16th All-American Council Resolutions Committee begins work

In order to encourage wider discussion of issues facing the Orthodox Church in America during the 16th All-American Council, the Preconciliar Commission has appointed a Resolutions Committee per Article III, Section 5, part F of the Statute of the Orthodox Church in America.

This Committee is now prepared to receive proposed resolutions and amendments to OCA Statute for consideration at the 16th All-American Council. Parishes and other Church bodies—deaneries, dioceses, stavropighial institutions—may submit proposed resolutions and amendments in advance of the Council to the Resolutions Committee.

Specifically, the Resolutions Committee will review each submission.

  • If necessary it will discuss possible editorial changes with the submitting body.
  • If substantially identical resolutions are submitted, the Committee will consolidate them into a single resolution, again after consultation with the submitting bodies.
  • If, in the estimation of the Committee, a proposed resolution clearly lies outside the competence of the All-American Council, whether on canonical grounds or in conflict with the OCA Statute, the Committee will inform the submitting body of this.
  • In case of doubt, a proposed resolution will be submitted to the Holy Synod to determine whether it can be brought before the All-American Council.
  • If a proposed resolution is determined to lie outside the competence of the All-American Council, the Committee, in consultation with the Holy Synod and the proposing body, will consider alternative ways of bringing issues underlying the proposed resolution to the attention of the All-American Council. After review of submissions, the Resolutions Committee will turn over proposed resolutions to the Preconciliar Commission for inclusion on the All-American Council agenda. Deliberation on proposed resolutions will take place in plenary sessions throughout the course of the Council.
  • Resolutions from parishes normally shall bear the signatures of the parish priest and the president of the parish council; those from deaneries, of the dean and other priests of the deanery; those from dioceses, of the bishop and the diocesan chancellor; those from stavropighial institutions, of the abbot, dean or rector, and at least one other member of the institution in question.
  • Resolutions and proposed amendments to the OCA Statute will be sent to the respective diocesan hierarch, who will sign and forward them to the Resolutions Committee.

To allow sufficient time for consideration, proposed resolutions from parishes and other Church bodies must be submitted to the Resolutions Committee by August 1, 2011. These will be published by August 30, 2011—60 days before the Council per Article III, Section 5, part E and Article XIII, Sections 1-2. As with past All-American Councils, resolutions may also be proposed in the course of the Council itself. Details concerning procedures for submission of such proposals will be posted at a later time.

Procedures for amendment of the OCA Statute differ from procedures for All-American Council resolutions. Procedures for Statute amendment are set forth in the OCA Statute Article XIII, Sections 1-2. The complete Statute is available on the OCA web site at https://www.oca.org/DOCindex-statute.asp?SID=12. Accordingly, proposed resolutions and amendments to the Statute must be sent to the OCA Chancery to the attention of the Resolutions Committee.

Relevant submissions should be sent to the Resolutions Committee, 16th All-American Council, c/o Chancery of the Orthodox Church in America, PO Box 675, Syosset, NY 11791.

His Grace, Bishop Melchisedek, chairs the Resolutions Committee. Other committee members include Archpriest John H. Erickson, Vice-Chairperson; Priest Victor Gorodenchuk; Gregory Nescott, Esq.; and Dr. David Wagschal.