Chapter XIII: Concerning the Presiding Bishops of The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).

The governing, or presiding, bishops of The Community of Saint George shall be three and shall consist of the Master of Studies, the Master of Patronage, and the Master of Formation.

Governance. It is custom, within The Young Rite, for leadership to be triune and to govern through consensus.  This is seen in the Council of Three that governs the whole of The Young Rite.  The Community of Saint George under the auspices of The Young Rite has sought to operate similarly with the governing body of the Community being triune in number. This triumvirate consists of three presiding bishops; the Master of Studies, the Master of Patronage, and the Master of Formation. Decisions governing The Community of Saint George, unless otherwise noted, shall be made by the three presiding bishops through consensus.

Master of Studies. The Master of Studies is the chair of the governing bishops and first among equals.  He or she is tasked with maintaining the Course of Study.  The Course of Study is the training program used to educate members (i.e., clergy) of the Community of Saint George.  The Master of Studies shall appoint mentors to postulants to help them progress through the Course of Study. The Master of Studies shall be the primary liaison between The Community of Saint George and other jurisdictions, and this includes The Young Rite’s Council of Three. He or she shall assume additional duties as decided by the presiding bishops.

Master of Patronage. The Master of Patronage shall act as ecclesiastical endorser for The Community of Saint George and as such will work with the Master of Studies and Master of Formation to ensure all those within the Community seeking status, voluntary or professional, as chaplains are sufficiently trained and enabled to take on the tasks of a chaplain within various chaplaincy settings. The Master of Patronage shall also ensure that all members of The Community of Saint George have sufficiently passed criminal background checks and are cleared as members in good standing with a clean (or sufficiently explained) criminal record – it should be understood that The Community of Saint George has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual offenders. He or she shall assume additional duties as decided by the presiding bishops.

Master of Formation. The Master of Formation is the true gate-keeper for The Community of Saint George.  He or she shall be responsible for initial background screenings to assess the spiritual and emotional maturity of anyone seeking admission into our Community. He or she shall work with the Master of Studies to admit candidates into the formation program and shall follow them through their time as postulants.  The Master of Formation shall also be known as Formation Director. He or she shall assume additional duties as decided by the presiding bishops.
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Vacancies. If a vacancy occurs among the presiding bishops the remaining presiding bishops shall co-opt a regionary or auxiliary bishop to fill the open presiding bishop position.  The remaining presiding bishops are encouraged to call the Community to Council to seek input and advice from the whole of the Community before deciding who will fill the opening. If all of the presiding bishop roles are vacant, then the senior bishop within the Community shall assume the Master of Studies position and work to fill the empty positions until filled.