Bishop John H. Taylor officially began his ministry as bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles near the end of the opening Eucharist of Diocesan Convention on Dec. 1 when retiring Bishop J. Jon Bruno handed him the historic crozier borne by each bishop of the diocese.
Taylor immediately exercised his new authority by naming Mary Bruno, the retiring bishop’s spouse, as an honorary canon of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul. Delegates and clergy honored the couple with an extended ovation.
Taylor then presided over the meeting, which elected new officers, received reports of work, and heard addresses by Bishop Taylor and Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce. Both addresses are posted on the diocesan Facebook page; Taylor’s is here, and Bruce’s is here.
Another highlight of the meeting was the biannual Margaret Parker Lecture, delivered by Bishop Minerva Carcaño of the United Methodist Church. Carcaño addressed the topic of global migration and immigration, calling the church to a compassionate response based on biblical commands to welcome the stranger. A video of Bishop Carcaño’s lecture is here.
Convention also adopted several resolutions, including a suggestion to General Convention that it amend the Title IV disciplinary canons in light of the Diocese of Los Angeles’ recent experiences; a resolution on a youth ministry study (a substitute for the originally proposed text); a proposed timeline for the reorganization of Corporation Sole; and a resolution approving a companion relationship with the Māori Anglican Diocese of Tairāwhiti, Aotearoa-New Zealand. Texts of the adopted resolutions are here.
A list of clergy and lay people elected to diocesan offices is here.
A full report on the 2017 meeting of Diocesan Convention will appear in the Winter 2018 issue of The Episcopal News, due out next week.