The Rev. Paula Clark. Photo courtesy Diocese of Chicago

[Diocese of Chicago] Bishop-elect Paula Clark will return to work on March 7 in the Diocese of Chicago, according to a Feb. 22 letter from the Rev. Anne B. Jolly, president of the standing committee. 

“Paula is eager and fit to return to the office, and in consultation with her medical team and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, together we have determined that she will work about 20 hours per week at first, with the expectation of incrementally increasing her time at work each month,” Jolly wrote. “As we make this transition together, Bishop Chilton Knudsen will continue as assisting bishop, visiting congregations, holding confirmations and ordinations, and supporting the bishop’s staff and other diocesan leadership bodies. We are grateful for her ministry with us, and she is committed to being with us through the transition.”

Clark was elected bishop on Dec. 12, 2020. Her ordination and consecration have been on hold since she experienced a cerebral bleed while exercising in April 2021. Last August, the standing committee called Knudsen to serve as assisting bishop, a role she began in October.