The Episcopal Church in Wyoming has found an assisting bishop for the next year: former Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who led the church from 2006 to 2015. The bishop will begin her work in Wyoming in early July.
Bishop Jefferts Schori has been active since completing her term as 26th Presiding Bishop. She has taught at Virginia Theological Seminary and served as an assisting bishop in San Diego and Los Angeles.
The diocese’s tenth bishop, Paul-Gordon Chandler, was deposed in March after facing Title IV charges involving an alleged indiscretion with a member of the diocesan staff. Chandler submitted to the deposition voluntarily, which was “not in any way an admittance of the specific allegations and charges brought against me,” he said at the time.
“Our work screening bishops for this position was a profound spiritual journey,” said the Rev. Camie Dewey, a member of Wyoming’s Standing Committee. “All candidates were excellent, but it was Katharine’s healing presence and experience with grieving communities that made her our final choice.”
Douglas LeBlanc is the Associate Editor for Book Reviews and writes about Christianity and culture. He and his wife, Monica, attend St. John’s Parish Church on Johns Island, South Carolina.