James Gary Gloster (born June 6, 1936) is an

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prelate who served as Suffragan Bishop of North Carolina 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 ...

between 1996 and 2007.

Early life and education

Gloster was born on June 6, 1936, in

Hopkinsville, Kentucky Hopkinsville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 31,577. History Early years The area of present-day Hopkinsville was initially claimed in 1796 b ...

. He was educated at

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cur ...

and graduated in 1959. He then studied 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 ...

and earned his

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 1962. He was awarded a

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (abbreviated DMin or D.Min.) is a professional doctorate, often including a research component, that may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in some form of ministry. It is categorized as an advanced ...

from the Virginia Seminary in 1990.

Career

He was ordained deacon in 1962 and then priest on December 21, 1962. He then became vicar of St Augustine's Church in

Danville, Indiana Danville is a town in and the county seat of Hendricks County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,001 at the 2010 census, up from 6,418 at the 2000 census. In 2019 the estimated population was 10,126. History Danville was founded in 18 ...

, while in 1966 became program director at Waycross Camp and Conference Centre. In 1968, he became associate rector of the Church of the Redeemer in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, and in 1972 he transferred to

Pulaski, Virginia Pulaski is a town in Pulaski County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,086 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Pulaski County. Pulaski is part of the Blacksburg– Christiansburg Metropolitan Statistical Area. History ...

to serve as rector of Christ Church. Between 1980 and 1988 he served as associate rector of Christ Church in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, before becoming vicar of the Chapel of Christ the King in

in 1988.

Bishop

Gloster was elected on the fourth ballot as Suffragan Bishop of North Carolina on March 23, 1996, in a special diocesan convention which was held at St Andrew's Church in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

. He was consecrated on July 27, 1996, by Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning, at

Duke Chapel Duke University Chapel is a chapel located at the center of the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, Durham, North Carolina, United States. It is an ecumenism, ecumenical Christianity, Christian chapel and the center of religion a ...

. He retired in 2007 and then served at St Mary of the Hills in

Blowing Rock, North Carolina Blowing Rock is a town in Watauga and Caldwell counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 1,397 at the 2021 census. The Caldwell County portion of Blowing Rock is part of the Hickory–Lenoir– Morganton Metropolita ...

References

1936 births Living people Episcopal Church in North Carolina Episcopal bishops of North Carolina {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub