The Rt. Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves, Bishop of El Camino Real since November 2007, announces her plan to conclude her diocesan ministry in January 2020:
Many will wonder what I am doing after my tenure here is completed. The answer is that I do not yet know. I will not run for election in another diocese. Personal considerations include needing more flexibility in my schedule, regaining balance in my personal life. The work of a diocesan bishop is demanding, and the Diocese of El Camino Real is no ordinary place! A leader who will harness the considerable energy, gifts and spiritual depth of this diocese will be needed to engage the Spirit’s call on our church and the ministry we share with our neighborhood partners. Our transition will be orderly and in the best interest of the church. Fresh energy will allow us not to miss a beat as we seek to live out God’s calling as a diocese.
Please join me in prayer, trusting in the grace of God who holds all life and calls us to exciting and fruitful opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ. May we be courageous as we are enlightened, faithful as our wisdom is deepened, and true to our following of Jesus whose path leads us into all life.
I love you and I am deeply honored to continue serving as your bishop in the nearly two years before us. I will treasure this time of transition, knowing that God has yet more wonderful life ahead for us all.
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.
