Brian Norman Prior (born October 16, 1959) is an American prelate of the
Episcopal Church currently serving as the assisting bishop in the
Diocese of Alabama.
Education
Prior was raised in
Prosser, Washington
Prosser () is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Washington, United States. Situated along the Yakima River, it had a population of 6,062 at the 2020 census.
History
Prosser was long home to Native Americans who lived and fish ...
and graduated from
Whitworth University
Whitworth University is a private Christian university that is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, Whitworth enrolls nearly 2,600 students and offers more than 100 gradua ...
in
Spokane
Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...
.
In 1987, he received his Master of Divinity from
Church Divinity School of the Pacific
Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) is an Episcopal seminary in Berkeley, California. It is one of the nine seminaries in the Episcopal Church and a member of the Graduate Theological Union. The only Episcopal seminary located in the ...
in
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...
. He received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Church Divinity School of the Pacific in October 2014.
["Meet Brian N. Prior, IX Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota." Episcopal Church in Minnesota. 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 1 Apr. 2015]
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Life
Prior's first position was associate priest of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Spokane. From there he worked as the director of education and development for the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane, Diocese of Spokane and also was executive director of Camp Cross, a church-run camp on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene
Coeur d'Alene Lake ( ), is a natural dam-controlled lake in North Idaho, located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. At its northern end is the city of Coeur d'Alene. It spans in length and ranges from 1 to wide with over ...
.[
Prior founded the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Spokane, WA in 1996]["Minnesota bishop helps coach basketball team to state championship" The Episcopal Church. 15 Mar. 2010]
/ref> and served as their rector for 14 years.[
In 2003 he was chosen to serve as the chaplain of the Episcopal Church's general convention. In 2006 he was elected vice president of the House of Deputies, one of the two groups that make up the governing body of the Episcopal Church. He was reelected to that position in 2009, but gave up that post to join the House of Bishops.][
A month after his consecration as Minnesota's bishop, Prior helped lead the Freeman High School Scotties girl's varsity basketball team to their first state championship. Freeman is a K-12 grade school in Rockford, near Spokane, with fewer than 1,000 students. Prior coached the team for about six years.]["Lillibridges, Bergstrom honored as Heroes of Camping" Episcopal News Service. 30 Jun. 2015]
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Prior and his sons are involved in the Episcopal Conference Programs held at Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
Episcopacy
Brian Prior was elected IX Bishop of Minnesota at Diocesan Convention on Saturday, October 31, 2009 to succeed James L. Jelinek. He was consecrated on February 13, 2010, the feast of Absalom Jones
Absalom Jones (November 7, 1746February 13, 1818) was an African-American abolitionist and clergyman who became prominent in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Disappointed at the racial discrimination he experienced in a local Methodist church, he foun ...
. He served as vice chair of the Church Pension Fund Board of Trustees.
In Minnesota, the Bishop also served as Board Chair of Shattuck-St. Mary's School and Board Chair of Breck School
Breck School is an independent college-preparatory preK–12 school in Golden Valley, Minnesota, Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. It was founded in 1886 and is affiliated with the Episcopal Church in the United States of Ameri ...
.
See also
* List of Episcopal bishops of the United States
The following is a list of bishops who currently lead dioceses of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church in the United States and its territories. Also included in the list are suffragan bishops, provisional bishops, coadjutor b ...
* Historical list of the Episcopal bishops of the United States
Footnotes
External links
The Episcopal Church in Minnesota
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prior, Brian Norman
1959 births
Living people
People from Prosser, Washington
Episcopal bishops of Minnesota
Whitworth University alumni
Church Divinity School of the Pacific alumni