Episcopal priest breaks from Holy Cross in Carlsbad
By: GARY WARTH -- Staff Writer

CARLSBAD ---- The Rev. Michael Nee of Holy Cross Episcopal Church on Sunday became the fifth North County priest this year to leave the denomination as part of a growing schism within the national church.

Nee read a letter of resignation to his congregation on Sunday and announced he was starting the Good Shepherd Anglican Church, scheduled to meet for the first time at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sunday at Congregation Shir Ami, 2210 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas.

"I'm an outside-the-box guy, so I love it," Nee said about the unusual arrangement that will see a Christian congregation meeting in a Jewish synagogue.

"It was just a natural thing," said Rabbi Melvin Libman of Congregation Shir Ami. "Neighbors do that for neighbors. That's the way you behave.

"The Episcopal Church USA has experienced a division between conservative and liberal members in recent years, most notably in 2003 when an openly gay man was named a bishop.

The confirmation sparked an outcry among many conservative members, including Nee, who at the time told the North County Times: "A fornicator has been elected bishop." the rest