Canon III. 7. a: No Priest shall preach, minister the Sacraments, or hold any public service, within the limits of any Diocese other than the Diocese in which the Priest is canonically resident for more than two months without a license from the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese in which the Priest desires to so officiate.
To apply to the Bishop for initial licensing you must write a letter to the Bishop requesting him to license you, indicating what ministry you intend in the Diocese. You also need to present a letter of good standing from your current bishop, present certification of Safe Church training within the last three years, and, if requested, meet with the Bishop.
Licenses are issued annually during Advent. To annually renew your license, you must:
• Write an annual report letter to the Bishop
• Meet the same screening and background requirements as all canonical clergy, and
• Complete training as required of all Diocesan clergy.
Download License to Officiate [PDF]
Request for Performing a Marriage in RI from Out-of-State Clergy – Requirements
If you are a priest from a diocese other than Rhode Island, the following requirements will need to be met before the bishop will approve your request.
- Write a letter to the bishop requesting permission to perform the marriage and include the following information in that letter [may be email or hard copy]: the names of the parties to be married; the date and location [include city/town and place]; whether or not either party has been married before; and where the marriage will be recorded [we suggest that if not in an Episcopal church, you record this in your home parish].
- A Letter of Good Standing from your bishop to our bishop.
- If either party has been previously married, a Remarriage form must be completed and submitted to the bishop Permission for Remarriage – Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island (episcopalri.org).
Send forms to Kristin Knudson, Executive Assistant to the Bishop or contact her for further information.