As Bermuda's Christian community celebrated Easter this week, it was almost inevitable that at least one denomination would be embroiled in controversy.

The Anglican Church is once again in a dispute over the future of one of its rectors, in this case, Canon Alan Tilson from Holy Trinity Church in Hamilton Parish.

Canon Tilson, who has been at the church for the last nine years, was told a year ago that Bishop Ewan Ratteray would not be supporting the renewal of his work permit. Canon Tilson informed his congregation of the news last month and said he would not be opposing the decision and would be leaving.

Canon Tilson is one of the Anglican church's most popular rectors and has built a strong and vibrant congregation at Holy Trinity at a time when membership and attendance at what are generally considered to be mainstream churches has been in long term decline.

Judging by the flood of letters from members of his congregation to this newspaper, Canon Tilson has reversed this trend. To some extent he has benefited from members of other congregations, some Anglican and some not, coming to his church. Regardless of where they come from, they are not leaving the church, so he must be doing something right.

It is important that this controversy be judged in the context of the Anglican Church's long and troubled history with Bermudianisation, and particularly with the struggle that many black Bermudian priests faced in securing parishes in their own home.

For many years, the Anglican Church and church vestries resisted these appointments, forcing people like Canon Thomas Nisbett, Canon James Francis, Canon Arnold Hollis and to some degree, Bishop Ratteray himself, to serve elsewhere. Clearly that was wrong and seen from this day and age, unforgivable. It is to these priests' credit that they did forgive the church and did return home to serve their community, often very well.

Vestiges of this legacy were apparent with the appointment and troubled tenure of the late Father William Hayward at St. Mark's Church in Smith's Parish. He was appointed by the Vestry of the church but immediately ran into opposition from a large section of the congregation, many of whom left.

Fr. Hayward never succeeded in rebuilding the congregation and eventually was relieved.

Regardless of the merits and demerits of that case ? and there was plenty of blame to go around ? it is worth contrasting it with Canon Tilson, who inherited a struggling church and turned it around.

Now he must go, and Bishop Ratteray has only said that there be a replacement, not that there one. Although there is believed to be at least one Bermudian priest without a parish, it is likely that Bishop Ratteray was reluctant to pre-empt any decision that the church Vestry will ultimately have to make.

And that's the rub. The Vestry does not want a change. It's probably an understatement so say the vestry and church like the priest they have ? they love him. And when it comes to caring for the spiritual needs of parishioners, there's a strong argument to be made that good priests who help to maintain the spiritual health of a community are a special category compared to, say, an insurance underwriter or a plumber.

There have been calls, some venomous, for Bishop Ratteray, not Canon Tilson, to go. That is both unfounded and unchristian. The Bishop is a good man trying to do the best he can in a difficult job in which he has to weigh not only the desires of his flock, but the law and the legitimate ambitions of other priests.

Still, it would seem fair that he should rethink this decision. In these times, Bermuda needs more good priests, not fewer and it would be a grievous loss for Canon Tilson to go.