![]() The Right Reverend Ruth Woodliff-Stanley has called the Rev. Courtney Davis-Shoemaker as priest-in-charge of St. Peter’s, Charleston, a church that was returned to our diocese last year and was most recently known as The Church of the Good Shepherd. Ordained to the priesthood in 2009, the Rev. Davis-Shoemaker has served for the past five years as assistant priest of St. Stephen’s, Charleston. She will begin this full-time role at St. Peter’s on November 1, 2024. As Rev. Davis-Shoemaker explores the possibilities for ministry at this location over the coming months, it is expected that the church, located at 1393 Miles Drive in West Ashley, will reopen in early 2025. “I could not be more thrilled that the Rev. Courtney Davis-Shoemaker has accepted the call to serve as priest-in-charge of St. Peter’s,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “Her deep spirituality and her gifts in convening community, administration, and pastoral care, will help set St. Peter’s on a firm foundation. Additionally, both her experience in renewing church communities and her creativity will inform the early days of developing a new season in this historic parish that will serve the needs of the neighborhood and the wider community.” Over the past few months, Bishop Woodliff-Stanley has convened several conversations with members of the West Ashley community as they imagined together the future of the church. The Rev. Davis-Shoemaker took part in some of these conversations, and she plans to continue these conversations and build on that early discernment when she begins on November 1 and prepares to reopen in the new year. “This period will also involve intentional listening to neighbors and interested parties to creatively think about ministry in West Ashley and how we can best support our community,” said Davis-Shoemaker. The Rev. Davis-Shoemaker looks forward to creatively moving the church forward. As she noted in a message to the congregation at St. Stephen’s, Charleston, “With Bishop Woodliff- Stanley’s support, I will explore alternative times for worship and how we may best engage non-churchgoers and Episcopalians who may have left the church after the schism,” said Davis-Shoemaker. “This will be a time to experiment in how we spread the message of God’s unending love and invite people to bring their authentic selves into a new community. I do not know exactly how God will use this new space and what will come but I am excited to prayerfully explore what God may be up to in West Ashley!” While the church building in West Ashley was constructed in the 1970s and the name eventually changed from St. Peter’s to the Church of the Good Shepherd, the origins of the congregation date back to its initial location as St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Logan Street in downtown Charleston. That building was destroyed by fire in 1861, but the cemetery remains to this day. In 1927, the congregation reorganized and merged with Christ Church on Rutledge Avenue to form a new St. Peter’s on that site. It moved to West Ashley in 1973. As our diocese looks to reopen the church, it will return to the historic name of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, Davis-Shoemaker graduated from The General Theological Seminary in 2008 and was ordained a priest the following year in the Diocese of Massachusetts. She has served as the urban resident at St. Stephen's in Lynn, MA; a vicar at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Haw River, NC; Episcopal/ Lutheran chaplain at Elon University; and most recently as the assistant priest at St. Stephen's, Charleston. Having moved to Charleston in 2017 with her spouse, the Rev. Adam Shoemaker, she has also served on the Standing Committee and Commission on Ministry in the Diocese of South Carolina. Courtney and Adam have three children and their family moved to West Ashley in June 2024. View the announcement from St. Stephen’s, Charleston, at this link. The Rt. Rev. Duncan Gray Serving as a Mentor for Thriving in Ministry Program in our Diocese12/15/2022
![]() The Right Reverend Duncan Gray III will serve the Diocese of South Carolina as a mentor in the Thriving in Ministry program being launched for clergy in returning congregations in 2023. Our diocese is working with the Thriving in Ministry program administered by Virginia Theological Seminary and supported by grant funding from the Lilly Endowment. The aim of the program is twofold: 1) to create vibrant peer learning groups for clergy in distinct settings; and 2) to advance the continuing education of clergy through the support of trained mentors. The Thriving model includes monthly group meetings, one-on-one sessions with each group member and the mentor, and occasional retreats over the course of a year. The initial participation of our diocese in this program will provide support for the clergy of our returning congregations as they address the unique challenges and opportunities of their own contexts. Earlier this month Bishop Gray made a visit to the diocese to meet the members of the initial cohort group, including the Rev. Furman Buchanan, Christ Church, Mt. Pleasant; the Rev. Michael Bye, St. David’s, Cheraw and St. Bartholomew’s, Hartsville; the Rev. Taylor Smith, St. James, James Island; and the Rev. Cn. Callie Walpole, St. John’s, John’s Island. After meeting with them, Bishop Gray said, “I was very impressed with the deep devotion, strong commitment in faith and sense of adventure that is shared by each of these returning priests. Their capacity to dream about what could be, in this season of rebuilding and beyond, was remarkable and inspiring.” Bishop Gray served as Bishop of Mississippi from 2003-2015, after years of ministry in parishes and as an Episcopal school chaplain. Since he retired from that position, Bishop Gray has remained active in ministry, especially in the area of clergy leadership development. In addition to this new role with the Diocese of South Carolina, Bishop Gray has been on the Board of Directors for the Gathering of Leaders, a network established to support Episcopal clergy in developing resilience and creativity in their ministries. The diocese is grateful for Bishop Gray’s answering this call to serve. “I am so looking forward to working with these faithful clergy and their emerging congregations," said Bishop Gray. "They will have much to teach our wider church as they follow their Lord into these chartered waters.” ![]() St. James, Charleston, located at 1872 Camp Road on James Island, a parish with roots in The Episcopal Church dating back more than 200 years, returned to the Diocese of South Carolina and The Episcopal Church on Thursday, December 1, 2022, as a result of the South Carolina Supreme Court’s August ruling. In that decision, the Court determined that St. James, Charleston, and seven other churches that left The Episcopal Church in 2012 and later joined the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), did not have proper ownership based on state trust law. The Right Reverend Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina, has called the Reveverend Taylor Smith to lead the church as priest-in-charge, and he will lead the service of Holy Eucharist to reopen St. James Episcopal Church on Sunday, December 4, at 10 am. Going forward, services of Holy Eucharist will be held each Sunday at 8 am and 10 am. Bishop Woodliff-Stanley is hopeful for the future of St. James, and for the pastoral skills and experience the Rev. Smith will bring to the congregation. “I am thrilled to call the Rev. Taylor Smith to serve as priest-in-charge of St. James as we welcome this historic church back to the diocese,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “Taylor is a seasoned priest with a heart for outreach and a keen pastoral intuition; his easy manner and gracious spirit will be great gifts in helping us reestablish St. James as a strong presence in our diocese.” A lifelong Episcopalian, Fr. Taylor has roots in Buffalo, NY, and spent his high school years in New Jersey before moving to North Carolina to attend Duke University as an undergraduate. Upon graduation, he began a career as a commercial loan officer near Charlotte for about six years prior to discerning a call to the priesthood. He graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1996 and was ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Western North Carolina where he continued to serve in diocesan and parish ministry for four years. In 2000, he was called to the Diocese of Maryland, where he served at Grace Church, Elkridge for 12 years and then St. Mark’s Church in Highland, MD for nine years. In January, Fr. Taylor moved to Charleston with his wife, Kathy, after she accepted a new job. Since moving here earlier this year, Fr. Taylor has spent time visiting a number of Episcopal churches in the Lowcountry as he discerned his next call. He shares Bishop Woodliff-Stanley’s vision for the future of St. James Episcopal Church on James Island. “I am equally honored and excited to be called by Bishop Woodliff-Stanley to serve St. James,” said Fr. Taylor. “I look forward to living into the call and living up to the challenge. As with everywhere else in the world, there’s great opportunity in James Island to spread Good News of God's inclusive love and we will do that through worship and by serving Christ by serving the world around us.” After nearly 10 years of litigation instigated by the churches that wanted to leave The Episcopal Church, the South Carolina Supreme Court determined that eight of the 36 churches which had claimed possession of their properties and left The Episcopal Church, including St. James in Charleston, had created an irrevocable trust in favor of The Episcopal Church and its associated diocese, The (Episcopal) Diocese of South Carolina. St. James, Charleston, located on James Island, is the sixth church to be returned to the historic diocese since the Court published decisions in April and August of this year. St. James Church originated from the Saint Andrew’s Parish that was created when the South Carolina General Assembly passed the Church Act of 1706, and by 1720, St. James Church was active on James Island. The Diocese of South Carolina was one of the nine original dioceses that formed The Episcopal Church after the American Revolution, and St. James, Charleston, was a part of the diocese for centuries prior to the diocesan schism in 2012. The church is located on James Island at 1872 Camp Road. ![]() Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley shares a word about recent decisions made on behalf of our diocese regarding St. Matthew's, Fort Motte, and what it means for the future of our diocese. October 29, 2022 Dear Faithful People in the Diocese of South Carolina, After prayerful consideration, onsite visits, and in-depth conversations with many to whom St. Matthew’s, Fort Motte is particularly dear, the Standing Committee and I have made the decision to allow the ACNA congregation to purchase the St. Matthew’s church property. While it is very difficult to let this historically Episcopal property go, we believe that it is the best way to care for the needs of the local community, as well as that of the entire Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. Our decision also reflects an understanding of the context of the wider Episcopal Church’s struggle with respect to these issues, particularly as we recognize that this season is coming to a close. As these properties have been returned to us according to the Court’s ruling earlier this year, our first responsibility in all associated negotiations has been to care for individual Episcopalians and the congregations with which they are associated – their unique contexts, particular gifts, hopes, sorrows, and pastoral needs. St. Matthew’s, located in rural Calhoun County, has historically been a very small congregation. Today, the number of people who would hope to have an Episcopal presence is extremely small. The rural setting of St. Matthew’s also has a bearing. In small, rural, stable communities, relationships are close and memories are long and often have multi-generational impact. While St. Matthew’s was an Episcopal Church until 10 years ago – and while it is true that the South Carolina Supreme Court decided this property should be returned to the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina – we recognize that, without a seed congregation ready to reopen as an Episcopal church, the displacement of the ACNA congregation would undermine the healing we seek to foster in this particular community. Our missional responsibility is to have Episcopal churches across our diocese’s geographic area. With respect to this region, our most thoughtful approach is to plant a church where there is anticipated growth. Given the loss of several Episcopal churches in what was the Orangeburg Deanery, we will prioritize exploring a church plant in that area. In addition to our focus on the particular needs of Episcopalians in the Ft. Motte region, we have a responsibility for the overall strength and health of the entire diocese. We are in the midst of visioning a new season of ministry in The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. Although we are fortunate to have several strategically located properties returned to us, there are significant areas of the diocese which do not have an Episcopal presence – among these are several new, growing areas. These areas present significant opportunities for new church plants and the development of large, regional resource congregations which can support our common life in a number of ways. We believe that such investments will only make our diocese stronger, allowing important ministries to flourish while spreading the good news of the Gospel to even more people in this state. Our choice to allow the ACNA congregation at St. Matthew’s to buy this property provides us with resources that may be used to plant a new church that, in time and God willing, can bring strength and gifts to the benefit of the Episcopalians resident in that area and in the entire diocese. This was not an easy decision, but it is one that provides the best opportunity for the health and future of our diocese, while hopefully allowing for healing across our differences on a path to reconciliation. I am excited about the future of our diocese and our next season of ministry together, focused on the mission of the church to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ. Faithfully yours, +Ruth The Rt. Reverend Ruth Woodliff-Stanley Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina Over the past week, St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Hartsville was returned to our historic diocese and The Episcopal Church. Founded in 1902, the church is located right alongside Coker College at 103 Campus Avenue. It was previously announced that Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley has called the Rev. Michael Bye as interim priest-in-charge of this congregation. He is also currently serving as the same at nearby St. David's, Cheraw. All are welcome to attend the reopening of St. Bart's this Sunday at 9:30 am.
