Two Candidates Announced in Wyoming
The Diocese of Wyoming has announced a slate of two candidates to become the X Bishop of Wyoming. Alphabetically:
- The Rev. Canon Paul-Gordon Chandler is the rector of the Anglican Church in Qatar in the Persian Gulf, a church that hosts over 20,000 people from 65 countries in its building every weekend.
- The Rev. David L. Duprey has served as an active-duty U.S. Navy chaplain for the past 12 years. He holds the rank of lieutenant commander, and served in special operations with the Marines, and on two aircraft carriers, the Abraham Lincoln and, currently, the John C. Stennis.
Chandler grew up in Senegal in West Africa and has lived and worked around the world in leadership roles with the Episcopal Church, faith-based publishing, the arts and Christian relief and development agencies. He is also the founding president of Caravan, an international peace-building nonprofit closely associated with the Episcopal Church that uses the arts to build sustainable peace around the world, and which has held several strategic interreligious art exhibitions throughout Wyoming.
Duprey grew up in Connecticut and was ordained to the diaconate and the priesthood in Wyoming, in 1988 and 1989. He served in the diocese for 20 years, first as vicar for four years of St. John the Baptist in Big Piney, then as rector of St. Peter’s in Sheridan until 2008, when he answered the call to become a Navy chaplain.
The search committee named three finalists, but one withdrew from consideration. The committee was unable to hold the customary discernment retreat with the finalists because of the pandemic, so they held a three-day virtual retreat instead. Walkabouts, whether virtual or physical, will be held in advance of the September 19 electing convention.
The consecration is scheduled for Feb. 13, 2021, in Casper, Wyoming. The new bishop will succeed the Rt. Rev. John S. Smylie, who has been bishop since 2010. The Wyoming diocese encompasses the entire state and includes 48 congregations.
Georgia, Minnesota, & Oklahoma
Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry typically presides as chief consecrator when priests become bishops, but because of travel restrictions, he has appointed bishops from the various provinces to fill that role in upcoming consecrations in Georgia, Minnesota, and Oklahoma.
- The Rt. Rev. Scott Benhase, vice president of Province IV, will serve as chief consecrator at the ordination and consecration of the Rev. Canon Frank Logue as the XI Bishop of Georgia on May 30, 2020.
- The Rt. Rev. Larry Benfield, president of Province VII, will serve as chief consecrator at the ordination and consecration of the Rev. Poulson Reed as the Bishop Coadjutor of Oklahoma on May 30, 2020.
- The Right Rev. Brian Prior, president of Province VI, will serve as chief consecrator at the ordination and consecration of the Very Rev. Craig Loya as the X Bishop of Minnesota on June 6, 2020.
The announcement said the dioceses will be holding modified consecrations that:
- can be relocated to smaller venues, preferably church settings that nevertheless provide adequate space for appropriate physical distancing of participants and attendees;
- minimize in-person attendance and utilize live-streaming technology;
- limit, with flexibility, the number of co-consecrating bishops and presenters, yet still satisfy canonical requirements;
- forego social events; and,
- re-imagine media briefings and clergy gatherings as virtual interactions with the Presiding Bishop.
Announcement of the chief consecrators for bishops in the Diocese of Missouri, scheduled for June 13, and the Diocese of Alabama on June 27 will be announced at a later date.
Kirk Petersen began reporting news for TLC as a freelancer in 2016, and was Associate Editor from 2019 to 2024, focusing especially on matters of governance in the Episcopal Church.
