Every priest in charge of a congregation shall see to it that a Parish Register is kept in which shall be recorded:
(a) all baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials within such parish;
(b) all divine services of said parish, whether in church or elsewhere, with notation of the date, place, nature of service and attendance;
(c) all communicants of said parish, with notation of how received, how and for what cause removed, and designation of whether active or inactive;
(d) a list of families in the parish.
Every priest in charge of a congregation shall:
(a) instruct both parents and godparents concerning the significance of Holy Baptism, the responsibilities involved, and how these obligations are to be discharged;
(b) instruct both children and adults who have not been confirmed, preparing them for Confirmation.
Every priest in charge of a congregation shall:
(a) at every Confirmation deliver to the Bishop a list of names of those being confirmed;
(b) advise the Bishop on every episcopal visitation of the spiritual and temporal state of the parish, delivering to him for inspection all parish records he may request;
(c) read to the congregation within one month after receipt of the same any Pastoral Letter received from the Bishop.
No priest shall officiate or preach on any more than one occasion in any diocese other than his own without the written consent of the Ecclesiastical Authority thereof.
A clergyman moving from one diocese to another, in order to gain canonical residence within that diocese, shall present to the Ecclesiastical Authority thereof a testimonial from the Ecclesiastical Authority of the diocese from which he is moving, a certificate that he is a clergyman (stating Order) in good standing and not liable for presentment for any ecclesiastical offense within the past five years. Such certificate is called Letters Dimissory.
No priest moving from one diocese to another shall officiate as Rector or Priest in Charge of any parish or congregation of the diocese into which he moves unless and until the Bishop of the diocese into which the priest is moving shall have received Letters Dimissory from his previous Bishop.
Any priest who desires to officiate temporarily outside the confines of this Church shall obtain proper permission from the Ecclesiastical Authority of the diocese in which he is resident.
Any priest retiring from active ministry because of age or disability and any priest who is not currently engaged in ministry remains subject to the Bishop of the jurisdiction in which he resides.
Any priest with a minimum of five years pastoral experience may be eligible to apply for a commission in the Chaplaincy of the Armed Forces of the United States, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and certain state agencies. Priests desiring such commission or other appointment must first apply to his Bishop for recommendation to the Presiding Bishop of this Church who is the Official Endorsing Authority of this Church for all chaplaincies.
