Author: revhelena

May 21, 2022 – [Episcopal Church in Connecticut] The Rev. Jeffrey Mello, Rector of Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, Brookline, Massachusetts, was elected on May 21 as the 16th bishop of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, pending the required consents from a majority of bishops with jurisdiction and standing committees of the Episcopal Church.

Rev. Mello was elected on the sixth ballot out of a slate of five nominees. He received 129 votes of 225 cast in the lay order and 113 of 175 cast in the clergy order. An election on that ballot required 114 in the lay order and 89 in the clergy order.

I cannot wait to be with you,
grow with you, to join you
in the work that lays ahead.

The Rev. Jeffrey Mello

The election was held during the diocese’s special election convention at the Connecticut Convention Center, as well as an auxiliary location at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford, CT. Pending a successful consent process, Rev. Mello will succeed the Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas, Ph.D., who announced his retirement just over one year ago.

Under the canons of the Episcopal Church, a majority of bishops exercising jurisdiction and diocesan standing committees must consent to the bishop-elect’s ordination as bishop within 120 days of receiving notice of the election.

Rev. Mello addressed the convention via a projected Zoom video call, which was also live streamed to an additional 300+ individuals tuned in at the time.

“I am humbled and I am honored that you have chosen me to be your 16th bishop of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut,” said Rev. Mello. “With my whole heart, my whole mind, and my whole body I accept your election and invitation to serve as your next bishop diocesan…I cannot wait to be with you, grow with you, to join you in the work that lays ahead.”

The consecration is scheduled to take place October 15, 2022, at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

The other nominees were:

• The Rev. Glenna Huber, Rector, Church of the Epiphany, Washington, DC
• The Very Rev. Kate Moorehead, Dean, St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, Jacksonville, FL
• The Rev. Canon Tanya Wallace, Rector, All Saints’ Episcopal Church, South Hadley, MA

and Petition Nominee:

• The Rev. Whitney Altopp, Rector, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Ridgefield, CT

Information about all the nominees is available at ctbishopsearch.org.

The Episcopal Church in Connecticut has over 60,000 baptized members in over 150 parishes and worshiping communities in its six Regions. Learn more at episcopalct.org.

Media Contact:
Jasree Peralta (link to email)
Canon for Mission Communication & Media   
203-639-3501, x130 

The Bishop Transition Committee (BTC) of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut (ECCT) announced on May 3, 2022, that a Petition Nominee has been certified by the Secretary of the Diocese to have met the petition requirements and provided the required documents to the BTC, as well as clearing the required Oxford Documents’ background checks:

The Final Slate therefore includes the Committee Nominees for the XVI Bishop Diocesan of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, which were announced on April 4, 2022:

• The Rev. Glenna Huber, Rector, Church of the Epiphany, Washington, DC
• The Rev. Jeffrey Mello, Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Brookline, MA
• The Very Rev. Kate Moorehead, Dean, St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, Jacksonville, FL
• The Rev. Canon Tanya Wallace, Rector, All Saints’ Episcopal Church, South Hadley, MA

and Petition Nominee:

• The Rev. Whitney Altopp, Rector, St. Stephens Episcopal Church, Ridgefield, CT

Information about each nominee, including a brief professional biography, photos, introductory video, curriculum vitae, essay answers and sermon links, is available at https://ctbishopsearch.org/nominees.  

The Standing Committee of ECCT has called a Special Election Convention to be held on May 21, 2022, at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford for the purposes of the election of the XVI Bishop Diocesan of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.

Nominee Meet and Greet sessions will be held around ECCT May 9-14. Information regarding these events may be found at https://ctbishopsearch.org/meet-greets/. Pending the canonically required consents, the ordination and consecration of the XVI Bishop Diocesan of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut is scheduled for October 15, 2022 with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry presiding and chief consecrator.

The Bishop Transition Committee Petition Process closed on Thursday, April 14, at 5 p.m. The next step in the Petition Process is for candidate(s) to be fully screened by the Oxford Document Management Company, Inc., among other steps. That process will require time, and the BTC will make an announcement as soon as it is possible to do so. Please continue to keep our Nominees and the Bishop Transition Committee in your prayers.

Consecration of the XVI Bishop Diocesan of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut

CHANGE OF DATE

Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 11:00 AM

The date for the consecration of the XVI Bishop Diocesan of ECCT has been changed to Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 11:00 AM. As the Hartford Marathon, which causes road closures and limits hotel availability, is also scheduled for October 8, the consecration has been moved.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is scheduled to be with us on October 15 as presider and chief consecrator.

Please continue to keep the BTC, the Candidates, and all of ECCT in your prayers as we all continue discerning who Christ is calling to be our next Bishop Diocesan.

Thank you and Blessings,
The Bishop Transition Committee

Where we’ve been … What’s Next

The Bishop Transition Committee (BTC) hopes you and yours are having good beginnings of 2022. We are now nine months into our process, so we want to give you a brief update on the search for ECCT’s XVI Bishop Diocesan. 

Where We’ve Been:

We held twenty-one listening sessions over Zoom in September and October, hearing from a diverse range of clergy, laity, and ECCT staff across our six regions. We also conducted an online survey. These combined efforts resulted in feedback from about 485 people in ECCT. The Profile published in early November reflects what we heard you saying we are as a diocese and what we want in our next Bishop. A huge “Thank you!” to all who participated.

Publishing our ECCT profile in early November opened the application process for candidates. We notified Dioceses and Episcopal groups across the country that our application process was open, seeking to reach a diverse range of applicants. The original application deadline was extended to December 14, 2021. 

Since then, our work has focused on reviewing applications of potential Candidates and conducting interviews. Each BTC member reviewed and prayerfully considered each application and provided feedback. Our first round of Candidate interviews was held from late December through mid-January.

Small teams from the BTC conducted remote interviews of every Candidate who applied and called the references of each Candidate. The full committee then discerned, over multiple nights, which Candidates to invite to a second round of interviews in March. We have selected the semi-finalist Candidates and invited them to the final round of interviews. 

A full timeline of our process is available here.

What’s Next: 

In mid-March, the semi-finalist Candidates will attend a retreat with the BTC. This is a time of discernment for both ECCT and the Candidates. There we will listen to each other, pray together, and continue to get to know our semi-finalist Candidates.

Stay tuned for information in the coming weeks about the process for announcing the Committee Nominees, a petitioning period for Petition Candidates, meeting the final slate, election of the XVI Bishop Diocesan, and more!

For more information on the BTC and the process, go on the BTC website and sign up for updates.