The regional canons are the transition officer for our diocese. As such, they coordinate the clergy transition process for congregations within their regions, keeping in close contact with congregational leadership teams and final candidates for positions, and deploying human, financial and programmatic resources as needed. They also oversee the administrative process for clergy entering or leaving work in the diocese, including working with our bishops' offices on the background check and clergy licensing processes. The production and retention of Covenant of Ministry documents, also known as Letters of Agreement, and the exit interview process for departing and retiring clergy are also overseen by regional canons.
The regional canons also interface with The Episcopal Church and with transition ministers from Province I (the seven dioceses of New England) and around the country and beyond, providing advocacy for clergy and congregations in search and communication with other dioceses seeking clergy. They coordinate with the Office for Ordained Vocations in order to assist candidates for ordination as they seek positions upon their ordinations.
Meet our regional canons
The regional canons of the Diocese of Massachusetts are responsible for carrying out transition ministry functions, as well as lay leadership support and development in congregations and clergy wellness and clergy family support.
Regional Canons Kelly O'Connell and Gregory Perez
The Rev. Canon Kelly A. O'Connell (koconnell@diomass.org) serves as regional canon for the Southern Region, comprising the diocese's South Shore, Taunton River, Mt. Hope-Buzzards Bay, and Cape and Island deaneries.
The Rev. Canon Gregory G. Perez (gperez@diomass.org), beginning Sept. 1, will transition from the Central Region to serve as regional canon for the Northern and Western Region, comprising the diocese's Merrimack Valley, North Shore, Mystic Valley and Concord River deaneries.
A search for a new regional canon for the Central Region, which includes the Alewife, Boston Harbor, Charles River and Neponset River deaneries, is underway.
During the search, Canon Kelly O’Connell will support the Boston Harbor and Neponset River deaneries, and Canon Gregory Perez will cover the Alewife and Charles River deaneries.
For more information, contact the regional canons via individual e-mail links above or to regionalcanons@diomass.org.
Find your deanery and region
Need to locate a congregation in a deanery or region? Find them here.
Clergy supply
To receive the current Supply List for the Diocese of Massachusetts, please e-mail Jocelyn Collen at jcollen@diomass.org. Suggested fees are $200 for one Sunday service; $250 for two Sunday services; $100 for services conducted during the week, with travel expense reimbursed at the 2024 IRS rate of 67 cents per mile.
If possibilities offered on the supply list have been exhausted, ordained members of the diocesan staff may be available to be present in congregations within the Diocese of Massachusetts as part of their work. Please contact staff members directly. Clergy canonically resident in any diocese of Province I may be engaged by congregations within another diocese for supply clergy services. Lists are handled in differing ways by the dioceses. Congregations should contact the respective diocese's Office of the Bishop for information on how to obtain the most recent Supply List.