Diocese of the Holy Cross

The DHC was formed by clergy and parishes belonging to the Anglican Province of Christ the King (APCK). On March 5, 2003, Ash Wednesday, the Diocese of the Holy Cross seceded from the Anglican Province of Christ the King over questions surrounding the successor of Robert S. Morse, James Provence, following a disagreement with the APCK over the election of a divorced and remarried priest to be a bishop in the church.Hewett, Paul C. (2020). "The First Paradigm – The Continuing Church Movement, 1976-2006: The Epic Journey". The Day-spring from on High. {{isbn|978-1647535513}}"[https://web.archive.org/web/20060713033633/http://www.orthodoxanglican.org/tcc/42-2/focus.htm#6 APCK Reviewing Annulment Policy]". 2006-07-13. Archived from [https://orthodoxanglican.org/#6 the original] on 2006-07-13. Retrieved 2022-08-24.

The diocese's founding bishop, Robert Waggener, unsuccessfully sought to lead the diocese into the Eastern Orthodox Church. Meeting with little support, Waggener left Anglicanism to become a Western-Rite Orthodox priest in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.{{Cite web |title=Western Orthodoxy: Continuing Anglican Bishop Converts to Western Rite Orthodoxy |url=http://westernorthodox.blogspot.com/2006/03/continuing-anglican-bishop-converts-to.html |access-date=2023-01-29 |language=en}}

The DHC became a member of the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas,{{Cite web |year=2007 |title=FROM THE BISHOP... |url=http://www.dioceseoftheholycross.org/thecrucifer.pdf}}{{Cite web |last=Andrew |date=2016-06-22 |title=Provincial Council 2016: Live Blog |url=https://anglicanchurch.net/provincial-council-2016-live-blog/ |access-date=2023-05-12 |website=The Anglican Church in North America |language=en-US}} of Forward in Faith UK, and maintains friendly relations with other continuing churches.{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=J. Gordon |date=2007-03-13 |title=The Continuing Anglican Churchman: Diocese of the Holy Cross Joins FACA |url=http://continuinganglican.blogspot.com/2007/03/diocese-of-holy-cross-joins-faca.html |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=The Continuing Anglican Churchman}}

In response to the Apostolic Constitution for a Personal Ordinariate, Bishop Paul Hewett characterized the initiative as "generous, courageous, creative and unprecedented" but determined that the offer needed careful discernment and that it should not be a distraction from "the vital work of setting our own house in order."{{Cite web |title=Diocese of the Holy Cross |url=http://www.dioceseoftheholycross.org/involvement/report-sweden-uk-09.html |access-date=2023-01-29 |website=www.dioceseoftheholycross.org}}

In January 2016, the Anglican Catholic Church, the Anglican Church in America, the Anglican Province of America, and the Diocese of the Holy Cross reached a formal accord. Forming the Anglican Joint Synods, a "Group of 4" churches, called the G-4, pursuing eventual corporate unity.{{Cite web |title=Continuing Anglican Churches Announce Formal Accord {{!}} VirtueOnline – The Voice for Global Orthodox Anglicanism |url=https://virtueonline.org/continuing-anglican-churches-announce-formal-accord |access-date=2023-01-29 |website=virtueonline.org}}

On October 6, 2017, at a joint synod in Atlanta, Georgia, the primates of the Anglican Province of America, the Anglican Church in America, the Anglican Catholic Church, and the Diocese of the Holy Cross signed a concordat of full communion, pledging to pursue full, institutional, and organic union.http://www.dioceseoftheholycross.org/involvement/CONTINUING%20CHURCHES%20PLAN%20JOINT%20SYNODS.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}{{Cite web |title=Anglican Catholic » News Releases » Four jurisdictions sign agreement in Atlanta; full communion established |url=http://www.anglicancatholic.org/news/Four-jurisdictions-sign-agreement-in-Atlanta-full-communion-established |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412141548/http://www.anglicancatholic.org/news/Four-jurisdictions-sign-agreement-in-Atlanta-full-communion-established |archive-date=2020-04-12}}

On September 23, 2021, the Diocese of the Holy Cross voted to join the Anglican Catholic Church as a non-geographical diocese.{{Cite web |last=Pilot |first=George Hillard Special to The |title=Articles of Faith: Bishop Visits Christ Church Anglican |url=https://www.thepilot.com/news/features/articles-of-faith-bishop-visits-christ-church-anglican/article_b0a8b98a-bf95-11ed-95fb-6fa3bd859ee4.html |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=The Pilot Newspaper |date=10 March 2023 |language=en}} Upon immediate acceptance, the DHC became a constituent diocese of the Anglican Catholic Church.{{cite speech |last=Hewett |first=Paul |title="Address" |event="Synod of the Diocese of the Holy Cross" |date=2021-09-23 |location="Athens, GA" |url=http://www.dioceseoftheholycross.org/bishop_address/2021-09-23%20Synod%20Address.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218083953/http://www.dioceseoftheholycross.org/bishop_address/2021-09-23%20Synod%20Address.pdf |archive-date=2021-12-18 |access-date=2021-12-18 |language=en}}