The church also plans to livestream the service on their new Facebook page at this link. Check out their new website at: www.stbartsepiscopal-hartsville.org. Please keep this congregation in your prayers during this transition. ![]() Decisions by the South Carolina Supreme Court in April and August of this year initiated the return of at least seven churches, as well as diocesan property and the St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center on Seabrook Island. Below is an update on each of the transitions. The return of each church requires a tremendous amount of transitional work and negotiation, and since the Orders of the Court, the following churches have returned to the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina: St. John’s, Johns Island (July 2022); St. David’s, Cheraw (August 2022); Christ Church, Mt. Pleasant (September 2022); and Holy Trinity, Charleston (September 2022). Episcopal worship services have resumed at each church, with the exception of Holy Trinity, where diocesan leadership is still in discernment about the best path forward. The Acorn School continues to operate at Holy Trinity and the diocesan office is working with the school’s leadership. St. Bartholomew’s in Hartsville was scheduled to return at the end of September, but the date of transition has been moved to the end of October to accommodate the departing members of the ACNA congregation and their rector. Due to unforeseen circumstances that resulted in a delay in the ACNA congregation moving to their new worship space, the Episcopal congregation at St. Bartholomew’s graciously allowed them to remain for one more month. St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church is scheduled to reopen on Sunday, October 30. The Rev. Michael Bye, interim priest-in-charge at St. David’s, Cheraw, will be serving St. Bartholomew’s as well, as the diocese continues to search for permanent leadership. Of the remaining returning congregations, St. James, Charleston is expected to reopen next, with an anticipated date of All Saints Sunday, November 6, 2022, under the leadership of the Rev. Taylor M. Smith. Discernment is in process regarding how best to serve Episcopalians in and surrounding Fort Motte and the best use of returning property there. The diocese is awaiting a further decision of the Court regarding Good Shepherd, Charleston, as well as Old St. Andrew’s, Charleston, and Holy Cross, Stateburg. Details on a settlement between our diocese and the ACNA diocese regarding diocesan properties were announced by Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley on September 27, 2022. Since that time, St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center was returned to the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina on October 1, 2022, led by seasoned Episcopal Camp and Conference Center executive directors, the Rev. Deacon Helen and Rick Hargreaves. All staff except for the most recent executive director have been asked to continue their employment, and they have been most helpful as we continue through this transition. The camp and conference center, and barrier island programs, continue operating without interruption. Bishop Woodliff-Stanley has named a strategic Steering Committee, led by the Rev. Laura Rezac, that will report to the bishop and the Trustees regarding the operation of St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center. In addition, the bishop, with the support of the Trustees, has engaged Rob Watson and Stuart Campbell, veteran executive directors and consultants from Episcopal Camps & Conference Center ECCC Ministries, to help the bishop, the bishop’s steering committee, and St. Christopher’s interim executive directors frame the scope of work at the camp and conference center for the coming months. “While these transitional issues have been taking much of the focus lately, I am thrilled about what the Spirit is doing across our diocese, among all of the congregations of our historic diocese,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “The returning congregations are a part of this emerging vision, and I am excited for us all to embark on this next season of ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. I can’t wait for the people of the diocese to learn more at our Diocesan Convention next month.” ![]() The Right Reverend Ruth Woodliff-Stanley has called the Rev. Taylor M. Smith as priest-in-charge of St. James Episcopal Church in Charleston (James Island), which will soon be returning to the Diocese of South Carolina and The Episcopal Church as a result of the SC Supreme Court decision in April 2022. Fr. Taylor, who recently served a congregation in the Diocese of Maryland, will lead the reopening of St. James Episcopal Church on Sunday, November 6. Bishop Woodliff-Stanley is hopeful for the future of St. James, and for the pastoral skills and experience Fr. Taylor will bring to the congregation. “I am thrilled to call the Rev. Taylor Smith to serve as priest-in-charge of St. James as we welcome this historic church back to the diocese,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “Taylor is a seasoned priest with a heart for outreach and a keen pastoral intuition; his easy manner and gracious spirit will be great gifts in helping us reestablish St. James as a strong presence in our diocese.” A lifelong