Who We Are
The Diocese of the Ascension is a residence for ministries and individuals serving and supporting agencies as endorsed and/or certified vocational (paid) Chaplains.
Our clergy includes priests, deacons, and "lay ministers" assigned to the Diocese of the Ascension. Lay Ministers are those men and women actively working and leading in the faith that are not ordained as clergy. All lay ministers functioning within this diocese are Licensed Eucharistic Ministers (LEM).
Given the varied Chaplain roles that exist, there is no predetermined requirements outside the basic requirements to become a Chaplain in the CEEC. Beyond these requirements, agencies employing Chaplains will set the educational, endorsement, and certification requirements. Chaplains who are assigned to the Diocese of the Ascension are resident because they are being required to meet endorsement and/or certification requirements; which are normally set by the agency to which the Chaplain is employed. For the CEEC, Bishop Derek LS Jones is the designated endorsement representative. In this role, Bishop Jones investigates the qualifications of applying chaplains, maintains oversight of assigned chaplains, monitors and assigns (when required) Continuing Professional Education (PCE) and Continuing Education Units (CEU), and validates a Chaplain's suitability for service. (By policy and consensus of the International House of Bishops, Bishop Jones is the only Bishop authorized to "endorse" or "certify" CEEC clergy to Chaplain positions.) The CEEC is a registered endorsing agent for the Department of Defense (DoD), the Veteran's Administration (VA), the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC), the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) and other Chaplain Agencies.
NOTE: Since not all CEEC employed chaplains work for agencies that require initial or continuing certification of credentials, or endorsement from a registered endorsing agent with validation agencies, not all CEEC chaplains are assigned to this diocese. Should you have a specific question as to the credentialization of a Chaplain not listed on this site, please make your inquiry to the Administration Offices of the CEEC.
The CEEC is not a "continuing Anglican" body and is not related to the Archbishop of Canterbury - it is not part of the world-wide Anglican Communion. For more information, visit "Who We Are" at the CEEC website. Also, the CEEC is not organized under Episcopal oversight based upon geographic lines, but, by relational lines. However, the CEEC stands with the Anglican Communion and maintains a strong cooperative relationship with many jurisdictional bodies part of the world-wide Anglican Communion given our common Apostolic (Succession) lines. In 2002, the CEEC began to cooperate with other Canterbury bodies, who were themselves not endorsing agents, to endorse chaplains. Chaplains from communions other than the CEEC are identified parenthetically on this website. As they function in their endorsed position, they are under the full Episcopal jurisdiction of the endorsing bishop for the CEEC (Bp. Jones).
If you are considering the chaplaincy, feel free to contact Bp. Jones directly with your questions. We also welcome your comments about this website... use the "contact us" link for more information. "The Lord be with you..."