Source: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
The Archdiocese communicated the following details regarding historic May and June meetings to all clergy and parishes on April 8, 2014:
The dates and location have been set for a special Archdiocesan Synod Meeting, Board of Trustees meeting and the Special Nominating Convention. The location will be Chicago, Illinois, in order to facilitate air travel from all parts of the Archdiocese. The specific hotel will be announced, and all meetings will take place at that hotel. (See here for hotel and registration updates from April 29.)
The new date and location for the Special Board of Trustees and Archdiocesan Synod meetings were motivated by the need to convene the Special Nominating Convention. This makes it necessary to cancel the meetings which were originally scheduled at the Antiochian Village for the weekend of May 29-31.
The schedule of meetings is as follows:
Tuesday May 13, 2014, 7:00 – 11:00 p.m. – Special meeting of the Archdiocesan Synod.
Wednesday May 14, 2014, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Special Board of Trustees Meeting.
Wednesday June 4, 2014, 7:00 – 11:00 p.m. – Meetings of the Archdiocesan Synod and/or Archdiocesan Board of Trustees (as needed)
Thursday June 5, 2014, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Special Assembly to nominate candidates for the office of Metropolitan
The agendas for the May 13-14 Archdiocesan Synod and Board of Trustees meetings will be sent by email and regular U.S. mail prior to the meetings. The official Call to the Convention will be sent by email and regular U.S. mail according to the timeframes stipulated in the constitution.
Please note the following very important items:
1. In order for your parish or mission to be seated and eligible to vote at the nominating convention, you must have paid your entire 2013 assessment and Special Trays in full. Also, your payments must be up to date for 2014 as of March, 2014. We will contact those pastors who still have balances due in order to reach a reconciliation.
2. No guests will be permitted to attend either the Special Board meeting or the Special Nominating Assembly. Guests can be accommodated at the hotel, but attendance at the meetings will be restricted to only Board members, and authorized delegates.
We greatly appreciate everyone’s cooperation and understanding as we work to fulfill our obligations during this extraordinary time.
The Department of Conventions and Conference Planning has released the following details regarding the Archdiocese Special Nominating Convention being held June 5th in Chicago, IL. (See here for introductory information on upcoming May and June leadership meetings and the convention.)
May 15 Update: ONLINE REGISTRATION is now available via the AntiochianEvents system.
Host Parish: St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church – Cicero, IL
Hotel Name: Hyatt Regency at O’Hare Airport
Hotel Address: 9300 Bryn Mawr Ave., Rosemont, IL 60018
Group Room Rate: $139.00 per night
Complimentary hotel shuttle from O’Hare airport to the hotel
Toll-free Reservations: 1-888-421-1442
Group code for phone reservation: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese Special Convention
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Only authorized voting delegates who will be attending the Special Convention, and those who have been approved by the Archdiocese Headquarters to be in attendance, are authorized to register for the Special Convention. All fees are NON Refundable. The names of those registering online will be cross referenced against the approved delegates listing provided by the Archdiocese and only those individuals will be allowed to attend. If you are unsure if you are a delegate, please check with your parish priest before registering. Your online registration by itself does not entitle you to be present at the Special Meeting or to have a vote.
Nomination and Election Procedures Upon Vacancy of Metropolitan See (From the Constitution of the Antiochian Archdiocese, Article 1, Section 5)
A.
Immediately upon the vacancy of the Metropolitan See, either by death, disability or retirement, the Archdiocese Board of Trustees and the Senior Diocesan Bishop, or, if none, the Vicar General, shall inform officially in writing the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East and appropriate civil and ecclesiastical authorities. Upon any such happening, the Senior Bishop present, , or if none present, the Vicar General, together with the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and/or the Treasurer and/or the Chancellor shall seal important rooms and files at the Archdiocese
headquarters, and make a record of same, signed by all present. (Thereafter, all properties or investments registered in the name of the Metropolitan Archbishop as the head of the Metropolitan See shall become the property of the Archdiocese.) The Senior Diocesan Bishop will, with the members of the Archdiocesan Board of Trustees, assume responsibility for the administration of the Metropolitan See.
B.
Within a period of sixty (60) days after the vacancy of the Metropolitan See, the Senior Diocesan Bishop together with the Archdiocese Board of Trustees, shall call a Special Convention, which must be held on or before the expiration of thirty (30) days of the date of call, for the nomination and election of official candidates for the position of Metropolitan by secret ballot.
C.
(1) The Senior Diocesan Bishop, in agreement with the Archdiocese Board of Trustees, shall prepare a list containing all the names of worthy clergymen from this Archdiocese who are qualified for nomination as described in Section 4, of this Article, and a copy of this list shall be included in the call for the Convention. (The Archdiocese may also, if necessary, include in the list names from the list of nominees kept in the records of the Patriarchate and the Holy Synod.)
(2) The delegates attending such Convention shall select, by secret ballot, three candidates from such list. Each delegate shall be entitled to one vote. The three clergymen with the highest number of votes of the Special Convention shall thereupon be designated as the official candidates.
(3) Immediately, thereafter, the names of the official candidates for the office of Metropolitan Archbishop, together with the preferential recommendation of the Archdiocese Board of Trustees reflecting the percentage vote of the Special Convention for each candidate, shall be submitted to the Local Synod of the Archdiocese (“Local Synod”) which will certify the results of the nomination and submit the official candidates to the Holy Synod, who will, within forty days of submittal, elect one of the nominees to be the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese.
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