The Archdeacon Returns - Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen: The Making of a Bishop

Maddie readily accepted the Archdeacon’s apology. Although she had made something of an exit when she left his office, she was not actually that angry at him. She was not one to keep her feelings to herself when frustrated or mad, yet this trait turned out to be something of a gift.  Being able to express herself so readily, so honestly and freely, meant that things never built up inside of her.  In this way, she was so different from her mentor, who kept much of what he felt buried away inside.  Her ability to share her emotions without reservation confused him because this was not at all how he dealt with anger or conflict.  If she spoke her mind, he often mistook the sentiment as an enduring criticism rather than a momentary observation.  He marvelled at her ability to be so authentic and unreserved, and how she never held grudges.  As a consequence, he felt he was learning as much from her as she was from him.  He was learning how a person might express what they feel at any given moment and not do long-term damage to the relationship.  Maddie was forthright with him, and some might have seen that as disrespectful to her mentor, but he had learned to take it good-naturedly. She would challenge him, occasionally curse at him, and teasingly called him “boss”.  He endured it all.  He kind of liked it, truth be told.  It was good to have someone in his life that would engage him, rather than just walk away from him, the way other shad done.

In her own way, Maddie was devoted to the Archdeacon.  Many of her colleagues were experiencing wretched curacies.  She had been told horror stories of bullying by despotic supervisor-priests.  A few of her fellow curates were in downright abusive situations.  They felt powerless, and and had been afraid to talk to the late bishop in fear that their futures in the church might be compromised.  She had heard stories of rectors telling their curates how to dress, or how to wear their hair — and the female rectors were just as bad as the male rectors in this regard.  One priest, while processing up the aisle of the nave during the processional hymn turned to his curate and said, “By the way, you’re preaching today.” Would it astound you to learn that there were young priests that during their curacies never took a wedding, funeral, or baptism? Some rectors were so insecure that their congregations liked the curate more than them that sought to sabotage the younger clergy. Am I exaggerating?  I have heard such stories, myself, and shudder to think of the pain that some young clerics have had to endure under the guise of “training."

To be sure, while these horror stories are not the norm, they occur more frequently than one would like to admit.  Maddie, however, was blessed in having a wonderful curacy.  She loved every minute of her curacy the Archdeacon treated her most collegially.  To be fair, she was not your ordinary curate. She was brilliant, mature, and highly competent.  She had keen pastoral instincts that were often absent in far more experienced clergy. Neither was the Archdeacon one of those rectors about whom we have just spoken.  He was a kind man, a gentleman, in the truest sense of the word.  He trusted Maddie with his cure of souls. He allowed her to preach and preside regularly at the Sunday services. He did not demand the privilege of preaching on high holy days if it was her turn nor did he fail to offer her the altar on grand occasions.  He believed that the only way a priest could be formed as a priest was to be a priest. He gave her that opportunity every day.  She was worthy of the trust he placed in her, and he was worthy of the admiration in which she held him. 

This was why she wanted him to be bishop.  This is why she fought for him, advocated for him, and campaigned for him. She believed with all her heart, and as a consequence of her own experience of ministry with him, that there was no one more qualified to be the bishop of this diocese.  She believed, with all her being, that he was the man of the hour and the kind of leader the church needed at this moment. This is why she championed his cause. She sincerely believed he was a great man.

Her motives were pure. She did not support him because she thought she could get something from him - a plum placement, perhaps - but because she knew of no other priest who would exercise the ministry of a bishop more fairly, and with more integrity than her mentor.  He was a man of great faith. Even though he was the gentlest of men, he would not abide the bullies. He was a great defender of the weak. He had proven he could make difficult decisions in matter of great import, even if he had a hard time making personal decisions. He was willing to risk and to lose in order for the church to survive and, indeed, thrive.  In this way, he was not unlike the former bishop, but he was much more approachable, and much more likeable.  Would the synod agree with her assessment of him? Would the electors share in her admiration? She knew a great many would, although she was still unsure whether he could cross the finish line.  She hoped and worked and prayed on his behalf. Would that be enough? 

 

Episcopal elections are strange things.  There are both front runners and outliers, obvious choices and fringe candidates, but the Holy Spirit has its little surprises.  More than once, a synod has been startled by whom they just elected.  A synod votes in two “houses”, that is, the laity vote as a block and the clergy vote as a block, and a candidate must receive a majority in both houses.  It is easy for a candidate to pass the threshold in one house and stall in another. Maddie was fairly confident that the Archdeacon had the support of the clergy, but she suspected Rebecca Hope had the strong backing of the laity. In such a situation, who would budge first? The clergy or the laity?  In my experience, as a member of synod and elector, in the case of a stalemate between houses, the laity will often begin to shift their votes to the clergy’s preferred candidate between ballots.  However, sometimes the laity will be belligerent and refuse to budge.  In these cases, a third candidate, perhaps a fringe candidate might come up the middle when it is clear that neither of the front-runners can achieve the required double majority. Our late bishop was, in fact, a compromise candidate when the two front-runners stalled in that election.  It should need not saying by now that she was never fully received with joy.  Maddie, and a great many others hoped this would not be the case this time around.  Yes, the Archdeacon had lost some friends in his service to the late Bishop, but Maddie believed that in very short order, he could regain the trust of the people and clergy and that he would be a great bishop.

...The Archdeacon Returns continues tomorrow...

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