The Rt. Rev. Gerald N. McAllister, third bishop of Oklahoma, died early Tuesday. The Rt. Rev. Dr. Edward J. Konieczny, Bishop of Oklahoma since 2007, announced McAllister’s death in a message to members of the diocese.
McAllister served as bishop from 1977 to 1989. A native of San Antonio, he was an alumnus of the University of Texas and Virginia Theological Seminary. He served in congregations at Raymondville, Corpus Christi, and Victoria, all in Texas, before becoming canon to the Bishop of West Texas, where he served from 1963 to 1967.
In 1967, Fr. McAllister was celebrant at the White House wedding of Lynda Bird Johnson, daughter of the late President, to Marine Capt. Charles Robb.
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.
