Rogers Sanders Harris (February 22, 1930 – November 15, 2017) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

prelate of the Episcopal Church, who served as the third Bishop of Southwest Florida from 1989 till 1997.

Early life and education

Harris was born on February 22, 1930, in

Anderson, South Carolina Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 28,106 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and the city was the center of an urbanized area of 75,702. It is one of the prin ...

, the son of Wilmot Louis Harris and Sarah Elizabeth Sanders. He studied at the University of the South, from where he earned 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 1952, 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 ...

in 1957 and an honorary

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 ...

in 1986. He was also awarded a Doctor of Ministry in 1977 and a

in 1986, both from the Virginia Theological Seminary. Harris was First lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps between 1952 and 1954 during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. He married Anne Marshall Sterwart on March 28, 1953, and together had three children.

Ordained ministry

Harris was ordained deacon on August 6, 1957, and priest on April 5, 1958, by

Clarence Alfred Cole Clarence Alfred Cole (June 15, 1909 – April 11, 1963) was the third bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina, serving from 1953 to 1963. Early life and education Cole was born in Washington, D.C., on June 15, 1909, the son of ...

, Bishop of Upper South Carolina. He served as vicar of Grace Church in

Ridge Spring, South Carolina Ridge Spring is a town in Saluda County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 737 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Mayor-Elect is Ms. Qwendolyn Etheredge. History Ridge Hill High ...

, and vicar of St Paul's Church in

Batesburg, South Carolina Batesburg-Leesville is a town located in Lexington and Saluda counties, South Carolina, United States. The town's population was 5,362 as of the 2010 census and an estimated 5,415 in 2019. History The town of Batesburg-Leesville was formed in ...

between 1957 and 1959. In 1959, he became rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Greer, South Carolina. In 1969, he transferred to St Christopher's Church in

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat, seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest c ...

to serve as its rector, where he remained till 1985.

Bishop

Harris was elected Suffragan Bishop of Upper South Carolina and was consecrated on March 9, 1985, by Presiding Bishop

John Allin John Maury Allin (April 22, 1921 – March 6, 1998) was an American Episcopalian bishop who served as the 23rd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1974 to 1985. Early life Allin was born in Helena, Arkansas. He graduated from the Un ...

. In 1989, he was elected Bishop of Southwest Florida and was installed as diocesan bishop on September 9, 1989, at the Cathedral of St Peter. He served as vice-president of Province IV of Episcopal Church between 1991 and 1994, and then president of the same province from 1994 till 1997. He was also a member of the Presiding Bishop's Council of Advice from 1994 till 1997. Harris retired in 1997."The Rt. Rev. Rogers Sanders Harris, 1930-2017"
''Diocese of Southwest Florida'', 15 November 2017. Retrieved on 27 June 2020.

References

1930 births 2017 deaths People from Anderson, South Carolina Sewanee: The University of the South alumni 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Lexington Episcopal bishops of Southwest Florida {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub