John A. M. Guernsey (born 1953) is a retired American bishop in the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba. ...

(ACNA). Previously an

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 ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, he was consecrated as a bishop of the

Church of Uganda The Church of Uganda (C/U) is a member province of the Anglican Communion. Currently, there are 37 dioceses that make up the Church of Uganda, each headed by a bishop. Each diocese is divided into archdeaconries, each headed by a senior priest k ...

in September 2007 as part of the Anglican realignment, and transferred to the newly formed ACNA in 2009. From 2011 to 2023, Guernsey was the first bishop of ACNA's Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic.

Education and early career

Guernsey was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. He received a B.A. from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and an M.Div. from the

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 ...

. During seminary, he met his wife, Meg Phillips, whom he married in 1979. He and his wife were both ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church. From 1978 to 1981, Guernsey was associate rector of Christ Church in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

. In 1981, he was called as rector of All Saints Church in

Dale City, Virginia Dale City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, located south west of Washington, D.C. It is an annex of Woodbridge, Virginia. As of 2020, the total population was 72,088. The community is roug ...

, which he led for 29 years. Guernsey was nominated, along with

Martyn Minns Martyn Minns (born April 16, 1943) is an English-born American bishop, serving in the Anglican Church of Nigeria. He was the founding missionary bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), under the patronage of the Anglican ...

and Robert Duncan, to serve as

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

in 1990. He was not elected, and decided after that to focus on his parish ministry. In 1989, Guernsey went on the first of several mission trips to Uganda. In the aftermath of the consecration of V. Gene Robinson in 2003, Guernsey's parish left the Episcopal Church and became affiliated with the Anglican

. The choice of Uganda was in part because the Anglican church there ordains women to the priesthood, unlike some other African Anglican

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

. As part of its departure, All Saints surrendered its property to the

Episcopal Diocese of Virginia The Diocese of Virginia is the second largest diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing 38 counties in the northern and central parts of the U.S. state Virginia. The diocese was organized in 1785 and is one of t ...

and built a new facility in nearby

Woodbridge, Virginia Woodbridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, located south of Washington, D.C. Bounded by the Occoquan River, Occoquan and Potomac River, Potomac rivers, Woodbridge had 44,668 residents at the ...

Episcopacy

In December 2006, the bishops of the Church of Uganda elected Guernsey to serve the 33 Ugandan-affiliated Anglican parishes in the United States. He was notified of the election in June 2007 and consecrated in

Mbarara Mbarara City is a city in the Western Region, Uganda, Western Region of Uganda and the second largest city in Uganda after Kampala. The city is divided into 6 boroughs of Kakoba Division, Kamukuzi Division, Nyamitanga Division, Biharwe Division, ...

on September 2, 2007, by Ugandan Archbishop

Henry Luke Orombi Henry Luke Orombi (born 11 October 1949) in Pakwach, North Western Uganda, is a Ugandan Anglican bishop. He served as Archbishop of Uganda and Bishop of Kampala from 2004 until his retirement in December 2012, two years earlier than expected. He ...

. In 2009, the Church of Uganda transferred all its North American congregations to the newly formed Anglican Church in North America as the transitional Diocese of the Holy Spirit. By 2011, these congregations had been dismissed to in-formation regional dioceses, and Guernsey was elected to the serve as the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic. He was invested by Archbishop Robert Duncan on September 10, 2011. In September 2021, Guernsey announced his intention to retire in the coming years. The Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic launched an episcopal search and election process scheduled to be completed by early 2023 with the consecration of Guernsey's successor, after which point Guernsey would retire. On October 15, 2022, Christopher Warner was selected as bishop to succeed Guernsey. Guernsey's retirement took effect in February 2023, when Warner was consecrated and invested to succeed him.

Personal life

Guernsey lives in

with his wife, the Rev. Meg Phillips Guernsey. They have two adult children, one of whom, Michael, is an Anglican priest and dean of

Holy Cross Cathedral Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

in Loganville, Georgia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guernsey, John 1953 births Living people Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America Yale University alumni Clergy from St. Louis People from Dale City, Virginia Christians from Virginia Anglican realignment people