wfn.org | [ENS] Episcopal Church's 1000th bishop: Steenson to be ordained in

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@mail.epicom.org>]

Daybook, from Episcopal News Service

January 13, 2005 -- Thursday Thesis: Meeting People of Purpose

Episcopal Church's 1000th bishop: Steenson to be ordained in Rio Grande

[ENS] The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey N. Steenson will be ordained and consecrated
bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of the Rio Grande Saturday, January 15,
in a
historic ceremony that will pronounce him the 1000th bishop in the
apostolic
succession of the Episcopal Church.

Steenson, 52, will be consecrated by Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold
during a special service that will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral
Church of St. John, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Speaking about his role in terms of healing and reconciliation, Steenson
explained that communication and relationships are of vital importance.
"Whatever our problems are, we need to learn to try and solve them in
the
communities we find ourselves in," he said, according to an Albuquerque
Journal report. "...God is not honored by Christian communities tearing
themselves up. We have enough division in the Christian world without
adding
to it."

Having served the diocese as canon to the ordinary, or executive
assistant
to the diocesan bishop, since 2000, Steenson has gained wide knowledge
of
the diocese, including its larger parishes and many rural missions.

Prior to moving to the Diocese of the Rio Grande, Steenson was rector of
St.
Andrew's Church in Fort Worth, Texas, from 1989 to 2000, and was
previously
rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont, Pennsylvania. He
has
been a board member of the Living Church Foundation since 1987. He holds
a
doctorate in theology from Oxford, a master's in divinity from Harvard
Divinity School, a master's in church history from Trinity Evangelical
Divinity School, and a bachelor's in history from Trinity College.

Steenson's "principles of ministry" have been listed as: "Above all, to
honor and serve the Lord Jesus Christ in the Church and in the world; to
emphasize preaching and teaching which is biblically centered and stands
faithfully within an orthodox Christian perspective; to seek a deeper
and
wider vision of the Church than is found in modern denominationalism,
being
especially attentive to new possibilities for promoting Christian unity;
to
recover those principles at the heart of the classical Anglican pastoral
and
theological tradition that are in danger of being forgotten in modern
church
life; to defend the spiritual freedom which the Gospel establishes as a
basic right of a mature and committed Christian laity."

Steenson's consecration follows the line of apostolic succession in the
Episcopal Church which began more than 220 years ago when Samuel
Seabury,
elected to be Bishop of Connecticut, was consecrated in Aberdeen by
bishops
in the Scottish Episcopal Church on November 14, 1784.

Elected October 16 on the third ballot by the Rio Grande diocesan
convention
meeting in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Steenson led a slate of six
candidates,
of which he was one of two nominated by petition.

Steenson will begin ministry as diocesan bishop following Bishop Terence
Kelshaw's retirement effective July 31, 2005. Kelshaw has been bishop of
the
Rio Grande since 1989.

Steenson has been married to Debra J. Arnold since 1974 and is the
father of
three adult children.

Due to space limitations, reservations and tickets for the consecration
service are no longer available. Those interested in observing and
participating may do so by connecting to a live webcast of the service.
Full
details on how to access the webcast can be found online at:
http://www.stjohnsabq.org/Contacts/Diocesan.htm#consecration.

More information about the Diocese of the Rio Grande -- which spans New
Mexico and Southwest Texas including El Paso -- is available online at
http://riogrande.anglican.org.

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