Requiescat in Pace: Dr. Felipe Sanchez-Paris, Husband of Bishop E. Otis Charles

Bishop Charles & Dr. Sanchez-Paris

The board and staff of Integrity USA were saddened to learn of the death on Tuesday night of Dr. Felipe Sanchez-Paris, husband of the Right Rev. E. Otis Charles, retired bishop of Utah.

"Felipe was a charming and delightful man who will be sorely missed," stated the Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall, Integrity's President. "One of the many courageous stands he and Otis Charles took was in 2004 when they held a controversial public blessing for their relationship. It is people like Felipe who have laid the path we walk today."

Dr. Sanchez-Paris is a graduate of Georgetown University and received his doctorate from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.  He served on the faculty of a number of universities, retiring in 2000 after 18 years as a Professor of Public Policy and Administration at California State University, Bakersfield. 

Bishop Charles, who served as Bishop of Utah from 1971-1986, came out as gay in 1993, the first Christian bishop to do so.  The couple met in 2001, and have been members of St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco and involved with OASIS California, the diocesan LGBT ministry.  They were married in Los Angeles on October 29, 2008.

"Felipe was a man who embodied the fullness of life — a great intellect that was always routed through his compassionate heart," said the Right Rev. Marc Handley Andrus, Bishop of California, in a statement published July 31st.

Both Dr. Sanchez-Paris and Bishop Charles appear in Love Free or Die, the award-winning documentary about the episcopacy of the Right Rev. Gene Robinson, the recently-retired Bishop of New Hampshire whose election as an out gay man sent reverberations throughout the church.  

Bishop Robinson recalled the couple's testimony on the resolution to create a provisional rite for same-gender blessings, which was adopted at the 2009 General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Anaheim.  "In our documentary film, Bishop Otis described his attempts at heterosexual life as a suit that just didn't fit. Then, he describes meeting the love of his life, Felipe, and 'the suit fit!'  Felipe sits beside him, radiating delight and joy at Otis' tribute to their love. We will all miss our beloved Felipe, but none more than his husband, Otis."

Love Free or Die to Air on Public TV, Prayers for Bishop Shaw

The documentary Love Free or Die telling the story of Bishop Gene Robinson's election and ministry as an openly gay bishop in The Episcopal Church, will be re-broadcast on PBS on June 3 (check local listings for times).

The film has been seen in around 500 community screenings across the country, including many sponsored by Integrity groups and other Episcopal congregations, under special arrangement with Groundswell, the social justice arm of Auburn Seminary in New York.

Surprisingly, the widely consulted Dove Foundation movie review site denied Love Free or Die a family-approved rating because "two men kiss and hold hands" and "many people state they are gay."  A Groundswell petition has been started by the Rev. Ellen Tillotson to ask Dove to change their rating.  As of today, over 1,200 people have signed!  Please sign on if you have not done so already.

A double rainbow appeared outside St. Aidan's Church in Virginia Beach
before a recent screening by the local Integrity chapter
Photo Credit: Province III Coordinator Susan Pederson

In a related note, your prayers are requested for the Right Rev. M. Thomas Shaw SSJE, Bishop of Massachusetts, whose personal recollections of the 2008 Lambeth Conference and other events are featured in the film.  Bishop Shaw recently had a cancerous growth removed from his brain and is undergoing treatment.  Visit the diocesan webpage for more, including how to send well wishes.

Almighty God our heavenly Father, graciously comfort your servant Thomas in his suffering, and bless the means made use of for his cure. Fill his heart with confidence that, though at times he may be afraid, he yet may put his trust in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Integrity USA Operations Manager David Cupps collaborated on this article

Bishop Shaw of Massachusetts Announces Retirement

The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, Bishop of Massachusetts, announced January 15th that he intends to retire in 2014 and called for the election of his successor.


The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE“I love being your bishop and it is an honor to serve you,” Shaw told the diocese in his announcement,  “These years have been some of the richest years of my life.  All of you and this work have taught me much about myself and the nature of our loving God for which I will always be grateful.  I am full of gratitude for all that God has given us to do:  the challenges God has offered us, the opportunities and all the experiences of God’s abundance which we have experienced in our life together.”

"Integrity is grateful for the quiet leadership of Bishop Shaw," said The Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall, Integrity's president. "He is a man of deep spirituality who has been a gift to the Church as a bishop and will continue to be a gift to the world in his retirement."

Bishop Shaw brings a somewhat unique perspective to the episcopate, because he is also a brother in the Society of St. John the Evangelist, a religious order in the Anglican church whose members take vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience. He speaks about his experience as a gay man in the monastery and the wider church in Love Free or Die, the award-winning documentary about the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, the first out, partnered gay person ordained a bishop.  Integrity has sponsored numerous screenings of the film across the country. If you are interested in a screening please contact us.

Bishop Robinson, a close friend of Bishop Shaw, also recently retired.  Retired bishops in the Episcopal Church retain their voice and vote in the church's House of Bishops for life.