Julia E. Whitworth is an American Episcopal bishop currently serving as the 17th Bishop of Massachusetts, having previously been rector of Trinity Church in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

.Diocese of Massachusetts, "The Rev. Julia E. Whitworth elected bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts"
May 18, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.Episcopal News Service, "Julia E. Whitworth elected 17th bishop of Massachusetts"
May 20, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024

Education

Born in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, Whitworth graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

in 1993 with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in drama and English, and later studied for a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

New York University Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

. She received a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree from

Union Theological Seminary Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a Private college, private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Co ...

in 2010.

Career

Whitworth began her career as a drama instructor at the Tisch School of the Arts and was a visiting lecturer at

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

. Having been ordained as a priest in 2010, she served as assistant rector of St. James's Church in

West Hartford, Connecticut West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. The population was 64,083 at the 20 ...

, until 2012, and as

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

for liturgy and the arts at the

Cathedral of St. John the Divine The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (sometimes referred to as St. John's and also nicknamed St. John the Unfinished) is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhoo ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from 2013 to 2016, when she became rector of Trinity Church,

. On May 18, 2024, she was elected to serve as the 17th Bishop of Massachusetts − the first woman to serve in that role. Her consecration took place at Trinity Church,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, on October 19, 2024, in the presence of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Michael Curry.YouTube, "Ordination and Consecration of the 17th Bishop of Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts"
video. Retrieved October 19, 2024.

Family

Whitworth is married to Ray Neufeld, an artist and designer, with whom she has three children.

References

Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Religious leaders from Richmond, Virginia Dartmouth College alumni Tisch School of the Arts alumni Union Theological Seminary alumni Episcopal bishops of Massachusetts {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub