That was in 1998. Then, St. Mark's was the largest attended parish in the whole Diocese of Wyoming. Now it is a church in decline. Today it is a mere shadow of its former self. A call to the church office revealed that Sunday attendance at services range from a little over 100 on a good Sunday down to the low twenties on a bad Sunday. Two services have now been consolidated into one.

"The diocese is in free fall," an orthodox rector told VirtueOnline. "Parishes are leaving the diocese, with many of the smaller parishes now being run by non-stipendiary priests; his largest cardinal parishes are mostly gone." He still has the cathedral and Christ Church Ponte Vedra and their giving has increased. He still has some heavy hitters but they won't be enough to keep it all going, he said.

"Your vote today remains a vote for inclusion and communion -- of gay and lesbian people in their full lives as single or partnered people, of women, of all ethnic minorities, and all people," Andrus said by telephone over the cathedral's public address system to members after being told of his election. "My commitment to Jesus Christ's own mission of inclusion is resolute."

"They believe that the church has gone wrong in regard to sexual ethics, so that they need to separate from the Episcopal Church. This stands in clear contradiction to the teaching of the New Testament, where unity is a cardinal virtue for Christians, even in the face of doctrinal and ethical disagreements. Also, the ordained people who joined this chorus of division are in clear contradiction of their ordination vows," wrote the bishop.