![St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/St._Paul%27s_2.jpg)
The Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma dates back to 1837 as a Missionary District of the
Episcopal Church in the United States of America
The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop o ...
. The General Convention of the Episcopal Church recognized the Diocese of Oklahoma in 1937. The
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
consists of all Episcopal congregations in the state of
Oklahoma. The ninth Bishop and sixth
diocesan Bishop is
Poulson C. Reed, consecrated in 2020.
The
see city
See or SEE may refer to:
* Sight - seeing
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Music:
** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals
*** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See''
** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho
* Television
* ...
is
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
, where
St. Paul's Cathedral is located.
Previous bishops
Missionary/Eastern Oklahoma
Francis Key Brooke, 1893-1911 (1911-1918)
Elected bishop of the Missionary District of
Oklahoma and
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...
on January 6, 1893, Brooke arrived in
Guthrie on January 19 and established Trinity Church as his cathedral church until 1908, when he moved the diocesan headquarters to Oklahoma City.
Theodore Payne Thurston, (1911-1919) 1919-1926
An Illinois native, who served the church in Minnesota, Thurston was consecrated bishop of Eastern Oklahoma at
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
in 1911. The previous year
General Convention The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With the exception of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons, it is the ultimate authority ...
had divided the state into two dioceses. Thurston was socially liberal and a low churchman like Brooke. He chose
Muskogee as his see city and Grace Church as his pro-cathedral.
The Convocation of the church in May 1919, after the death of Brooke, voted to recombine the two districts, and Thurston moved to Oklahoma City and St. Paul's. The move was approved by the national church in October.
Eugene Cecil Seaman, 1926-1927
Seaman had only recently been consecrated bishop of
North Texas
North Texas (also commonly called North Central Texas) is a term used primarily by residents of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas to describe much of the north central portion of the U.S. state of Texas. Residents of the Dallas–Fort Wo ...
in 1925 when he was selected to serve as acting bishop of Oklahoma in 1926 because of the failing health of Thurston. He was a graduate of
Sewanee, The University of the South
The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an official seminary of ...
, Tennessee. During his short service to the diocese, Seaman confirmed 270 persons, consecrate
St. Paul's Cathedral and smoothed the way for Casady to lead the state from a missionary district to a diocese.
Diocesan
Thomas Casady
Thomas Casady (June 6, 1881 – September 9, 1958) was the third missionary bishop of Oklahoma and the first diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Oklahoma in the Episcopal Church.
Early life and education
Casady was born in Des Moines, Iowa ...
, 1927-1953
Thomas Casady was born in
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
on June 6, 1881, the son of Simon Casady and Sarah Conarroe. He was educated in the public schools of Des Moines and graduated from the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
in 1902.
His father
Simon Casady, a banker, had hoped he would follow him in the banking business, but Thomas developed a vocation for Holy Orders. He was a member of the
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more t ...
fraternity, a
Freemason, and a
Knight Templar
, colors = White mantle with a red cross
, colors_label = Attire
, march =
, mascot = Two knights riding a single horse
, equipment ...
.
In 1903 he entered
General Theological Seminary
The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...
. After he became bishop he received an honorary doctorate of sacred theology from General Seminary and an honorary doctorate of divinity from
Sewanee, The University of the South
The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an official seminary of ...
, Tennessee.
He was ordained deacon in June 1906, and priest in February 1907. On 27 June 1906 he married Frances LeBaron Kasson, and they had six children.
On October 2, 1927, a
All Saints' Church, Omaha, Nebraskahe was consecrated bishop by the presiding bishop, John Gardner Murray, Bishop of Maryland, assisted by
Theodore N. Morrison, Bishop of Iowa; George A. Beecher, Bishop of Nebraska and a number of other bishops.
Casady was the third missionary bishop of Oklahoma and the first diocesan bishop.
Frederick Putnam, Suffragan 1963-1979
Frederick Warren Putnam Jr. was born in
Red Wing, Minnesota
Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, along the upper Mississippi River. The population was 16,547 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Goodhue County.
This city is named for early 19th-century Dakota Sioux c ...
in 1917. He received his education in the public schools in Minneapolis and graduated from the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
in 1939. That fall he entered
Seabury-Western Theological Seminary
Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (SWTS) was a seminary of the Episcopal Church, located in Evanston, Illinois.
It ceased operations as a residential seminary granting the Master of Divinity degree in May 2010, and in January 2012 it moved ...
, graduating with a bachelor of Theology in 1942. In March of that year he had been ordained deacon and by October he became a priest. He married Helen Kathryn Prouse and they had three children. In November 1962 he was elected to be Oklahoma's first Suffragan Bishop.
Putnam died June 7, 2007.
W. R. Chilton Powell, 1953-1977
Chilton Powell was consecrated bishop coadjutor in 1951 and became the bishop of Oklahoma after Casady's retirement in 1953. At Powell's election, there were 35 clergy and a diocesan budget of $100,000.00. Powell is best remembered as a missionary bishop. Under his care, the diocese opened many new missions all over Oklahoma, including the panhandle as well as St Crispin's, a new conference center in Seminole. While Bishop of Oklahoma, Powell also chaired the Prayer Book Commission that produced the 1979 Prayer Book. At the end of his episcopate, there were 77 congregations, missions and parishes. He was an alumnus of
Carleton College and
Seabury-Western Theological Seminary
Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (SWTS) was a seminary of the Episcopal Church, located in Evanston, Illinois.
