Sean Rowe (bishop)

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The Most Reverend

Sean Rowe
28th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
BishopSeanRowe.png
Rowe in 2014
Church Episcopal Church
In office2024–present
Predecessor Michael Curry
Other post(s)
Orders
OrdinationDecember 2, 2000
ConsecrationSeptember 8, 2007
by  Katharine Jefferts Schori
Personal details
Born
Sean Walter Rowe

(1975-02-16) February 16, 1975 (age 49)
Sharon, Pennsylvania, US
Denomination Episcopalian
SpouseCarly Rowe
Children1
Alma mater Grove City College
Virginia Theological Seminary
Gannon University

Sean Walter Rowe (born February 16, 1975) [1] is an American bishop who has served as the 28th Presiding Bishop and primate of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America since 2024. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Ordained as a priest in 2000, Rowe served for 7 years as rector for St. John's Episcopal Church in Franklin, Pennsylvania and was ordained and consecrated as the 8th Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania in September 2007, [5] [6] a position in which he remained for 17 years before succeeding Michael Curry as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in November 2024. [3] Rowe has also served as a Provisional Bishop for both the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem and the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York. [7]

He was the youngest Episcopal priest in the United States at the time of his initial ordination in 2000, [5] and was the youngest member of the House of Bishops upon his consecration in 2007 at the age of 32. [8]

Early life and education

Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, Rowe grew up in nearby Hermitage. Both his grandfathers were steelworkers, while his father worked for the state parole board and his mother at a local auto plant. [4] He was active in the boy scouts and was elected class president in his final year at Hickory High School in Hermitage. Although his mother's background was Roman Catholic and his father's was in the United Church of Christ, Rowe attended Hickory Global Methodist Church, where he felt his first call to church leadership. [4] He studied for a B.A. in history from Grove City College, where the chair of the history department, an Episcopal priest, introduced him to the Episcopal Church. [4]

He later received an M.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in organizational learning and leadership from Gannon University. Ordained in 2000, he served as rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Franklin, Pennsylvania, from 2000 to 2007. [6]

Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania

Location of the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania ECUSA Northwestern Pennsylvania.png
Location of the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania

Rowe was elected Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2007 at the age of 32, making him the youngest member of the House of Bishops. [5] At the election, which was held at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Erie, Pennsylvania, on May 19, 2007, he was elected on the first ballot from a slate of four candidates, with 64 lay votes and 29 clergy votes. [9] [10]

His consecration took place on September 8, 2007, [11] [12] and the consecrators included Katharine Jefferts Schori, Robert D. Rowley, Mark Dyer, Ralph E. Jones of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Arthur Williams and Wayne P. Wright. [13]

In 2008 Rowe was appointed to the theology faculty at Gannon University. The following year he was granted an honorary doctorate in divinity from the Virginia Theological Seminary. In 2022 he was awarded the House of Deputies Medal. [14]

Provisional Bishop of Bethlehem

In 2014 Rowe was elected to serve as Provisional Bishop of Bethlehem in eastern Pennsylvania, [15] receiving all 64 clergy votes and 99 of the 100 lay votes in the election. [15] He continued to serve as Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania at the same time, until the Rt. Rev. Kevin D. Nichols became Bishop of Bethlehem in 2018. [16]

Provisional Bishop of Western New York

In 2017 Rowe sent a letter, along with the Rt. Rev. R. William Franklin of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York and the chairs of the standing committees of the Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York, proposing the creation of "a unique partnership in which the two dioceses would share a single bishop, a single staff". [17] Following consultations across the region, [17] both standing committees approved an arrangement to "share a bishop and staff for five years while exploring a long-term relationship". [18] A joint convention of dioceses was held on October 26, 2018, in Niagara Falls, and the plan was approved by a wide margin. [7] [17]

Rowe became Provisional Bishop of Western New York on April 7, 2019, upon the retirement of the Rt. Rev. William Franklin, [17] [19] and in 2022 the two standing committees voted to extend the partnership by two years. [20]

Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of America

On April 2, 2024, Rowe was announced as a candidate to succeed Michael Curry as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, at the election to be held at the 81st General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 26, 2024. [21]

Meeting at Christ Church Cathedral, Louisville, the House of Bishops elected Rowe with 89 of 158 votes cast on the first ballot. His election was later ratified by the laity and clergy in the House of Deputies. He was the youngest person to serve as presiding bishop when his nine-year term began on November 1, 2024. [2] [3]

