Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori | |
|---|---|
| 26th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church | |
 | |
| Church | Episcopal Church |
| In office | 2006–2015 |
| Predecessor | Frank Griswold |
| Successor | Michael Curry |
| Other post(s) | Bishop Assistant of Los Angeles Diocese(2019-Currently) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1994 (priest) |
| Consecration | February 24, 2001 by Jerry Lamb |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 26, 1954 |
| Nationality | American |
| Denomination | Episcopal |
| Parents | Keith Jefferts Elaine Ryan |
| Spouse | Richard Schori |
| Children | Katharine |
| Previous post(s) | Bishop of Nevada (2001-2006) |
| Alma mater | Stanford University Oregon State University Pacific Church Divinity School |
Katharine Jefferts Schori (born March 26, 1954) is the former
Early and family life
Of Irish and Swiss ancestry, Jefferts Schori was born in
Jefferts Schori attended school in
She married Richard Schori, an Oregon State professor of topology, in 1979; they have a daughter.[3]
Early career
Jefferts Schori earned her Master of Divinity in 1994 from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific[4] and was ordained priest that year. She served as assistant rector to William R. McCarthy at the Church of the Good Samaritan, in Corvallis, Oregon, where she had special responsibility for pastoring the Hispanic community as a fluent Spanish communicator, and was in charge of adult education programs.
In 2001, Jefferts Schori was elected and consecrated Bishop of Nevada.
She was awarded honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in 2001, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in 2007, and Sewanee: The University of the South in 2008.
In 2003, Jefferts Schori voted to consent to the election of Gene Robinson, an openly gay and partnered man,[5] to which some conservative Episcopalians objected.[6]
Election as Presiding Bishop
The Episcopal Church met in General Convention in
Although Jefferts Schori's election was an indication of widespread support in the Episcopal Church in the United States for
At a news conference on June 18, 2006, the Presiding Bishop-elect articulated a willingness to work with conservatives. She expressed her hope to lead the church in the reign of God, rooted in imagery from Isaiah and including such United Nations Millennium Development Goals as eradicating poverty and hunger: "The poor are fed, the Good News is preached, those who are ostracized and in prison are set free, the blind receive sight."
Jefferts Schori became Presiding Bishop on November 1, 2006, and her investiture was held on November 4 at Washington National Cathedral.[7] Her official seating was held the following day, also at the National Cathedral.
Jefferts Schori was the
Presiding Bishop
In 2008, groups from four dioceses (
Jefferts Schori supported same-sex relationships and of the blessing of same-sex unions and civil marriages.[11] Like her predecessor, she is a supporter of abortion rights, stating that "We say it is a moral tragedy but that it should not be the government's role to deny its availability."[11] She also supported the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate on birth control.[citation needed] In 2007, her church's blessing of same-sex marriage led 7 Anglican archbishops to refuse communion with her during a meeting in Tanzania.[12]
Some within the church questioned the orthodoxy of her theology. For example, her statement that "the great Western heresy – is that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God" in her opening address to the 2009
End of term
Jefferts Schori announced on September 23, 2014, that she would not seek another term as Presiding Bishop.
From 2017 to 2019, Jefferts Schori was an assisting bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.[18]
Since 2019, Jefferts Schori is one of the assisting bishops in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.
See also
- List of presiding bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
- List of Episcopal bishops of the United States
- Historical list of the Episcopal bishops of the United States
References
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ Carole Beers (April 7, 1998). "Obituaries: Elaine Ryan; To Her Life Was Just A Smorgasbord To Be Sampled". Seattle Times Newspaper.
- ^ Presiding Bishop: Biography Archived 2011-07-02 at the Wayback Machine. Episcopalchurch.org (2001-02-24). Retrieved on 2010-11-25.
- ^ "Presiding bishop candidates". Episcopal Life Archives. Archived from the original on April 20, 2009.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ Davey, Monica (August 6, 2003). "Gay Bishop Wins in Episcopal Vote; Split Threatened". The New York Times.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ Goodstein, Laurie (December 3, 2008). "Episcopal Split as Conservatives Form New Group". New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
- ^ Hemingway, Mollie Ziegler. "Twenty-First Century Excommunication". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
- National Public Radio. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ a b Kaleem, Jaweed (March 27, 2012). "Katharine Jefferts Schori, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop, Speaks About Gay Clergy And Birth Control, 27 March 2012". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ Kwon, Lillian (August 28, 2009). "Episcopal Head Clarifies 'Heresy' Comments". The Christian Post. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
- ^ Chemberlin, Peg (July 12, 2009). "Great Western heresy — that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God?". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
- ^ Oppenheimer, Mark (June 21, 2013). "For Episcopal Church's Leader, a Sermon Leads to More Dissent". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ Jefferts Schori, Katharine (September 23, 2014). "From Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori". EpiscopalChurch.org. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
I recognize that standing for election as Presiding Bishop carries the implicit expectation that one is ready to serve a full term. I do not at present believe I should serve and lead in this ministry for another nine years.
- ^ Schjonberg, Mary Frances (June 27, 2015), "North Carolina Bishop Michael Curry elected as 27th Presiding Bishop: History-making decision will bring first person of color into church's top leadership office", Episcopal News Service, The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, archived from the original on January 18, 2016, retrieved June 27, 2015
- ^ "Katharine Jefferts Schori to be assisting bishop in San Diego". Episcopal Church. June 29, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
Further reading
- The Episcopal Church Annual. Morehouse Publishing: New York, NY (2005).
- Q & A With Bishop Jefferts Schori from The Living Church magazine
- Katharine Jefferts Schori, A Wing and a Prayer: A Message of Faith and Hope. New York: Morehouse Publishing (January 2007) ISBN 978-0-281-05932-4
- Katharine Jefferts Schori, The Heartbeat of God: Finding the Sacred in the Middle of Everything. Woodstock, Vermont: SkyLight Paths Publishing (October 2010). ISBN 978-1-59473-292-8
External links
- Episcopal Church elects first woman Presiding Bishop — Episcopal News Service
- News article on her taking her leave from the Church of the Good Samaritan
- In Their Own Words: Katharine Jefferts Schori Archived June 27, 2006, at the Wayback Machine — Witness Magazine
- Interview with the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Bishop of Nevada Archived August 31, 2006, at the Wayback Machine — Witness Magazine
- Into the Breach: Interview with Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori — Guardian UK
- State of the Church: Questions for Katharine Jefferts Schori - New York Times Magazine
- Katharine Jefferts Schori Oral History Interview
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