Synod 2019 Selects A New Provincial Archbishop

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T&T Anglican Diocese
in , ,

SYNOD 2019 SELECTS A NEW PROVINCIAL ARCHBISHOP

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The fortieth meeting of the Provincial Synod (hereafter referred to as Provincial Synod 2019) of the Anglican Church in the Province of the West Indies takes place in Trinidad from May 24th – May 31st at the Cascadia Hotel in St Ann’s. Meetings of the Provincial Synod are held every three years and includes  representatives of each of the eight Dioceses , namely,  Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, the North East Caribbean and Aruba , Trinidad & Tobago and the Windward Islands. The theme of the meeting is “Being and making Disciples in our Caribbean Context. #Called. Empowered. Sent! “

Apart from the Opening Service of Synod at Trinity Cathedral on Sunday May 26 at 4 p.m., the highlight of Provincial Synod 2019 will be the election of a new Archbishop of the Province of the West Indies (CPWI), due to the retirement of the Most Reverend John Walder Dunlop Holder of Barbados in February 2018.  Senior Bishop The Right Revd. Errol Brooks, who has since performed the duties of Provincial Archbishop, will continue to do so until the new Archbishop is elected on Monday May 27.

The Provincial Archbishop who bears the responsibility for the general administration of the Province, shall have and use the title and dignity of “Archbishop of the West Indies, Primate and Metropolitan.”  He is the Chairman of the House of Bishops, the focus of Provincial unity and the link between the Province and the wider Anglican Communion.

The Archbishop will be chosen from among the Diocesan Bishops of the Province (listed hereunder) and elected by the Provincial Synod, acting as an Elective Assembly, comprising the Houses of Bishops, Clergy and Laity, the Provincial Chancellor, the Provincial Secretary, the Provincial Registrar, the Principal of Codrington College and the Anglican Warden of The United Theological College of The West Indies.

Diocesan Bishops of the Province   (Ecclesiastical title- The Right Reverend) are:

  • Bahamas (created in 1861) — Laish Boyd
  • Barbados (created in 1824) — Michael Maxwell
  • Belize (created in 1891) — Phillip Wright
  • Guyana (created in 1842) — Charles Davidson
  • Jamaica (created in 1824) — Howard Kingsley Gregory
  • North Eastern Caribbean and Aruba (created in 1842) — Errol Brooks
  • Trinidad & Tobago (created in 1872) — Claude Berkley
  • Windward Islands (created in 1898) — Leopold Friday

On the day of the election, after the celebration of the Eucharist, Synod shall convene under the presidency of the Senior Bishop, and once it is determined that each House is validly constituted the Bishops shall withdraw and after consultation between themselves, the presiding Bishop will then submit to The Elective Assembly two nominations to fill the office of Archbishop. The Houses will then separate for discussion after which The Assembly will vote by secret ballot on the nominees. A simple majority will secure an election. The presiding Bishop shall formally proclaim the person elected to be the Archbishop and Primate of the Church in the Province and shall as soon as possible after the election publish the name of the new Archbishop throughout the Province.  After election, the voting papers shall be burnt or otherwise destroyed.

The Provincial Synod is the legislative body of the CPWI and has full power and authority to amend or repeal the Constitution and to enact such Canons, Rules, Regulation or Orders as may be necessary. The duty of the Synod is also to deliberate on and determine by Canon or Resolution all matters concerning the common life of the Church. To this end at every Ordinary meeting of the Provincial Synod there are established Standing Commissions dealing with various aspects of the Church’s life including Doctrine, Social Justice and Human Rights, Liturgy and Church Music, Mission, Renewal and Ecumenism, Ministry, The Constitution and Canons and Youth. The establishment of these Commissions is scheduled to take place on May 30th 2019.

At the end of Provincial Synod 2019 it is proposed that a report will be prepared that would inform each Diocese, among other things, of the Resolutions taken and the Appointments to the Provincial Commissions and Provincial Standing Committee.

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