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Maine Consecrates Eighth Female Bishop in the Episcopal Church

Episcopal News Service. April 2, 1998 [98-2131]

Mary Lou Lavallee

(ENS) Buoyed by unexpectedly warm and sunny weather -- and hundreds of family, friends and colleagues from far and near -- Chilton Richardson Knudsen was ordained and consecrated the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Maine on Saturday, March 28, in the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Portland, Maine -- and the eighth female bishop in the Episcopal Church.

Chief consecrator and preacher for the service was the Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and former colleague of the new bishop in the Diocese of Chicago. At the most solemn moment of the liturgy, 15 bishops joined Griswold to lay hands on Knudsen, making her a bishop in the historic succession going back to the apostolic era. She is the eighth woman ordained to the episcopate in this country since Barbara Harris was consecrated in 1989. Harris was one of Knudsen's co-consecrators, joined by Bishop Geralyn Wolf of Rhode Island. With the addition of Mary Adelia McLeod of Vermont, the Province of New England now numbers half of the female bishops in the American church.

Citing the Feast of the Annunciation, appointed for March 25 but transferred to Saturday for this occasion, Griswold called upon the familiar and challenging words of Mary as he reiterated the themes of obedience and faithfulness of Mary in response to the angel, and of all the baptized: "Here I am, the servant of the Lord...Let it be to me, according to your word."

Knudsen, whom he described as "my dear friend, former colleague and always-wise counselor," is the third bishop consecrated by Griswold since his own investiture in January of this year. In addition to bishops Harris and Wolf, consecrators were Frederick B. Wolf, sixth bishop of Maine, and James R. Moodey, retired bishop of Ohio and visiting bishop of Maine for the past 18 months.

Gifts and symbols of the new office were presented to the bishop by her family, former colleagues in Chicago and the clergy of Maine. Her pastoral staff, given by the people of her new diocese, was designed and crafted from native wood by Stanley Neptune, a member of the Penobscot Tribe from Indian Island, Old Town, Maine. The bishop's husband Michael and their son, Daniel, carried forward the oblations of bread and wine for the Eucharist.

The service was videotaped and copies will be presented to each of the 68 congregations in the far-flung diocese and the story with photos was available almost immediately after the service on the church's Web page.

The new bishop was formally welcomed by the Very Rev. Stephen Foote and seated in the cathedra (episcopal chair) at the Cathedral of St. Luke on Sunday, March 29.

-- Mary Lou Lavallee is communications officer for the Diocese of Maine.

[thumbnail: Chilton Knudsen consecrat...] [thumbnail: Maine consecrates church'...]