Phoebe Alison Roaf

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The Right Reverend

Phoebe Alison Roaf
Bishop of West Tennessee
Church Episcopal Church
Diocese West Tennessee
ElectedNovember 17, 2018
In office2019–present
Predecessor Don Edward Johnson
Orders
OrdinationJuly 9, 2008
by  Charles Jenkins
ConsecrationMay 4, 2019
by  Michael Curry
Personal details
Born (1964-03-08) March 8, 1964 (age 59)
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States
Nationality American
Denomination Anglican
Alma mater Harvard University

Phoebe Alison Roaf (born March 8, 1964) is an American prelate who is the fourth and current Bishop of West Tennessee.

Contents

Early life and education

Phoebe Alison Roaf was born on March 8, 1964, in Michigan. She is the oldest of four children born to Andree Layton Roaf, the first Black woman to serve on the Arkansas Supreme Court, and Clifton Roaf, a dentist. [1] Her brother Willie is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. [1] The family returned to her father's home of Pine Bluff when Roaf was five and she was raised attending Grace Episcopal Church, where she became involved in the youth group and then the state diocese's youth group. [1]

Roaf completed a bachelor's degree in history at Harvard University and then a master's degree in public policy at Princeton. [1] [2] She later earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas Little Rock School of Law. [1]

In 2008, Roaf graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity. [1] [2]

Career

Roaf worked as a researcher and analyst for the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission in Virginia and for other ventures in Philadelphia, for six years. [3] After law school, she clerked for Judge James L. Dennis of the Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit (New Orleans) for two years, [3] before working in commercial real estate in New Orleans. [2] She left in 2005 to enroll in seminary. [3]

In 2008, Roaf became the first African American woman to be ordained a priest in the Diocese of Louisiana. [2] She was ordained at age 41, [4] [3] and is known to parishioners as "Mother Phoebe". [5] She served as associate rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in New Orleans, where she was the first person of color to serve as a priest. [1] [3] She was called as rector of St Philip's Episcopal Church in Richmond in 2011, the first woman rector in the church's 150 year history. [1] [3]

In November 2018, Roaf was chosen as the Fourth Bishop of West Tennessee by a vote of delegates to the Annual Diocesan Convention. [2] There were three women on the ballot. [3] She was consecrated bishop on May 4, 2019, at Hope Church (a congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church) in Memphis, used because of its large facilities, something no area Episcopal parish had. At the time of her election as bishop she was rector of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, the largest historically African American Episcopal Church in Virginia. [2] [6] [7] [5]

Roaf is the first woman and the first African American to serve as bishop in West Tennessee, or in any of Tennessee's Episcopal dioceses, [2] [6] [7] [5] and the fifth woman bishop in the history of the Episcopal Church. [5] She was consecrated by Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry, [4] who said "“To be sure, she and the people of West Tennessee are making history as she is the first woman as well as the first African American to hold such a position. But the real history-making moment is the hope ... She was elected because she is a woman committed to Jesus of Nazareth and His way of love. And that way of love is the way to life for us all, Black or white, Anglo or Latino, rich or poor, liberal or conservative, gay or straight, old or young. And that is a sign of hope for our country and our world. That’s history!” [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Jones, Francisca (June 8, 2019). "On a journey with the Lord:State's first black female Episcopal bishop makes history". Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mitchell, Dr Sybil C. "Episcopal bishop breaks race, gender barriers". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lazarus, Jeremy M. (November 21, 2018). "Rev. Roaf leaving St. Philip's Episcopal to be ordained bishop of Western Tennessee". Richmond Free Press. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Waters, David (May 5, 2019). "Bishop Phoebe, 'A Child Of God Like Everyone Else', Makes History In Memphis". The Institute for Public Service Reporting . Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Kuruvilla, Carol (2019-05-09). "Former Lawyer Becomes First Black Female Episcopal Bishop In The South". HuffPost. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  6. 1 2 "The Rt. Rev. Phoebe A. Roaf". Episcopal Church. 2019-05-07. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  7. 1 2 Paulsen, David (2019-05-06). "Phoebe A. Roaf consecrated as fourth bishop of the Diocese of West Tennessee". Episcopal News Service. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
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