Episcopalian, Fr. Taylor has roots in Buffalo, NY, and spent his high school years in New Jersey before moving to North Carolina to attend Duke University as an undergraduate. Upon graduation, he began a career as a commercial loan officer near Charlotte for about six years prior to discerning a call to the priesthood. He graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1996 and was ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Western North Carolina where he continued to serve in diocesan and parish ministry for four years. In 2000, he was called to the Diocese of Maryland, where he served at Grace Church, Elkridge for 12 years and then St. Mark’s Church in Highland, MD for nine years. In January, Fr. Taylor moved to Charleston with his wife, Kathy, after she accepted a job with Roper St. Francis Healthcare. Since moving here earlier this year, Fr. Taylor has spent time visiting a number of Episcopal churches in the Lowcountry as he discerned his next call. He shares Bishop Woodliff-Stanley’s vision for the future of St. James Episcopal Church on James Island. “I am equally honored and excited to be called by Bishop Woodliff-Stanley to serve St. James,” said Fr. Taylor. “I look forward to living into the call and living up to the challenge. As with everywhere else in the world, there’s great opportunity in James Island to spread Good News of God's inclusive love and we will do that through worship and by serving Christ by serving the world around us.” While Fr. Taylor and his wife are new residents of South Carolina, Kathy was born in Columbia, SC, and much of her extended family still lives in the area. Married for 26 years, they have two sons: Stafford, a senior at the University of South Carolina, and Mason, who works in the Charleston area. Details and service times for Fr. Taylor’s first Sunday at St. James are still being finalized, and will be shared as soon as they are available. With a history dating back to the early 1700s, St. James was a part of St. Andrew’s Parish and has a long history with the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. It is located directly across from the Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community at 1872 Camp Road in Charleston (James Island). In the message below, Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley offers a pastoral word for the people of the diocese regarding the settlement agreement she announced yesterday along with the bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, Bishop Chip Edgar. Read yesterday's joint announcement on our website at this link.
The entire letter below can be viewed as a .pdf at this link. September 27, 2022 Dear Friends in the Diocese of South Carolina, Yesterday, Bishop Chip Edgar of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina and I announced that our two dioceses have reached a final settlement agreement resolving numerous outstanding legal issues between our two dioceses (read the announcement at this link). This settlement was made possible after extensive, good-faith discussions between the leadership of each diocese, each of which was engaged in an open dialogue of mutual respect and good will toward one another. While the settlement does not end the ongoing negotiations on a parish level, including betterments litigation, it does bring resolution to all issues involving diocesan property. While each diocese has had to leave things on the table to get to this moment, and while we experience pain over losses of some of the historic churches our members hold dear, we have seen the Spirit at work in drawing us toward God’s redemptive way of love at every juncture. I remain hopeful that we can bring remaining parish issues to full resolution and move into a new season of ministry as two distinct dioceses working alongside each other in the same communities for the sake of the gospel. Reflecting on the process, Bishop Edgar noted in yesterday’s announcement, “This settlement agreement allows us to invest our diocesan energy, time, focus, and resources in gospel ministry rather than litigation … I am grateful that the work we have done has brought an end to litigation between our dioceses.” Following Jesus entails a willingness—an eagerness, even—to engage those who have been our opponents with the goal of repairing the breach between us. From the very beginning of this process, I have been grateful for the gracious spirit of Bishop Edgar in doing just this work with us. I am grateful for his leadership and his generosity. I am deeply grateful to the leadership of our diocese for their determined efforts that helped us arrive at this resolution. Our Diocesan Chancellor Bert “Skip” Utsey has worked skillfully and tirelessly to help achieve this agreement. His efforts both prior to and throughout these negotiations have been instrumental in allowing us to accomplish this settlement. Our Standing Committee and Trustees have been involved throughout this process, and both have given their unanimous support to this final agreement. The resolution of these matters would not have been possible without the outstanding legal work and continuous guidance of our retired Chancellor, Tom Tisdale and the Presiding Bishop’s Chancellor, Mary Kostel, over many years. We owe them, and our whole legal team, a debt of gratitude. It is difficult to express adequately my tremendous gratitude for their great work, and I know this would not be possible without each of them. It is often difficult to find common ground with those with whom we disagree. Yet, it was uplifting to see both sides in this resolution willing to make concessions that allowed us all to move forward. While the full details of the settlement remain confidential, we release today certain elements, including the following:
