First female Episcopal bishop in Maine passes shepherd’s staff

The Right Rev. Chilton R. Knudsen, the first woman to serve as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, on Saturday handed a shepherd’s staff ”” the symbol of the office ”” over to her successor at the seating and investiture of Bishop Stephen Taylor Lane.

Lane, 58, of Portland was elected bishop in October at the annual diocesan convention in Bangor. Ordained in 1978, he served in upstate New York in a number of congregations and diocesan staff roles. Lane was the canon for deployment and ministry development in the Diocese of Rochester when he was elected.

“The installation of a bishop is one of the most dramatic services in our worship,” he said earlier this month. “Beginning with a pounding on the door of the cathedral to be let in, then Bishop Knudsen and I exchanging the crosier ”” the symbol of our role as chief shepherd ”” and finally I’ll be seated in the cathedra, or bishop’s chair, located in the cathedral.”

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Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, Episcopal Church (TEC), TEC Bishops

5 comments on “First female Episcopal bishop in Maine passes shepherd’s staff

  1. robroy says:

    Note that she was a consecrator of Gene Robinson, yet she went to Lambeth. Did she get a [strike]letter[/strike] phone call from the old ditherer stating that acceptance of the invitation to Lamebeth was acceptance of Windsor and the Covenant.

    Also, note the comment in the comment section.

  2. Jeffersonian says:

    Is that acceptance of the the Windsor [i]Report[/i] or the Windsor [i]Process[/i], RR? The former is a set of standards to be met, the latter the means by which the former is bled to death.

  3. robroy says:

    Jeff, we could ask +Tom Wright what was in the letters that he said were to be sent out but weren’t. Guess it don’t matter much at this point.

  4. Larry Morse says:

    Then I did this, and then I did that, and then I and then I and then I.
    (And then I tuned him out) LM

  5. azusa says:

    Picture caption: ‘Here, have this ol’ book. Near-mint condition, never had much use for it myself.’