Raymond Stewart Wood Jr. (born June 25, 1934) is a

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 ...

in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. He served the Diocese of Michigan from 1990 to 2000 as its ninth diocesan bishop.

Personal life

Wood was born and raised in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

and graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 1956 and Virginia Theological Seminary in 1959, as well as

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...

with a master's degree in

counseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. This is a list of co ...

and

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

in 1973. He is married to Kristin Wood, with whom he has had three children.

Ministry

Wood served as

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 ...

of St. Paul's in

Columbus, Indiana Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 50,474 at the 2020 census. The relatively small city has provided a unique place for noted Modern architecture and public art, commissio ...

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of the Brown County Mission in

Bean Blossom, Indiana Beanblossom, also spelled Bean Blossom, is an unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Brown County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The town was named for the nearby Beanblossom Creek, which was in turn named for a person whose surname was Be ...

, associate and rector of Church of All Saints in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, and rector of Christ Church in

Glendale, Ohio Glendale is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Hamilton County, Ohio, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,155 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. It is a northern suburb of Cincinnati, and is the site of th ...

. During this time, he served on various diocesan councils and standing committees, and was a deputy to General Convention from 1970 to 1976 and in 1982. He also directed a diocesan casework and counseling agency in Indianapolis. Wood was elected Bishop Coadjutor on the fifth ballot during a special election held during the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan's 1988 diocesan convention, held at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit on May 7, 1988. He succeeded as diocesan on January 1, 1990. In late 1994, he received media attention for ordaining a lesbian, Jennifer Walters, as a priest at Church of the Incarnation in

Pittsfield Township, Michigan Pittsfield Charter Township is a charter township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 34,663 at the 2010 census. Communities * Lucerne is a former settlement within the township that had its own post office from ...

. He was also in attendance for the consecration of

Bishop Gene Robinson Vicky Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947) is a former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Robinson was elected bishop coadjutor in 2003 and succeeded as bishop diocesan in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he served as Canon to the ...

in 2003, the first openly gay Bishop within the Episcopal Church. He took a public position against the hiring of "permanent replacements" by the Detroit newspapers during the Detroit Newspaper Strike. He joined auxiliary Catholic bishop Thomas Gumbleton, Rabbi Irwin Gronor of

Congregation Shaarey Zedek Congregation Shaarey Zedek (/ ʃaʔaˈʁeiː ˈtsedek/; transl. 'Gates of Righteousness', Hebrew: שַׁעֲרֵי צֶדֶק, romanized: ''Sha'arei tzedek'') is a Conservative synagogue in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan. History The ...

Southfield, Michigan Southfield is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the city had a population of 76,618. As a northern suburb of Detroit, Southfield shares part of its ...

, and Rabbi M. Robert Syme of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan in taking the position following a meeting the faith leaders held on August 15, 1995. On September 17, 2000, he delivered the

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

XIV sermon at the Washington National Cathedral. On January 12, 2015, he joined approximately 100 other bishops of the Episcopal Church, including Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, in sending a statement to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

and the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

in support of President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

's executive order offering relief from deportation to immigrants to the United States.

References

External links

Web site of the Episcopal Church

Web site of the Diocese of Michigan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, R. Stewart, Junior Clergy from Detroit Living people Dartmouth College alumni Virginia Theological Seminary alumni Ball State University alumni People from Brown County, Indiana 1934 births Episcopal bishops of Michigan

Personal life

Ministry

See also

References

External links