Former Indianapolis bishop’s appointment to be ratified at diocesan convention
The standing committee of the Diocese of Eastern Michigan has nominated the Rt. Rev. Catherine Waynick, retired bishop of the Diocese of Indianapolis, as candidate for bishop provisional to be voted on at their 23rd diocesan convention from Oct. 20 to 21.
Eastern Michigan’s former bishop, the Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, concluded his ministry in the diocese in June after accepting a call from the presiding bishop to serve on his staff as bishop for pastoral development.
In a letter to the diocese, the standing committee articulated its reasons for calling for a bishop provisional rather than calling for a search for a bishop diocesan, saying, “In most cases, a bishop departs their diocese through retirement. This allows the diocese to have some lead time to go through the search process, nominate a slate of candidates and vote to elect their next bishop before the exiting bishop departs. Because our bishop left for another position and not for retirement, we did not have that time. We do have the time and space to faithfully consider the issues and opportunities confronting our diocese – these are not limited to budget realities, decreasing and emerging populations, and cultural trends away from church-attendance and religious life. Like a congregation engaging an interim pastor, we hope, with a provisional bishop as a companion, to faithfully engage the entire diocese in this exciting conversation to discover where God is leading us in our life and ministry as the Episcopal Church in Eastern Michigan.”
If elected at October’s diocesan convention, Waynick would begin her tenure with Eastern Michigan immediately serving on a part-time basis, performing all episcopal functions including ordinations and confirmations, as well as other traditional duties of a bishop including staff supervision, visitations, and more. Waynick would work closely with the standing committee as they begin to work with the people of the diocese to study their mission and ministry and to move forward into the next phase of diocesan episcopal authority.
Waynick served as the 10th bishop of Indianapolis for 20 years before her retirement in 2017. She began her ministry in the Diocese of Michigan serving churches in Bloomfield Hills and Pontiac before being elected bishop in 1997. Beyond her ministry in Indianapolis, Waynick served on several General Convention legislative committees, on the abundance committee of the Church Pension Fund and on the task force to revise Title IV (Disciplinary Canons). She continues to serve as president of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops and as a governor of the Anglican Centre in Rome. Waynick has been married for 49 years to Larry, and they have two grown children, Elizabeth of Irvine, California, and Steve of Canton, Michigan.
The Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan is made up of 43 congregations throughout the eastern half of the lower peninsula, north of Detroit and Lansing.
