Missionary District of Via Apostolica
Location
Ecclesiastical provinceAnglican Church in North America
Statistics
ParishesNone (2023)
Members0
Information
RiteAnglican
Current leadership
BishopQuigg Lawrence (interim)

Via Apostolica was a missionary district in the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA), comprising a small number of parishes in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. Despite being located in Canada, the missionary district clergy were canonically resident in the Anglican Diocese of the Upper Midwest, in the United States. Its founding bishop was Todd Atkinson, who was inhibited from episcopal ministry in 2022.[1] As of 2023, all of Via Apostolica's member congregations and clergy had transferred into the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC).

History

Via Apostolica was an independent church movement which started in 2012 and found continuity with the Anglican tradition. Via began partnering with ANiC in 2014, when their clergy attended the diocese's synod that year. Through the efforts of ANiC's moderator bishop Charlie Masters, Via's bishop Todd Atkinson was welcomed into ACNA's College of Bishops on January 10, 2019. The next year, during ACNA's provincial assembly, a motion was made to admit Via Apostolica as a provincial missionary district. This motion, was overwhelmingly passed on June 24, 2020. One of the main purposes was that their growth will led them to become a full member diocese of ACNA.[2][3]

The ACNA official website noticed on 5 September 2021, that due to an ongoing investigation on bishop Todd Atkinson, amidst allegations of misconduct, he will be taking a leave of absence.[4] On 16 October 2021, it was announced that during Atkinson's leave of absence, ACNA had appointed as interim bishop of Via Apostolica, Quigg Lawrence, the suffragan bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Christ Our Hope.[5] On 6 November 2021, ACNA reported that the provincial investigation of Todd Atkinson had begun.[6]

In July 2022, an ACNA board of inquiry unanimously determined that "probable cause and reasonable grounds" to present Atkinson for trial for four violations of Canon IV.2.4, which prohibits bishops from "[c]onduct giving just cause for scandal or offense, including the abuse of ecclesiastical power."[7] Atkinson was inhibited pending trial on July 8.[1] On Sept. 13, Atkinson pleaded not guilty to the charges.[8]

Closure

On October 6, 2022, Via Apostolica's Bishop's Council announced that all of the missionary district's congregations "have begun official steps of discernment for a new ecclesial home and episcopal oversight" within the ACNA.[9] By fall of 2023, the remaining Via congregations in Calgary, Caronport, Langley, and Lethbridge had applied and joined ANiC.[10][11][12][13][14]

By November 2023, Via Apostolica's website was no longer available[15] and it was no longer listed as a member jurisdiction on the ACNA website.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 "Bishop Atkinson Inhibited". Anglican Church in North America. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  2. ↑ Via Apostolica Accepted as a Missionary District in ACNA, 24 June 2020
  3. ↑ Bishop Todd Atkinson Welcomed into the ACNA, January 2019
  4. ↑ Bishop Todd Atkinson Takes Leave of Absence, Via Apostolica Official Website
  5. ↑ The ACNA Appoints Interim Bishop, Via Apostolica Official Website
  6. ↑ Provincial Investigation Concerning Bishop Todd Atkinson Begins, Via Apostolica Official Website
  7. ↑ "Statement from the Board of Inquiry in the Matter of Bishop Todd Atkinson". Anglican Church in North America. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "Bishop Atkinson pleads not guilty to misconduct charges". Anglican Ink. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  9. ↑ Apostolica, V. I. A. "Update About The Future of Via Apostolica". VIA Apostolica. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  10. ↑ "Via Church Langley - Diocesan Announcement". Via Apostolica. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  11. ↑ "Via Calgary Announcement". Via Apostolica. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  12. ↑ "Congregation Update". Via Apostolica. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  13. ↑ Church, V. I. A. "Anglican Network in Canada". VIA Church. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  14. ↑ "WELCOMING VIA CARONPORT". Anglican Network in Canada. October 17, 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "Archive.org crawl of ViaApostolica.ca". Archive.org. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "Structure: Dioceses". Anglican Church in North America. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
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