Last Sunday, news of the conference at Nashotah House between Metropolitan Jonah, Saint Vladimir's Seminary Dean Chad Hatfield, and conservative Anglican Leaders was reviewed by our parish priest at Saint Marks in Denver.
One of the major announcements during Sunday School was that Metropolitan Jonah, and by extension the OCA, is proposing a new diocese for the OCA called The Anglican Diocese.
This would be a Western Rite diocese that would mirror other ethnic dioceses that currently exist in the OCA such as the Bulgarian Diocese, the Albanian Diocese, etc. This Diocese would allow the customs and culture of Anglican converts to Holy Orthodoxy to be preserved and practiced freely.
The OCA also seems to have regional dioceses, so they have the best of both worlds, so to speak.
The new Anglican Diocese would have it's own Bishop, which would be a step forward for the Western Rite overall. The Antiochian Western Rite currently has a Dean, but not a Bishop.
Of course, this is not to say that the Diocesan Bishops Antioch has aren't excellent.
A Western Rite in the OCA would be a wonderful thing. Please keep this possibility in your prayers.
Columba Silouan
