Raymond Stewart Wood Jr. (June 25, 1934 – July 30, 2023) was a bishop in the
Episcopal Church in the United States of America
The Episcopal Church (TEC), also known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA), is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, based in the United States. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is ...
. He served the
Diocese of Michigan from 1990 to 2000 as its ninth
diocesan bishop.
Personal life
Raymond Stewart Wood Jr. was born and raised in
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, and graduated from
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
in 1956 and
Virginia Theological Seminary
Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. It is the largest and second-oldest such accredited se ...
in 1959, as well as
Ball State University
Ball State University (Ball State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. The university is composed of seven aca ...
with a master's degree in
counseling
Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes.
This is a list of c ...
and
sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
in 1973.
He was married to Kristin Wood, with whom he had three children.
Wood died in
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a New England town, town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university ...
on July 30, 2023, at the age of 89.
Ministry
Wood served as
curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...
of St. Paul's in
Columbus, Indiana
Columbus () is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 50,474 at the 2020 census. The city is known for its architectural significance, having commissioned noted works of modern architect ...
,
vicar
A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...
of the Brown County Mission in
Bean Blossom, Indiana
Beanblossom, also spelled Bean Blossom, is an unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Brown County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The town was named for the nearby Beanblossom Creek, which was in turn named for a person whose surname was ...
, associate and
rector of
Church of All Saints in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
, and rector of Christ Church in
Glendale, Ohio
Glendale is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Hamilton County, Ohio, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,298 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a northern suburb of Cincinnati, and is the site of t ...
. During this time, he served on various diocesan councils and standing committees, and was a deputy to
General Convention
The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With the exception of the Bible, the ''Book of Common Prayer'', and the Constitution and Canons, it is the ultimate autho ...
from 1970 to 1976 and in 1982. He also directed a diocesan casework and counseling agency in Indianapolis.
Wood was elected Bishop Coadjutor on the fifth ballot during a special election held during the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan's 1988 diocesan convention, held at the
Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit on May 7, 1988.
He succeeded as diocesan on January 1, 1990.
In late 1994, he received media attention for ordaining a lesbian, Jennifer Walters, as a priest at Church of the Incarnation in
Pittsfield Township, Michigan
Pittsfield Charter Township is a charter township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 39,147 at the 2020 census.
Communities
* Lucerne is a former settlement within the township that had its own post office fr ...
.
He was also in attendance for the consecration of
Bishop Gene Robinson in 2003, the first openly gay Bishop within the Episcopal Church.
Wood took a public position against the hiring of "permanent replacements" by the Detroit newspapers during the Detroit Newspaper Strike. He joined auxiliary Catholic bishop
Thomas Gumbleton
Thomas John Gumbleton (January 26, 1930 – April 4, 2024) was an American Catholic and a prominent social activist. Gumbleton served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit from 1968 to 2006. According to Gumbleton, the Vatican fo ...
, Rabbi Irwin Gronor of
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
Congregation Shaarey Zedek (/Help:IPA/English, ʃaʔaˈʁeiː ˈtsedek/; , Romanization, romanized: ''Sha'arei tzedek'', transl. 'Gates of Righteousness') is a Conservative Judaism, Conservative synagogue in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michi ...
in
Southfield, Michigan
Southfield is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Southfield borders Detroit to the north, roughly northwest of downtown Downtown Detroit, Detroit. As of the 2020 Uni ...
, and Rabbi M. Robert Syme of
Temple Israel in
West Bloomfield, Michigan
West Bloomfield Township is a charter township in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern suburb of Detroit, West Bloomfield is located roughly from downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population ...
in taking the position following a meeting the faith leaders held on August 15, 1995.
On September 17, 2000, he delivered the
Pentecost
Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...
XIV sermon at 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 ...
.
On January 12, 2015, he joined approximately 100 other bishops of the Episcopal Church, including
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori (born March 26, 1954) is the former Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church of the United States. Previously elected as the 9th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, she was the first woman elected ...
, in sending a statement to the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
and the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
in support of President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
's executive order offering relief from deportation to immigrants to the United States.
See also
*
References
External links
Web site of the Episcopal ChurchWeb site of the Diocese of Michigan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, R. Stewart
1934 births
2023 deaths
Clergy from Detroit
Dartmouth College alumni
Virginia Theological Seminary alumni
Ball State University alumni
People from Brown County, Indiana
Episcopal bishops of Michigan