A staff transition announcement from Bishop Whitworth, Nov. 20, 2024

Nov. 20, 2024

Beloved of Christ, 

I write to let you know of some upcoming transition in the diocesan staff. Canon Bill Parnell, Canon to the Ordinary, is preparing to retire in the Spring of 2025. 

The Reverend Canon William Clay Parnell joined the diocesan staff on June 1, 2016, as Canon to the Ordinary. His work for our diocese has included oversight of the diocesan budget process;  integration of mission strategy, governance, and grants; management of legal affairs, real estate, and Title IV processes of the diocese;  and supervision of many diocesan staff and consultants, and much more. He has been a critical member of the executive leadership of the diocese and especially supportive of Bishop Gates for the last eight years, and of me during this time of transition. He has been ordained for 36 years. Before coming to this diocese, he served on the bishop’s staff of the Diocese of New York and as a parish priest for 22 years. His last day on our staff will be May 31. I hope you join me in celebrating and giving thanks for his dedicated leadership to the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. 

I am pleased to announce that the Reverend Chris Wendell has accepted my invitation to join the diocesan staff as Chief of Staff and Canon to the Ordinary-designate. He will join the staff on February 23, immediately assuming oversight of Congregational Support staff previously reporting to Bishop Carol Gallagher, who will retire in December. Reverend Wendell will also manage our diocese-wide visioning process with consultants Ministry Architects, assisting me in strategic realignment of our diocesan operations and programming. Through the winter and spring, Canon Parnell will continue to have primary responsibility over governance, budget, discipline, and networking, while mentoring Chris+ for a summer transition to those roles. 

Reverend Wendell (Chris+) has served his entire ordained ministry in the Diocese of Massachusetts, including for the past thirteen years as Rector of St. Paul's Church in Bedford. He has served as a leader on nearly all our governance bodies, including Diocesan Council, Standing Committee, the Disciplinary Board, and the Racial Justice Commission, giving him a wide view of our Diocesan systems for community building and decision making. Having also sat on the Real Estate Advisory Committee, Compensation and Benefits Committee, Constitution and Canons Committee, and #MeToo Task Force at various times, Chris has become a trusted colleague and mentor to clergy and lay leaders alike in our diocese.  Additionally, he has served the wider Episcopal Church as a twice-elected General Convention Deputy and a member of the Court of Review and the Disciplinary Board for Bishops. He holds an A.B. in English from Princeton University and an M.Div. in Theology from the Episcopal Divinity School.

Since I arrived in the diocese, it has become increasingly clear that Chris+ would make an amazing addition to our executive leadership. A period of overlap between Chris+ and Bill+ will serve the diocese well during a season of larger transition, providing coherent institutional knowledge and wisdom as we look to the future. 

Please join me in thanking Bill+ and Chris+ for their commitment to this diocese.

Faithfully,

The Rt. Rev. Julia E. Whitworth
Bishop Diocesan

Canon Bill Parnell

From Canon Parnell: 

“It has been my joy to serve our diocese during these nine years as Canon to the Ordinary alongside Bishop Alan Gates and now Bishop Julia Whitworth. I treasure our gifted clergy and dedicated lay leaders who so faithfully embody Gospel witness in the communities of eastern Massachusetts. We have weathered our share of crises together during these years but we have been blessed in more ways than I can number. For all the ways you have supported me in our shared ministry, thank you. In all the ways you serve one another and our neighbors, bless you. For all that lies ahead, I am confident God will give us the grace, vision and resources to respond to God’s call.”

The Rev. Chris Wendell

From Reverend Wendell:  

"I could not be more humbled by this call to serve among you in a new way.  We are a diocese full of faithful, creative, and diverse ministries and communities, from which I have learned so much over these past seventeen years. As we all move together into this next phase of our common life in Christ, I look forward to bringing my experiences, skills, and relationships to the work of developing coherent, mission-driven strategies and processes to support our ministries, our diocesan staff, and all who seek to share the love of Jesus in a hurting world.”