George Rhys Selway (June 4, 1905 – February 28, 1989) was bishop of the Diocese of Northern Michigan in

The Episcopal Church 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 Ecclesiastical provinces and dioces ...

, serving from 1964 to 1972.

Early life and education

Selway was born in Steubenville, Ohio on June 4, 1905, the son of Richard David Selway and Jennett Williams. He was educated in public schools, and then at Kenyon College where he was a member of

Sigma Pi Sigma Pi () is a collegiate fraternity with 233 chapters at American universities. As of 2021, the fraternity had more than 5,000 undergraduate members and over 110,000 alumni. Sigma Pi headquarters are in Nashville, Tennessee. The fraternity ...

fraternity. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1929 and was awarded a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

in 1947. He also studied at

Bexley Hall Bexley Hall was an Episcopal seminary from 1824 until April 27, 2013, when it federated with Seabury-Western Theological Seminary as Bexley Hall Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Federation, also known as 'Bexley Seabury For three years, Bexl ...

from where he earned a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

in 1930.

Ordination and career

Selway was ordained deacon in June 1930 and priest in May 1931 by the Bishop of Ohio

Warren Lincoln Rogers Warren Lincoln Rogers (November 14, 1877 – November 6, 1938) was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio from 1930 to 1938; he had served previously as coadjutor from 1925 to 1930. The Wa-Li-Ro Episcopal Choir Camp was named for him. Early life ...

. He married Edna Marie Wright on September 17, 1934, and together had four children. He served as priest-in-charge of Trinity Church in

New Philadelphia, Ohio New Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The county's largest city, New Philadelphia lies along the Tuscarawas River. The population was 17,677 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city in the ...

between 1930 and 1932, and then as curate of St Paul's Church in Akron, Ohio between 1932 and 1934. In 1934, he became rector of St Mark's Church in Toledo, Ohio, where he remained till 1945. He served as rector of St Paul's Church in

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...

from 1945 to 1959. Prior to his election as bishop, he was dean of Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix.

Bishop

Selway was consecrated as bishop on October 1, 1964 in St Paul's Church, Marquette, Michigan. He was very liberal and concerned with urban problems and social activism which weren't priorities for many in his new diocese. However, he was an avid fly fisherman, hunter, and sailor. These qualities, and much travel, helped him fit in with the people of northern Michigan. As bishop he dispersed more leadership responsibilities to lay people, which paved the way for the Mutual Ministry model used today. In 1969, women in the diocese were allowed to become wardens of vestries. He was also able to make progress in increasing base pay and benefits for the clergy in the diocese After his retirement in 1972, he became the first executive director of Episcopal Community Services in Arizona.

References

1905 births 1989 deaths Kenyon College alumni 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Northern Michigan 20th-century American clergy {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub