Richard Walter Lipka (born 1940) is an American

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

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 ...

. Lipka served as a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and

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 before being consecrated in the

Charismatic Episcopal Church The Charismatic Episcopal Church (CEC), officially the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church (ICCEC), is a Christian denomination established in 1992. The ICCEC is a part of the Convergence Movement. Within North America, mo ...

. He later joined 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. ...

, where he was 2021 to 2025 bishop ordinary of the

Missionary Diocese of All Saints The Missionary Diocese of All Saints (MDAS) is a non-geographical diocese of the Anglican Church in North America, comprising 25 parishes in 14 American states: Washington, Arizona, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Florida, New York, Colorado, N ...

, an

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

diocese. He is a significant figure in the Episcopal charismatic renewal movement and the

Anglican realignment The Anglican realignment is a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episco ...

Early life and education

Lipka was born in Wilmington, Delaware, to Adam Lipka and Mary Deptula Lipka. He was raised in the Catholic Church at St. Hedwig's Parish in Wilmington. He graduated from St. Mary's College in Michigan and received an M.A. from St. Mary's Seminary. Lipka also earned an S.T.B. from the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

in Rome. While studying at the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Prie ...

, Lipka was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1966, then returned to serve as a parish priest in the Diocese of Wilmington.

Move to Anglicanism

In 1971, Lipka was received by

Harry Lee Doll Harry Lee Doll (July 31, 1903 – August 27, 1984), was bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Maryland during the turmoil concerning civil rights for minorities and women in the 1960s. Early and Family Life A native of Martinsburg, West Virginia, Do ...

as a priest in the

Episcopal Diocese of Maryland The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland forms part of Province 3 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Province 3 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Having been divided twice, it no longer includes all of Marylan ...

. He served as a

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 ...

at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Annapolis, one of the original 30 Episcopal parishes in Maryland. After leaving the Catholic priesthood, Lipka married Susan and they had four children. From 1972 to 1989, Lipka served as rector of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in the Hampden area of Baltimore. During this time, he became engaged in the charismatic renewal movement in the Episcopal Church. He also hosted Regeneration, a ministry to same-sex attracted Christians, and served on its board. In 1989, Lipka moved to Hawaii to serve as rector of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Honolulu. In 1994, Lipka and a majority of St. Mary's members voted to leave the Episcopal Church as part of the then-nascent

and join the two-year-old Charismatic Episcopal Church, which was formed out of the

convergence movement The Convergence Movement, also known as the Ancient-Future Faith, whose foundation is primarily attributed to Robert E. Webber in 1985, is an ecumenical movement. Developed as an effort among evangelical, charismatic and Pentecostal, and liturg ...

blending charismatic and liturgical worship. "Over the last several years," he said at the time, "I and many of the members of St. Mary's n Honoluluhave felt more and more marginalized and disenfranchised from the mainstream of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. We no longer felt a part of the family."

Episcopal ministry

On 4 August 1995, Lipka was consecrated as a bishop in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of the Hawaiian Islands and the American Protectorates. On 5 November 1997, Lipka was conditionally re-consecrated by

Luis Fernando Castillo Mendez Luis Fernando Castillo Mendez (4 December 1922 – 29 October 2009) was a Venezuelan Independent Catholic priest who rose to the leadership of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church (ICAB). Castillo Mendez was arguably the second or third patr ...

when the CEC entered into intercommunion with the

Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church The Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church (, ; ICAB) is an Independent Catholicism, Independent Catholic Christian denomination, Christian church established in 1945 by Excommunication in the Catholic Church, excommunicated Catholic Church in Brazi ...

. (All CEC clergy were reconsecrated and reordained by the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church through the

episcopal genealogy The historic or historical episcopate comprises all episcopates, that is, it is the collective body of all the bishops of a group who are in valid apostolic succession. This succession is transmitted from each bishop to their successors by the r ...

Carlos Duarte Costa Carlos Duarte Costa (July 21, 1888 – March 26, 1961) was a Brazilian bishop who became the founder of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, an Independent Catholic church, and its international communion, which long after his death bec ...

.) In 2006, as part of a schism in the CEC, Lipka and the Diocese of the Delmarva disassociated from the CEC and became part of the Communion of Christ the Redeemer, which was affiliated with the

Anglican Province of America The Anglican Province of America (APA) is a Continuing Anglican church in the United States. The church was founded by former members of the Episcopal Church in the United States. History In the 1960s, the Episcopal Church in the United States ...

and seeking to be integrated into it as of 2008. Lipka served as president of the COCTR. By 2011, 15 of 21 COCTR congregations were no longer affiliated with the APA but had rather joined the newly formed ACNA Missionary Diocese of All Saints (MDAS), with Lipka being appointed bishop suffragan. In 2018, amid concerns that the relatively small size of MDAS might make it difficult to elect its own bishop when the sitting bishops retired and MDAS objections to women's ordination in other ACNA dioceses, Lipka held out the possibility of MDAS joining the

old Catholic The terms Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics, Old-Catholic churches, or Old Catholic movement, designate "any of the groups of Western Christians who believe themselves to maintain in complete loyalty the doctrine and traditions of the Great C ...

Union of Scranton alongside the

Polish National Catholic Church The Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC; , PNKK) is an independent Old Catholic church based in the United States and founded by Polish Americans that is part of the Union of Scranton. The PNCC is not in communion the Roman Catholic Church. S ...

and the

Nordic Catholic Church The Nordic Catholic Church (NCC; ), formerly known as the Lutheran Free Synod of Norway, is an Old Catholic church body of High church Lutheranism, high church Lutheran patrimony, that is based in Norway. The church is a member of the Union of Sc ...

. In 2021, Lipka succeeded William Ilgenfritz as MDAS' bishop ordinary. He serves as vice president of Forward in Faith North America, which promotes Anglo-Catholic worship and opposes women's ordination. He also serves as rector of Holy Trinity Cathedral in

Berlin, Maryland Berlin is a town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States which includes its own historical Berlin Commercial District. The population was 4,485 at the 2010 census, and has since grown in population. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland ...

. In 2024, the Missionary Diocese of All Saints elected a bishop coadjutor to succeed Lipka upon his retirement.

References

External links

Richard W. Lipka Biography at Missionary Diocese of All Saints Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lipka, Richard Walter 1940 births Living people Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America American Anglo-Catholics Anglo-Catholic bishops