The Diocese of Southwestern Virginia has elected the Very Rev. Mark David Bourlakas, dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville, as its sixth bishop. Bourlakas won a majority in both orders on the third ballot. The Rt. Rev. David Rice, Bishop of Waiapu in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia, was the only other contender after two ballots.
The other nominees were:
- The Rev. R. David Cox, priest in residence at St. Luke’s Church, Hot Springs, Virginia
- The Rev. Jeanne Finan, rector, St. John’s Church, Asheville, North Carolina
- The Rev. Gail Greenwell, rector, St. Michael and All Angels Church, Mission, Kansas.
Bourlakas from SWVA Diocese on Vimeo.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