File:Anglican-church-st-john-baptist-marshall-va.jpg, currently leased to the Anglican Church of St. John the Baptist (Diocese of the Holy Cross)]]

The diocese currently has 18 parishes and missions in 10 U.S. states.{{Cite web |title=Diocese of the Holy Cross |url=http://www.dioceseoftheholycross.org/parishes.html |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=www.dioceseoftheholycross.org}}

The current bishop of the Diocese of the Holy Cross is Paul Hewett, SSC, who was consecrated on December 4, 2004. Hewett had been a priest in the Episcopal Church until 1978, when he was deposed for aligning with Albert Chambers and the Continuing Anglican movement.{{Cite web |title=GNOSTIC NASTINESS |url=http://trushare.com/91DEC02/DE02HEWI.htm |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=trushare.com |archive-date=2023-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525095620/http://trushare.com/91DEC02/DE02HEWI.htm |url-status=dead }} Bishop Hewett's father, Rev. Clayton Hewett had also been an early supporter of the Continuing Anglican Movement.{{Cite web |title=The Fort Scott Tribune - Google News Archive Search |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1906&dat=19800107&id=L9QfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LdkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1326,317462 |access-date=2023-06-11 |website=news.google.com}} Bishop Hewett is based at the Anglican Cathedral Church of the Epiphany, Columbia, South Carolina. The assisting bishop is Timothy Farmer, former rector of St. Francis' Church, Spartanburg, South Carolina.{{Cite web |author=Staff reports |title=St. Francis Anglican church to dedicate parish hall |url=https://www.goupstate.com/story/news/2011/05/14/st-francis-anglican-church-to-dedicate-parish-hall/29861786007/ |access-date=2023-05-12 |website=Spartanburg Herald Journal |language=en-US}} Until his death in 2009, Patrick Murphy served as retired bishop in residence and rector of St. Peter's Anglican Church in Houston, Texas.{{Cite web |title=St Peter's Anglican Church - online |url=http://www.stpetersanglicanchurch.com/about-us.html |access-date=2023-01-29 |website=St Peter's Anglican Church |language=en}}

=== Standing Committee ===

The bishop is assisted by a Standing Committee consisting of clergy and laypersons.{{Cite web |title=Diocese of the Holy Cross |url=http://www.dioceseoftheholycross.org/about.html#standingcomm |access-date=2023-01-29 |website=www.dioceseoftheholycross.org}}

Its members currently consist of:

• The Rt. Rev'd Paul C. Hewett, SSC
• The Rev'd. Canon Jonathan J D Ostman, SSC, President
• The Rev'd. Canon Robert W Bader, SSC
• The Rev'd. John A. Needham
• The Rev'd. Thomas L Monnat
• Dr. Steven Prewitt
• Dr. John Agar
• Mr George O Hillard III
• Mr Rick Hubbard

The Anglican Fellowship of the Delaware Valley, so named because it encompassed Anglican churches and missions within the Delaware Valley, was formed in 2003 and was led by Bishop Paul C. Hewett. It was an association of Anglican churches in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey that subscribed to the Affirmation of St. Louis and affiliated with Forward in Faith-UK.{{Cite web |date=2003-08-29 |title=Welcome to the Anglican Fellowship of the Delaware Valley |url=http://www.anglicanfellowship.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030829011337/http://www.anglicanfellowship.com/ |archive-date=2003-08-29 |access-date=2022-08-21}} In 2005, the Anglican Fellowship of the Delaware Valley sponsored the conference The Affirmation of St. Louis: Seeking a Path to Reconciliation and Unity, which brought together traditionalists in the Episcopal Church and members of the continuing movement to discuss a path to jurisdictional unity.{{Cite news |title=Unity Among Orthodox Anglicans: How do we get there from here? |volume=September–December 2005 |pages=14–17 |work=The Christian Challenge |url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/46718523/anglican-adistressa-signalsa-the-christian-challenge}} The Fellowship continues to organize local events. Alice C. Linsley gave a lecture on April 19, 2023 titled "How the Binary Reasoning of the Bible Informs Christian Morality and Ethics."{{Cite web |last=Linsley |first=Alice C. |date=2023-04-21 |title=Ethics Forum: Binary Reasoning Informs Christian Morality and Ethics |url=http://college-ethics.blogspot.com/2023/04/binary-reasoning-informs-christian.html |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=Ethics Forum}}

The official newsletter, the Fortnightly, is published bi-weekly by Bishop Hewett.

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.dioceseoftheholycross.org/ Diocese of the Holy Cross website]
• [http://www.dioceseoftheholycross.org/fortnightly.html The Fortnightly]

• Hewett, Paul C. (2020). The Day-spring from on High. {{ISBN|978-1647535513}}
• Hewett, Paul C. (2021). A Mighty Salvation: Cathedral Sermons. {{ISBN|978-1647536343}}
• Hewett, Paul C. (2021). To Perform the Mercy: Notes on the Liturgy of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and the 1940 Hymnal and the Canons of the Diocese of the Holy Cross. {{ISBN|978-1647536572}}

{{Continuing Anglican}}

{{Anglican denominations in the United States}}

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