PHOTO BY THE MODESTO BEE
St. James Episcopal Church – also known as the “Red Church” – sits in downtown Sonora.
By Sue Nowicki
MODESTO — The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin was handed a small setback in court Wednesday, but it is quietly winning the legal battle against incorporated Anglican parishes that split from the national church in 2007.
The impact will be felt in Turlock and Sonora later this spring.
Negotiations are under way to return two parish properties — St. Francis in Turlock and the historic “red church” in Sonora — to the Episcopal Diocese. That was confirmed by Rusty vanRozeboom, attorney for the Fresno-based Anglican Diocese.
That means parishioners who sided with the Anglicans soon will have to find a new place to worship. Conversely, the Episcopal parishioners who left almost six years ago will regain their churches.