The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey William Mello is an American

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

clergyman who has served as 16th Bishop of Connecticut since 2022.Episcopal Church in Connecticut, Bishop Search and Transition, Rev. Jeffrey Mello candidate page and resume
Retrieved 12 December 2022.Simmons University, "Jeffrey Mello ’00 MSW Consecrated as Episcopal Bishop of Connecticut"
23 November 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.Episcopal News Service, "Connecticut consecrates Jeffrey Mello as diocesan bishop"
17 October 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.

Early life and education

Born and raised in

Cranston, Rhode Island Cranston, formerly known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The official population of the city in the 2020 United States Census was 82,934, making it the second-largest city in the state. The center of ...

, Mello obtained 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 ...

from

Rhode Island College Rhode Island College (RIC) is a public college in Rhode Island, United States, with much of the land in Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, and other parts in North Providence, Rhode Island, North Providence. The college was established in 18 ...

in 1991 and 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 ...

in social work from

Simmons University Simmons University (previously Simmons College) is a private university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1899 by clothing manufacturer John Simmons. In 2018, it reorganized its structure and changed its name to a ...

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 ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, in 2000. After working as a clinical social worker in the addiction psychiatry unit of

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

for several years, he studied for a master's degree in divinity at

Episcopal Divinity School The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is an unaccredited theological school in New York City. Established to train people for ordination in the American Episcopal Church, the seminary eventually began training students from other denominations. T ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

, which he was awarded in 2007.

Career

Mello was ordained a deacon on June 2, 2007, and a priest on January 12, 2008. After serving as associate rector of Christ Church, Cambridge, for two years, he was appointed rector of St. Paul's Church in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline () is an affluent town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. An exclave of Norfolk County, Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton ...

, in 2009. From 2008 to 2017 he was also an adjunct professor at Episcopal Divinity School. In May 2022 Mello was elected Bishop of Connecticut and consecrated on 15 October 2022.

Family

Mello's husband, Paul, is the founder and artistic director of a theater company in Boston and teaches at the

Boston Conservatory Boston Conservatory at Berklee (formerly The Boston Conservatory) is a private performing arts conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, music, and theater. Boston Conservatory was founded o ...

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

. They have one son.

References

Living people People from Cranston, Rhode Island Rhode Island College alumni Simmons University alumni Episcopal bishops of Connecticut LGBTQ Anglican bishops Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub