Joseph Summerville Minnis (January 3, 1904 - September 6, 1977) was the sixth bishop of

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

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, serving from 1954 until his removal from office in 1969 after a closed-door church trial.

Early life and education

Minnis was born on January 3, 1904, in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and Terre Haute metropolitan area, its metropolitan area had a populati ...

, the son of Joseph William Minnis and Sarah Summerville. He was educated at the

Bloom High School Bloom High School is a public school in Chicago Heights, Illinois. It is part of Bloom Township High School District 206. The school was founded in 1900. A second Chicago Heights high school, Bloom Trail, was established in 1976 to offset ove ...

, and then at

Nashotah House Nashotah House is an Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically conservative seminaries ...

from where he graduated in 1929 with 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. ...

, and 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 1947.

Ordained ministry

Minnis was ordained deacon in Dec 1928, and priest in June 1929, by Bishop

Benjamin F. P. Ivins Benjamin Franklin Price Ivins (October 6, 1884 – December 2, 1962) was the seventh Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. Early life and education Price was born in South Bend, Indiana on October 6, 1884, the son of Elbert Thomas Ivins ...

of Milwaukee. He married Mary Katherine Abell on June 5, 1933, and together had four children. He served on the Staff City Mission in Chicago between 1927 and 1928. After ordination, he served in St Mark's Church in

Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Beaver Dam is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States, along Beaver Dam Lake (Wisconsin), Beaver Dam Lake and the Beaver Dam River. The population was 16,708 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city primarily located in Dodge Co ...

, while a short time later, in 1929, he became assistant priest at the Church of the Atonement in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. In 1931 he was appointed a Long-term fellow at the College of Preachers of the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Episcopal Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral or National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Wa ...

, while in 1932, he became chaplain of the State Penitentiary, and rector of Christ Church in

Joliet, Illinois Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County, Illinois, Will County. It had a population of ...

. In 1943, he was appointed vicar of the Church of the Intercession in

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, where he remained till 1954.

Bishop

On May 19, 1954, Minnis was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Colorado on the first ballot, during a diocesan convention. He was consecrated on September 29, 1954, by Bishop Stephen F. Bayne Jr. of Olympia. He then succeeded as diocesan on February 1, 1955.

Removal from Office

Minnis was charged and deposed for breaking his ordination vows in 1968, in front of a board made up of nine members, and chaired by Bishop

John Seville Higgins John Seville Higgins (April 14, 1904 - December 28, 1992) was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, serving from 1953 to 1954 as coadjutor and from 1955 to 1972 as diocesan. Biography Higgins was born on April 14, 1904, in London, Engl ...

of Rhode Island. The specific details of the accusations were not made public. He was forced to resign, becoming effective on January 3, 1969, and was banished from the diocese.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minnis, Joseph 1904 births 1977 deaths 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Colorado 20th-century American clergy