- 4.1 CUSTOMARY FOR THE BISHOP'S VISITATIONS
Scheduling:
The Bishop will schedule only one visitation for each weekend and
will be available to the clergy and congregation from late Saturday until early Sunday
afternoon. The Bishop can often come earlier or stay later if requested to do so. Because
of other occasional commitments on Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings, please consult
with him before announcing what he will do in your congregation.
- Purpose of Visit:
The Bishop's first priority on a visitation is to
baptize, confirm, preach, and celebrate the Eucharist. The second priority is to have time
with the clergy and their families, with the lay leaders and to do whatever else would be
helpful to the parish clergy. Please make known ahead of time what you have planned.
- Service Plans:
Please send the Bishop a draft copy of the bulletin
for approval ten days before the visitation. The Bishop conducts services as set forth in
the Book of Common Prayer. Any plan to deviate from the Prayer Book should be discussed
with the Bishop before the bulletin is printed.
Be sure to check with the Bishop before planning to
use lections other than those appointed for the day.
- Bishop's Participation:
The Bishop will take part in all Sunday morning
services. If the local priest prefers to be the celebrant at the early service, the Bishop
will preach. The Bishop will be the celebrant and preacher at the later services.
If there is a Christian education hour, the Bishop would
like to teach the adults, or in some way serve as a teacher.
- Offering:
The congregation is to be reminded, either through the bulletin or by
announcement, that the offering is for the Bishop's Discretionary Fund, and that this
offering is used for those preparing for the ordained ministry or for emergencies for
which other funds are not available. (Canon 5.4.1). Special offering envelopes are
available on request from the Diocesan office.
- Publicity:
Taking note of the Bishop's visitation in the local press, especially
in small communities, may be appropriate. A photograph of the Bishop and a sample press
release are available from the Bishop's office should these be needed.
- Alternatives:
Bishop Ladehoff hopes to visit every congregation in the Diocese at
least once each year and would like to visit each congregation at least once between
official Sunday visitations. The Bishop welcomes invitations to confirm and preach, and to
take part in Parish events such as dinners, meetings, etc., that occur during the week.
Often Bishop Hal Gross is also available for confirmations and other
events, as are Bishops William Spofford and John Thompson. The Diocese will pay the
expenses and provide an honorarium for visiting Bishops. Offerings from these services are
sent to the Diocesan Office.
- Overnight Accommodations:
When it is necessary for the Bishop to spend a night out of town, the
Bishop's Office will make the arrangements. When he stays in a motel, the Diocese will pay
the cost of his accommodations.
- Bishop's Hospitality:
At some time during the weekend, the Bishop will want to entertain
the clergy family for a meal, at a place of your choosing.
4.2 PREPARATION FOR ORDINATION
The Ordination Process in the Episcopal Church is designed to test the
validity of the call, provide academic and spiritual preparation and sufficient time to
demonstrate the candidate's commitment. There are many requirements for ordination. The
usual length of time from initial visit with the Pastor (the member of the clergy in
charge of the congregation of which the person is a communicant) to ordination will be
about five years. The time provides significant opportunity for personal growth and new
awareness of one's vocation within the Body of Christ. There are, however, no guarantees
that ordination (or employment in the Church) is certain. By its very nature, the
ordination process requires all to be open to God's leading into new and unexpected
opportunities.
Reference Sources include Title III of the Canons of the Episcopal
Church and the Ordination Manual published by the Commission on Ministry (COM) of the
Diocese of Oregon. Two publications also useful to those concerned with the ordination
process (Aspirant, Pastor, and Vestry or BAC) are "Pastoral Theology.. Essentials of
Ministry" by Thomas C. Oden (Harper & Row) and "The Deacon in the Episcopal
Church" by L. Lowery Jr.
4.2.1 Those Involved in the Pre-ordination Process
The COM serves as counsel to the Bishop and works with the Standing
Committee of the Diocese which has certain canonical responsibilities regarding
ordination. Others involved in the process include the Pastor, the Vestry or BAC and the
Parish or Mission congregation of which the candidate is a member.
The Ordination Manual describes in detail, the steps and guidelines for
those who seek ordination in Holy Orders. The following list is a summary of the basic
steps in the process.
(A person is called an Aspirant until qualified as a Postulant).
4.2.2 The steps to POSTULANCY:
1) Aspirant consults with own Pastor
2) Pastor assigns reading and supervised lay ministry
3) Aspirant completes biography, social history and application forms.
4) Pastor writes letter to Bishop recommending a specific ordination
track, i.e. the Diaconate or Priesthood
5) Aspirant obtains Vestry endorsement, physical and psychological exams,
six letters of recommendation, State Criminal Offender Background check ordered
6) Aspirant is interviewed by Bishop
7) Aspirant attends a Vocations Conference
8) COM evaluates Aspirant's file, interviews and advises the Bishop
9) Bishop enrolls the Aspirant as a Postulant
10) Postulant obtains theological education (Seminary if in preparation
for Priesthood; Diocesan school if in preparation for the Diaconate.)
(Application for Candidacy requires six months as a Postulant, and
enrollment in a theological institution.)
4.2.3 The steps to CANDIDACY:
1) Postulant applies for Candidacy
2) Seminary sends evaluation of academic performance
3) Vestry interviews Postulant and endorses application
4) Postulant interviewed by COM and Bishop
5) Standing Committee endorses application
6) Bishop enrolls Postulant as a Candidate
7) Completes school, and takes General Ordination Examination or
Diocesan equivalent.
