Frank William Sterrett (January 21, 1885 – June 29, 1976) was an American prelate who served as the

Bishop of Bethlehem The See or Diocese of Bethlehem was a diocese in the Roman Catholic Church during the Crusades and is now a titular see. It was associated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nevers. History In Bethlehem In 1099 Bethlehem was conquered by Ca ...

between 1928 till 1954.

Education

Sterrett was born on January 21, 1885, in

Middleport, New York Middleport is a village in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 1,840 at the 2010 census. The mail ZIP code is 14105. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Village of Middlep ...

, the son of William J. Sterrett and Mary Elizabeth Spalding. In 1901, he graduated from the high school in Middleport, after which he studied at Hobart College between 1903 and 1904. He then studied at the

University of Buffalo Law School The University at Buffalo School of Law (also known as State University of New York at Buffalo Law School, or SUNY Buffalo Law School) is the law school of the University at Buffalo. Founded in 1887, and affiliated with Niagara University until 1 ...

between 1904 and 1905. He also graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in 1908 and a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

from

Philadelphia Divinity School Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the sixth-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 1,603,797 in the 2020 census. The city is the urba ...

in 1911. He was awarded a

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 1924 and a

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

in 1924 from Hobart College and another form

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

in 1933. Lafayette College also awarded him a

in 1951.

Ministry

Sterrett was ordained deacon in June 1911 by Bishop Alexander Mackay-Smith and priest in June 1912 by Bishop

Ethelbert Talbot Ethelbert Talbot (October 9, 1848 – February 27, 1928) was the fifteenth presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. He is credited with inspiring Pierre de Coubertin to coin the phrase, "The important thing in the Olympic Games is not so much t ...

. He served as vicar of Grace Chapel in

Kingston, Pennsylvania Kingston is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the western bank of the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre. Kingston was first settled in the early 17 ...

, between 1911 and 1912 after which he became assistant priest at Saint Stephen's Church in

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It ...

. In 1915 he became rector of the same church where he remained till 1923.

Bishop

He was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Bethlehem and was consecrated on November 9, 1923, by

, Bishop of Bethlehem. He then succeeded as diocesan bishop on February 27, 1928, and retired in 1954. He served as diocesan bishop from 1928 to 1954. he died in 1976

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sterrett, Frank William 1885 births 1976 deaths People from Niagara County, New York Hobart and William Smith Colleges alumni University at Buffalo Law School alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Episcopal Divinity School alumni 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Bethlehem