Rev. Eaton of St. John's nominated to be bishop

By Jean Torkelson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 15, 2008 at 2:43 p.m.
Updated January 15, 2008 at 2:43 p.m.

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The dean of St. John's Cathedral in Denver has been nominated to be the next bishop of Maryland, one of the oldest and most historic sees in the Episcopal Church.

The Rev. Peter Eaton, 49, is among four nominees for the post, which will be filled in a diocesan election at the end of March.

"This is not only an honor for me but a huge honor for the cathedral," Eaton said Monday. "What I am most pleased about is the attention this brings to the ministry of St John's Cathedral, which I believe to be significant and important."

If elected, Eaton would take office at the end of June.

Since becoming dean of the Denver cathedral in October 2001, the Cambridge-educated priest has overseen a $1.1 million fundraising effort and helped put Denver on the map with a series of visits from church notables. They included the former Archbishop of Canterbury, who is a personal friend of Eaton's, as well as the first woman bishop in the Episcopal Church and the present Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco.

Eaton said he and his wife, Kate, are still in a process of "discernment" whether the bishop's post would be the right move for them.

"We're both open to God's call to us but we don't yet have enough information," he said. "The next six weeks will be dedicated to being as clear about it as we can be."

In 1781, the emerging Maryland diocese took the lead in founding the "Protestant Episcopal Church," which marked the official separation of the American church from the Church of England. Today, both church bodies belong to the worldwide Anglican Communion, which still considers its roots to be the See of Canterbury near London.

The Maryland diocese is an eclectic region that includes the city of Baltimore as well as the military center of Annapolis and the mountainous Appalachians.

Eaton said the diocese is confronted by a wide-ranging array of issues, from urban poverty and racism to rural problems, as well as questions of "war and peace" raised by the strong military presence.

One problem which the Maryland diocese has largely escaped is the gradual splintering of the Episcopal Church. Since 2002 there has been a growing number of defections across the country by conservative parishes which object to the Episcopal Church's support for a gay bishop and the loosening of other scriptural traditions.

The Diocese of Virginia, for example, which borders Maryland, is embroiled in lawsuits with 11 conservative breakaway parishes. The San Joaquin Diocese in California recently voted to separate from the Episcopal Church.

"I don't think there's any diocese not affected by the current controversies of the church," Eaton said, "However, the impression I'm getting (in Maryland) is a desire on everybody's part to remain in communion."

Eaton's fellow nominees include the rector of a diverse urban church in Massachusetts, the rector of a parish in suburban Phoenix, and the canon pastor of the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.

torkelsonj@rockymountainnews.com or 303-954-5055

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