Rogers Sanders Harris (February 22, 1930 – November 15, 2017) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

prelate of the Episcopal Church, who served as the third Bishop of Southwest Florida from 1989 till 1997.

Early life and education

Harris was born on February 22, 1930, in

Anderson, South Carolina Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 28,106 at the 2020 census, making it the 16th-most populous city in South Carolina. It is one of the principal cities in the Gree ...

, the son of Wilmot Louis Harris and Sarah Elizabeth Sanders. He studied at the

University of the South The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee, United States. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an off ...

, from where he earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1952, 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 ...

in 1957 and an honorary

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

in 1986. He was also awarded a

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is a doctorate in religious ministry. It often includes an original research component, and may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in ministry. It is categorized as an advanced doctoral de ...

in 1977 and a

in 1986, both from the

Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. It is the largest and second-oldest such accredited se ...

. Harris was First lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps between 1952 and 1954 during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. He married Anne Marshall Sterwart on March 28, 1953, and together had three children.

Ordained ministry

Harris was ordained deacon on August 6, 1957, and priest on April 5, 1958, by Clarence Alfred Cole, Bishop of Upper South Carolina. He served as vicar of Grace Church in

Ridge Spring, South Carolina Ridge Spring is a town in Saluda County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 737 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Mayor-Elect is Ms. Qwendolyn Etheredge. History Ridge Hill High ...

, and vicar of St Paul's Church in

Batesburg, South Carolina Batesburg-Leesville is a town located in Lexington and Saluda counties, South Carolina, United States. The town's population was 5,362 as of the 2010 census and an estimated 5,415 in 2019. History The town of Batesburg-Leesville was formed in ...

between 1957 and 1959. In 1959, he became rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in

Greer, South Carolina Greer is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, Greenville and Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 35,308, making ...

. In 1969, he transferred to St Christopher's Church in

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in South Carolina, 11th ...

to serve as its rector, where he remained till 1985.

Bishop

Harris was elected Suffragan Bishop of Upper South Carolina and was consecrated on March 9, 1985, by Presiding Bishop

John Allin John Maury Allin (April 22, 1921 – March 6, 1998) was an American Episcopal bishop who served as the 23rd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1974 to 1985. Early life Allin was born in Helena, Arkansas. He graduated from the Univ ...

. In 1989, he was elected Bishop of Southwest Florida and was installed as diocesan bishop on September 9, 1989, at the Cathedral of St Peter. He served as vice-president of Province IV of Episcopal Church between 1991 and 1994, and then president of the same province from 1994 till 1997. He was also a member of the Presiding Bishop's Council of Advice from 1994 till 1997. Harris retired in 1997."The Rt. Rev. Rogers Sanders Harris, 1930-2017"
''Diocese of Southwest Florida'', 15 November 2017. Retrieved on 27 June 2020.

References

1930 births 2017 deaths People from Anderson, South Carolina Sewanee: The University of the South alumni 20th-century American Episcopal priests Episcopal bishops of Lexington Episcopal bishops of Southwest Florida {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub