Annual Meeting
& Chapter Election
Held on January 28, 2024
Click Here for the Annual Report
We had an efficient and upbeat annual meeting Sunday (1.23.22) on Zoom. The Dean’s address included a flythrough video of the proposed Masterplan and a look at the plans for outreach and music centers. You can view the entire meeting in the video to your right or on our YouTube channel.
Check out Susan Forsburg’s (our resident photographer) year in review on Flickr. CLICK HERE
Here are the highlights:
- Elected to Chapter: Tonya Chavis, Stacey Klaman, Russ Okihara, and Jim Wright
- Appointed Dean’s Warden: Justin Lewis
- Elected People’s Warden: Darien DeLorenzo
- Awarded the Robinson Cross: Claudia Dixon and Mike Thornburgh
- Blessings and gratitude for those retiring from Chapter: Dean’s Warden Donna Perdue, Jairus Kleinert, Bob Knight, and Margret Hernandez
New Chapter Members
Class of 2027:
Kimberly Fernandez
Angel Ibarra
Allen Mutchler
Jill Sanford
The minutes of the 2024 Annual Meeting will be preliminarily approved by Chapter at its February 6 meeting. Many thanks to all who participated in this important annual event.
Annual Meeting Recap
104 voting members attended the annual,parish meeting on Cathedral Day, January 28.
- We enjoyed an Italian- themed lunch prepared by The Invisible Chef.
- Elected to three-year terms on Chapter: Kimberly Fernandez, Allen Mutchler, Jill Sanford, and Angel Ibarra.
- Elected to a one-year Chapter term: Phyllis Lengyel.
- Elected as lay delegates to diocesan convention: Lisa Churchill, Stacey Klaman, Diane Lopez Hughes, and Allen Mutchler, with alternates Darien DeLorenzo and Tom Merrick.
- Kimberly Fernandez was appointed Dean’s Warden.
- The Robinson Cross was awarded to Andrew Brooks, cathedral chancellor for ten years, who is retiring due to being appointed as a vice- chancellor of the diocese.
- At the Chapter meeting following the annual meeting, Chapter elected Sue Kelly as People’s Warden and re-elected Betsey Monsell (treasurer, Tom Barb (clerk), and Andrew Brooks (chancellor).
- A highlight of the annual meeting was the first public performance of the newly installed organ in the Great Hall gallery, generously donated by the Young family in loving memory of Lois Canzoneri.
Canons, Bylaws, and Policy that relate to elections:
From the Cathedral Bylaws, section 3.1
“The qualifications of members and the terms of admission to membership in the Corporation are those which are prescribed by the Canons of the Diocese for electors entitled to vote for members of the Chapter elected pursuant to Section 5.3 (a)(4) below (“Qualified Electors”) “
From the Diocesan Canons, Title 3, Canon 5
“The following shall be qualified electors: Any person of 16 or more years of age who is an attendant at worship and a regular contributor of record and who for the previous 60 days shall have been registered in the congregation as a baptized person or communicant member.” (See below for expansion of Cathedral requirements).
From the Cathedral Bylaws, 2023 edition, Article 4
“Each year by April 1, the number of allowable lay delegates and lay alternates to Diocesan Convention shall be elected by the members, preferably at the annual meeting of members, or at a meeting called for that purpose. Delegates shall be elected in the same manner as is provided for in these Bylaws for the election of members of Chapter elected by the congregation. Alternates shall be called upon to serve in the order of their election. Delegates shall serve for a period of one year, and shall serve as delegates for any Diocesan Conventions occurring during that period.”
From the Diocesan Canons, Title 3, Canon 6
Delegates, like Chapter members, are to be at least 18 years of age.
From Chapter Policy on Chapter Nominations
Candidates for Chapter must additionally:
- Have been a regular pledging contributor of record to the Cathedral for the 210 days prior to the vote; and,
- Regularly attend worship.
Information About This Year’s Elections
The elections will be held in person during the Annual Parish Meeting following the 10:30 am service on January 28, 2024. Ballots will be supplied to qualified electors (see below for criteria) upon arrival. Mail-in ballots are not permitted, now that the Extraordinary Circumstance of the pandemic is past.
This year we will elect four individuals to three-year terms on Chapter and one to an incomplete term of one year.
According to the Diocesan Canons, based on our average Sunday attendance as stated in the most recent parochial report (231), St. Paul’s is entitled to send four lay delegates (and as many alternates as we wish) to the Diocesan Convention, as well as all canonically resident clergy. The 2024 Convention is scheduled for November 8-9 at St. Margaret’s, Palm Desert. This will require an overnight stay for Cathedral folks. In addition to the Convention itself there will be pre-Convention hearings on the budget and the resolutions: in recent years these have been held online and have been recorded. We do not anticipate any special meetings of Convention during the year.
Voting Eligibility
If you can answer “Yes” to all of the following, you are eligible to vote in this election.
- Age 16 or older; and
- Has been baptized with water and in the name of the Trinity; and
- made a pledge to St. Paul’s general fund on or before June 26, 2023 (ie 210 days before the annual meeting);
- and has made a good faith effort to make regular payments on the pledge; and
- has made a pledge for 2024; and
- has received Communion at St. Paul’s at least 3 times since January 2023.
Our resident photographer Susan Forsburg takes amazing photos for us throughout the year (year after year). Check out 2023’s highlights at our Flickr account (Click Here).
