Mark Sean Sisk (born in

Takoma Park, Maryland Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea C ...

, August 18, 1942) was the 15th Episcopal Bishop of New York. He retired on February 2, 2013, when he was succeeded by Andrew M.L. Dietsche.

Early education, career, and marriage

Sisk received his B.S. in

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

from

The University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the Flagship un ...

in 1964.Diocese of New York website page on Mark S. Sisk
. Accessed January 20, 2009. He had a call to ministry, and went to 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 ...

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 ...

, where he earned his M.Div. in 1967. He later received honorary doctorates from General Theological Seminary, Honorary Doctor of Divinity, in 1984, and

Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (SWTS) was a seminary of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church, located in Evanston, Illinois. It ceased operations as a residential seminary granting the Master of Divinity degree in May 201 ...

, in 1998. He is married to Karen Womack Calvert. They have three children and three grandchildren. Sisk was a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

for three years at Christ Episcopal Church, in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

at Christ Episcopal Church in

Bronxville, New York Bronxville is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States, located approximately north of Midtown Manhattan. It is part of the town of Eastchester. The village comprises one square mile (2.5 km2) of land in its entirety, a ...

between 1970 and 1973. He was then

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of St. John's Episcopal Church in

Kingston, New York Kingston is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, United States. It is north of New York City and south of Albany, New York, Albany. The city's metropolitan area is grouped with t ...

from 1973-1977. From 1977 through 1984, he was the

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

of three suburban counties, under the 13th Bishop of New York, Paul Moore. As part of his duties, he started a Japanese congregation, now in Scarsdale, and a Latino congregation in Yonkers. From 1984 to 1998, Sisk was President and Dean of

in Evanston, Illinois.

Bishop of New York

Sisk was elected and consecrated

bishop coadjutor A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co- ...

of the

Episcopal Diocese of New York The Episcopal Diocese of New York is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing three New York City boroughs and seven New York state counties.

in 1998.US Conference of Catholic Bishops website
Retrieved January 20, 2009. He was installed as the Bishop of New York at a ceremony on September 29, 2001, at the

Cathedral of St. John the Divine The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (sometimes referred to as St. John's and also nicknamed St. John the Unfinished) is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhood ...

. Sisk is actively involved in

preaching A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...

to churches in his diocese, as well as the cathedral. He raises millions of dollars for Episcopal charities. Sisk is also involved in

ecumenism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

with the Roman Catholic Church.

Criticism

Sisk has engendered some criticism from the press for some of his actions as bishop, in particular the firing of a radical priest. He was also involved in the controversy over Bishop Moore's bisexuality.

Public comments

As a leader in the church, Sisk is often asked to comment on public issues. He has a regular column in '' Newsweek'' and the '' Washington Post''. The '' New York Times'' often interviews him on social and religious topics. He takes stances on a variety of issues. He has written many letters that have been collected by the Anglican Communion.Anglican Communion official website Mark S. Sisk's letters
Retrieved January 20, 2009.

References

External links