From the website of the Diocese of Pennsylvania: Judge Rules in Good Shepherd, Rosemont, Case:
On Friday, August 26, the Honorable Stanley Ott issued an Order stating that David Moyer, a Bishop in the Traditional Anglican Communion, and two other individuals no longer have any right or authority to serve as rector or on the vestry of the Church of the Good Shepherd, located in Rosemont Pennsylvania. Judge Ott determined that the Standing Committee and Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese are charged with the responsibility of deciding whether an individual may serve in the pulpit of an Episcopal Church and whether particular members of a vestry have acted in compliance with the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church. Judge Ott’s Order was effective immediately and, as of this date, neither Bishop Moyer nor the two individuals have sought a stay of the Order which, if granted, might allow Bishop Moyer to remain at Good Shepherd pending any appeal.
By way of background, the individuals who founded the Church of the Good Shepherd over a century ago included language in the deeds and in the Church’s Articles of Incorporation which provided that the parish was to be forever operated in accordance with the Canons and Constitution of the Episcopal Church. Fundamentally, of course, this required the Vestry to employ as rector a priest licensed by the Bishop to officiate in this Diocese and to undertake the same burdens and responsibilities imposed by the Episcopal Church and the Diocese on all of the parishes in this Diocese. Bishop Moyer has not been licensed by the Bishop to officiate in this Diocese since 2002; the Vestry has employed a series of assistant rectors at Good Shepherd which likewise had not been licensed and had otherwise failed to comply with the requirements of the Diocesan Canons and Canons of the Episcopal Church…
The judge’s order can be read in full from here (PDF).
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported this: Defrocked Episcopal priest loses bid to retain Montco parish.
The statement from the vestry of the parish can be found here.
A farewell address by David Moyer is on the parish website.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As Tuesday’s Vestry email stated, I respect and submit to Judge Ott’s Decree. This means that my ministry as Rector has ended.
I am now engaged in what is required to move out of my office, and in informing the Vestry what the specific areas are that have been my responsibility for the past twenty-one years, and the areas I assumed beyond set and expected responsibilities.
I want to repeat what I have said previously. I know that as individuals and as families, whatever choices are made (and they may change in the future), I love you all, and will never let different choices break the bonds of affection and care I have for all of you…
“Bishop Moyer has not been licensed by the Bishop to officiate in this Diocese since 2002”
Talk about Justice Delayed! O_o
Well all I can say is, if the Vatican grant Moyer ordination , they are off their heads.
He obviously does not believe in Apostolicae Curae and I think he has three strong beliefs,I. me and myself.
If Rome does ordain Mr. Moyer, will you, R.I.W., eat your hat?
Once again, steady-as-she-goes style, The Reverend Moyer is seeking greener pastoral pastures to gather a flock–hopefully the pasture is large enough he need not poach (and cause endless tension and heartbreak) on the property of others without lawfully given permission.
I wonder what took him so long to wake up and smell the roses? Bravado or ignorance of the law or hubris or??????
Mr Ricardo – poaching is the name of his game – nb the link on the parish website to his pre-Ordinariate gatherings. What were the parish leadership thinking?!
Seeing how crass has been the handling of the Ordinariate on this side of the Atlantic,they may well ordain him. If they do so, thay must accept the consequences.
However behind the scenes several have been stopped from being ordained…so don’t under estimate Rome.
Maybe Mr Moyer may have difficulty with the required psychological test?