(Must be a Candidate for a minimum of 18 months before ordination...for
urgent cause, the Standing Committee may reduce this period to six months. Candidacy
expires after 3 years.)
4.2.4 The steps to ORDINATION:
1) Candidate applies for ordination
2) Candidate obtains evaluations from Seminary of acdemic
performance, for field work, Clinical Pastoral Education, and a report of the
Ordination Examination
3) Vestry interviews Candidate and endorses application
4) Candidate interviewed by the COM and the Bishop
5) Standing Committee signs testimonial
6) Bishop schedules ordination.
NOTE: If a person ordained to the diaconate under Title III
Canon 6 later experiences a call to the priesthood, they will be required to repeat
substantially the entire ordination process and complete seminary study.
4.3 EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS
Authority to train and use Lay Eucharistic Ministers (LEM) in
congregations was established by the 1985 General Convention and revised by the 1988
General Convention.
A Lay Eucharistic Minister I's license specifies the following
function: to administer the elements at any Celebration of the Holy Eucharist in
the absence of a sufficient number of priests or deacons assisting the celebrant. A Lay
Eucharist Minister II's license specifies the following function: to take the
sacrament consecrated at the celebration to members of the congregation who by reason of
illness or infirmity were unable to be present on a Sunday or other Principal Celebration
(see Appendix 8.2.3 for additional details of Canon 3).
The purpose of this special ministry is best described by recalling
that the Book of Common Prayer affirms the place of the Holy Eucharist as "the
principal act of Christian worship on the Lord's Day and other major Feasts," and
thus the foundation of the corporate prayer of the church. As an act of the whole
community of faith, the eucharist is a summons to all the baptized to share in the Supper
of the Lord. Therefore, this form for the distribution of Holy Communion by licensed lay
persons is intended to foster a corporate sense of the eucharist among those who, by
reason of illness or infirmity, are unable to be present in their church's assembly on
Sunday or some other principal feast.
Selection of ministers for this special training should be by the
priest and vestry or BAC. It is not open to volunteers. The Bishop of the Diocese of
Oregon has established that among the qualifications for such ministers should be:
regular participation in the congregation's worship
support of the program of the church
a manner of life appropriate for such a ministry
piety centered around the Eucharist
training in pastoral care and sacramental theology as is appropriate for
this ministry.
Guidelines of the Standing Liturgical Commission (SLC):
LEMs must be adult confirmed communicants in good standing, carefully
chosen, trained, and specially licensed.
Such special license shall be given only at the request, and upon the
recommendation of, the member of the clergy in charge of the congregation in which the LEM
will be serving. The license shall be issued for a period of time not to exceed 3 years
and shall be revocable at any time by the Bishop, or by the member of the clergy at whose
request it was granted (see national Canon 3.1.2 in Appendix 8.2.3).
Where a deacon serves in a congregation, that deacon should supervise
the work of the LEMs.
It is recommended that those persons to be ministered to on this day
be specifically included in the Prayers of the People by the congregation on this day.
The administration of the sacraments to the persons visited should
take place immediately after the service in the church. Following the communion of the
people, the LEMs come forward and are commended for this ministry with the following or
similar words: "In the name of this Congregation, I send you forth bearing these
holy gifts, that those to whom you go may share with us in the communion of Christ's body
and blood. We who are many are one body, because we all share one bread, one cup."
A suitable container in which to carry the two vessels for the bread
and wine, corporals, and purificators is to be supplied. The container is to be returned
immediately to the parish along with any unconsumed elements.
Guidelines of the diocesan Liturgical Commission are in addition to the
SLC list above and include the following:
LEM IIs should be given the sacrament to take out to shut-ins, etc., immediately
after the communion of the people and before the altar is cleansed. They should leave
in full view of the congregation.
LEM IIs should be authorized to use a form derived from Rite I in
administering the communion if it seems appropriate for the person involved.
LEM IIs should be authorized to take the sacrament in one kind only
if desired by the clergy of that parish or mission.
Whenever possible, one or more of the clergy should be at the church
to receive any unconsumed sacrament when the ministers return.
Parishioners or family members should be encouraged to be present
during the administration of the sacrament whenever possible or feasible. They should be
instructed that it is a time of special reverence and not a social occasion.
The Licensed Lay Ministries Manual, including a sample form of service,
and suggested readings and resources, is available from the Bishop's Close.
4.4 MARRIAGE CONSENT FOR DIVORCED PERSONS
- General Instructions:
-
A request for consultation and consent for the marriage of divorced
persons is required under Title I, Canon 19 of the Episcopal Church. The request must be
made on the form REQUEST FOR CONSULTATION AND CONSENT (see Appendix
8.2.4 for an example).
Obtaining the Forms:
The required forms must be requested from the Bishop's office. One copy
of the completed request form indicating the proposed date of the marriage must be in the
Bishop's office 30 days prior to the proposed wedding date. Should the plans for the
marriage be cancelled, both copies of the permission forms are to be returned so
indicating.
Persons from another Diocese:
If one of the persons having a former spouse still living is from
another diocese, that person must petition, through a priest, the Bishop of that diocese.
Permission is given for the petitioning Priest, or any Priest of the diocese to solemnize
the marriage. Permission can be given by the Bishop for a Priest from another diocese to
solemnize the marriage.
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