Bishops
elected in Diocese of Los Angeles and Louisiana
Canons Bruce and Glasspool elected bishop in Diocese of Los Angeles
The Rev'd Canon Diane M. Jardine Bruce, rector of St. Clement's by-the-Sea Church in San Clemente, Calif., was elected the first woman to serve as a bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. The election of Canon Bruce took place on December 4, 2009, the first day of a special two-day election convention to elect two suffragan bishops in the Diocese.
Canon Bruce, 53, recently underwent chemotherapy treatment in a successful battle against breast cancer. In a video statement to the diocese, she wore a scarf over her head and immediately assured the diocese that she was fully recovered from the cancer.
Canon Bruce won on the third ballot, drawing 134 votes among the clergy and 237 among the laity. She was elected to fill one of two suffragan bishop positions.
In balloting that took place on Saturday, December 5, the Rev'dd Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool, was elected to the second of the two suffragan bishop positions to be filled by the voting.
Canon Glasspool is the second woman in a same-sex partnership to be nominated for bishop since General Convention met in July. The Rev'd Bonnie Perry, rector of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Chicago, was the first.
Lexington Dean Elected Coadjutor in Diocese of Louisiana
The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana has elected a former Southern Baptist pastor as its 11th bishop. The Very Rev'd Morris Thompson, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington, Ky., was elected on the third ballot.
Dean Thompson led from the first ballot in both the clerical and lay orders. The dean is a 1983 graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He was ordained as a Baptist pastor in 1981. He was ordained an Episcopal deacon in 1990 and priest in 1991.
He has been dean in Lexington since 1997. He also served as an associate at St. James's Church, Jackson, Miss., in 1992-97 and an associate at Calvary Episcopal Church, Ashland, Ky., in 1991-92.
In his profile for the election, Dean Thompson repeatedly emphasized love. "God calls us into relationships of joy, not duty," he wrote. "When I was growing up my maternal grandfather's love for me was so tangible that I could feel his desire for me to be around him. He looked forward to my arrival and enjoyed my going to work or church with him, tagging along as if his life wasn't complete without me. This degree affection is how I understand God's desire to know the world and me. I continue to discover this love through my life of prayer, silence, and the love of others."
In writing about the three most significant issues facing the Episcopal Church, Dean Thompson identified them as fear, purpose and leadership.
Only two of the six nominees - the Rev'd Ken Ritter of Baton Rouge, and the Rt. Rev'd Michael Smith, Bishop of North Dakota and assisting bishop of Louisiana - referred to the Anglican Communion's proposed covenant.
In addressing a question about the Great Commission, Dean Thompson wrote: "So much is already going on in the Diocese of Louisiana and yet there seems to be a need to do more as if there is some kind of magic program. Read scripture, learn how to pray and pay attention to the hurts and sorrows of our neighbor and we will be amazed at the stirring of the Holy Spirit."
—From the Web site of The Living Church.
