Leonard Wayne Riches Sr. (born 1939) is an American

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

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 ...

. He served as Presiding Bishop of the

Reformed Episcopal Church The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican church of evangelical Episcopalian heritage. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is a founding member of ...

from 1996 to June 2014, and was previously the bishop of the Diocese of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic in this church, which was a founding jurisdiction of the Anglican Church in North America. He married his wife, Barbara, in 1964, and they have two grown sons, Leonard W. Riches, Jr. and Jonathan S. Riches.

Life and ministry

Bishop Riches was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He was baptized at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church as a child and later joined the Reformed Episcopal Church with his family in 1946, when they entered the Memorial Church of Our Redeemer in his home city. The Riches family later joined Calvary Reformed Episcopal Church in Philadelphia under the pastorate of William H. S. Jerdan, who also went on to become a Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church. Riches graduated cum laude at Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature in 1961. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church, otherwise known as the

Reformed Episcopal Seminary The Reformed Episcopal Seminary is a private seminary in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1887 as the first seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church. History The Reformed Episcopal Seminary was founded in 1887 in West Philadelphia ...

, in 1964. He continued advanced graduate work at the

Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), also known as the ''Philadelphia Seminary,'' was one of eight theological seminaries associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran denomination in North ...

, completing all the course work toward an STM. He then devoted his time to pastoral ministry and teaching at the Reformed Episcopal Seminary at the request of Robert K. Rudolph. Riches was awarded honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees by the Reformed Episcopal Seminary in 1976 and by Cranmer Theological House in 1997. Riches was ordained a deacon in 1964 and a presbyter in 1965. For the next 18 years he would be rector of three Reformed Episcopal Church parishes, St. Luke's Church in Philadelphia, the First Reformed Episcopal Church in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and St. Mark's Church in

Jenkintown Jenkintown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Center City Philadelphia. History The community was named for William Jenkins, a Welsh pioneer settler. Jenkintown is located just ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. In 1974 he was elected bishop of the Diocese of the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic, being consecrated on June 1975 at the First Episcopal Reformed Church in New York, as assistant bishop. He would be later elected bishop co-adjutor. He was bishop ordinary of the Diocese of the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic from 1984 to November 2008. He was first elected Presiding Bishop of the General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church in 1996, being reelected in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, and 2011. Riches has worked at the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church since 1965. He was appointed to the rank of lecturer at the seminary in 1965. He rose to the rank of Professor of Liturgics and Theology. He was named Professor Emeritus of Liturgics and Theology and retired from Reformed Episcopal Seminary in 2015 after serving there for fifty years.Pages : Reformed Episcopal Seminary
/ref> He served as the seminary's president from 1982 to 1990. He then served as chancellor of the seminary until his retirement from that position in 2008. He currently serves as vice-president of the board of directors of the seminary. He was also a visiting professor at Cranmer Theological House and at the

Sangre de Cristo Seminary Sangre de Cristo Seminary and School for Biblical Studies was incorporated in 1976 as a non-profit organization. It is not affiliated with any denomination, but is Reformed in nature. It strongly emphasizes Biblical exegesis and the Biblical l ...

in Westcliffe,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. Riches was Moderator of the Federation of the Anglican Churches in the Americas from January 2006 to April 2008. The Reformed Episcopal Church took part in the Anglican realignment movement in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, being a founding entity of the Anglican Church in North America in June 2009. He also served as chairman of the board of Anglicans United.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riches, Leonard Wayne 1939 births Living people American Reformed Episcopalians American Anglican Church in North America members Bishops of the Reformed Episcopal Church Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America Presiding Bishops of the Reformed Episcopal Church Princeton University alumni Reformed Episcopal Seminary alumni Reformed Episcopal Seminary faculty