7 Va. Episcopal Parishes Vote to Sever Ties

The defections are likely to continue. Two other small Northern Virginia churches, Our Saviour Episcopal in Oatlands and Church of the Epiphany in Herndon, are expected to vote on separation early next year.

Minns said he expects about 20 parishes nationwide to join CANA by year's end.

Nearly 1,000 Truro congregants sat in rapt silence at the end of the 11:15 a.m. service yesterday as Jim Oakes, the senior warden, announced that more than 90 percent of eligible voters resolved to sever ties with the U.S. church and retain control of church property.

"A new day has begun," Oakes said. The congregation then sang a hymn, No. 525, specially selected by Minns. It began, "The church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord. . . ."

Outside after the service, members were somber but resolute about a decision they say culminated a long period of disenchantment with the Episcopal Church, dating back to the ordination of women in the 1970s. Their alienation grew with Robinson's election.

"I want to do what's right in the Lord's eyes," said Vicki Robb, 53, an Alexandria public relations executive, who said the church's leftward drift was becoming intolerable. "It's kind of embarrassing when you tell people that you're Episcopal."

Minns said the process of separation had been emotionally wrenching. "This is a family struggle, no question about that," he said. "And it is a very painful one, but we have managed to conduct the struggle in a way that has sought to honor those with whom we disagree."

Truro and The Falls Church were formed before the U.S. denomination existed. George Washington was a member of the vestry at The Falls Church.

Other Episcopal leaders said yesterday's vote was not surprising, given the increasingly conservative tilt of the parishes involved. "Frankly, anyone who didn't agree has long since left those parishes. They've been headed that way for years," said Joan Gundersen, president of Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh.

The departure is regrettable, she said, adding: "Every time one of these churches leaves, their voice becomes an even smaller minority. And I'm sorry to see that. One of the beliefs of the Episcopal Church has been how we can live together and worship together under widely varying interpretations of belief."

Conservative congregations have left the church in the past, including in the 1970s, when ordinations of women began, and a number have done so since Robinson's election. In some cases, dissident churches have fought their diocese for the church property. Many court rulings have been in favor of the dioceses, although some recent cases in California have gone the other way.

Representatives of CANA, the Fairfax-based splinter group, said yesterday that they remain confident they can reach a settlement with the diocese that will allow them to retain the churches. "We expect to be able to settle the questions of property in a peaceful way," said the Rev. John Yates, rector of The Falls Church.

Staff writer Christian Davenport contributed to this report.