Just call him Bishop Lawrence, finally.
Mark Joseph Lawrence endured two elections in a year’s span and waited patiently for confirmation that he would be the 14th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. His election was approved in October, and on Saturday, he was consecrated in a liturgical ceremony at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul in downtown Charleston.
Hundreds of people came to witness Lawrence’s big day ”” distinguished guests from near and far, including Benjamin Kwashi, Archbishop of Jos, Nigeria; Anthony Burton, Bishop of Saskatchewan, Canada; Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon; and Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, who proclaimed the day after the new bishop during the service.
Lawrence’s consecration comes amid recent theological disagreement within the Episcopal Church, which is the American affiliate of the global Anglican Communion, the roots of which trace back to the Church of England.