Word: alban
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...religious historian Alban Goodier writes in his book Saints for Sinners: "To many of his contemporaries, he was thought a failure ... [but] probably there is no saint ... no hero in history who has more enthusiastic admirers than St. Francis Xavier." For whatever the vicissitudes and disappointments, Xavier never gave up. Father Olavo Vello Pereira, who helped organize this year's exposition, says: "To contemplate Xavier is to look at fire. That zeal and that enthusiasm, it's mesmerizing." In Japan, which he was one of the first Westerners ever to visit, Xavier's amiable manner and learned discourse is credited...
...Cross, abustle with anticipation and unburdened by differences with its hierarchy, is clearly the happier place. Its members support Beach when he says Holy Cross represents "not a rebellion but a refocusing on what a church is supposed to be." The new, 200-plus congregation includes not just St. Alban's refugees but also ex-Episcopalians from all over north central Georgia. "I'm conservative," says Ken Lander, St. Alban's former praise and worship leader. "Foley took a stand, and I went with him. I couldn't raise my children in the Episcopal Church." Eight Bible-study classes...
...Alban's has more immediate concerns. It lost not only Beach but also as much as half of its congregation, a third of its vestry, its organist and, says a warden, "half of almost everything elseushers, choir, acolytes, people who make the coffee." The average age of congregants has jumped to somewhere in the 50s, and there are far fewer children. Donations are down a third. "All the years we struggled to build this church, we're right back where we started," says a desolate Henson. "How do you hire a rector without money?" Bishop Alexander insists that the diocese...
...stands at high school football games ("I miss him"). But others speak of rumors bandied, invitations not received and phone calls unreturned. Some families have split up on Sundays, and others have fought. Irene Parker wanted to "follow my heart" and go to Holy Cross. Her husband, a St. Alban's vestryman, wanted to stay. "Todd and I had a huge fight, the biggest argument of our marriage," she says. "Todd said he didn't believe God meant to split our family. I read Scripture and prayed and decided to stay and fight for St. Alban's and the Episcopal...
...Alban's held its 50th anniversary party in July. A good time was reportedly had. A few Holy Crossers showed up, although Beach was on vacation with his family, so he didn't. Bishop Alexander attended, though, and during his remarks pointedly observed that the congregation had returned the word Episcopal, which Beach had removed, to its church sign. Most of his listeners applauded. Some did not. In a situation like this, such moments are to be expected. Again and again and again. --With reporting by Helen Gibson/London