Compass Rose Society

St. Michael and All Angels Corona del Mar and, separately, several of its parishioners are members of The Anglican Communion Compass Rose Society.

The Compass Rose Society was founded in 1997 to support the work of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Anglican Consultative Council (which coordinates the activities of the 38 provinces of the Communion) and the Anglican Communion Office. To date, the Society has donated $8.2 million to the Council and, $2.8 million to projects in individual dioceses.

The Society’s annual objective is to donate $400,000 to the Anglican Consultative Council. To achieve this, new members join the Society with an initial gift of $10,000 and subsequently donate $2,500 - $3,000 annually to sustain their membership. Some individuals, parishes, and dioceses form groups (called chapters) to raise the initial gift. The chapter collectively gives the annual gift as well. Also, Society members often donate to projects throughout the Communion that they favor. The Society accepts gifts of cash, stock or other securities.

The Society meets annually in the UK. In addition to a business session featuring prominent speakers from the Communion, members attending meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury for a group audience, dinner, and worship. Following the annual meeting, a group of Society members usually visit a diocese in the Communion to which they have been invited -- a Communion Visit -- or travel to an important historic site in the Communion -- a Study Trip.