The hopes of a local church leader are about to be realized.

Following a decision to step down as rector of St. Barnabas in June, the Rev. Dennis Garrou requested a letter dimissory from the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado. At the time, the letter was denied.

But Friday, the Rev. Robert Franken of the Colorado diocese confirmed that Garrou will be formally transferred to the Province of South East Asia, pending acceptance of letters dimissory by the Diocese of Singapore.

According to a press release issued Friday, Bishop William "Jerry" Winterrowd of the Colorado diocese had sent letters dimissory to Garrou and six other "priests and deacons who have chosen to associate themselves with the Church of the Province of South East Asia or the Episcopal Church of Rwanda."

A letter dimissory is the "formal mechanism of moving clergy from one place to another (another diocese)," Franken explained.

Garrou called the move "the best of all possible expectations," and noted that despite the "negative, stilted language" of the press release, he had been transferred in good standing.

Garrou presently shepherds a new flock at the Anglican Church of St. Philip the Evangelist. St. Philip’s was formally received into the Province of South East Asia in July by Bishop John Rodgers, whose authority is not recognized by the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado, owing to his membership in the new and strongly conservative Anglican Mission in America (AMiA).

Garrou left St. Barnabas and sought transfer because he felt the church was taking a more liberal path than he was comfortable with, he said.

But Franken said Garrou’s move "caused pain and hurt to the Cortez congregation" and that "it was a divisive maneuver," because some of St. Barnabas’ congregation left with Garrou.

Garrou said his departure stemmed from significant differences over the interpretation of scripture, rather than a desire to harm others.

"I did not leave in anger. I simply could no longer walk the same spiritual road with the Episcopal Church as it is."

Garrou also said he made no call for anyone in the congregation to follow him, but that several members chose to do so of their own volition.

"Those (members) wanting more conservative choices had no options" when St. Barnabas allegedly turned liberal, Garrou said. "St. Philip’s represents the freedom of America," to choose one’s spiritual path.

Yet the Colorado Diocese believes that the tactics of the Anglican Mission in America are divisive because the AMiA allegedly fails to respect diocesan and national boundaries.

Franken cited a long-standing tradition whereby provincial bodies must accept the geographic boundaries of other dioceses. The Episcopal Church USA, for instance, does not have missions in Canada, because Canada has its own Episcopal church.

"In these two cases," Franken said of the South East Asia and Rwanda dioceses, "they have chosen to disregard those geographic boundaries" establishing a relationship with Anglican Mission in America.

Garrou defended the AMiA as an organization that puts spiritual needs ahead of territorial matters. "The Episcopal Church is no longer faithful to the spiritual principles which take precedence over territorial relationships," he said. "Spiritual values must come first."

Formally transferring priests associated with South East Asia or Rwanda, Franken insisted, "does not mean we accept the authority of Bishop Rodgers and (Bishop) Charles Murphy, or that we think it is a good thing that has happened."

But it’s all a matter of whether the archbishops of the South East Asia and Rwanda — Datuk Ping Chung Yong and Emmanuel Mbona Kolini, respectively — accept the letters dimissory.

If they do not, Franken said: "we would be put in a position of having to decide how to remove these clergy from our rolls. We don’t have a lot of options, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it."

And as for St. Philip’s?