The Search/Nomination Committee and the Transition Committee will be giving regular updates on the Search Process through regular emails.
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Bishop Search and Nomination Committee Report January 2017
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Communique no. 5 for from the Search & Nomination Committee
The Bishop Search and Nomination Committee continues its work, behind the scenes for the time being, primarily in the writing of the profile of the Convocation that will serve as the base document for those who may feel called to present themselves as candidates for our next Bishop. The profile will be available to everyone on the Convocation website from early February. It will highlight the role and tasks of the Bishop-in-Charge of the Convocation, in addition to giving background information on the Convocation, its context in Europe, our parishes and missions, and a little about what the new Bishop might expect living in Paris, almost certainly for the first time.
The Book of Common Prayer, on page 517 "The Examination" for the Ordination of Bishops, has several paragraphs describing the calling of a bishop. As we are at the beginning of the discernment process this page merits reading, particularly as many of us probably have a hazy understanding of what it is the Church requires of bishops.
In addition to being a strong witness of our faith, the Church calls on a bishop to be one with the apostles proclaiming the Gospel, to guard the faith, unity and discipline of the Church, to ordain priests and deacons, and to be a faithful pastor and example for all Christians.
Each bishop has some unique duties, depending on location, size of diocese (Convocation in our situation), history, etc. The particular duties of the Convocation bishop, as reflected in the profile, include matters such as directing and guiding the leading of the various commissions and committees of the Convocation (Council of Advice, Commission on the Ministry of the Baptized, Youth Commission, European Institute of Christian Studies, and the Committee on Mission Congregations), representing the Convocation in the worldwide Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, and maintaining relationships with various ecumenical partners, some particular to Europe. An important role of all bishops is to serve as the pastor to the clergy of their jurisdiction, which is a notable challenge in the Convocation because of the wide geographic spread over several countries, with the associated implications for travel. Opportunities to interact with parishioners are similarly complicated by distance and the rarity of Convocation-wide events. Living and working in the midst of the differing cultures of the countries of the Convocation, including the varied languages, is yet another difference. But we have faith that the special requirements of our Convocation will energize and inspire a number of good candidates and that we will be able to discern God's will as we call the next Bishop-in-Charge for our community.
Please continue to hold all those involved in the search process in your prayers. We need your support and thank you for it.
Bishop Search and Nomination Committee
January 13, 2018
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Prayer for the Convocation
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O God, we pray for the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe as we discern and elect a Bishop to serve your people, build up your Church and proclaim boldly the Gospel to the world. Send us, we pray, an Apostle who is a wise counsellor, a merciful pastor, filled with your joy and grace. May your servant have the abundant gifts needed to lead your flock and the strength and courage to administer them. And may we renew and rededicate our lives to your will and service. All this we pray in the Name of our Great High Priest and Servant of the servants of God, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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Transition Committee Report
January 2018
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The Transition Committee Retreat
We of the Convocation aren't just calling a new bishop. We are also presenting the finalist-candidates to all of us, saying farewell to our beloved Bishop Pierre, consecrating the new bishop and helping him or her and any family settle into Paris.
All those are principally the role of the Transition Committee, which held a retreat in Florence on January 11-13 to prepare to take on these daunting tasks.
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Left to Right:
Dottie Dunnam
(Florence),
Harriet Rivière
(Paris),
Ron Clingenpeel
(consultant),
Rob Warren
(chaplain; Clermont-Ferrand),
Christoph Herpel
(Frankfurt),
Anne Swardson, Co-Chair
(Paris),
Michael Rusk
(Geneva),
Andrea D'Agosto
(Rome),
Chris Easthill, Co-Chair
(Wiesbaden),
Janet Day-Strehlow
(Munich),
Steve Smith
(Munich),
Felicity Handford
(Waterloo), Not Pictured:
Alison Wale
(Clermont-Ferrand)
The Transition Committee will prepare what's called a "walkabout," a visit by all the finalists to Europe to meet us. The dates are Sept. 26-Sept. 30, in Paris, Munich and Rome. Save the dates! Those from other churches and mission congregations will be welcome at these events, which will also be live-streamed and available later.
We were also excited to talk about preparing the election, at the Convocation Convention in Waterloo on Oct. 19-21, after the Search Committee's hard work in selecting the finalists. The next big events after that will be in Paris. On Saturday, April 6, is the consecration of our next bishop, who even now may not know he or she has been called by God to, in the words of our bishop-search prayer, be "an Apostle who is a wise counsellor, a merciful pastor, filled with your joy and grace.''
The event will start at 11 a.m.; we expect dignitaries both from the national church and from churches, Anglican as well as ecumenical partners, from across Europe. We hope that as many of you as possible will come too. A lunch for everyone will follow.
Transition Committee
January 20, 2018
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Further information on the Membership and the Duties of these two Committees
can be found here.
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Timetable of the Search for the Next
Bishop in Charge
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October 2017 - Convocation Convention in Wiesbaden, Germany
- Strategic Plan was presented to Convention
- The Search/Nomination Committee and Transition Committee were commissioned
November 2017
- Search/Nomination and Transition Committees organize themselves.
- In consultation with the Presiding Bishop's Office, a Search Consultant is engaged by the Council of Advice
December 2017
- Meeting of Search/Nomination Committee and Search Consultant, in Paris, December 1-2.
- Input from congregations and parishioners is received by congregational forums and online surveys.
