Diocesan Convention Reconsidered

This year's Diocesan Convention at Camp of the Woods in Speculator, New York, was marked by an embarrassingly low turnout.  The Bishop has reportedly expressed his distress that the "family reunion" of the diocese attracted so few delegates and other attendees.  If the Bishop's distress at a low turnout was as reported, this is indeed the time to revisit the place, time, and format of Convention. Given that business rarely takes more than a few hours, a one day business meeting could be held at the Cathedral of All Saints at little cost to the diocese, parishes, and individuals.  If the diocese wishes, there could be a separate time and place for a diocesan-wide reunion, featuring worship and fellowship. 

Why is the Camp of the Woods not an ideal venue for the annual business meeting of the diocese?  Instead of being equidistant for all, it is equally inconvenient for everyone.  Rent for these outside facilities could be avoided and applied to program if the meeting were at a location owned by the diocese.  The attendance, food and lodging charge to individual delegates and clergy is burdensome.  And the time and place of the convention takes both clergy and laity away from their parishes on an important Sunday.

On June 22 Joseph Liotta, an active member of The Episcopal Church in this diocese and a member of Albany Via Media, sent Bishop Love a letter expressing these views.  It was his wish that the letter not be published until the Bishop had been given sufficient time to offer a thoughtful reply.  Unfortunately, the Bishop has not honored the letter with a reply.

Therefore we are happy to publicize Mr. Liotta's letter, in the hope that it will stimulate a renewed discussion among delegates, clergy and laity of the timing, place and format of our Diocesan Convention.  As Mr. Liotta points out, it is within the authority of the Bishop to name the time and place for meeting.  We remain hopeful of a reply by Bishop Love to this thoughtful and reasonable request.  Bishop, do you listen to the petitions of your people, and will you offer a personal, pastoral reply?  We hope so.

Mr. Liotta writes:

Dear Bishop Love,

Thank you for posting your convention address in a timely fashion. Your address to the convention was helpful to me in fashioning this letter. It hit on some of the concerns I have, the first being the convention dates.

In your address you clearly pointed out the meaning of Pentecost as one of the seven principle feast days of the Church, and often regarded as the birthday of the Church. You then stated that “holding Convention on Pentecost Weekend presents a number of unique challenges back in our home parishes for which I am very much aware."

I am pleased to note that you are aware that many parishes in the diocese had no clergy at all. Some conducted Morning Prayer with lay readers. For the sake of the several hundred conventioneers, most of the other 15,000 or so souls in this Diocese could not celebrate the Eucharist on one of the seven principal feast days of the Church.

I will be interested to read about the attendance at the convention in general, the number of parishes represented, and the number of clergy in attendance.

If ever there was a time to change the date and place of the convention it was this year. And you have the constitutional authority to do that:

CONSTITUTION OF THE DIOCESE OF ALBANY

Article I

There shall be a Convention of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Albany each year. The Bishop, with the consent of the Standing Committee, or, in case of a vacancy in the Episcopate, the Standing Committee, shall appoint the place and time.

The presence of 30 of the Clergy entitled to vote and Deputies representing 25 Churches shall constitute a quorum which shall be necessary for the transaction of business.

My second concern is about the constituted quorum.  It seems that with 120 parishes and summer chapels and several hundred clergy in residence, including deacons, that 30 clergy and 25 Churches being a quorum as stated in the constitution, while legal, is not advisable. I suggest that a constitutional change to reflect the higher numbers is in order.

Canon Charles King indicated to me this past year that he was working on procedures for the convention. This was in reference to his erroneous ruling on Robert’s Rules he inflicted at the previous convention where he ruled that I was out of order for reasons he claimed were in Robert Rules. There was no text in Robert’s Rules that supported his interpretation. I was out of order for other reasons in Robert’s Rules. Whatever happened to Canon King’s recommendations? Were you aware of them?

Sincerely,

Joseph M. Liotta
Norwood, NY 13668

Comments

[Dennis Wisnom]

In 2009, I put forward a resolution which stated resolved, 'future conventions be held in the Cathedral of All Saints.' At the time it came to the floor to be considered for debate, as I walked down to the floor to have my voice, Bishop Love said something to the effect of 'only the Bishop with the consent of the Standing Committee can determine the location of Convention'...at which point, the vast majority of those who support Bishop Love stood up and cheered. I felt I had been punched in the gut. I feel there is no place in this diocese for dissent or diversity of opinion and that is downright sad & wrong. This diocese of Albany needs leaders who are willing to listen to ALL PERSONS, and it needs a new bishop, or at least someone who cares enough and is sensitive enough to listen. The time has come for Alternative Pastoral Oversight

[Paula Sippel]

I have written to the Bishop in the past in heartfelt ways, asking for a response, and never received a response. In my "day job" as a secular college president, I find that simple courtesy requires that I respond to any student or alumni of the College who takes the time to write. I cannot reconcile the Bishop's claim that "I will talk with anyone about anything" to his silence to so many of us "well meaning people", clearly a breach of even the most common courtesy. Where are you Bishop Love? It appears that you will talk with no one who might pose a challenge to you.