Each day during March, we celebrate the contributions 31 women have made and recognize their specific achievement as bishop in the Episcopal Church.
Today we celebrate The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, the former Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church of the United States.
“The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, previously bishop of Nevada, was the first female and 26th presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. She was elected at the 75th General Convention on June 18, 2006. She was formally invested at Washington National Cathedral on November 4, 2006.” During her nine years leading the Episcopal Church’s nearly 2 million members, the Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori spent a good deal of time representing the church on public issues ranging from caring for the poor to caring for the planet.”
Click here to learn more about the former Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori.
“The Presiding Bishop is the president of the House of Bishops. [Also known as the] Chief Pastor and Primate of the Episcopal Church . . . The title “Primate” was added in 1982. The Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Washington, D. C., is the official seat of the Presiding Bishop. The office of the Presiding Bishop is located at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City. The present term of office for the Presiding Bishop is nine years.
The office evolved originally from a rule of the House of Bishops in 1789 making its presiding officer the senior member in terms of date of consecration. As a result of increased duties, the office was incorporated into the Constitution of the Church in 1901 and styled Presiding Bishop of the Church.
In 1919 the office was made elective and invested with executive responsibility for all departments of the church’s work. The first election of a Presiding Bishop by General Convention took place in 1925. Since 1943 the Presiding Bishop has been required to resign diocesan jurisdiction upon election. In 1967 the duties of the office were significantly enhanced. As “Chief Pastor,” the Presiding Bishop is charged with initiating and developing church policy and strategy, speaking God’s Word to the church and the world, and visiting every diocese of the church.”
Source: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/who-we-are/church-governance/house-of-bishops/; https://cathedral.org/staff/the-most-rev-katharine-jefferts-schori/; https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/presiding-bishop/; https://cdsp.edu/2016/04/the-most-rev-dr-katharine-jefferts-schori-returns-to-cdsp/; https://www.britannica.com/biography/Katharine-Jefferts-Schori