledge Their Abuse Allegations – Ministry Watch". ministrywatch.com. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  7. [7]
    "Abuse prevention advocates want input into ACNA investigation of bishop". Religion News Service. 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  8. [8]
    "Prominent Anglican bishop takes leave of absence amid ongoing accusations of mishandling abuse allegations". Religion News Service. 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  9. [9]
    "Anglican Church Abuse Investigation: Some Alleged Victims Support Bishop". The Roys Report. 2022-03-17. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  10. [10]
    "Attorney Commentary | Illinois ACNA Pastor Arrested on Multiple Sexual Assault Charges". The Legal Herald. 2022-01-07. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  11. [11]
    "Facing Allegations, Anglicans Want to Change Their Abuse Response". News & Reporting. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  12. [12]
    "ACNA bishop, alleging 'spiritual attack,' makes appeal for his return". Religion News Service. 2022-04-29. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  13. [13]
    Thebeau, Rachel (2023-08-15). "An Update Regarding Allegations Against Bishop Ruch". The Anglican Church in North America. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  14. [14]
    Thebeau, Rachel (2023-08-15). "Public Declaration from Board of Inquiry". The Anglican Church in North America. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  15. [15]
    "PUBLIC DECLARATION FROM BOARD OF INQUIRY – NOVEMBER 6, 2023". Anglican Church in North America. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
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