Next month members of Trinity Cathedral in Pittsburgh will consider a resolution which could make it possible for Trinity to remain the cathedral church for all who are currently part of the diocese. Their work has the support of Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh.
 
In October, delegates to Pittsburgh’s diocesan convention will consider a second and decisive vote to “realign with another province of the Anglican Communion … While a majority of the diocese’s elected deputies supported the proposition on its first reading at the diocesan convention in 2007, other individuals and congregations have made it clear that they will remain with The Episcopal Church in the event that realignment receives final approval,” according to a diocesan news release.
 
A four-page resolution prepared by members of the cathedral chapter explains how they envision this being accomplished. “In the event there is both a Diocese of Pittsburgh within The Episcopal Church and a realigned Diocese of Pittsburgh within another province of the Anglican Communion, Trinity Cathedral parish expects to enjoy undiminished voice and representation within the governing bodies of each,” the resolution states in part.
 
The draft resolution was mailed to active members of the cathedral on Aug. 22 and will be discussed for three weeks before it comes up for a vote at a parish meeting on Sept. 14, according to the Rev. Canon Catherine Brall, cathedral canon provost.
 
Under the proposed resolution, “governance and administration of the temporal affairs shall remain vested in the cathedral chapter.” Membership on the chapter would consist of not less than nine and not more than 13 lay members elected from Trinity parish. An additional four lay and four clergy members, “specifically, up to two lay and two clergy representing parishes within a Diocese of Pittsburgh within The Episcopal Church, and up to two lay and two clergy representing parishes within a realigned Diocese of Pittsburgh,” would be selected by and according to procedures established by the two dioceses.
 
“Both bishops shall be invited to serve as co-presidents of chapter with equal authority to preside over chapter meetings,” the resolution notes. Selection, discipline and removal of cathedral clergy would require the concurrence of both bishops. In the event only one bishop accepts the invitation to serve as co-president, the chapter “shall proceed with an ‘empty seat’ and a ‘silent voice’ representing that other bishop.”
 
If both bishops cannot agree on substantive matters regarding the cathedral, the chapter shall authorize creation of a special commission. If disagreements between the two bishops “substantially threaten the well-being, and integrity of the cathedral,” chapter reserves the right to revert to a parish consistent with the provisions of its original land indenture notarized in 1787.
 
“The people and chapter of Trinity Cathedral look forward to a time when differences and conflicts within the body of the Church can be resolved such that the cathedral may again serve as the seat and the doorway of a unified Diocese of Pittsburgh,” the resolution said.
 
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