Elated by the Archbishop of Canterbury's weekend visit to Ligonier Township, local Episcopal Church members are still telling fond tales of meeting Dr. George Leonard Carey.
"It was a blessing to meet him and to have him here. This is something we'll all remember for a very long time. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event," said the Rev. James B. Simons, rector of St. Michael's of the Valley Episcopal Church in Rector.
The English Anglican churchman and his wife, Eileen, attended a worship and encouragement service and picnic at St. Michael's on Saturday.
Organized by the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, the archbishop's leisurely visit drew some 750 worshippers, Simons said.
"It was very exciting," recalled Cokie Lindsay, parish administrator at the church. "We're still not quite back to normal, yet."
The archbishop had arrived in the Pittsburgh region Friday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, Beaver County.
Plans for that visit prompted a call from Bishop Robert Duncan of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, who suggested a picnic to follow at St. Michael's, Lindsay said.
"It was partly because they wanted a less formal setting," Simons added. "And also to see the site for the new conference center near Donegal Lake."
The diocese has purchased land there and is now conducting a feasibility study for the proposed center, he said.
The weekend visit was the 66-year-old archbishop's first to western Pennsylvania.
"It all went very well," Lindsay said.
The service and picnic featured a catered brunch, games, children's activities, a bluegrass band and a bagpiper to welcome the archbishop and his wife.
"Even the weather cooperated," Simons added. "The parking area along Linn Run Road was relatively dry, so no one's car got stuck in mud."
The rector spoke highly of the Anglican leader's presence.
"He is just a wonderful man," he said. "He posed for pictures, signed prayer books he was very gracious."
The archbishop was presented with a Pittsburgh Pirates jersey bearing the number 103.
"He's the 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury," explained Simons, who has been at St. Michael's for 14 years.
Carey has served as archbishop since 1991 and is retiring at the end of October. It was during his tenure that the Church of England introduced women priests.
The process to choose a successor is already under way.
"Over the years, the Archbishop of Canterbury has been the spiritual leader of kings and queens, prime ministers and members of Parliament," Simons said. "He himself is a member of the House of Lords."
He noted Carey's predecessors have officiated at royal weddings in Great Britain and, in April, Carey personally officiated "at the Queen Mum's funeral."
The Church of England has more than 70 million members worldwide.
"All Anglican provinces trace their heritage back to England and particularly to Canterbury," Simons said. Formed during the American Revolution, "the Episcopal Church is, for all intents and purposes, the Anglican church in the United States. All Anglicans look to Canterbury as the center of our church."
