By Cynthia Daniels
Atlanta Journal-Constitution [Georgia]
February 22, 2007
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/northfulton/stories/2007/02/21/0222metinnocents.html
The pastor of one of Sandy Springs' largest churches has been relieved of his parochial duties, according to the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta.
The Rev. David A. Galloway, rector of Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church, was "inhibited" or removed from his duties on Friday until questions about some of his financial transactions could be resolved through an internal audit.
Galloway "has neither resigned nor been dismissed," the Right Rev. J. Neil Alexander, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, said in a statement released on Wednesday. "Under the canons of the Episcopal Church, when a priest's ministry comes into question for any reason, the normal process is ... to inhibit the priest from his or her regular parochial duties."
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| His bishop says no conclusions should be drawn about the Rev. David A. Galloway. |
Alexander warned "it is important not to jump to conclusions."
Holy Innocents' is also home to the fifth-largest private school in Atlanta — Holy Innocents' Episcopal School. The school is located on 46 acres with eight buildings on Mount Vernon Highway. The site includes a new middle school, a fine arts building and state-of-the-art athletics complex for the school's 1,390 students.
In a letter and e-mail sent to the church's 2,500 members and parents, Alexander said there was no reason to believe the parish or school's operating accounts were involved.
Rectors at the church are allowed to have discretionary accounts, some members said.
"A letter such as this is not what you expect," said Bruce Ford, senior warden of the church's vestry, a board that represents the parish. "But we carried forward and continued with our commitments to our liturgical offerings and our parish."
Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church was founded in 1872 by a rector looking to offer Sunday services to "the poor of the northern suburb," the church's Web site says.
According to the Web site, Galloway was the sixth rector to serve at the church and was installed in January 2002.
Since then, the Web site says, "Sunday and midweek class attendance has already tripled, outgrowing the current facility, and the school facility is poised to grow again."
A reporter's calls to Galloway's Sandy Springs home were not answered.
"We are all in prayer for Dr. Galloway, his family and the bishop," said Ford, who read the letter during Sunday's four services. "We are awaiting direction from the bishop [and] continuing to move forward for our parish."
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