John Wadsworth Howe (born November 4, 1942) is an American Anglican bishop. He is a retired bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida The Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida is a diocese in Florida in Province IV of the Episcopal Church. It is bounded on the north by the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the dioceses of South ...

, serving from 1990 to 2012. He was consecrated as bishop coadjutor on April 15, 1989. On 16 July 2020, he announced that he was joining the Anglican Church in North America.

Early life and education

Howe was born on November 4, 1942, in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, the son of John Wadsworth Howe and Shirley Anita Hanson. He studied at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

and graduated with 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 1964. On September 1, 1962, he married Karen Louise Elvgren, and together had three children. He also 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 ...

from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1967. he 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 ...

from

Berkeley Divinity School Berkeley Divinity School, founded in 1854, is a seminary of The Episcopal Church in New Haven, Connecticut. Along with Andover Newton Theological School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Berkeley is one of the three "Partners on the Quad," ...

in 1989, from Sewanee: The University of the South in 1990 and from

Nashotah House Nashotah House is an Anglicanism, Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically Conservatism, ...

in 1991.In 2011 he earned his PhD. from the Graduate Theological Foundation.

Ordained ministry

Howe was ordained deacon in 1967 and priest in 1968. He served as chaplain at Loomis Chaffee School in

Windsor, Connecticut Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population of Windsor was 29,492 at the 2020 census. Po ...

, from 1967 to 1969 and then as chaplain at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut, from 1969 till 1972. After that, he became associate rector of St Stephen's Church in

Sewickley, Pennsylvania Sewickley is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, west northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. It is a residential suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 3,827 according to the United States Census 2010, 20 ...

, while in 1976 he transferred to Fairfax, Virginia, to serve as rector of Truro Church, where he remained till 1989.

Bishop

Howe was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Central Florida in 1989 and was consecrated on April 15, 1989, at the Calvary Assembly worship center in

Winter Park, Florida Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 30,183 according to the 2022 census population estimate. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Park was fo ...

, by Presiding Bishop

Edmond L. Browning Edmond Lee Browning (March 11, 1929 – July 11, 2016) was an American bishop. He was the 24th presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Education, ordination, early ministry Browning received his s ...

. He succeeded as diocesan bishop on January 1, 1990. His episcopacy reflected his conservative and evangelical views. He was one of the bishops who opposed the ordination of Gene Robinson as a bishop. He retired in 2012. On 16 July 2020, Howe announced that he was leaving the Episcopal Church to join the Anglican Church in North America, with his wife, a female deacon. He explained that one of the main reasons for him to change denominations had been the redefinition of the traditional understanding of marriage and the way in which Bishop William Love, of Albany, was being treated for opposing same-sex marriage in his diocese. He stated that he will continue serving as Senior Pastor of the multi-denominational Lake of the Woods Church, in Locust Grove,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, where he was serving for the previous five years. He will become a retired bishop of the Anglican Church in North America in the

Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic The Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic is an Anglican Church in North America diocese, encompassing Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and northeastern North Carolina, with 43 congregations, including 9 church plantings.Diocese of the Mid-AtlanticFind ...

.Former Central Florida Bishop Leaves TEC Joins ACNA, Virtue Online, 16 July 2020
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References

External links

Bishop John Howe retiring in his own time — on his own terms
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howe, John W. 1942 births Living people Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America University of Connecticut alumni Yale Divinity School alumni Sewanee: The University of the South alumni Nashotah House alumni Clergy from Chicago 20th-century Anglican bishops in the United States 21st-century Anglican bishops in the United States Episcopal bishops of Central Florida Anglican realignment people