Gay Episcopal priest to be reinstated after defrocking 40 years ago

Rev. Harry Stock, a gay Episcopal priest who was defrocked 40 years ago for his sexuality, announced that he’ll be reinstated as an Episcopal priest on October 26 at a church in Alexandria, Virginia.

The ceremony is set to take place on his 43rd anniversary of having been ordained as a priest in Charleston, West Virginia, and the 40th anniversary of his defrocking. He announced this ceremony via email, where he revealed that the man he was with is now his current husband, Mark Kristofik. The two have been together for 45 years.

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“As a result of our Holy Union, I received a letter from Bishop [Robert] Atkinson informing me that as a result of me declaring my love for another man at the altar, he was revoking my Holy Orders and stripping me from the sacred order of priest and that I would no longer be permitted to function as a priest in the Episcopal Church. My world fell apart,” Stock wrote.

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He is being reinstated in recognition of his work as a theologian who advocates for LGBTQ+ individuals within Christianity, he said.

Upon learning of Stock’s work, the Rt. Reverend Matthew Cowden VIII, current Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia, requested a meeting with him via Zoom. The two men then met on July 25, 2023 and again the following October, Stock said in his email.

“During our meeting, Bishop Cowden said something that in my wildest dreams I never expected to hear, by saying, ‘On Behalf of the Episcopal Church, I apologize to you for what the church did to you back in 1984.’”

“I found myself unable to speak and felt liberated, for the first time, from a pain that had plagued me for years,” Stock continued. “But, Bishop Cowden didn’t stop there, he went on to say, ‘I also want to make right the mistake that was made those many years ago.’”

He then had to go through the Canons of the Episcopal Church — the governing bodies for the church’s organizational, administrative, ministerial, disciplinary, and general provisions — completing their Canonical requirements while receiving the consent of bishops.

“Miracles happen through moments of great beauty, prayer, faith, hope and especially through acts of great love,” Stock continued. “They happen through us and to us, and for me, one is about to manifest itself and turn what I thought was the greatest disappointment in my life into a blessing. I am delighted to share this incredible blessing with you. And if you are nearby, I would be honored to have you join me for this momentous occasion.”

Stock is currently a preacher at Westminster Presbyterian Church, a pro-LGBTQ+ church in Washington, D.C. He plans to remain there, and will not be an ordained Presbyterian minister. He considers this a correction of an injustice.

Stock received a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University in 1969 before taking and completing a study program at West Virginia Episcopal Diocese School of Religion. He then received a Master’s in Divinity degree in 1978 from Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia in 1978.

After being defrocked, he served as a pastor at a branch of the pro-LGBTQ+ Metropolitan Community Church, known as the MCC Church of the Disciples. He served there for over 21 years. The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches later ordained him as a minister in 1991.

After this, he founded Scrolls Revealed Ministries, traveling across the country for 20 years to showcase a seminar called “Biblical Translation for Gay Liberation: How the Bible Does Not Condemn Homosexuality, An in-Depth Study.” He now travels as a guest preacher with the sermon “Homophobia and the Bible: A Deadly Combination.”

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