Bishop Wayne P. Wright

The Rt. Rev. Wayne Parker Wright was elected tenth Bishop of Delaware on February 28, 1998. He comes to Delaware from 12 years of service as Rector of Grace Church, New Orleans. There, as he puts it, Bishop Wright "led a diverse, multicultural, urban parish through reconciliation, renewal, and growth." During Bishop Wright's tenure, Grace Church has developed extensive ministries in education and service to the larger community. Grace Church's own congregation, reflecting the larger community, is both multiracial and bilingual - about 65% English speaking and about 35% Spanish speaking. Bishop Wright speaks Spanish fluently.

Prior to his arrival at Grace Church, Wright was rector of Suffolk Parish in Virginia, which consisted of two "yoked" congregations situated in an area undergoing rapid transition from rural to suburban. He is a past president of the National Network of Episcopal Clergy Associations, and he has served as a deputy to the General Convention of the National Church.

Upon his election as Bishop of Delaware, Wright said, "I love the great variety in the church in Delaware and the opportunity that presents us. I hope I can use my experience in rural and urban ministry for us to work together in a fruitful way."

And, speaking to Diocesan leaders at the annual Convention in May, he expressed the hope that his Episcopate would be "a time when those who for too long have kept silent about injustice or cruelty in this community will find the courage to speak out... It may become a season of new attitudes. It may be a time of change for those whose minds are closed by prejudice or by preconceived notions about others who are only different."

Wright holds a B. A. in History from William & Mary College and a M. Div. from the School of Theology at the University of the South in Tennessee. He is married to Holly Lee Brown, a registered nurse, and they have one son, Parker.

In a tent without walls on the lawn of St. Andrew's School, Wayne Parker Wright was ordained the tenth Bishop of Delaware on Saturday, June 20. More than 1,200 members of the Diocese wept and cheered during the ceremony that embraced the rich tradition of the church's Anglican heritage and celebrated the creativity and spontaneity that will sustain their vitality into the third millennium.

An open tent in the middle of the State of Delaware was an appropriate setting for the start of an Episcopate in which the new Bishop proclaims "an incarnational and sacramental church where we are always open to the problems, cares, concerns and challenges of the world around us."

The Rt. Rev. Robert Rowley, Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania and President of the Third Province of the Episcopal Church, acting for the Presiding Bishop and assisted by four co-consecrating bishops, ordained Wayne Parker Wright a Bishop in the Church of God according to the ancient method known as "Apostolic Line of Succession." Before the litany of ordination, which is highlighted by the dramatic "laying on of hands," the Bishop-elect was presented by 17 Delaware Episcopalians, lay and clergy, and six witnesses from New Orleans and Suffolk Parish in Virginia. After hearing testimonials, Bishop Rowley asked the assembly, "Is it your will that we ordain Wayne a bishop? In loud chorus, the people responded, "That is our will."

The two-hour service was interwoven with sacred liturgy, ripples of laughter and readings in English and Spanish. The 100' by 100' tent provided an excellent acoustical setting for the resounding music of a 130 voice choir, brass and organ played by St. Andrew's Marc Cheban. After the sermon, the noonday air was stirred by the rustle of streamers that marked the entrance of children returning from their own lessons in Godly Play. There were questions for the new Bishop, and a ceremonial signing and sealing of the documents of his Episcopate. There were gifts, both sacred and whimsical. There was a joyous and chaotic passing of the peace, spilling out of the tent into the bright sun. There was bread and wine, consecrated and fed to 1,200 faithful.

The offering was preceded by a plea for generosity from the new Bishop, who announced that he and Holly had made a substantial gift to the Bishop's Discretionary Fund that morning. "If we are generous in our joy today," he said, "this will be a day of joy for the poor." (More than $7,000, a total of the offerings from Saturday's Ordination and Sunday's Installation at the Cathedral, was presented to the Sussex County Mission and the Cathedral's Debnam House Ministry.)

Expressing love and gratitude to all who participated in his service of Ordination, the new Bishop said, "What makes this day so wonderful is those who gave of their time and talent to make it happen. Without you, today would be just another Saturday in June."

The arms of the Diocese were open wide as Saturday's Ordination led into Sunday's Installation. Despite heat befitting a summer solstice, a standing-room-only crowd came to participate in a day of love and welcome to all. Addressing the Diocese for the first time in his role as their Bishop, Wayne declared the church in Delaware to be "always open to the problems, cares, concerns and challenges of the world around us." With resounding emphasis, he stated, "We cannot and will not build a wall to keep the world out. What is out there is in here and what is in here is out there!"

Bishop Wayne evoked laughter and drew applause several times during his first sermon as Bishop. He acknowledged a "divine sense of humor," confessing that he -- now a Bishop -- has often been known to complain about attending Diocesan meetings. Sharing a memory from his early years as a priest, he told of driving a long distance to attend a meeting on stewardship - "bathed in self pity" - only to be "knocked off my feet" by a piece of simple wisdom from a wise seminary professor named Bob Cooper : "God has given us to each other. God has given us the Holy Spirit. There is nothing else that we need." This valuable lesson, Bishop Wayne reflected, tells us all we need to know: "We need each other. We are social beings. We are poised to lean upon each other in order to live and learn and grow as men and women and children."

Characterizing Delaware as "a marvel of variety and culture and diversity," Bishop Wayne recalled his recent participation in Trinity Parish's tercentennial celebration. "We had the opportunity to meet some people whose ancestors had come to this place 360 years ago on the Kalmar Nyckel. At the same time, in the same congregation, there are men and women who did not come across the great Atlantic on a boat 360 years ago but whose family members walked here through the waters of the Rio Grande River a year or two ago." The contrasts extend far beyond the old church on the Christina River. Bishop Wayne spoke of the "people in this Diocese of admirable intellectual power" and "those barely able to read and write." There are "captains of industry and finance who are comfortable and familiar with the exercise of power" and those "so powerless we must -- for justice sake -- reach out and care for them." Here, in this Diocese of Delaware, the new Bishop says, "We have been given to each other. It is wonderful and fascinating and not always simple. We have been given to each other and what a gift we have been given!"

The Bishop wove his sermon together with lessons of love, vividly illustrated with stories from the Bible. Recalling the "Sweet, Sweet Spirit that we extolled yesterday as we sang that wonderful hymn," he told stories of Jeremiah and Mary whose special courage gave new meaning to the word 'spirit'. "We have been given each other," he said, "and we have the spirit to serve and love others." Recalling the Baptismal covenant to "seek and serve Christ in all persons," he reminded his listeners, "We have committed ourselves to this life of following Jesus." As baptized Christians, the new Bishop said, "we will strive for justice and peace in this Diocese and State that we call home."

It was to the apostle Paul that Bishop Wayne turned to answer to the question which he is most frequently asked, "Where is the Diocese of Delaware going to go now?" He recalled Paul's experience in Corinth, where he encountered many different kinds of people, of every color and background - and where he founded a church. In First Corinthians, the lessons of love which Paul wrote to the people of his church, we, too, can find direction. "I may speak in the tongues of men and of angels but if I have no love I am nothing," Paul says. One by one, the Bishop read the familiar verses from a contemporary English translation. Building on the theme of love which underlies Paul's teachings, Bishop Wayne ended by naming again the three qualities that "were here before the first church was founded and will be here on the last day: faith, hope and love." In conclusion, he exhorted his people to "Make love your aim."

Wayne ended his first sermon as Bishop with these words, "In the years that I am here serving with you, I pray that this church and this Diocese may be like a great compass of love which will point each one of us to Christ our Savior and that everyone seeing the love that dwells in us and burns in our hearts will want to follow Jesus."