SPECIAL EDITION:
CONVENTION 53 WRAP-UP
October 29, 2021
(The following are excerpts from the full Convention 53 wrap-up article that can be found on the Diocesan News website HERE.)

​The 53rd Annual Meeting of Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i wrapped up on Saturday afternoon, October 23, 2021. This was the second all virtual annual meeting held on Zoom due to safety considerations related to the pandemic. Convention 53 also included a Friday Education Day led by the Diocese's Reconciliation Task Force, that featured impressive guest speakers to address the sensitive topic of race and history in the Islands. The recorded session and more information on Education Day can be found in the full-coverage article.
About a dozen people gathered in Tenney Theater and the Diocesan Support Center to bring the virtual meeting into the homes of delegates and spectators. On-site were the officers of the meeting, the Diocesan Support Center team, those running credentials, voting, communications, tech help, and others acting as runners. All were required to take a COVID Rapid Test when they arrived and test negative before assuming their roles.
Tenney Theater, normally bustling with activity on a day like this, was eerily empty except for the tables, cables, and electronic devices for the handful of people at their "stations." The theater, which serves as the "home" for the Hawai'i Theater for Youth, had some props strewn about including muppet-like characters seated in the chairs, providing a comical (and quite expressive) audience of sorts.

​The meeting convened promptly at 8:45 AM by Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick, with the customary announcements, introductions, and housekeeping rules. Throughout the meeting there were no major glitches and "voting" through Zoom polls and floor votes also went smoothly. Due to the nature of a virtual gathering, 15 video presentations were prepared ahead of time that included the Bishop's Address, Response to his Address, committee reports and four Special Orders of Business.
The Bishop's Address

One of the highlights of the Annual Meeting is the Bishop's Address, and once again, this year's Address was pre-recorded along with a Response to his Address. To view the video, click on the image shown or go directly to the Diocese's YouTube channel HERE.

To view the text of the Bishop's Convention Address, click HERE.
Going into the meeting there were four resolutions being considered. Dialogue was light and cordial, with the only extended discussion taking place on Resolution #2 (Revisions to the Canons) concerning the utilization of gender nouns/pronouns.

The Proposed Budget for 2022 passed easily. Delegates were asked to watch a video presentation beforehand that explained the major changes and highlights. The final approved budget documents will be available for viewing soon and posted on this page under the Convention Downloads section further below, and on the Forms and Documents page of the Diocesan website.
During the meeting, Special Orders of Business in the form of video presentations were shown. The video presentations for Camp Mokule'ia, the Prison Ministry, and Halau Wa'a Episcopal, can be viewed in the Meeting Videos section futher below. A fourth very Special Order of Business was saying "Aloha and Mahalo" to Peter Pereira, who will be retiring after serving as the Diocesan Treasurer for 30 years. A beautiful koa box was presented "virtually" along with a special mahalo video with well wishes from near and far (under Meeting Videos).

The meeting ended about 45 minutes earlier than anticipated, and closed with the singing of "Aloha 'Oe" that contained a slideshow and video clips of the past year's activities around the Diocese.
Convention 53 also included a Friday Education Day hosted by the Reconciliation Task Force led by the Revs. Jazzy Bostock and Andrew Arakawa. About 150 took part in the online event that featured guest speakers, Dr. Jonathan Okamura, Professor Emeritus at ​University of Hawai‘i, and Dr. Akiemi Glenn, Founder and Executive Director of The Pōpolo Project. During lunch, Dr. Jonathan Osorio and his daughter Jamaica "Heoli" Osorio, gave moving testimony and historical information interspersed with beautiful Hawaiian songs. The session was recorded and is available on the full-coverage webpage.
For complete coverage of Convention 53, visit the Diocesan News website by clicking on the button above, or HERE. The article includes links to documents, all videos presented, photos, delegate selfies, and the text for the Bishop's Address, Sermon, and his Report to the Convention. It also includes the recorded session for Education Day. The Meeting Journal will appear on the article webpage and the Past Meetings of Convention webpage when finalized and approved. The approved 2022 Budget will be posted soon on the Forms and Documents page of the Diocesan website HERE.
Quick Links to Meeting Videos:
(Click on the image to view videos.)
Full Meeting Livestream
Bishop's Convention Sermon*
Response to Address
Camp Mokule'ia Presentation
Prison Ministry Video
Halau Wa'a Presentation
Memoriam: Necrology Video
Peter Pereira's Mahalo Video
Aloha 'Oe & Slideshow
Mahalo for a great virtual Convention 53!
Stay Informed! Quick Links to the Diocesan Websites:
Contact Information
Sybil Nishioka, Editor & Communications Contractor
The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i
229 Queen Emma Square, Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 536-7776