Royal Upton Grote Jr. (16 August 1946 – 24 November 2016) was an American Anglican bishop. He served as the Presiding Bishop of the

Reformed Episcopal Church The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican Church. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Episcopal Church (United States), Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is a founding member of the ...

(REC), from 2014 to 2016, which was a founding member of 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. ...

in June 2009. He also served as bishop ordinary of the REC

Diocese of Mid-America The REC Diocese of Mid-America, with the Convocation of the West and Western Canada, is a Reformed Episcopal Church and an Anglican Church in North America diocese, since its foundation in 2009. The REC Diocese of Mid-America is distinct from a d ...

. Grote spent most of his youth in Hatboro/Horsham,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, where his father was the founding pastor of Horsham Bible Church. He entered the Reformed Episcopal Seminary in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1972. He was ordained a presbyter in 1976 and then became the rector of St. Philip's Reformed Episcopal Church in

Warminster Warminster () is a historic market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in south-west Wiltshire, England, on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish had a population of 18,173 in 2021. The name ''Warminster'' occurs first i ...

, Pennsylvania, in 1976. Grote was called to be rector of St. Luke's Reformed Episcopal Church in

New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in The Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. On the eastern side of the island is the national capital, national capital city of Nassau, Bahamas, Nassau; it had a population of 246 ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, in 1978. In 1984, Grote was elected and consecrated assistant bishop of the

Diocese of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic The Diocese of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, with the Convocation of Eastern Canada, formerly known as the New York and Philadelphia Synod, is a founding jurisdiction of the Reformed Episcopal Church in 1873 and, more recently, a founding dioce ...

Leonard W. Riches Leonard Wayne Riches Sr. (March 21, 1939 – December 29, 2024) was an American Anglican bishop. He served as presiding bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church from 1996 to June 2014, and was previously the bishop of the Diocese of the Northeast ...

, being in office from June 6, 1984, to August 1, 1991. In 1990, with the creation of the Special Jurisdiction of North America by the General Council of the REC, Grote was called to be their missionary bishop, charged with the planting of new parishes in the central and western parts of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He moved to

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, in July 1991 to start his ministry. The merging of the Special Jurisdiction of North America with the Synod of Chicago in 1996 gave origin to the new Diocese of Mid-America. Grote was bishop ordinary from that time until his death. The Diocese of Mid-America would later be divided twice, forming the Diocese of Central States and the Diocese of the West. Having served as lecturer at the Reformed Episcopal Seminary in Philadelphia, Grote also served as the Chancellor of Cranmer Theological House in Houston, Texas, where he was a lecturer in dogmatic theology. He was elected to be vice-president of the General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2011. In June 2014, he was elected Presiding Bishop of the REC. He was also President of the REC Board of Foreign Missions and the President of the Board of Pensions and Relief for the Reformed Episcopal Church. He died unexpectedly in his sleep on 24 November 2016 and was replaced provisionally by

Ray Sutton Raymond Ronny Sutton (born 1950) is an American Anglican bishop. He was bishop coadjutor in the Diocese of Mid-America of the Reformed Episcopal Church, since 1999, a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America, in 2009. He is the ...

References

External links

, - 1946 births 2016 deaths Bishops of the Reformed Episcopal Church Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America Reformed Episcopal Seminary alumni Presiding Bishops of the Reformed Episcopal Church 20th-century Anglican bishops in the United States 21st-century Anglican bishops in the United States {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub