Church court will try priest

An archdeacon in the diocese of Algoma will face ecclesiastical court after a complaint of sexual misconduct was made against him.

Bishop Ron Ferris referred a charge of immorality to the church court after an investigation by the diocesan response team into a complaint of sexual misconduct against Archdeacon Thomas Corston. On Jan. 30, Archdeacon Corston was suspended with pay from his position as rector of the Church of the Epiphany, Sudbury, Ont., pending the outcome of the investigation. He was also relieved of his responsibilities as archdeacon of Sudbury Manitoulin.

Archdeacons Susan De Gruchy and Harry Huskins have been appointed priests-in-charge at the Church of the Epiphany pending the investigation and adjudication.

Sudbury Regional Police investigated the complaint and found no basis for criminal charges, according to a statement from the diocese to Epiphany’s parishioners.

Archdeacon Corston is the senior aboriginal cleric in the diocese and was a member of General Synod 2001. Archdeacon Huskins, who is also clerk of the ecclesiastical court, said no date for a trial had been set. He said the archdeacon’s suspension may not be longer than 90 days without a ruling from the ecclesiastical court, which he expected would meet in May.