The Right Rev. Geralyn Wolf, a convert from Judaism who stepped into the history books 15 years ago by becoming only the second woman in U.S. Episcopal Church history to be ordained a diocesan bishop, is planning to retire as Rhode Island’s Episcopal bishop late in 2012.
Wolf, who turns 64 next month, broke the news to some of her staff Thursday, her first day back after undergoing knee replacement surgery on Jan. 31.
She made a more public disclosure on Saturday at the close of an evangelism convocation attended by priests and lay people at the Providence Marriott.
Ironic that she’s probably going to be missed most by Rhode Island’s conservatives. It’s unlikely that any successor will be as accommodating.
She was gracious in so many ways. Sadly, Mrs. Schori has taken no notice of her example.
My thoughts exactly, Jeremy (#1). She has been far more interested in not moving forward with innovations until real consensus is achieved than many a male bishop.
Bishop Wolf has seen the diocese through a tough experience during 2002 though 2009. The diocese lost 23 percent of Members, lost 26 percent of ASA and lost 14 percent of Plate & Pledge (inflation adjusted). I ranked it at 78 of 95 dioceses considered. But for the near term the diocese looks in good shape with only 19 of its 54 churches with ASA of 66 or less in 2009. As for Money, there were 20 of the 54 with Plate & Pledge of more than $150K which is quite good by TEC standards. For the longer term the stats are quite poor with Marriages falling from 292 in 2002 to 140 in 2009. Infant Baptisms fell from 618 in 2002 to 377 in 2009. Statmann
I hope the defrocking of Ann Redding won’t be re-examined now that her bishop is retiring. But the Diocese of Olympia is imaginative and they really think Redding was “persecuted”, so stay tuned.
I remember her from the days when she ran a small food cupboard in a neglected urban mission.