Frank S. Cerveny (1933-2026)
The Rt. Rev. Frank Stanley Cerveny, the sixth Bishop of Florida, died January 7 at 92. He was the Episcopal Church’s senior prelate at the time of his death, having served as a bishop for more than half a century.
Cerveny was born near Springfield, Massachusetts, and as a choirboy at Christ Church Cathedral, he heard God saying to him, “You will be my bishop,” the title of his recently published memoir. He graduated from Trinity College and then General Seminary, and began his ministry at the Church of the Resurrection in Miami.
After serving on the staff of Trinity Church, Wall Street, in New York, he was rector of two parishes in Tennessee. In 1972, Cerveny was called to Jacksonville, to serve as dean of St. John’s Cathedral. Two years later, he was elected Bishop Coadjutor of Florida, aged just 39.
Cerveny served as diocesan bishop of the northern Florida diocese for 18 years. Under his leadership, the diocese built Camp Weed in Live Oak, Florida, as well as the on-site conference center now named for him. The diocesan foundation was established, and Florida forged active links with the Diocese of Cuba, whose bishop, Emilio Hernandez, had mentored Cerveny when he was a seminarian. In 1981, Cerveny invited Francis and Judith McNutt, major leaders in the charismatic renewal, to found an ecumenical center for healing ministry in Jacksonville, now known as Christian Healing Ministries.
In the wider church, Cerveny served on boards and committees focused on theological education, ecumenism, environmental stewardship, and evangelism and renewal. He was president of the Compass Rose Society, which provides financial support for the ministry of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Anglican Communion Office.
He retired as bishop in 1992, and worked for several years as a vice president at Church Pension Group, and was a trustee of several charitable boards. Cerveny is survived by Emmy, his wife of 64 years; and by their three children. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 17 at 11:00 at St. John’s Cathedral in Jacksonville.
The senior prelate of the Episcopal Church is now the Rt. Rev. James Barrow Brown, ninth Bishop of Louisiana, who was consecrated on April 24, 1976.
J. Clark Grew II (1939-2025)
The Rt. Rev. J. Clark Grew II, the tenth Bishop of Ohio, died December 22 at 86.
“We in the Diocese of Ohio are grateful for his faithful ministry with and for us during his episcopacy. He will always be remembered and honored here,” the diocese said in announcing his death on Facebook.
Grew was a native of New York City, and was named for his great uncle, Joseph Grew, a career diplomat who was serving as Ambassador to Japan when Pearl Harbor was bombed. He graduated from Harvard College and then served for five years in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of lieutenant, and being named as commander of the historic U.S.S. Constitution (by then a museum in Boston Harbor).
He went on to teach and serve in administrative roles at Groton and St. Mark’s Schools, and prepared for the ministry at Episcopal Divinity School. After service at a church in Massachusetts, he was rector of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, Illinois for nine years.
He was elected on the fifth ballot as Bishop of Ohio on October 9, 1993. He formed an active companion link with the Church of Ireland’s Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin, and Ardagh, which resulted in numerous visits by adults and teens from both dioceses. He also deepened ecumenical relationships with the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches and was a strong supporter of the ministry of women and LGBT people.
He launched a $10 million diocesan legacy campaign in 2001. Funds were used to build the diocesan headquarters, Trinity Commons; to start new congregations and school and hospital chaplaincies; and to endow social service and racial justice ministries within the diocese. He also served as chair of the board of Episcopal Divinity School for four year.
Grew retired to Boston in 2004, and was active in ministry at Emmanuel Church and at Epiphany School in Dorchester, Massachusetts, and St. George’s School in Newport, Rhode Island. He enjoyed sailing, tennis, and gardening. Grew is survived by Wendy, his wife of 53 years, and by three children, eight grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.
Funeral Services for Bishop Grew will be held January 31 at 11 at Emmanuel Church, Boston.
The Rev. Mark Michael is editor-in-chief of The Living Church. An Episcopal priest, he has reported widely on global Anglicanism, and also writes about church history, liturgy, and pastoral ministry.