It has been nearly a decade since the schism in our diocese brought about heartbreak and loss, as many in our diocese no longer felt welcome to worship in their church homes. Over the past five months, we have reopened at St. John’s, Johns Island; St. David’s, Cheraw; and Christ Church, Mt. Pleasant. In the coming weeks, we hope Episcopalians can fully return for worship again at St. Bartholomew’s, Hartsville, and St. James, Charleston. We are working to determine how to best use all of our returning assets to support our mission and ministry across the diocese in the days ahead. Please know I am fully committed to supporting your future as The Episcopal Church where you have so faithfully kept our presence alive and growing, whether your property is being returned to you or not. I have great hope for the future of our diocese and our next season of ministry together. As we continue to go forth, may we remain focused on that which brings true reconciliation, believing in the power of the gospel to right the wrongs of injustice, heal the broken, and build a beloved community of God. Faithfully yours, Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley Christ Episcopal Church in Mt. Pleasant held two joy-filled services on Sunday, September 18, as the church reopened under the leadership of the Rev. Furman Buchanan, priest-in-charge. Nearly 200 people attended the services as this church once again brings The Episcopal Church east of the Cooper River, in the place where it had been for centuries prior to the schism in 2012. This past Sunday, and going forward, there was a service in the historic chapel at 8 am (Rite I) and in the main church (pictured) at 10:30 am (Rite II). View more photos from Sunday on our Facebook page at this link.
Follow Christ Episcopal Church on Facebook at facebook.com/christepiscopalchurchmtp and on their website at www.christepiscopalmtp.org. Please continue to lift Fr. Buchanan and this congregation in prayer throughout this transition. Read more about Fr. Furman's call to Christ Church in this article shared in July 2022. Diocese Files Petition for Rehearing and a Motion for Relief from Judgment with the SC Supreme Court9/2/2022
![]() In response to the South Carolina Supreme Court’s opinion published on August 17, the historic Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina filed a Petition for Rehearing and a Motion for Relief from Judgment on Thursday, September 1, in regard to the court’s recent decisions concerning two churches that were once part of the historic diocese—Old St. Andrew’s in Charleston, and The Church of the Holy Cross in Stateburg. In the Petition for Rehearing, attorneys for the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina note that while the Court made a “factual determination and issued a declaratory judgment” as to whether the two churches revoked the trusts they expressly created, no court “previously addressed whether these parish trusts were revocable or actually revoked based on post-2006 evidence” because it was not previously considered an issue in the case. Because it was not considered, the Episcopal Diocese did not have “reason or opportunity to introduce evidence on this issue.” The petition requests that the Court reverse or vacate the rulings on revocability or revocation involving these two churches, or allow for the introduction of additional evidence before making a final ruling. In the Motion for Relief from Judgment, various evidence was presented to support a cause for relief from the declaratory judgement in favor of Old St Andrew’s, Charleston, and Holy Cross, Stateburg, based on the fact that the trusts were not revocable or that our diocese should be allowed to present further evidence to the Court. The motion also notes that a lack of full transparency between legal counsel on some issues constituted what is legally known as a “fraud on the court” that would be sufficient to provide relief from judgment. Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley expressed her gratitude in this moment. “I am grateful to our chancellor and legal team for their hard work and wisdom, and pray for the Court to respond with justice and clarity that will allow us to move to full resolution of these matters,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “This represents another step on what has been a long and trying journey, but even in this moment, God is unfolding a new season before us. I look forward to discovering with you all that God has in store.” Once the Court has published the filings on their site, they will be linked here. Until then, a copy of the Petition for Rehearing can be viewed at this link , and the Motion for Relief from Judgment can be viewed at this link. All additional exhibits will be available when shared on the Court’s website. |
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March 2025
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