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PITTSBURGH: Anglo-Catholic Priest Resigns and goes to Rome
By David W. Virtue
JOHNSTOWN, PA (5/20/2005)--The Anglo Catholic parish priest of St. Mark's who has been wrestling for years with the moral and theological cancer in The Episcopal Church, has resigned and will go to Rome.
The Rev. Alvin Kimel, who helped draft the Baltimore Declaration in 1991, told VirtueOnline, that his departure was personal and had nothing to do with Bishop Robert Duncan or the Diocese of Pittsburgh, but with the heretical slide of the national Episcopal Church into apostasy.
In a letter to his congregation Fr. Kimel wrote, "I [have] tendered my resignation to the Vestry of St. Mark's Church, effective July 1st. It is my intention to renounce my orders as an Episcopal priest and to enter, for the sake of my salvation, into full communion with the Catholic Church. I freely affirm the Catholic Church to be the one true fold of Jesus Christ. It is also my intention to avail myself of the Pastoral Provision and to apply for ordination to the Catholic priesthood."
"A convert comes to learn," Newman wrote, "and not to pick and choose." It is now time for me to withdraw from the lists of controversy, enter into a spiritual posture of learning and docility, and submit my mind, heart, and soul to the teaching of our Lord through the Magisterium of his Church. It is time for me to abandon the private judgment of my Anglicanism and be reformed by the Catholic Faith in all of its fullness. As Newman wrote to Henry Maskell: "You must come to the Catholic Church to learn, to take on faith, her mode and peculiarities of worship, her ideas of devotion, etc. as well as her doctrine. This is now the task before me."
Writing in his BLOG, Pontifications, Kimel said, "Twenty-five years ago, I was ordained into the priesthood of the Episcopal Church and into a vision of the catholicity of the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church has since become a very different kind of church. In the name of an ideology of radical inclusivity, the Episcopal Church has moved significantly away from the apostolic and catholic faith of Jesus Christ. With the decision made by General Convention two summers ago to approve the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals and the blessing of same-sex unions, it has, in my judgment, become heretical. I feel that I am a priest without authority. I cannot in conscience represent the Episcopal Church to the world, nor can I in conscience summon sinners into its fellowship. As a consequence I cannot function effectively as your parish pastor."
"As my wife and close friends can well testify, my life has been an agony for me since the 2003 General Convention. I have struggled to discern God's will for my life and for my ministry. I have had to reassess my understanding of the Church from the ground up. I have finally concluded that I cannot in conscience remain an Episcopalian. I must be in the Church founded by Christ Jesus. It is thus my intention to enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church."
Kimel noted that he was leaving his parish in stronger shape than he found it. "Our level of stewardship has increased over 30%. We have completed an ambitious capital funds drive, receiving pledged commitments of almost $280,000. If we also include the anonymous gift of air-conditioning for the church and the Pennsylvania state grant for the bell tower, we have raised approximately $400,000. We can be very proud of this!"
"But even more importantly we have grown spiritually. The Alpha Course has had a powerful impact upon our spiritual and communal life. The name of Jesus has been exalted. The Spirit has moved in our hearts. Fellowship has been strengthened. My only regret is that we have not been able to grow our parish numerically."
In an official statement from the diocese, Bishop Duncan said that Fr. Kimel would be leaving the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh and noted that he had been an Episcopal priest for 25 years as well as a respected author and theologian.
"He has indicated that he will come into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and plans to apply for ordination in that communion under the provision for former Episcopal priests."
"From my discussions with Fr. Kimel about this matter, I know that he has agonized over this decision, especially as our Episcopal Church has continued its slide into disorder. I am deeply sorry to see the Episcopal Church and our diocese lose his ministry, but can only wish him well as he continues to serve Christ among our brothers and sisters in the Roman Catholic Church."
Duncan said the Diocese will work closely with the leadership of St. Mark's as they begin to search for a new priest. "The process is no different than that used any time there is a change in ordained parish leadership," he said.
A friend who has known Fr. Kimel over the years wrote to VirtueOnline saying, "Alvin is a significant loss for the Episcopal Church. I wondered when his day would come."
Fr. Kimel said he had been thinking about this decision for a long time and he has shared much of his intellectual struggle with others on his internet blog. "I'm very grateful for the support that Bishop Duncan and Bishop Henry Scriven have given to me, my family and the people of St. Mark's and pray God's blessings on their ministry and on all the priests and lay people of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. I feel blessed that I have been able to be here."
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