Dear Clerical and Lay Members of Convention,
Blessings to you and your loved ones. As we near the end of the year and the beginning of Advent, planning is well underway for the 2022 Diocesan Convention. I look forward to seeing you there.
Date and Location
Friday Evening, January 28 Online Event
We will hold a virtual event Friday evening to inspire and challenge us. We’ll have more information to share soon. Members of the Convention will have the opportunity to register for the Zoom webinar, and the event will be live-streamed.
Saturday, January 29, In-person at Washington National Cathedral
The legislative portion of Convention will occur in person at Washington National Cathedral on Saturday, January 29. While we are excited to gather in person after being apart for so long, I realize that it may cause anxiety for some. It is necessary because our canons do not as yet have provision for alternative ways of gathering. Thus we must ratify actions taken at last year’s online Convention and Special Convention (which took place under a temporary suspension of the canons), and to amend our canons so that we may hold Convention online or in a hybrid format going forward.
Safety Protocols
In order to ensure our time together is as risk-free as possible, we will follow several safety protocols for our collective health.
- In-person attendance will be limited to clergy and lay delegates, ex-officio members and support staff. Those persons who do not fall into these categories will have the opportunity to watch the proceedings as they are streamed online.
- Masking will be required.
- All persons participating in the Convention will need to supply proof of vaccination in order to check in on Saturday.
A note about that third bullet point: I understand that there may be people who are not vaccinated or are uncomfortable showing proof of vaccination. Nevertheless, Diocesan Council, the Standing Committee, and I have determined that proof of vaccination is necessary for our physical health and peace of mind.
If you are a member of Convention and unwilling or unable to be vaccinated, now is the time to secure an alternate delegate for your parish.
Faithfully,
Bishop Mariann
