Ten of the 24 couples had been married in civil services, while 14 had had church weddings, mostly in other Episcopal churches. The liturgies at the two churches recognized that difference. Those with civil marriages asked for the blessing of God and the church on their unions, pledging in the words of the St. Thomas service "to fulfill the obligations which Christian marriage demands." The other 14 gave thanks for God's blessing received during their liturgical marriages and renewed the vows that they made, ENS reported.

Then all of them together had their marriages, and their rings, blessed.

Dallas Bishop George Sumner turned a blind (evangelical) eye and allowed Bishop Gene Robinson, retired Bishop of New Hampshire, the Episcopal Church's first openly homogenital bishop to officiate at the two ceremonies.

"For a lot of years, you and I have been told that our relationships are not worthy of celebration, are not worthy of God's love, not worthy of God's blessing," said Robinson in his sermon at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in the first of the two services the weekend of Jan. 19-20, reported ENS.

Sumner, who claims to be an evangelical, had said he was opposed to homosexual marriage, allowed Robinson to come into his diocese to perform these acts in defiance of Scripture, history and tradition.

"Today we put that aside forever," Robinson told the 15 Transfiguration couples. "We know it is not true and our lives will show it. This day may feel like a miracle to you and that's because it is. Thanks be to God."

Robinson told the St. Thomas congregation that he was elected in 2003, just weeks before the United States Supreme Court struck down Texas' anti-sodomy law. Lawrence v. Texas effectively meant states could no longer count same-sex sexual activity as a crime. The decision paved the way for the 2015 Supreme Court decision, known as Obergefell v. Hodges and Consolidated Cases, that said same-sex couples have a constitutional right to be married.

Robinson reiterated that sense of the miraculous at Episcopal Church of St. Thomas the Apostle, where nine couples participated in a similar service. He called those expressions of unworthiness "a perversion of God's love."

TENNESSEE BISHOP ROLLS OVER

Under pressure from more than 100 Episcopalians in the diocese of Tennessee who had signed a letter asking their bishop, for permission to perform homosexual marriages, Communion Partner Bishop John Bauerschmidt, relented and said that In light of this disagreement, in all matters pertaining to marriage in these congregations, whether use of the Trial Rites or not, another bishop designated by the Bishop will provide whatever episcopal support is needed for couples and clergy preparing for marriage, thus implementing B012 in Tennessee. He rolled over.

CENTRAL FLORIDA BISHOP CAVES IN

In Orlando, evangelical charismatic Bishop Gregory Brewer quickly rolled over and allowed a woman priest to bring in another bishop to perform a homosexual marriage in her parish.

ALBANY BISHOP HOLDS THE LINE

The Bishop of Albany, William Love, has steadfastly refused to allow any of his priests to perform these ceremonies, and for his stand has been partially inhibited by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry from performing his duties as a bishop in the diocese.

The bishop of Dallas and the seven other quisling Communion Partner bishops who say they don't support homosexual marriage, have all washed their hands, turning their backs on God's Word and faithful priests in their dioceses, allowing a neighboring pro-pansexual bishop to step into their diocese to cover for them.

"We are aiming to live out 'communion across difference' with all charity and respect," Sumner told Episcopal News Service in an email Jan. 19.

The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, House of Deputies president, acknowledged in letters to both parishes that the historic celebrations "cannot fully compensate for the sadness of being unable to be married in your own church."

She told the couples that "Episcopalians rejoice with you that justice has finally come" to their parishes. She said faithful LGBTQ Episcopalians "for too long have been asked to bear the burden of the church's historic struggle to embrace the Gospel's promise of inclusion."

In her letter to St. Thomas, Jennings echoed a theme of both services when she remembered "with particular gratitude the saints who labored for decades to bring God's justice to God's church, including those who went on before us without seeing their dream come true today."

[The Episcopal News Service contributed to this story.]