Who is eligible?
Officer
- A member of the laity of the diocese or a retired member of the clergy of the diocese who has served in an exemplary volunteer capacity for the diocese and/or Anglican Church of Canada for a significant period. In the case of clergy such time having been in retirement not active service.
- They must be nominated by a member of the diocese and supported by four other members of the diocese. All five being from different parishes and at least two of whom are active clergy of the diocese.
- Nominees must accept their nomination, be willing to have their names recorded in the Register of the Order, and consent to publicity of their investiture including publication of their photograph.
- Posthumous nominations are not accepted. Death of a nominee after the nomination has been accepted by the Council and approved by the Bishop in accordance with Section 7 of Canon 10, but before the investiture of said person, shall not be considered posthumous. [Canon 10 amended, 100th Synod, 2021]
- Besides the two within the bishop’s gift, there can be no more than five appointments in an Order cycle.
Member
- A member of the laity of the diocese who has served in a volunteer capacity in the parish, and/or a number of parishes (on committees, parish councils, in special outreach, parish activities), and/or at diocesan level for a significant period of time
- Only one person may be nominated by each parish in an Order cycle. The candidate’s name is to be submitted to the bishop’s office by the rector of that parish on behalf of the parish.
- Nominees must accept their nomination, be willing to have their names recorded in the Register of the Order, and consent to publicity of their investiture including publication of their photograph.
- Posthumous nominations are not accepted. Death of a nominee after the nomination has been accepted by the Council and approved by the Bishop in accordance with Section 7 of Canon 10, but before the investiture of said person, shall not be considered posthumous. [Canon 10 amended, 100th Synod, 2021]
- Besides the five within the bishop’s gift, there can be no more than one appointment per parish in any Order cycle.
Honorary Officer
- A person who is not a member of the diocese, they may not even be a Christian, but who has served, in an exemplary capacity, the church or wider community, provincial, national or international in accordance with the ideals of this diocese and for a considerable time.
- The award is within the gift of the Bishop and only one is permitted in any Order cycle.
Honorary Member
- A lay person who is not a member of the diocese, they may not even be a Christian, but who has served, in an exemplary capacity, their local or regional community in accordance with the ideals of this diocese for a considerable time.
- The award is within the gift of the bishop and only three are permitted in any Order cycle.
Clergy and Paid Staff
The premise of the Order is primarily to recognize lay people who have given their time and talents to the ministry and ideals of the diocese without monetary compensation. It honours volunteers. Parish or diocesan staffs that are paid are not eligible for nomination resulting from their paid position. However, if they attend another church and volunteer at that church sufficient for them to be nominated, that will be considered.
We also recognize that in smaller communities paid staff does not have that option. Therefore if they only work a few hours a week AND their nomination is in consideration of the volunteer work they have done and is NOT connected with their paid work, then a nomination will be considered. This exception must be noted in the nomination.
There is also one exception for clergy. Retired clergy who are members of the diocese (while active they may or may not been licenced in this diocese) and have been engaged in significant volunteer endeavours for the wider church or society, are eligible for nomination to the rank of officer. This must have been for a significant time post retirement.