New York Episcopalians will begin a year-long process to pick a new religious leader after the diocese’s two highest-ranking priests announced plans to step down earlier this month.
The Episcopal Church””the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion””has about 66,000 members in the New York diocese, which covers Manhattan, the Bronx and several upstate counties including Westchester. While overshadowed by the larger, more influential Roman Catholic Church, the diocese boasts a long history and landmarks like Trinity Church, which stands at the foot of Wall Street, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, a giant gothic-style cathedral on the Upper West Side.
The Rt. Rev. Mark Sisk, who has served as bishop of New York for the past decade, called for a special election to pick his successor at the diocese’s annual convention Nov. 13. The election, slated for October 2011, doesn’t require the 68-year-old Rt. Rev. Sisk, to immediately depart. He could continue to serve alongside the winner for as long as three years.
Actually, 2009 membership was about 61,670, with ASA of about 19,627, and dropping sharply (about 4% down in 2009). Typical of DoNY to inflate their numbers (and even those probably count me twice, given their dismal recordkeeping, not to mention the inflation of tourists in St. Thomas and St. Bart’s at Christmas and Easter). Redeemer Pres and its plants will probably be larger than the TEC diocese one of these days.