In a break with tradition, Rowe announced that his installation would be held at the Episcopal Church's headquarters in New York, rather than at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. [22] The scaled-down service, intended to reduce the event's carbon footprint, took place on November 2, 2024, at the Chapel of Christ the Lord in the Episcopal Church Center, and was attended by Rowe's predecessors Michael Curry and Katharine Jefferts Schori. [23] It contained prayers, readings and hymns in English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, Arabic, Hebrew and other languages, [24] and in his sermon, based on the story of Lazarus of Bethany, Rowe emphasized the importance of supporting the ministries at the congregational and diocesan levels. [25] [26]

On November 6, 2024, the day after the 2024 United States presidential election, Rowe sent a letter to members of the Episcopal Church, stating "We are Christians who support the dignity, safety, and equality of women and LGBTQ+ people as an expression of our faith", adding "I pray that President Trump and his administration will do the same". [27]

Personal life

Rowe is married to Carly Rowe, with whom he has one daughter. [25]

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References

  1. ↑ Episcopal Clerical Directory 2013 (2013). New York: Church Publishing Inc. ISBN   978-0-89869-888-6, p. 829.
  2. 1 2 Paulsen, David (June 26, 2024). "Breaking: Sean Rowe elected 28th presiding bishop, will begin nine-year term Nov. 1". Episcopal News Service.
  3. 1 2 3 The New York Times, "The Episcopal Church Has Elected Its Youngest Leader in Centuries", June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Episcopal News Service, "After 24 years of adaptive ministry, Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe faces biggest challenge yet", October 21, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 "Our Bishop". The Episcopal Dioceses of Western New York & Northwestern Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  6. 1 2 Davidson, Tom (2007-09-13). "Called to service". The Herald. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  7. 1 2 lwilson (2018-10-26). "Western New York, Northwestern Pennsylvania ratify partnership". Episcopal News Service. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  8. ↑ "Episcopal News Service: Press Release # 091207-05". www.episcopalarchives.org. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  9. ↑ "Episcopal News Service: Press Release # 091207-05". www.episcopalarchives.org. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  10. ↑ "Episcopal News Service: Press Release # 051907-01". www.episcopalarchives.org. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  11. ↑ "Episcopal News Service: Press Release # 091207-05". www.episcopalarchives.org. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  12. ↑ "Bishop consecration Saturday". The Herald. 2007-09-06. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  13. ↑ "Episcopal News Service: Press Release # 091207-05". www.episcopalarchives.org. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  14. ↑ "President of the House of Deputies". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  15. 1 2 mmacdonald (2014-03-03). "Bishop Sean Rowe is elected provisional bishop of Bethlehem diocese". Episcopal News Service. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  16. ↑ mmacdonald (2018-09-21). "Kevin D. Nichols ordained as 9th bishop of the Diocese of Bethlehem". Episcopal News Service. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "History". The Episcopal Dioceses of Western New York & Northwestern Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  18. ↑ mmacdonald (2018-05-08). "Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania, Western New York move toward collaboration". Episcopal News Service. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  19. ↑ "Two Dioceses, Two States, One Bishop". The Living Church. 2019-10-09. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  20. ↑ "Diocesan Partnership Extended by Two Years: A Letter from the Standing Committees Presidents". The Episcopal Dioceses of Western New York & Northwestern Pennsylvania. 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  21. ↑ 81st General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Nominees for the 28th Presiding Bishop, press release, April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  22. ↑ Episcopal News Service, "Presiding bishop-elect to forego installation at National Cathedral; scaled-back event to be held at church’s New York headquarters", June 28, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Save the date for Presiding Bishop-elect Rowe's installation service". The Episcopal Church. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  24. ↑ Episcopal Church, Investiture website. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  25. 1 2 Episcopal News Service, "Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe takes office, proclaims ‘one church in Christ’ for a changing world", November 2, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  26. ↑ Church Times, "US Presiding Bishop signals change of direction with modest investiture in New York", November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  27. ↑ New York Times, "Trump’s Believers See a Presidency With God on Their Side", November 7, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
Episcopal Church (USA) titles
Preceded by 8th Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania
2007–2024		Succeeded by
Vacant
Preceded by 28th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
2024–present		Incumbent
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