R. William Franklin

Last updated
The Right Reverend

R. William Franklin
Bishop of Western New York
Church Episcopal Church
Diocese Western New York
ElectedNovember 20, 2010
In office2011–2019
Predecessor J. Michael Garrison
Orders
Ordination2005
ConsecrationApril 30, 2011
by  Katharine Jefferts Schori
RankBishop
Personal details
BornRalph William Franklin
(1947-01-03) January 3, 1947 (age 79)
Brookhaven, Mississippi, US
Denomination Anglican
Spouse
Carmela Vircillo
​
(m. 1971)​
Children2
Alma mater Virginia Theological Seminary

Ralph William Franklin (born January 3, 1947) was the eleventh Bishop of Western New York in the Episcopal Church between 2011 and 2019. [1] In retirement, he is Assisting Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island and an adjunct professor at the Union Theological Seminary in New York. [2]

Contents

Biography

Franklin was born in on January 3, 1947, in Brookhaven, Mississippi. He graduated with a B.A. from Northwestern University and a PhD in Church History from Harvard University. Prior to ordination, Franklin served as Dean of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University and professor at the General Theological Seminary [ citation needed ] and St John's in Minnesota.[ citation needed ]

Berkeley Divinity School at Yale

The Board of Trustees of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale elected Franklin as its dean effective January 5, 1998. [3] He announced his resignation on December 18, 2001 after an "audit showed that Dr. Franklin used school funds for expenses that included tuition for his daughter at Harvard Medical School." [4] [5] "Amid the controversy, Yale [...] rescinded permission for Berkeley to build a chapel on the main campus of the Yale Divinity School, which may require Berkeley to return $3 million dollars in pledges and gifts to donors." [6] According to the Hartford Courant , Franklin left "his prestigious post for a newly created job with no salary at the Episcopal Diocese of New York, [and] expose[d] Berkeley’s bookkeeping to an attorney general’s investigation." [7] Then-Connecticut State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, whose office oversaw charitable funds granted to Yale, "said the University responded to Berkeley’s dubious finance procedures by taking matters into its own hands." In 2003, Berkeley Divinity School's finance director filed a suit "charging the Divinity School with breach of contract and slandering her reputation" alleging that "she was following orders from Franklin." [8]

Ordained Ministry

Franklin was made deacon on March 19, 2005 and ordained to the priesthood on September 17, 2005, on both occasions by Mark Sisk, Bishop of New York. After ordination, Franklin also served some time in Italy as associate priest at St Paul's Within the Walls in Rome, associate director of the American Academy in Rome,[ citation needed ] associate priest of the Anglican Centre in Rome [ citation needed ] and vicar of the Church of the Resurrection in Orvieto.[ citation needed ] He returned to the United States and was appointed senior associate priest at St Mark's Church in Philadelphia in July 2010.[ citation needed ] A few months later without having served as the rector of any church, [9] Franklin was elected Bishop of Western New York on November 20, 2010. He was consecrated on April 30, 2011, by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. [10]

Franklin retired as Bishop of Western New York in April 2019. [11] [12] Following retirement, he received the inaugural Racial Healing and Transformation Award of the Union of Black Episcopalians. [13]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ "Our Bishop The Rt. Rev. R. William Franklin Eleventh Bishop of Western New York", Diocese of Western New York. Retrieved on 05 December 2018.
  2. ↑ "Anglican Studies: R. William Franklin, PhD, DD". utsnyc.edu. Union Theological Seminary. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Yale's Berkeley Divinity School Names New Dean". yale.edu. Yale University. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Arenson, Karen W. "Dean of Yale-Affiliated Divinity School Leaves Amid Spending Dispute". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  5. ↑ Holwell, Eve. "Dean resigns amid scandal at Div. School". yaledailynews.com. Yale Daily News. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  6. ↑ Holwell, Eve. "Dean resigns amid scandal at Div. School". yaledailynews.com. Yale Daily News. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  7. ↑ "DIVINITY SCHOOL FELT YALE'S WRATH". courant.com. Hartford Courant. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Post, Julie. "Yale Daily News". yaledailynews.com. Yale Daily News. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  9. ↑ Mueller, Mary Ann. "Western New York: New Episcopal Bishop Spun Role As Victim in Walkabout over Berkeley/yale Scandal". Bishop Accountability. Virtue Online. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  10. ↑ Wozniak, Laurie "Diocese of Western New York elects R. William Franklin as bishop", Episcopal Church, 20 November 2010. Retrieved on 10 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "Bp. Franklin to Retire in 2019", The Living Church. Retrieved on 10 May 2020.
  12. ↑ Dewey, C. "Buffalo Episcopal diocese's bishop retiring; it will share new leader with Pa. diocese", The Buffalo News , Buffalo, NY, 7 April 2019. Retrieved on 10 May 2020.
  13. ↑ "https://www.province2.org/diocesan-news-stories/ube-northeast-regional-conference". province2.org. Province II. Retrieved 15 January 2026.{{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
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