Rio Grande Diocese Elects Michael Louis Vono as Ninth Bishop

 

By Janet Kawamoto

 

[Episcopal News Service]

The Rev. Dr. Michael Louis Vono was elected

April 24 as ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande.

 

Vono, 61, rector of St. Paul's Within the Walls, Rome, Italy, was

elected on the third ballot out of a field of six nominees. He

received 150 votes of 189 cast in the lay order and 69 of 86 cast in

the clergy order. An election on that ballot required 106 in the lay

order and 64 in the clergy order.

 

The election was held in the context of worship during a special

election convention at the Cathedral of St. John in Albuquerque, New

Mexico.

 

Vono will succeed Jeffrey Steenson, who announced in September 2007

that he was leaving the Episcopal Church to join the Roman Catholic

Church. The Rt. Rev. William C. Frey, retired bishop of the Diocese of

Colorado, has been serving Rio Grande as assisting bishop.

 

Vono has been rector of St. Paul's Within the Walls since 1992. During

his tenure there, he also served for six years – three as president –

on the council of advice to the bishop of the Convocation of Episcopal

Churches in Europe and has been active in ecumenical and interfaith

work. He was for 12 years president of the Anglo-American Medical

Assistance Fund of Rome.

 

Previously he served in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts as rector

of Christ Church, Rochdale, and curate at All Saints Church,

Worcester. For the diocese, he was a congregational development

consultant; a leader in ecumenical and interfaith work, including

organizing a major social services outreach program; chair of the

diocesan stewardship committee; and dean of the Central and West

Worcester Deanery.

 

He has taught at Catholic University of America, St. John's College

High School and Agnes Greg School, all in Washington, D.C. He is the

author of numerous articles for various publications, including The

Living Church, Paulus magazine and Anglican-Episcopal World.

 

Vono was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on September 15, 1948. He

holds a bachelor of arts degree from Our Lady of Providence Seminary,

Warwick, Rhode Island; a master of arts degree in religious and

theological studies from the Catholic University of America in

Washington, D.C.; a certificate in Anglican Studies from Virginia

Theological Seminary in Alexandria; and a doctor of ministry degree

from Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut. He was ordained to

the diaconate in June 1976 and to the priesthood in February 1977.

 

The consecration of the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Rio Grande is

expected to take place Oct. 22 during the diocesan convention in

Albuquerque, pending consent from a majority of bishops with

jurisdiction and standing committees of the 109 dioceses of the

Episcopal Church. The bishop will be seated at the Cathedral of

St.John the following Sunday.

 

The other nominees were:

 

--the Rev. Ellis Tucker Bowerfind, 51, rector, St. Luke's Episcopal

Church, Alexandria, Virginia (Diocese of Virginia);

--the Rev. Leander S. Harding, 61, associate professor of pastoral

theology and the dean of church relations and seminary advancement at

Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania;

--the Rev. James Harlan, 43, rector, Church of the Ascension, Denver,

Colorado (Diocese of Colorado);

--the Rev. Jedediah D. Holdorph II, 51, rector of St. Mark's Church,

Medford, Oregon (Diocese of Oregon);

--the Rev. John Nieman, 50, rector, Holy Trinity Church, Clemson,

South Carolina (Diocese of Upper South Carolina).