6 January 2015 A.D. Maryland TEC Clergy
Summoned by Bishop to Meet Tuesday, 6 Jan 2015, After Suffragan Bishop Kills
Cyclist in Hit-and-Run; Previous to this Homocide, She Had Preached about
Traffic Violations and Consequences
Broadwater, Luke. “Bishop summons clergy to meeting after death of
bicyclist in Baltimore.” The Baltimore
Sun. 4 Jan 2015. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/north-baltimore/bs-md-episcopal-cathedral-20150104-story.html. Accessed 5
Jan 2015.
Bishop summons clergy to meeting after death of bicyclist in Baltimore
Rev. Canon Heather Cook
Rev. Canon Heather Cook has been elected Bishop Suffragan of Maryland.
(Handout photo)
Preacher shaken by death of
Baltimore bicyclist Thomas Palermo.
Bishop has summoned all the
clergy of the Diocese of Maryland to a meeting Tuesday.
The
Episcopal bishop of Maryland has summoned all the clergy of the Diocese of
Maryland to a Tuesday morning meeting in Frederick County after a high-ranking church
official was involved in a crash in Baltimore that killed bicyclist Thomas
Palermo, a married father of two.
Church
spokeswoman Sharon Tillman confirmed Sunday that Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton
has called church clergy to a meeting at the Claggett Center near Buckeystown.
She said the meeting was closed to the public to "allow clergy time to
process the tragic events of the past week that involved a colleague."
CaptionTom Palermo memorial
ride
Friends and fellow bikers ride along Roland Ave. for Tom Palermo. (Lloyd
Fox, Baltimore Sun)
CaptionTom Palermo memorial
ride
Hundreds of cyclists ride on on University Parkway on a memorial ride
for cyclist Tom Palermo. (Jerry Jackson, Baltimore Sun)
CaptionTom Palermo memorial
ride
Hundreds of cyclists ride in memory of cyclist Tom Palermo. (Jerry
Jackson, Baltimore Sun)
CaptionTom Palermo ride
Hundreds of cyclists ride in memory of cyclist Tom Palermo. (Karen
Jackson, Baltimore Sun)
CaptionTom Palermo ride
Hundreds of cyclists ride in memory of cyclist Tom Palermo, who was
killed in a crash. (Karen Jackson, Baltimore Sun)
Tillman
said, "This is about the clergy and how they are processing the tragic
events of last week. Heather Cook's future is not in the clergy's hands; it
depends on the police report and state's attorney's office."
Police
are continuing to investigate the 2:40 p.m. Dec. 27 crash on the 5700 block of
Roland Ave. Episcopal officials have identified the driver of the car as Bishop
Suffragan Heather Elizabeth Cook, the second-ranking official in the Diocese of
Maryland. Cook initially drove away from the scene but returned a short time
later, according to the diocese and witnesses at the scene. Another bicyclist
followed her to a gated apartment complex. No charges have been filed.
Cook,
who has been placed on administrative leave, is "barred from performing
any duties of a bishop or a priest," Tillman said.
Palermo's
death has galvanized many in Baltimore in recent weeks, prompting hundreds to
attend a memorial bike ride earlier in the week and Sutton to ask all church
members to engage in "silent prayer and reflection" on Saturday.
Cook's
attorney, David Irwin, said he has yet to receive any police or accident
report, and couldn't comment on the details of the case. Irwin also declined to
comment on the meeting.
"She's
distraught about the tragedy of the death of the cyclist," Irwin said of
Cook. "It's a horribly sad situation."
Irwin
said Cook is declining to comment.
Episcopal bishop involved in
bicycle crash has DUI record
Court records show that the Episcopal bishop involved in a fatal bicycle
crash in North Roland Park on Saturday pleaded guilty to DUI in 2010.
(Baltimore Sun Video)
The
acting dean of the diocese told about 100 worshipers at the Cathedral of the
Incarnation in Baltimore on Sunday that he was shaken by the crash.
"During
this Christmas season in particular, it has been very hard to hold onto the
joy," said the Rev. Rob Boulter, who delivered Sunday's sermon. "I
[became] aware of Thomas Palermo being killed. ... It shook me. It really shook
me."
"The
Palermo family is totally devastated," Boulter added. "No Christmas
will ever be the same for them."
Church
officials on Sunday passed out a statement from Sutton that said Cook has been
placed on administrative leave. In the statement, Sutton said he would
"meet shortly with the Standing Committee to discuss ways we can move
forward."
During
Boulter's sermon, he used the tragedy to tell churchgoers to rely on God even
in their darkest times. "God doesn't take away the darkness. But God
through Jesus shines a light into the darkness," he said. "It feels
very dark indeed."
Boulter
said he was heartened by last week's 3-mile bike ride for Palermo that started
at the church and traveled to the site of the crash. Hundreds of cyclists rode
to the site of the accident Thursday to remember Palermo and to send a message
to the wider community about the vulnerability of riders on city streets.
"I saw glimmers of light
before the memorial bike ride Thursday for Tom Palermo," Boulter said.
"Glimmers of light shining in the darkness. Hundreds of people gathered
here at the cathedral just to show their concern and love for that man."
Cook,
who has spent 20 years as an Episcopal priest, was charged in 2010 in Caroline
County with driving under the influence of alcohol. She pleaded guilty,
received probation before judgment and was ordered to pay a $300 fine.
Police
continue to investigate what caused the fatal crash involving Palermo.
Detectives believe a Subaru station wagon was traveling southbound when it
struck the bicyclist.
Before
being elevated to a position as a high-ranking bishop, Cook was subjected to a
background check regarding the drunken-driving incident, but church officials
determined the incident shouldn't exclude her. Cook was also subjected to a
psychological investigation at that time, according to the Episcopal Diocese of
Maryland.
"One
of the core values of the Christian faith is forgiveness. We cannot preach
forgiveness without practicing forgiveness and offering people opportunity for
redemption," the diocese said in a statement. "We, too, are all
filled with questions for which there are still no answers, and we are all filled
with anger, bitterness, pain and tears."
Palermo,
a 41-year-old senior Johns Hopkins Hospital software engineer and a master bike
frame builder, lived in the Baltimore County community of Anneslie.
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