Below is a list helpful list of resources to assist in all aspects of parish life during the pandemic. If you have edits or additions to this list, please email Jen Boyle-Tucker. Online Prayer and Worship Around the Diocese From the Diocese of Chicago Pandemic news and updates from Bishop Lee Returning to Our Churches:…
COVID-19
Diocesan Convention To Be Held Online in November
In consultation with the chancellor and elected leaders of the diocese, Bishop Lee has determined that diocesan convention will be held online this year as part of our effort to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s Restore Illinois plan permits gatherings of more than 50 people only in Phase 5, after a…
Returning to Our Churches: A Framework and A Plan
After weeks of consultation with diocesan leaders and other dioceses across the Episcopal Church, Bishop Jeff Lee today shared the Diocese of Chicago’s plan for re-opening our churches with clergy leaders via Zoom. The guidelines are based in large measure on meeting public health criteria spelled out in Restore Illinois, the state’s five-phase plan to…
Planting the Seeds for a More Just Future: A Message from Bishop Lee
Dear People of God: Like many of you, I spend more time online these days. Recently, the hopeful face of a young black man named Ahmaud Arbery has appeared again and again in the newspapers I read and the social media feeds I scroll. In February, Arbery was jogging unarmed near his home in Georgia…
Campers and Families Announcement: Camp Chicago 2020
Dear Campers and Families, For the past several weeks, the Camp Chicago Leadership Team has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation. Based on current guidance from public health authorities, and after prayerful discernment we have decided to cancel our Camp Chicago sessions for 2020. The safety of our campers, staff, and their families is our…
Suspension of In-Person Worship Continues: A Letter from Bishop Lee
Dear People of God in the Diocese of Chicago, Yesterday, Governor Pritzker issued a modified stay-at-home order that allows Illinois residents to leave their homes “to engage in the free exercise of religion,” so long as services “comply with Social Distancing Requirements and the limit on gatherings of more than ten people in keeping with…