Sean Rowe | |
|---|---|
| 28th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church | |
 | |
| Church | Episcopal Church |
| In office | 2024–present |
| Predecessor | Michael Curry |
| Previous posts |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | December 2, 2000 byRobert D. Rowley[1] |
| Consecration | September 8, 2007 by Katharine Jefferts Schori |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sean Walter Rowe (1975-02-16)February 16, 1975 (age 50) Sharon, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Denomination | Episcopalian |
| Spouse | Carly Rowe |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Grove City College Virginia Theological Seminary Gannon University |
Sean Walter Rowe (born February 16, 1975[2]) is an American bishop who is serving as the 28thpresiding bishop andprimate ofthe Episcopal Church since 2024.[3][4][5]
Ordained as a priest in 2000, Rowe served for 7 years as rector for Saint John's Episcopal Church inFranklin, Pennsylvania and was ordained and consecrated as the8th bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania in September 2007,[6][7] a position in which he remained for 17 years before succeedingMichael Curry as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in November 2024.[4] Rowe has also served as aprovisional bishop for both theEpiscopal Diocese of Bethlehem and theEpiscopal Diocese of Western New York.[8]
He was the youngest Episcopal priest in the United States at the time of his ordination to the priesthood in 2000,[6] and was the youngest member of theHouse of Bishops upon his consecration as a bishop in 2007 at the age of 32.[9]
Born inSharon, Pennsylvania, Rowe grew up in nearbyHermitage. Both his grandfathers were steelworkers, while his father worked for the state parole board and his mother at a local auto plant.[5] He was active in theboy scouts and was elected class president in his final year at Hickory High School in Hermitage. Although his mother's background wasRoman Catholic and his father's was in theUnited Church of Christ, Rowe attended Hickory Global Methodist Church, where he felt his first call to church leadership.[5] He studied for a B.A. in history fromGrove City College, where the chair of the history department, an Episcopal priest, introduced him to the Episcopal Church.[5]
He later received an M.Div. fromVirginia Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in organizational learning and leadership fromGannon University. Ordained in 2000, he served as rector of Saint John's Episcopal Church inFranklin, Pennsylvania, from 2000 to 2007.[7]
Rowe was electedBishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2007 at the age of 32, making him the youngest member of theHouse of Bishops.[6] At the election, which was held at theCathedral of Saint Paul inErie, Pennsylvania, on May 19, 2007, he was elected on the first ballot from a slate of four candidates, with 64 lay votes and 29 clergy votes.[10][11]
His consecration took place on September 8, 2007,[12][13] and the consecrators includedKatharine Jefferts Schori,Robert D. Rowley,Mark Dyer, Ralph E. Jones of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America,Arthur Williams andWayne P. Wright.[14]
In 2008, Rowe was appointed to the theology faculty atGannon University. The following year he was granted an honorary doctorate in divinity from theVirginia Theological Seminary. In 2022 he was awarded the House of Deputies Medal.[15]
In 2014 Rowe was elected to serve asProvisional Bishop of Bethlehem in eastern Pennsylvania,[16] receiving all 64 clergy votes and 99 of the 100 lay votes in the election.[16] He continued to serve as Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania at the same time, until the Right ReverendKevin D. Nichols became Bishop of Bethlehem in 2018.[17]
In 2017 Rowe sent a letter, along with the Right ReverendR. William Franklin of theEpiscopal Diocese of Western New York and the chairs of the standing committees of the dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York, proposing the creation of "a unique partnership in which the two dioceses would share a single bishop, a single staff".[18] Following consultations across the region,[18] both standing committees approved an arrangement to "share a bishop and staff for five years while exploring a long-term relationship".[19] A joint convention of dioceses was held on October 26, 2018, inNiagara Falls, and the plan was approved by a wide margin.[8][18]
Rowe became Provisional Bishop of Western New York on April 7, 2019, upon the retirement of the Right Reverend William Franklin,[18][20] and in 2022 the two standing committees voted to extend the partnership by two years.[21]
On April 2, 2024, Rowe was announced as a candidate to succeedMichael Curry aspresiding bishop of theEpiscopal Church, at the election to be held at the 81stGeneral Convention inLouisville, Kentucky, on June 26, 2024.[22]
Meeting atChrist Church Cathedral, Louisville, the House of Bishops elected Rowe with 89 of 158 votes cast on the first ballot. His election was later ratified by the laity and clergy in the House of Deputies. He was the youngest person to serve as presiding bishop when his nine-year term began on November 1, 2024.[3][4]
In a break with tradition, Rowe announced that his installation would be held at the Episcopal Church's headquarters in New York, rather than at theNational Cathedral inWashington, D.C.[23] The scaled-down service, intended to reduce the event's carbon footprint, took place on November 2, 2024, at the Chapel of Christ the Lord in the Episcopal Church Center, and was attended by Rowe's predecessors, Michael Curry and Katharine Jefferts Schori.[24] It contained prayers, readings and hymns in English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, Arabic, Hebrew and other languages,[25] and in his sermon, based on the story ofLazarus of Bethany, Rowe emphasized the importance of supporting the ministries at the congregational and diocesan levels.[26][27]
On November 6, 2024, the day after the2024 United States presidential election, Rowe sent a letter to members of the Episcopal Church, stating "We are Christians who support the dignity, safety, and equality of women andLGBTQ+ people as an expression of our faith", adding "I pray thatPresident Trump and his administration will do the same."[28]
On January 9, 2025, Rowe officiated at thestate funeral of President Jimmy Carter, held atWashington National Cathedral.[29]
On July 3, 2025, Rowe authored an opinion piece inReligion News Service titled "Once the church of presidents, the Episcopal Church must now be an engine of resistance". In it, he criticized the Episcopal Church's longstanding "intermingling" with the American federal government, and advocated for continued resistance against thesecond Trump administration's "overreach and recklessness".[30]
Rowe is married to Carly Rowe, with whom he has one daughter.[26]
| Episcopal Church (USA) titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | 8thBishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania 2007–2024 | Succeeded by Vacant |
| Preceded by | 28thPresiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church 2024–present | Incumbent |
