Susan Ellyn Goff is an American prelate of the Episcopal Church. She was elected and consecrated as Suffragan Bishop of Virginia in 2012. She became Ecclesiastical Authority of the diocese in 2018 upon the retirement of
Shannon Johnston
Shannon Sherwood Johnston (born October 20, 1958) is a bishop of The Episcopal Church who was the 13th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.
Early life
Born in Florence, Alabama, Shannon Johnston attended local public schools and then the ...
, thirteenth bishop of the diocese. She retired at the end of 2022.
Early life and education
Goff was educated at
Douglass College
Douglass Residential College is a non-degree-granting program established in 2007 and open to Rutgers undergraduates at any of the degree-granting schools of Rutgers University-New Brunswick. It replaced the liberal arts degree-granting Douglas ...
, then a woman's
liberal arts college
A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on Undergraduate education, undergraduate study in the Liberal arts education, liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart ...
in
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. She trained for ordination at the
Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a Private college, private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Co ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, and achieved a distinction in her
Master of Divinity
For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...
(M.Div.) degree.
Ordained ministry
Goff was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
in 1980. She has spent all of her ordained ministry in the
Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
The Diocese of Virginia is the second largest diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing 38 counties in the northern and central parts of the U.S. state Virginia. The diocese was organized in 1785 and is one of t ...
.
On July 28, 2012, Goff was
consecrated
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
a bishop during a service at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. The chief consecrator was
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 ...
List of Episcopal bishops of the United States
The following is a list of bishops who currently lead dioceses of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church in the United States and its territories. Also included in the list are suffragan bishops, provisional bishops, coadjutor b ...