Bishop Stewart gathered in Atlanta with others from around the country and world last weekend as Foley Beach was invested as the archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America. Archbishop Beach served as the rector of Holy Cross Anglican Church in Loganville from 2004 when it was founded until 2013. He was consecrated as the first bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the South in 2010.
Other archbishops (called primates) from the global anglican communion representing what the archbishops called “the majority of the world’s Anglicans” from Africa, Asia, and South America were present and participated in the worship service.
In a statement, they wrote, “We…were honored to participate in the joyful investiture of the Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach as Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in North America, and to receive him as a fellow Primate of the Anglican Communion.”
Pope Francis also sent his greetings through his friend Bishop Venables, asking him to “give my personal congratulations and greetings to Archbishop Foley. Assure him of my prayers and support at this moment and in the future as he leads the Church at this very important moment of revival and mission.”
Church of the Resurrection has been a part of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) since the ACNA was founded in 2009. Archbishop Bob Duncan served as the archbishop for the first 5 years of the province’s history. This marks the first transition of leadership in the new province.
As Bishop of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest, Bishop Stewart serves in the house of bishops that elected Archbishop Foley earlier this June. He described that experience as “truly one of the great stories of the last 25 years of the new work God is doing in North American Anglicanism.”
You can watch the investiture and read more about it by clicking here.
If you have further questions about the investiture in light of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s recent comments, click here for an article by Canon Phil Ashey and here for an article by Bishop Bill Atwood.
photo credit: Ryn Mamby Photography
