Bishops of the Episcopal Church, on July 1, approved a measure authorizing clergy nationwide to perform same-sex marriages. The vote came at the denomination's general convention in Salt Lake City.
Resolutions passed that day replaced "man and woman" with more gender-neutral language in traditional marriage liturgies and endorsed recent liturgies developed for same-sex couples.
The news will have a larger impact on some dioceses more than others, according to officials from the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, depending on how supportive local officials had been of marriage equality.
Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, director of Networking for the Diocese, said that the ruling allows LGBT couples to utilize either traditional liturgy or new wordings.
"We're saying to same-sex couples, you can have either set of words—here are the words you grew up hearing," she explained. "Locally, the impact is minimal—we carry on as before. But the vote gives us cause to rejoice, because this option is now available across the nation."
The Episcopal Church has allowed individual bishops to authorize blessings and legal weddings for several years. Bishop Jeffrey Lee authorized same-sex marriages in Chicago-area churches when they became legal in Illinois. He did not go to Salt Lake City due to a family emergency, but, on June 26, he published a statement supporting the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality.
"I support civil marriage equality simply because I believe in equal protection under the law," Lee wrote. "I support sacramental marriage equality because I believe that the union of two persons in heart, body and mind is a school of holiness, a way of ordering our lives so that we might learn to be more faithful servants of Christ. Such unions can be sources and signs of grace, both for the couple and for the wider community, and we need all of the grace we can get."
Rev. Nikki Seeger, who is priest in charge at St. Michael's Church in Lansing, Michigan, praised the July 1 vote.
"I'm a pastored lesbian who can now get married in the church that I love and serve," said Seeger, adding that the decision "upholds the dignity of every human being in the church."
No priest can be compelled to perform a same-sex marriage, nor can a bishop be compelled to allow them in their diocese. Congregants must be directed to venues where they are available, however. Marriage equality remains a controversial subject throughout the Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is a part.
"Most people here [in Salt Lake City] were absolutely overjoyed at the passing of these resolutions," Seeger said. "I was walking through the hallway and I saw a woman in tears. But then I remembered that those might not be tears of joy. My prayer is that, in our joy, we're going to still be sensitive to those who are not yet supportive."
Seeger and her partner, who are former Chicago residents, first had a commitment ceremony in 2003 and were legally wed in California in 2013. Seeger said she would consider another ceremony under the auspices of the church. "I actually would like to, as a witness of what the church does, and as an agent of change."
The new rules will take effect at the beginning of Advent, according to Baskerville-Burrows.
Related coverage at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Episcopalians-OK-same-sex-marriage/52039.html .
