Many of us have been to the eye doctor. Of course he switches back and forth between lens prescriptions as you look at the eye chart: "Better? Worse? Better? Worse?"

An often you really can't tell.

That is exactly how I feel about this decision. Is it better or worse than the decision to completely destroy ecumenical talks by ordaining women bishops? Is it better or worse than the decision to elect a primate most of the Anglican world refuses to recognize? I can't really tell:

"[Episcopal Church] General Convention approved switching to the Revised Common Lectionary, additions to Lesser Feasts and Fasts, and new rites-of-passage liturgies."*

OK, I know I'm about two months late for things related to General Convention, but I just read about this know. "Rites of Passage liturgies," you ask, "What're those?"

The article continues: "Convention approved liturgies for rites of passage--including reaching puberty, earning a driver's license or permit, dating relationships, graduating from high school, going to college, joining the workforce, going on a pilgrimage and moving from the family home."

A liturgy for reaching puberty is the only conceivable thing in the entire world that would compel me to appeal to Iran for asylum on account of fleeing religious persecution.

Are there really *so many* teenage guys bursting the seems of the ECUSA that they need to drive them away with this horrible, horrible idea? Whatever happened to Confirmation as a rite of passage?

And who did ECUSA add to the calendar? CS Lewis, Oscar Romero, Tikhon the Patriarch of Russia, Thurgood Marshal, and a bunch of people you've never heard of. It's worth noting that the Catholic Church only canonizes those who submitted to its judgment in life, not presuming to judge those who didn't after death. I think this is a very wise move, because it keeps the list of those canonized restricted to "heroic examples of living our Faith" as opposed to "a list of people we really, really like." Perhaps some day Episcopal Youth will be able to gather for puberty commemorations on the Feast of St. Elvis, singing "Achy Breaky Heart."

*Episcopal Life, July/August 2006, p12