Earl Nicholas McArthur Jr. (January 1, 1925 - July 17, 2016) was a

suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

of the

Episcopal Diocese of West Texas The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America whose territory comprises the southernmost part of the state of Texas. Territory The see city is San Antonio, and the diocese includes the ...

Early life and education

McArthur was born in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

on January 1, 1925 to Earl Nicholas McArthur Sr. and Nanabelle Stanfield. He served in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

in the Pacific between 1943 and 1946. He then studied at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

from where he earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1948 and later undertook postgraduate studies at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

between 1948 and 1949. He then spent a number of years working as a petroleum engineer and district manager for drilling mud sales for the Alamo Lumber Company. In 1960, he commenced theological studies at the

Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally called the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, located at 3737 Seminary Road in Alexandria, Virginia is the largest and second oldest accredited Episcopal seminary in the Unit ...

, from where he graduated with a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

in 1963.

Ordained ministry

McArthur was ordained deacon in 1963 and then priest on January 15, 1964 by Bishop

Everett Holland Jones Everett Holland Jones (June 9, 1902 - November 18, 1995) was the fourth bishop of West Texas in The Episcopal Church. Early life and education Jones was born on June 9, 1902, in San Antonio, Texas, to Richard Clarence Jones and Enid Holland. He ...

of West Texas. He served as deacon-in-charge and later rector of the Church of the Annunciation in

Luling, Texas Luling is a city in Caldwell and Guadalupe counties, Texas, United States, along the San Marcos River. The population as of the 2020 census was 5,599. History The town was named after a New York banker, Charles Luling. He was a personal frie ...

between 1963 and 1965, after which he became associate rector of the Church of the Holy Spirit in

. In 1967, he was called to serve as rector of All Saints' Church in

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "'' Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patrici ...

, while in 1981 he transferred to

Wimberley, Texas Wimberley is a village in Hays County, Texas, United States. It is still predominantly a ranching area outside of town. The population was 2,839 at the 2020 census. History Wimberley started as a trading post settlement near Cypress Creek in ...

to take upon himself the post of rector of St Stephen's Church.

Bishop

On September 19, 1987, MacArthur was elected on the fifth ballot as

Suffragan Bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

of the

. He was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on January 6, 1988 by Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning in the First United Methodist Church,

. He then retired on December 31, 1993. He died in

on July 17, 2016. He married Shirley Beth Nyberg on February 4, 1948 and together had two sons and two daughters. "Obituary"
''Thomason Funeral Home''. Retrieved on October 4, 2022.

References

1925 births 2016 deaths Place of birth missing 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of West Texas Virginia Theological Seminary alumni Rice University alumni University of Houston alumni {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub