Retired Episcopal Bishop C. Charles Vache, who championed women's ordination in the Diocese of Southern Virginia after first opposing it, died Sunday at Westminster Canterbury retirement community. He was 83.
Vache led the diocese, which includes Hampton Roads, from 1978 to 1991. His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Trinity Episcopal Church in Portsmouth.
Vache was a priest at Trinity from 1957 to 1976. After retiring as bishop, he served in Jerusalem and also as interim priest at Church of the Good Shepherd in Norfolk. He lived in Portsmouth.
Clergy friends said that Vache, who was unmarried, was a scholarly, firm leader who was unafraid to make public his beliefs, even if unpopular.
When Vache was elected bishop, "he was adamantly opposed to the ordination of women, and a lot of people were upset," said the Rev. Richard Bridgford of Epiphany Episcopal Church in Norfolk. "He was seen as 'high church," that is, highly traditional.
But Vache soon surprised those critics. At a clergy conference, Bridgford recalled Vache saying, " On the ordination of women, I have been wrong, and all I can do is stand before you and acknowledge that. "
Vache ordained J. Segar Gravatt in 1985 as the first woman deacon in the diocese.
"I don't have many heroes in the world, but he was one of mine," said Gravatt, now an ordained priest at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach.
Vache was born in 1926 in New Bern, N.C.; his father was an Episcopal priest. He graduated from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., in 1952.
As a priest in Portsmouth, Vache gave theological commentary on a weekly television show.
He was also the first in the diocese to lead a formal "blessing of the animals," now a popular tradition at many parishes. "The Portsmouth mounted police brought their horses and that put it on the map," Bridgford said.
As bishop, Vache opposed capital punishment, welcomed charismatic-style Episcopalians and was criticized for saying Palestinians were oppressed by Israel.
In a 1986 interview, he shared his leadership philosophy. "Things are going to change and you have one of two options: You're either going to fight it or work with it and mold it," he said.
Steven G. Vegh, (757) 446-2417, steven.vegh@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Biahop Vache
Bishop Vache was a true gentleman and a beloved bishop in our church.
He is remembered by his kind ways and his wonderful sermons. He confirmed two of my children and signed their Bibles. The Episcopal Church is not dying, as someone cruely insinuated. It is alive, growing and well! Our church sees newcomers weekly and is gaining new members.
These posts should be about Bishop Vache and to honor his life.
That was incredibly rude and
That was incredibly rude and inappropriate of you, Henry. You should be ashamed of yourself.
P.S. My particular Episcopalian church is alive and well.
Inappropriate
This was totally inappropriate. This is an homage to a very fine Christian gentleman. And I don't know what dead church you go to, but it surely's isn't the Episcopal Church.
What is inappropriate
I noticed that the original comment that I was replying to has been removed and it looks as if I am saying that Laura's question is inappropriate. The original post slammed the church as being dead. Please don't misconstrue the lineup of the commentary here.
Re: Laura's question: I really don't know. If that is true, he was discreet. It doesn't matter, though. He was a fine man.
God Bless Bishop Vache...
He was a dignified and scholarly gentleman with a magnificent voice. You KNEW you had been to a high church service when it was delivered by him. He did a beautiful baptism for my youngest child some years ago.
May God Bless him and keep him. Amen.
Enlightented
"As bishop, Vache opposed capital punishment, welcomed charismatic-style Episcopalians and was criticized for saying Palestinians were oppressed by Israel."
Bishop Vache was an enlightened person for his day. He was not afraid of those in power. As another enlightened being once said:
Knowing others is intelligence.
Knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength.
Mastering yourself is true power.
If you realize that you have enough,
you are truly rich.
If you stay in the center
and embrace death with your whole heart,
you will endure forever. - Tao Te Ching
Go with God, Bishop Vache.