Jane Holmes Dixon (born Jane Hart Holmes; July 24, 1937 – December 25, 2012) was an American

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of the Episcopal Church. She was a suffragan bishop in the

Episcopal Diocese of Washington The Episcopal Diocese of Washington is a diocese of the Episcopal Church covering Washington, D.C. and nearby counties of Maryland in the United States. With a membership of over 38,000, the diocese is led by the Bishop of Washington, Mariann ...

and served as Bishop of Washington ''pro tempore'' from 2001 to June 2002. She was the second woman consecrated as a bishop in the Episcopal Church. She died unexpectedly in her sleep in her home in Cathedral Heights on Christmas Day morning in 2012.

Personal life

Dixon was born in

Winona, Mississippi } Winona is a city in Montgomery County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,043 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County. Winona is known in the local area as "The Crossroads of North Mississippi"; the intersec ...

in 1937 and, after graduating from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

, spent her early life as a teacher and mother, raising three children.

Theological education

Dixon enrolled at

Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally called the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, located at 3737 Seminary Road in Alexandria, Virginia is the largest and second oldest accredited Episcopal seminary in the Unite ...

at the age of 40, receiving her Master of Divinity degree in 1982. She later received the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1993.

As Suffragan Bishop of Washington

During her tenure as the assisting or suffragan bishop of the

, Dixon insisted on making official visits to all parishes in the diocese, though it had been previously understood that she would not visit those which objected to the

ordination of women The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordin ...

as priests, and thus the rector of one such parish, Arthur E Woolley, wrote to her: "As long as I am rector of St. Luke's, Bladensburg, no woman bishop or priest will be permitted to minister in this cure," a congregation described as "very diverse, drawing members from the Caribbean,

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, where they worshiped in the conservative Anglican tradition." The senior warden of the parish said in an interview, "they're certainly not going to change our view, and we're not going to change theirs, so why not leave us alone and let us worship in peace? Don't be arrogant or mean-spirited..." Bishop Dixon made her official visit bringing 45 supporters with her, joined by nine of St. Luke's parishioners, while the rector absented himself. Much later, the parish left the Episcopal Church for the Roman Catholic church which did not ordain women as priests.

As Bishop of Washington ''pro tempore''

During her tenure as bishop ''pro tempore'', Dixon sued in federal court to remove a priest, Samuel Edwards, from his position as a parish rector of Christ Church in

Accokeek, Maryland Accokeek (), "at the edge of the hill" in Algonquin, is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The CDP is located on the Potomac River, borders Charles County and is approximately 17 miles fro ...

.Fahrenthold B4. She had refused to approve Edwards's appointment early in 2001, since Edwards opposed the Episcopal Church's beliefs about female and homosexual clergy. Following several months of acrimony, Dixon filed suit to have Edwards removed. The court ruled in her favor in October 2001. After several appeals, the initial decision stood. She retired following the election of the Right Rev. John B. Chane.

Notes

Bibliography

*Broadway, Bill (2002). "Ancient Rite Consecrates New Bishop". ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

''. June 2. *Caldwell, Deborah (2003). "Family Feud; For Episcopalians, the Price of Divorce May Be Too High". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. August 10. *Fahrenthold, David (2001). "Ousted Md. Priest Faces Charge in His Church". ''Washington Post''. December 19. *Hein, David, and Shattuck, Gardiner H. (2004). ''The Episcopalians''. Westport: Praeger. *Maraniss, David and Ellen Nakashima (2000). ''The Prince of Tennessee: The Rise of Al Gore''. New York: Simon and Schuster. Women Anglican bishops 1937 births 2012 deaths People from Winona, Mississippi 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Washington Virginia Theological Seminary alumni Vanderbilt University alumni {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub