The 167 th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Chicago, November 12-13, 2004, passed the following resolution.

RESOLUTION “K”: All Diocesan Events which offer dishes containing meat should also offer Vegetarian (no meat, fish or fowl)/Vegan (no meat, fish, fowl, eggs or dairy) options

Originator/Sponsor: Victor Przysiezny, The Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals, Sue Grisham, Rev. Alexander Seabrook

Resolved, that the Diocese of Chicago, acknowledging Resolution D016 as adopted at the 74th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 2003, commits to offering vegetarian / vegan dishes at all events where dishes containing meat are served.

Further Resolved, that this Diocesan Convention hereby requests the deputies elected from this Diocese to the 75th General Convention to sponsor substantially similar legislation at the 75th General Convention.

The vote was not unanimous. I heard a lot of “no’s”. And, it seemed to be perceived as pertaining only to diocesan events and not to the churches that make up the diocese. (That was our fault. On the other hand, it was more likely to pass as it was. And on a good day, I might consider it a monumental step.)

So, if you’re a veg’n Episcopalian living in the Diocese of Chicago, I think it would be up to you to ask your priest or vestry if they would be willing to adopt a policy that would include dietary options that would enable you to participate fully in the social life of your congregation. Be willing to offer suggestions, if help is needed, and also to overlook “a little whey in the margarine”….

If your church is willing to do this, another important detail would to include a blurb in the bulletin or newspaper ad, something to the effect that a “vegetarian option is available”. That might attract new people from the community, or might entice others to choose an alternative.

(Also, the Episcopal Network for Animal Welfare is looking for animal-friendly congregations for a directory we want to compile as a resource. If you find one in the Chicago area, please let us know.)

And here’s another helpful resource: “Vegan Cooking Made Easy!”