Frank Stanley Cerveny (born ) was the sixth

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the Diocese of Florida and the 699th bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

of the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

Early years

Frank Cerveny was born in Ludlow, Massachusetts, in the Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan area and grew up during the Depression. He graduated from

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts, then earned 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 ...

from the

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 ...

in 1958. Cerveny has been awarded four honorary doctorates. His first parish was in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, at Church of the Resurrection, where he was ordained as a priest in December 1958. Next, Reverend Cerveny served on the staff of Trinity Church in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

for several years. He married Emmy Thomas Pettway on November 1, 1961, and they had three children. He became rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States ...

, in the fall of 1963, then led St. John's Episcopal Church in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

, beginning in 1969. Reverend Cerveny was called to

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, in July 1972 and served as dean at St. John's Cathedral. He was elected bishop coadjutor on February 23, 1974, and consecrated on May 23, 1974, as the 6th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida.
Diocese of Florida, Previous Bishops-Frank Cerveny

Episcopacy

During his 18 years as bishop, membership in the diocese grew, a site for a new diocean camp was acquired near Live Oak, Florida, Camp Weed was constructed, as was a conference center (which was named in Cerveny's honor). The ''Episcopal Foundation'' was established and two programs were begun to help Cuban Episcopalians: ''Partners in Mission'' and ''Companion Diocese'' relationships. ''Christian Healing Ministries'', created by Doctors Francis and Judith MacNutt in 1981, was embraced by Bishop Cerveny and relocated to Jacksonville, where their international outreach gave hope and comfort to people throughout the world. Bishop Cerveny served as a member on the National Board for Theological Education; chairmanships included the Presiding Bishop's Select Committee, Deans and Bishops Committee, and the Environmental Stewardship Team. He was a trustee for the University of the South, an official

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

of the Episcopal Church, USA. In 1992, he retired as bishop and joined the ''Church Pension Group'' (CPG) in New York City as executive vice president. He also served as president of the ''Compass Rose Society''. Bishop Cerveny returned to Jacksonville in 1999 and served as clerical trustee of the

Jessie Ball duPont Fund The Jessie Ball duPont Fund, "Florida's leading national foundation", is a charitable foundation that issues grants to organizations that received support from Jessie Ball duPont during the years 1960-1964 inclusive. When she died on September 26, ...

from 1998 until the organization's rules required that he retire at age 70.Kerr, Jessie-Lynn

Florida Times-Union, September 19, 2003-Retiring bishop is new duPont trustee He then became a trustee of the Community Foundation in Jacksonville.
Community Foundation of Jacksonville, Staff & Board, Trustees-
Florida Times-Union, March 7, 2004-Community Foundation appoints 2 to board He and his wife reside on the

St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...

in Ortega.

References

External links

Compass Rose SocietyEpiscopal Diocese of Florida-Bishop CervenyEpiscopal Church Pension GroupJessie Ball duPont FundCommunity Foundation of Jacksonville, Trustees
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cerveny, Frank 1933 births Living people People from Ludlow, Massachusetts Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni General Theological Seminary alumni Episcopal bishops of Florida

Early years

Episcopacy

See also

References

External links