Thank you Susan!
Annual Budget
On Sunday January 16, 2022 our finance team presented the annual budget at the 9 am forum. If you didn’t have a chance watch or want to review something they discussed you review it here or on Youtube.
2024
Chapter Candidates
* Please note that although some candidates have been nominated by third parties, this, however, is not a requirement.
Watch (below) the “Meet the Chapter Candidate” forum from January 7, 2024 to hear first hand why they feel lead to run for Chapter. We apologize that some technical difficulties meant the video begins a few minutes into Peter Del Nagro’s response.
Peter Del Nagro
Kimberly Fernandez
Angel Ibarra
Allen Mutchler
2024
Candidates for Diocesan Lay Delegate:
Lisa Churchill
I have been a pledging member of St. Paul’s since 2010
I feel called to serve as a Lay Delegate to Diocesan Convention because:
I have been honored to serve as a lay delegate to our Diocesan Convention in the past. It has truly been a privilege to bring the spirit of our St Paul’s community to Diocesan service. As Canon Verger, I bring a unique experience of liturgy and leadership from a layman’s perspective, and it has been personally meaningful to participate in this aspect of our communal Diocesan life. I would very much appreciate an opportunity to continue in this role as your representative.
Darien DeLorenzo
I have been a pledging member of St. Paul’s since 2018
I feel called to serve as a Lay Delegate to Diocesan Convention because:
Having just completed at St. Paul’s a 3-year term as a Chapter member (including 2023 as the Dean’s Warden), I’ve learned the importance of having strong relationships with other Episcopal parishes and EDSD. As a lay delegate, I will be positioned to strengthen our current relationships and explore new alliances with our brethren across the diocese.
DioCon is an excellent opportunity for me to expand my knowledge of Diocesan policies and how they are reflected in our ministries at St. Paul’s. My governing experience on Chapter will allow me to effectively participate in the voting process at DiCon, especially on issues of importance to St. Paul’s.
Further, the educational workshops presented at DioCon are valuable for learning new strategies and procedures being implemented by other parishes. My commitment would be to share what I’ve learned with congregants at St. Paul’s and explore how new ideas can be adopted.
Stacey Klaman
I have been a pledging member of St. Paul’s since 2021
I feel called to serve as a Lay Delegate to Diocesan Convention because:
With gratitude and joy, my faith has grown through my participation in the life of God’s church here at St. Paul’s Cathedral. God gives us each particular gifts and calls us exercise them. As many of you know, I have a heart for service and try to make a deep difference to others. I am a Chapter member, an Acolyte, Sub-Verger, Lector, Stephen Minister, and Lay Eucharistic Visitor. I am a member of the Card Ministry and also send out Grief Booklets to those mourning the loss of a loved one. I am in my third year of Education for Ministry, attend morning prayer regularly and, until the end of 2023, I served as the Formation Committee Chair and Host of the Sunday Forums.
Living the experience of being part of the St. Paul’s community is a blessing. I have served as a Lay Delegate to the Diocesan Convention before and would welcome the opportunity to serve again. The Convention is a magnificent occasion to meet more people who are part of our beautiful Episcopal community, as well as to exchange experiences and gain knowledge about the work that our other sister churches are doing. Thank you for considering me.
Diane Lopez Hughes
I have been a pledging member of St. Paul’s since 2017.
I feel called to serve as a Lay Delegate to Diocesan Convention because it’s an honor to represent St Paul’s at the Convention. As a member of the Diocesan Executive Council I have learned how many of our resolutions can benefit congregations within structures that support our faith. As a Cathedral member and EDSD Advocacy member I have been involved in several ministries that have helped put a few of the resolutions into practice.
Tom Merrick
I have been a pledging member of St. Paul’s since 2016
I feel called to serve as a Lay Delegate to Diocesan Convention because: (no more than 200 words)
Many of you may not know me because I attend the 8:00 Sunday service where I serve on the Audio team and recently as a Lector. I feel called to serve as a Lay Delegate because, for the last 4 years, I have had the privilege to serve on the Board of Episcopal Community Services and have seen first hand some of the great work being done at the Diocesan level. I would like to represent St. Paul’s community in this wider Church setting. If anyone has any questions for me, please feel free to email me at tmerr334@gmail.com. Thank you for your consideration.
Allen Mutchler
I have been a pledging member of St. Paul’s since 2020
I feel called to serve as a Lay Delegate to Diocesan Convention because:
My engagement at St. Paul’s has grown over the past year, from serving on Chapter, the Evangelism Committee, Peace and Social Justice, to being an usher and lector reader. Severing on these ministries has given me a better understanding of the importance the Cathedral plays in serving the Diocese of San Diego. Serving last year as a delegate for the Cathedral to the convention allowed me to learn even more about how the Diocese operates and how important it is for every parish to be heard. It also allowed me to meet individuals from smaller parishes and understand the struggles the Episcopal Church is facing.
If elected to serve again this year, I would bring the experiences that I will gain over the next year as well as my previous experience to the convention. I would be honored if elected to represent the Cathedral again at the upcoming convention. St. Paul’s have given me so much, and I feel called to continue to serve the Cathedral in any capacity that I can.
Class of 2023:
Martha Curatolo
Rocky Ewell
Justin Lewis
