Statute Revision Task Force concludes week-long meeting
On Friday, December 12, 2014, The Statute Revision Task Force concluded five days of meetings at the Chancery of the Orthodox Church in America and Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY.
Established by the Holy Synod of Bishops in 2013, the Task Force is undertaking a comprehensive revision of the OCA Statute, originally adopted at the Second All-American Council in 1971. A major guiding principle of its work is to ensure that the revised Statute reflects current realities of the OCA’s life and the structure, which have changed significantly over the past four decades.
In order to involve the Church-at-large in the revision process, reports on the work of the Task Force have been presented in recent months to the Holy Synod and the Metropolitan Council—see report on pages 57-59 here. In addition, Archpriest Alexander Rentel, Secretary, and other Task Force members have offered presentations and facilitated discussions at various diocesan assemblies.
On Monday, December 8, His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel, Task Force Chairman, opened the week’s sessions, during which members continued their detailed and painstaking review and revision of the Statute’s current text. Additional provisions and articles concerning items not previously covered in the Statute were also drafted. This work is based in part on a draft revision that had been prepared a decade ago and presented to the Holy Synod for review, but not completed and finalized at that time.
In order to gain input on provisions in the Statute concerning the OCA Pension Board, Task Force members met with John Sedor, Pension Board Chairman, and other Board members. In conjunction with their sessions at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary on December 10, members were able to interact with the school’s faculty and students and attend Vespers at Three Hierarchs Chapel. On December 11-12, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon; Archpriest John Jillions, Chancellor; Archpriest Eric Tosi, Secretary; and Melanie Ringa, Treasurer joined the Task Force for extensive and productive discussions. Task Force members were grateful for the valuable input they provided on key points of the Statute.
After their next meeting in mid-January 2015, the Task Force will submit the Statute revision for review by the Holy Synod and the Metropolitan Council. After this review is completed, the Statute revision will be posted on the OCA web site to enable clergy and faithful to submit on-line comments and suggestions. As mandated by Article XIII of the current Statute, suggested revisions will be accepted up to 90 days prior to the opening of the 18th All-American Council, slated to convene in Atlanta, GA on July 20, 2015. The final text will be posted 60 days before the Council and subsequently presented for adoption to AAC delegates.
In addition to Archbishop Nathaniel and Father Rentel, other Task Force members include Archimandrite Daniel [Brum]; Archpriests Dimitri Cozby and John Erickson, Priest Ioan Cozma; Judge E.R. Lanier; and Alexis Liberovsky.
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