January 2018
- Meeting of Transition and Search Consultant, in Florence, January 12-13
- Search Profile is written by Search/Nomination Committee and approved by Council of Advice
Late Winter 2018
- The Position is announced in various church venues
- Nominations for Bishop are received
Spring 2018
- Nominees are vetted and a shortlist of candidates is compiled
June 30, 2018
- List of Candidates from Search/Nomination Committee is made public
- Three week window is made available for additional nominations to be made, according to a nomination protocol.
August 15, 2018
- Final list of Candidates is made public
September 27-30, 2018
- Presentation of Bishop Candidates in Paris, Munich, and Rome for Candidates and Spouses
October 19, 2018 -
Election Convocation Convention
in Waterloo Belgium
- Election of the Bishop in Charge and regular convention business
Following the Election
- The Standing Committees of all the Episcopal dioceses and all diocesan bishops are asked to approve the election. This process can take several months.
- The Presiding Bishop, Deo volente, receives notice that consents have been received from a majority of bishops and standing committees of the Episcopal Church.
- The bishop-elect begins her/his transition to assume office.
April 5, 2019
- Worship Service and Soirée honoring Bishop Pierre Whalon (Friday evening) at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Paris.
April 6, 2019
- Ordination and Consecration of the new Bishop in Charge at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Paris. The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, will preside (Saturday at 11:00 a.m.)
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Bishop Search Website to be launched
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A special Bishop Search Website will be
launched on or around February 1
.
This website will be the "go to" place for all information for the Bishop Search, Nomination, and the Transition processes.
This site will include:
- The Convocation Profile, which is currently being developed by the Search/Nomination Committee, both in an on-line and a downloadable form.
- It will also include the link to be used to nominate persons for the position of Bishop in Charge.
- When the list of candidates has been finalized, biographical and other information about the candidates will be posted.
- It will also include other information about the Convocation, which will assist persons who are interested in the bishop search process.
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Earlier Bishop Search Update E-Mails....
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Assisting with the Search Process
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Our Search Consultant
"The
Council of Advice
is pleased to announce that
The Very Rev Ronald Clingenpeel
will be our consultant for the Search & Nomination and Transition process. Ron has great experience with many dioceses, including some places that are not the normal -- which is certainly the case with the Convocation. We look forward to working with him."
The Rev Sunny Hallanan+, Rector, All Saints' Episcopal Church, Waterloo and President, Council of Advice
October 2017
Fr. Clingenpeel
met with the Search/Nomination Committee at its meeting December 1-2 in Paris, and with the Transition Committee at its meeting January 12-13 in Florence.
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Representing the Presiding Bishop's Office
The Rev Canon Michael Hunn
is on the staff of the Presiding Bishop and serves as Canon for Ministry Within the Episcopal Church. Canon Hunn serves as a member of the Search and Nomination Committee and represents the Presiding Bishop in the search process.
Canon Hunn was also our keynote speaker at the recent
Convocation Convention
in Wiesbaden, October 19-22, and has worked closely with the Council of Advice in the transition process.
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Representing the Board of Foreign Parishes
Ms. Nancy Treuhold
represents the Board of Foreign Parishes on the Search and Nomination Committee. Ms. Treuhold is a former parishioner of the American Cathedral in Paris and makes her home in New York. She and the other members of the Board provide invaluable support and selfless dedication to the work and ministry of the Convocation.
The Board of Foreign Parishes
is a Church-related corporation registered in the State of New York, with its seat in New York City. Together with its associated boards, it holds title to some of the Convocation's parish properties, manages several parish endowment funds, and also the endowments funds for the Convocation. The Convocation funds are chiefly the Nice Fund and the Rowthorn Fund. The Board of Foreign Parishes has nurtured and secured the mission of the Episcopal Church in Europe for close to 135 years, and has been a support through times of war and deprivation, as well as times of peace and prosperity, over these many years.
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The Episcopal Church in Europe
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The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe
is one of four Anglican jurisdictions in continental Europe. The other Anglican jurisdictions in Europe are: the
Lusitanian Church of Portugal
, the
Reformed Episcopal Church of Spain
, and the
Church of England's
Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe
. The Convocation is the jurisdiction of the Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church,
the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry
. The Episcopal Church is one of 39 provinces of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church is present in 16 countries around the world.
The Bishop in Charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, a suffragan bishop to the Presiding Bishop, is based at The American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Paris. There are congregations in France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, and Austria. The Convocation functions both as a European Church with a legal corporate structure based in France, as well as being a diocesan-like jurisdiction of the Episcopal Church.
The Episcopal Church has been present in Europe since 1815. The Convocation was created by a Canon of General Convention in 1859, and Bishops in Charge were appointed by the Presiding Bishop. Some were diocesan Bishops or recently retired Bishops, who exercised oversight on a part-time basis. Bishops in Charge have been resident in Europe since 1960.
The first full-time resident Bishop in Charge was the Rt. Rev. Edmond Browning (1971-1974).
The first Bishop in Charge to be elected by the Convocation itself
and the first to be ordained and consecrated in Europe is our present Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Pierre Whalon, who was elected in 2001 and consecrated in St. Paul's Within the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome on November 18, 2001.
Bishop Whalon announced his intention to resign as Bishop in Charge effective July 31, 2019. This has initiated a Search Process for our second elected Bishop in Charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe.
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The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe | 23 avenue George V, 75008 Paris, France
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