Sean Rowe (bishop)

For the musician, see Sean Rowe (musician).

Sean Walter Rowe (born February 16, 1975) is an American clergyman who has served as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of America since November 1, 2024. He was previously Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania from 2007 to 2024, as well as Provisional Bishop of Bethlehem from 2014 to 2018 and Provisional Bishop of Western New York from 2019 to 2024.

The Most Reverend Sean Rowe
28th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
Rowe in 2014
Church	Episcopal Church
In office	2024–present
Predecessor	Michael Curry
Other post(s)	Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania (2007–2024) Provisional Bishop of Bethlehem (2014–2018) Provisional Bishop of Western New York (2019–2024)
Orders
Ordination	December 2, 2000
Consecration	September 8, 2007 by Katharine Jefferts Schori
Personal details
Born	Sean Walter Rowe (1975-02-16) February 16, 1975 Sharon, Pennsylvania, US
Denomination	Episcopalian
Spouse	Carly Rowe
Children	1
Alma mater	Grove City College Virginia Theological Seminary Gannon University

He was the youngest Episcopal priest in the United States at the time of his ordination in 2000, and later became the youngest serving bishop (at the age of 32) and the youngest ever Presiding Bishop (at the age of 49).

Early life and education

Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, Rowe grew up in nearby Hermitage. Both his grandfathers were steelworkers, while his father worked for the state parole board and his mother at a local auto plant. He was active in the boy scouts and was elected class president in his final year at Hickory High School in Hermitage. Although his mother's background was Roman Catholic and his father's was in the United Church of Christ, Rowe attended Hickory Global Methodist Church, where he felt his first call to church leadership. He studied for a B.A. in history from Grove City College, where the chair of the history department, an Episcopal priest, introduced him to the Episcopal Church.

He later received an M.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in organizational learning and leadership from Gannon University. Ordained in 2000, he served as rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Franklin, Pennsylvania, from 2000 to 2007.

Bishop of Northwestern Pennyslvania

Location of the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania

Rowe was elected Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2007 at the age of 32, making him the youngest member of the House of Bishops. At the election, which was held at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Erie, Pennsylvania, on May 19, 2007, he was elected on the first ballot from a slate of four candidates, with 64 lay votes and 29 clergy votes.

His consecration took place on September 8, 2007, and the consecrators included Katharine Jefferts Schori, Robert D. Rowley, Mark Dyer, Ralph E. Jones of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Arthur Williams and Wayne P. Wright.

In 2008 Rowe was appointed to the theology faculty at Gannon University. The following year he was granted an honorary doctorate in divinity from the Virginia Theological Seminary. In 2022 he was awarded the House of Deputies Medal.

Provisional Bishop of Bethlehem

In 2014 Rowe was elected to serve as Provisional Bishop of Bethlehem in eastern Pennsylvania, receiving all 64 clergy votes and 99 of the 100 lay votes in the election. He continued to serve as Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania at the same time, until Kevin Nichols became Bishop of Bethlehem in 2018.

Provisional Bishop of Western New York

In 2017 Rowe sent a letter, along with the Rt. Rev. R. William Franklin of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York and the chairs of the standing committees of the Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York, proposing the creation of "a unique partnership in which the two dioceses would share a single bishop, a single staff". Following consultations across the region, both standing committees approved an arrangement to "share a bishop and staff for five years while exploring a long-term relationship". A joint convention of dioceses was held on October 26, 2018, in Niagara Falls, and the plan was approved by a wide margin.

Rowe became Provisional Bishop of Western New York on April 7, 2019, upon the retirement of the Rt. Rev. William Franklin, and in 2022 the two standing committees voted to extend the partnership by two years.

Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of America

On April 2, 2024, Rowe was announced as a candidate to succeed Michael Curry as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, at the election to be held at the 81st General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 26, 2024.

Meeting at Christ Church Cathedral, Louisville, the House of Bishops elected Rowe with 89 of 158 votes cast on the first ballot. His election was later ratified by the laity and clergy in the House of Deputies. He was the youngest person to serve as presiding bishop when his nine-year term began on November 1, 2024.

In a break with tradition, Rowe announced that his installation would be held at the Episcopal Church's headquarters in New York, rather than at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The scaled-down service, intended to reduce the event's carbon footprint, took place on November 2, 2024, at the Chapel of Christ the Lord in the Episcopal Church Center, and was attended by Rowe's predecessors Michael Curry and Katharine Jefferts Schori. It contained prayers, readings and hymns in English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, Arabic, Hebrew and other languages, and in his sermon, based on the story of Lazarus of Bethany, Rowe emphasized the importance of supporting the ministries at the congregational and diocesan levels.

On November 6, 2024, the day after the 2024 United States presidential election, Rowe sent a letter to members of the Episcopal Church, stating "We are Christians who support the dignity, safety, and equality of women and LGBTQ+ people as an expression of our faith", adding "I pray that President Trump and his administration will do the same".

Personal life

Rowe is married to Carly Rowe, with whom he has one daughter.