Feast of St. Mary the Virgin
Dear Siblings in Christ,
I am writing to you today to announce that, following prayerful discernment and mutual agreement between us, The Rev. Canon Michael Delaney will begin a three-month sabbatical beginning September 1, 2024.
With the start of this sabbatical time, Canon Delaney will no longer serve as Chaplain to the Bishops or as Diocesan Liturgist and will begin the process of moving his residence from The Bishop Walker House.
Beginning immediately, the bulletins and orders of worship for Sunday visitations, institutions, and other liturgies in which a bishop of our diocese will preside and preach, should be sent directly to the bishop’s office at bishopsoffice@dioceseli.org at least three weeks before the scheduled date of the liturgy.
For the last eight years, Canon Delaney has faithfully served as chaplain and liturgist and has provided enormous support to the parishes and clergy of our diocese. Before serving as chaplain to the bishops, he had served as canon pastor to the Cathedral community in Garden City. As his bishop, I am extremely grateful for his tireless care for me and my colleague bishops and for the clergy and people of our diocese. It is now time for Canon Delaney to have a period of prayerful reflection and rest following a decade of dedicated service, and to prayerfully imagine where and how the Holy Spirit will use his gifts over the next several years.
I trust that each of us will respect Canon Delaney’s time of sabbatical, and with very few exceptions, we should not be expecting his participation in liturgies or programs until his return in early December.
Please keep him in your prayers, respect his need for reflection and prayer, and anticipate the movement of the Holy Spirit as it is revealed to him and to all of us.
Sincerely, in Christ,
The Right Reverend Lawrence C. Provenzano
Bishop of Long Island