CONNECTICUT: Priest Threatened With Ouster. "I am not going anywhere," Says Fr. Gauss

By David W. Virtue
http://www.virtueonline.org/
4/15/2008

GROTON, CT --- The Jewish born evangelical Episcopal priest of Bishop Seabury Church, named for the First Bishop in America, has had his parish declared vacant even though he has not been inhibited and has the full support of his vestry and congregation to stay.

Fr. Ron Gauss, a priest for nearly 35 years at this high profile 800-member Episcopal parish, told Virtueonline that even though he retired from The Episcopal Church, the parish, at their annual meeting, renewed his Annual Civil Contract, re-elected the same vestry and has no intention of moving and will fight for the property. "I was ordained using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. I am in total agreement with Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan who said that he is only living up to his ordination vows."

The diocese made a grab for the church this week. Seabury church received letters informing them that Bishop James Curry, acting as ECC (Bishop Andrew Smith is on sabbatical) had appointed a Priest-in-Charge who would take over the parish immediately. "Bishop Smith terminated the Vestry because," Curry said, "they could not fulfill their canonical obligations to The Episcopal Church." The bishop appointed the Rev. Canon David Cannon as priest-in-charge of the orthodox evangelical parish. the rest at Virtueonline