He returned to North Charleston in 1988 to become rector at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. He remained there until he became the diocese’s bishop suffragan in 1996. He resigned that position last year to clear the way for a new bishop.
[William] Skilton continued working with the Dominican Development Group, which he started about seven years ago to raise money to help build schools and churches. In February, the Rt. Rev. Julio Holguin installed Skilton as assistant bishop of the Episcopal Church in the Dominican Republic.
Skilton will continue to live in North Charleston and travel back and forth several times a year. He’s scheduled to be in Santo Domingo this weekend.
The Episcopal Church calls the Dominican Republic one of the fastest-growing dioceses in the denomination, along with the Diocese of South Carolina, which has adopted it as a companion diocese.
“There is a spirit there,” Skilton said. “It’s very difficult to explain. The church is serving people who don’t have much. There’s a trust there that’s not present as much in this culture.”