Consecration To Be Rescheduled, Presiding Bishop to Attend
A Letter from Standing Committee President Anne Jolly

April 17, 2021

Dear People of God in the Diocese of Chicago,

Our diocese and people around the church have been united in prayer for our bishop-elect, the Rev. Paula Clark, this week as she underwent surgery to remove an arteriovenous malformation from her brain. I am happy to report that the surgery was a success, and her recovery is proceeding smoothly. To give her ample time to regain her strength, the Standing Committee and Bishop-elect Clark, in consultation with the Presiding Bishop’s Office, have decided to postpone her ordination, consecration and seating, which were scheduled for next Saturday, April 24.

While we have not yet rescheduled this much-anticipated event, we are hoping for a date in mid-June. I am delighted to say this will allow Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to attend the consecration in person and serve as our new bishop’s chief consecrator. I know that all of us, especially our bishop-elect, will look forward to welcoming him to the Diocese of Chicago. It is also possible that by mid-June COVID-19 prevention protocols will have loosened and more people will be able to attend the consecration in person.

I am grateful for the prayers you have showered on our bishop-elect and her family this week, and I know that she is, too. I was able to talk with her by phone this afternoon, and I conveyed the diocese’s ardent wishes for her recovery.

Please keep up your prayers for Bishop-elect Clark’s continued recovery, as we look forward to the joyful day when our presiding bishop will consecrate her as the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of Chicago.

God’s Peace,
The Rev. Anne B Jolly