CANON LAW LUNCH AND LEARN SERIES 2024
In October 2024, we offered a short course covering changes to the Polity and Canon Law of the Episcopal Church following our Lunch and Learn format. The program focused on those changes resulting from the two past General Conventions, GC80 (2022) and GC81(2024). A description of the sessions is in the original program flyer.
Course Leader: The Rev Joseph Campo. “Father Joe” has taught ecclesiastical polity and canon law to generations of priests, first in the Roman Catholic Church, and then, after reception as a priest in the Episcopal Church, at the General Theological Seminary. Before his recent retirement, Father Joe was primarily a parish priest and served as a priest in charge and rector for churches in the Diocese of New York. He studied theology at the Gregorian University in Rome and canon law at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa. He is one of the few USA members of the Ecclesiastical Law Society.
Week 1 - After asking what exactly we mean by church “polity” and “canon law,” we’ll do an overview of the polity and governance of The Episcopal Church, with a particular focus on changes enacted by the General Convention of this Church at its meetings in 2022, and 2024. Since much legislation is debated and enacted at each Convention, we will emphasize those actions that will have the most impact on the Church going forward. Simply put, how does this church of ours work (or not?).
Week 2 - We’ll focus on changes in the legal dimension of the worship life of our church: eucharistic liturgy, marriage, lectionary choices, and even the Book of Common Prayer itself. How are the changes made? What do these changes mean? Bishop Bill Franklin will join the conversation to discuss perspectives from the House of Bishops and an overview of progress in Ecumenical Relations.
Week 3 - In our concluding session, we’ll consider other changes affecting church structures and procedures, including elections and appointments to offices in the National Church, updates to the Parochial Report, a new “equal access” provision affecting those called to ordained ministry, and more changes to the so-called “disciplinary canon.” Perspective from the House of Deputies will be provided by Rev. offered by The Rev. Hickman Alexandre, a Deputy to several triennial General Conventions and deeply involved in the new “streamlined” national church budget process.