CANA Expands as New Church Leaders Are Ordained to the Priesthood and to the Diaconate

via email-press release

HERNDON, Va. (May 16, 2008) – The Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) will ordain five candidates to the Sacred Priesthood and three candidates to the Sacred Order of Deacons on Saturday, May 17. The candidates represent five Virginia parishes and Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester , N.Y. The celebrant and ordaining bishop is the Rt. Rev’d David Bena, Suffragan Bishop of CANA, who will perform the ordinations at a 1:00 pm service at The Falls Church, in Falls Church , Va.

“ CANA is committed to providing the church with the next generation of American Anglican clergy who are well-trained, Spirit-filled, and mission driven. These new ordinands are certainly no exception. The fact that CANA ’s 60 congregations with an average Sunday attendance of 8,600 are thriving, despite relentless opposition and some of the largest lawsuits ever mounted by The Episcopal Church, speaks volumes to the faith of our parishioners and our commitment to the Scriptural foundation of the Anglican tradition,” said CANA Missionary Bishop Martyn Minns.

On Saturday evening, five candidates who were ordained to the diaconate in October of 2007 will be ordained to the priesthood, including: the Rev’d Robert Hillis Fickley, the Rev’d James Levi Guthrie, Jr., and the Rev’d Charles Larry Shrum all of the Falls Church in Falls Church, Va., the Rev’d James Walter Brown of Church of the Messiah in Chesapeake, Va., and the Rev’d William Edwin Wilson of Church of Our Saviour, Oatlands in the Leesburg, Va., area.

In addition, Vanessa A. Bickle of Church of the Apostles in Fairfax , Va. , John Elgin Kurcina of Christ the King in Alexandria , Va. , and Jeffrey Harrison Altman of Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester , N.Y. , will be ordained to the diaconate.

“This ordination ceremony is yet another testament to the tremendous growth that CANA is experiencing. We are grateful for the commitment these new clergy members have made to serve God’s church and to stand firm in orthodox Anglican faith. We are also blessed by numerous other applicants who have expressed interest in ordination through CANA as we look forward to building our ministry in the days ahead,” concluded Bishop Minns.

The Convocation of Anglicans in North America (www.canaconvocation.org)


ADV Welcomes New Clergy Members
press release

FAIRFAX , Va. (May 16, 2008) – The Anglican District of Virginia (ADV) is celebrating the ordinations of several new clergy members who will be ministering to its member parishes. The candidates for ordination will be ordained by the Rt. Rev’d David Bena, Suffragan Bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) at 1:00 pm on Saturday, May 17. Seven of the candidates to be ordained at The Falls Church in Falls Church , Va. , are from ADV member parishes.

“We are pleased to welcome these highly qualified clergy members into the ranks of our collective parish leadership and to celebrate this achievement with them. This new growth is a testament to the boldness and faith of our local clergy and parishioners who will continue to hold fast to the authority of Scripture,” said Jim Oakes, vice-chairman of ADV.

CANA Suffragan Bishop David Bena added, “It will be an honor to ordain these faithful servants to the priesthood and to the diaconate. We are grateful these strong, Bible-centered Anglicans have chosen to minister to the faithful flock of believers here in Virginia . There is no question that CANA and ADV are at the forefront of the orthodox movement and this ceremony is further evidence of the growth of Anglicanism here in the U.S. Within the last year alone, CANA has ordained 27 people.”
After being ordained to the diaconate in October of 2007, five candidates will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday. The Rev’d Robert Fickley and the Rev’d Larry Shrum of The Falls Church in Falls Church, Va., along with the Rev’d James Brown of Church of the Messiah in Chesapeake, Va., will be ordained to the priesthood with a wealth of experience in ministry from other denominations. They will be serving as advisors to their parishes and to the Anglican District of Virginia.

The Rev’d James Guthrie, Jr., of The Falls Church, currently works for the Anglican District of Virginia. After being ordained to the priesthood, he will continue his work with the organization while ministering to several mission fellowship groups in the area. These fellowships consist of small groups of people who are currently meeting in homes or schools after departing from The Episcopal Church to remain faithful to their Anglican heritage.

In addition, the Rev’d William Wilson of Church of Our Saviour , Oatlands in Leesburg, Va., will be ordained to the priesthood after attending Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry and will continue serving as a chaplain at a Veterans Affairs Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa. John Kurcina, who will be ordained to the diaconate, has been assisting in lay ministry while he completes his PhD in New Testament from Trinity College in Bristol, England. He will serve as a church planting assistant at Christ the King in Alexandria , Va. Vanessa Bickle is an experienced engineer and project manager at Boeing Aircraft Corporation. She will continue her work in the public sector while serving her parish, Church of the Apostles in Fairfax , Va. , as a deacon.

The Anglican District of Virginia (www.anglicandistrictofvirginia.org)