Peter James Lee (11 May 1938 - 2 July 2022) was an American

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Episcopal Church.

Ministry

Lee, a former newspaper reporter, was ordained deacon in 1967 and priest in 1968. He served as deacon at St John's Cathedral in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, from 1967 till 1968, and then as assistant minister at St John's Church in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, till 1971. He served as Rector at the Chapel of the Cross ( Chapel Hill,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

) from 1971 to 1984. Elected

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

in the Diocese of Virginia, the largest Episcopal diocese in the country, Lee was consecrated and served from 1984 to 1985, until the sudden death of Bishop Robert Bruce Hall. Lee then served as bishop from 1985 until his own retirement in 2009, having Shannon Sherwood Johnston as Coadjutor Bishop in his final years. Beginning early in Lee's episcopate, several conservative congregations stopped paying diocesan dues, citing objections to the ordination of women priests, as authorized by the General Convention. The controversy metamorphosed, with the stated primary objections changing to matters of sexuality with the consecration of bishop

Gene Robinson Vicky Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947) is a retired bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Robinson was elected Coadjutor bishop, bishop coadjutor in 2003 and succeeded as bishop diocesan in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he se ...

of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003, and the election of Katharine Jefferts Schori as Presiding Bishop in 2006. Two large Virginia parishes attracted national attention by attempting to leave the Diocese and associate with an African diocese while keeping their Virginia churches and other property. Lee sued to have the facilities declared the property of the Diocese, and was ultimately successful, although that resolution only happened under his successor. From 2009 to 2010, Lee officiated as Interim Dean at the Grace Cathedral (

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

). He served the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating ...

of New-York in the same position from 2010 to 2011. Then he moved to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and became Interim Dean and Rector at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 2011 and 2012. From 2013 to 2014, he was Provisional Bishop in the Diocese of East Carolina. In November 2015, he was announced as the Assisting Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.

Honors and awards

Lee was made a Commander (Brother) of the Order of Saint John in 2015.

Personal life

Lee was married to Kristina Knapp (Kristy) Lee. They have two children, daughter Stewart and son James, and five grandchildren. Peter Lee died on July 2, 2022, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Peter James 1938 births 2022 deaths People from Chapel Hill, North Carolina American expatriates in France Episcopal Church in Virginia Episcopal Church in North Carolina 20th-century Anglican bishops in the United States 21st-century Anglican bishops in the United States People from Greenville, Mississippi Religious leaders from Mississippi Episcopal bishops of Virginia Episcopal bishops of North Carolina