God made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.
– Psalm 104:19
Dear Clergy and Lay Leaders in Charge of Parishes,
In the effort of Creation, God ordered all that is; and it was good … very good. Our human effort to organize ourselves is also good, and many of us thrive in a routine. As we become the new Episcopal Diocese of the Susquehanna on January 1, 2026, there will be some shifts in our common life and schedule. These changes are provided in a new diocesan calendar attached to this email and address the bishops’ desire to stay connected with our clergy and lay leaders, to be available for informal meetings and opportunities for teaching and worship outside of Sunday mornings, to spend time in all four regions of the new diocese, and to use our time efficiently as we begin to function in a larger geographic expanse. The new calendar includes these features:
- Sunday visitations by bishops
- Three-day “bishop in residence” stays in each region of the diocese
- Clergy meetings on Zoom
- Quarterly staff retreats in person in different locations in the diocese
Here are some details about each of these features:
Sunday visitations by bishops
Two visitation schedules are attached to this email: a visitation schedule by date and a visitation schedule by parish. These schedules will also be available online (on our new website come January) as Bishops Nichols and Scanlan continue to gather with clergy and congregations for worship and fellowship. Both bishops will travel across the breadth of our new diocese to visit our congregations. The Bishops’ Customary is also attached to this email and will be available online, and we urge your attention to these documents to prepare for your visit. The bishop may ask for a phone call with the clergy or lay leader in charge in advance of the visitation. The bishop will reach out if that is the case. If you would like to speak to the bishop in advance of the visit and haven’t heard from them, please reach out. It is the bishops’ hope to spend their Sunday visitation with the entire congregation focused on worship and fellowship; if either clergy or bishop would find a vestry meeting helpful, then it will be scheduled in advance of the visit as a Zoom call. Please refer to the Bishops’ Customary for details around bulletins, etc. Confirmation (etc.) certificates will be provided by the parish and signed by the bishop on the day of the visit.
“Bishops in residence” for three days in each region
The new calendar calls for extended visits by each bishop in each of the four regions of the diocese over the course of the year. The Regional Canon Missioner will coordinate these visits. These visits will allow for time for worship and fellowship, a gathering of lay leaders, meetings with clergy, visits to places of interest in the region, and opportunities for recreation. Please refer to the calendar and reach out to the Regional Canon Missioner to suggest ideas for your regional three-day visit.
Clergy meetings on Zoom
The bishops will meet with the clergy of the diocese in regional meetings five times per year to be held on Zoom. When the bishop is in residence during a three-day visit, he or she may invite a gathering of clergy during the visit, providing clergy with an additional two visits per year by region. The bishops are always available to the clergy for individual appointments, as well. Note: Bishop Scanlan’s first Clergy Zoom meeting will be with the Northwest Region on January 8 at 10 a.m. at this link. Bishop Nichols will meet with the Northeast Region on January 22 at 10 a.m. The Zoom links for these meetings will all be included on the new website come January and you will be also receive them in your monthly Clergy Digest.
Diocesan staff retreats and weekly Zoom meetings
In addition to the bishops traveling throughout the diocese, the diocesan staff will gather quarterly in person on retreat in a different location throughout the diocese. These overnight gatherings will include time for prayer as well as staff business. With advance notice, we may ask to hold the meeting in your parish hall, if your parish life calendar allows for it. Staff will also meet weekly on Zoom when not in person. As the bishops highlighted in a recent Friday video, clergy and lay leaders are invited to contact whichever bishop they wish. Also, one might first ask: Can this matter be handled by the Regional Canon Missioner?
Also attached is the 2026 Cycle of Prayer for The Episcopal Diocese of the Susquehanna, which will be available online at the new website come January.
If you have any questions about the calendar, please contact Nichol Free, Executive Assistant to the Bishop Diocesan, at her new email, nfree@diosusquehanna.org, on or after January 2, 2026. (Before January 2, this new email will not yet be active, and she won’t receive your message.)
We look forward to sharing time together.
+Audrey and +Kevin
The Rt. Rev. Audrey C. Scanlan
The Rt. Rev. Kevin D. Nichols