It ceased operations as a residential seminary granting the Master of Divinity degree in May 2010, and in January 2012 it moved ...
.
Gerald Nicholas McAllister
Gerald Nicholas McAllister (February 16, 1923 – June 10, 2014) was an American Episcopal bishop. He was the third bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma from 1977 to 1989.
Early life and education
McAllister was born in San Antonio, Texas ...
, 1977-1989
Following the retirement of Powell, Gerald Nicholas McAllister became Bishop in 1977 and remained so until 1989 when Robert M. Moody was elected. During the time of McAllister, outreach became a priority. The Venture in Mission program raised 2.3 million dollars and committed half of that to overseas missions. The concept of total ministry became a diocesan priority. Cluster ministries were instituted, hospital chaplains and college chaplains were added, two Episcopal schools flourished, and two residential facilities were opened for the elderly. At the end of McAllister's time as bishop, the diocese was more financially sound and had grown to 80 congregations, missions, parishes, and two conference centers.
Robert M. Moody, 1989-2007
Robert Moody was elected as the bishop coadjutor on September 19, 1987, at St. Paul's Cathedral on the first ballot. Upon the retirement of McAllister he became our fourth diocesan bishop. He was committed to mission by pursuing an active ministry among the Native Americans with the appointment of an Indian missioner and the development of a center for Indian ministry in Watonga Oklahoma. On April 19, 1995, the Murrah building was destroyed by a bombing. Moody and the diocesan staff assisted in the evacuation of residents from a housing development across from the diocesan offices, provided pastoral assistance in a nearby hospital, and in the days following the blast the distribution of over $500,000 to those in financial need as a result of the bombing.
Edward J. Konieczny, 2007-2020
The former rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in
Grand Junction, Colorado
Grand Junction is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 65,560 at the 2020 United States Census, making Grand Junction the 17th mo ...
, Ed Konieczny was elected on the first ballot on May 5, 2007, at St. Paul's Cathedral. Konieczny was consecrated 5th bishop on September 15, 2007, at
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and docto ...
. Presiding Bishop
Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori (born March 26, 1954) is the former Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church of the United States. Previously elected as the 9th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, she was the first woman elected ...
was chief consecrator. Co-consecrators included
Edward S. Little, II,
Bishop of Northern Indiana;
Robert M. Moody, retiring bishop of Oklahoma; and
Robert J. O'Neill
Robert J. O'Neill (born 10 April 1976) is a former United States Navy SEAL (1996–2012), TV news contributor, and author. After participating in May 2011's Operation Neptune Spear with SEAL Team Six, O'Neill was the subject of controversy ...
,
Bishop of Colorado
The Diocese of Colorado is the diocese of the Episcopal Church which covers all of Colorado. It is in Province VI. Its cathedral, Saint John's Cathedral, Denver, is located in Denver, along with its offices. John Franklin Spalding was the firs ...
, who was the preacher.
OKLAHOMA: Edward Konieczny becomes fifth bishop
Episcopal News Service, September 17, 2007.
From 1975 until 1992, Konieczny served as a Police Officer in Garden Grove and Anaheim, CA. He earned an associate of arts degree in administration of justice from Long Beach City College; a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Cal State Fullerton; his Master of Divinity from Church Divinity School of the Pacific; and a Doctor of Ministry from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. He was ordained a deacon and priest in 1994. He served churches in Texas and Colorado. In 2007, he received a Doctor of Divinity, ''honoris causa'', from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Divinity, ''honoris causa'' from Church Divinity School of the Pacific in 2014.
Konieczny and his wife, Debbie, have two sons and three grandchildren.
Poulson Reed, 2020 -
Poulson C. Reed was elected bishop coadjutor on December 14, 2019. At the time of his election he was rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church and Day School in Phoenix, Arizona. He was consecrated on May 30, 2020 at St. Paul's Cathedral in Oklahoma City, and seated on August 8, 2020, the feast of St. Dominic.
Institutions of the Diocese
Ardmore Village
Ardmore
St. Simeon's
Episcopal Home, Tulsa
St. Crispin's Conference Center
Wewoka
Supported schools
* Casady School
Casady School is an independent, coeducational, college-preparatory school located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, founded in 1947 by Bishop Thomas Casady and the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma. Casady serves children in grades pre-kindergarten throug ...
, Oklahoma City
* Holland Hall, Tulsa
Oak Hall Episcopal School
Ardmore
Tulsa
* St. John's Episcopal Preschool, Tulsa
St. John's Episcopal School
Oklahoma City
St. Mary's Episcopal School
Edmond
References
Sources
Botkin, S. (1958). The Episcopal Church in Oklahoma, Oklahoma City: American-Bond Printing Company.
External links
Official Website of the Diocese of Oklahoma
St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral
Bishop Search Process
Diocese of Oklahoma Cursillo Movement
Vocare in Oklahoma
as revised 14 November 2003
Diocesan Canons
as revised 19 November 2005.
Episcopal Church in the United States of America
*
Journal of the Annual Convocation of the Missionary District of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
'
*
Journal of the Annual Convocation of the Missionary District of Eastern Oklahoma
'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Diocese of Oklahoma
Christian organizations established in 1919
Province 7 of the Episcopal Church (United States)