Robert Manning Moody (born July 23, 1939) was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma from 1989 to 2007.

Early life and education

Born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, his doctor father moved his family to Houston, Texas, where they were members of St Martin's parish. Moody attended the local public schools and graduated from

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...

in 1962 and from the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

the following year. His parish then sponsored him 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 ...

, where he decided to become a priest and received an M.Div. degree in 1966. He would later return and received a D.Div. in 1988.

Ordained ministry

Ordained as a deacon on June 21, 1966, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 29, 1967, by bishop J. Milton Richardson. After ordination, he became a chaplain at

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...

1966–1968, then priest in charge of St Matthew's church in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

and vicar at St James Church in

McGregor, Texas McGregor is a city in McLennan and Coryell counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 4,987 at the 2010 census. McGregor lies in two counties, as well as two metropolitan areas. The McLennan County portion of the city is part of the ...

before becoming an assistant at the Church of St John the Divine in Houston, Texas, and serving at St James Church in

Riverton, Wyoming Riverton is a city in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. The city's population was 10,682 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in the county. History The city, founded in 1906, is an incorporated entity of the state of Wyoming. ...

. He served as rector of Grace Church in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

(1985-1987) prior to his election as Bishop of Oklahoma.

Episcopacy

Moody was elected as the Coadjutor Bishop of Oklahoma on September 19, 1987, at St Paul's Cathedral on the first ballot. He was then consecrated to the episcopate on February 6, 1988, by Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning.*''Episcopal Clerical Directory'', 2015 p. 624 During his episcopate, he dealt with the aftermath of the bombing of the Murrah federal bombing (evacuating a housing development, providing pastoral assistance in a nearby hospital and distributing over $500,000 to those in financial need), and pursued an active ministry among the Native Americans (appointing an Indian missioner and developing a center for Indian ministry in Watonga, Oklahoma). He retired in 2007.

References

Living people 1939 births Religious leaders from Baltimore Rice University alumni University of Texas alumni Virginia Theological Seminary alumni Episcopal bishops of Oklahoma {{Oklahoma-stub