Gordon Paul Scruton
Encyclopedia
The Rt. Rev. Gordon Paul Scruton is the Episcopal Bishop of Western Massachusetts
.
.
According to his official biography he received a master's degree in English, magna cum laude, from Barrington College
, then studied at the Boston University
School of Theology, receiving a master's degree in theology in 1971.
Scruton married Rebecca S. Polley in 1968. He was ordained a deacon
in 1971, a priest
in 1972, and served as an assistant rector at St. Mark's Church in Riverside, Rhode Island
and at St. Paul's Church in Kingston, Rhode Island
in the mid-1970s
. Scruton was rector
of Grace Church in Dalton, Massachusetts
from 1977 to 1981, and St. Francis Church in Holden, Massachusetts
thereafter.
on June 29, 1996. He was consecrated bishop on Oct. 12, 1996 in Springfield, Massachusetts
. He was consecrated by the following current or retired bishops: Alexander Stewart
, Andrew Wissemann, M. Thomas Shaw
, Barbara Clementine Harris
, and Emmanuel Kolini (Bishop of the Diocese of Shaba in Zaire
). Former Presiding Bishop
Edmond Lee Browning was also a consecrator.
Likewise, Scruton was a co-consecrator of George Edward Councell
as Eleventh Bishop of New Jersey.
He has been very active in the House of Bishops
since 2001. Scruton has been on the Court for the Trial of a Bishop. He has acted as a mediator
in the dispute between the Bishop of Connecticut and some priests in that state in 2007. In 2009, he also served on a committee to assist the Diocese of Southern Virginia in their internal conflicts.
Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts
The Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the five western counties of Massachusetts. Formed from a division of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, it was officially recognized at the organizing convention of...
.
Early life, education and career
Scruton was born on March 8, 1947 in Rochester, New HampshireRochester, New Hampshire
Rochester is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 29,752. The city includes the villages of East Rochester and Gonic. Rochester is home to Skyhaven Airport and the annual Rochester Fair....
.
According to his official biography he received a master's degree in English, magna cum laude, from Barrington College
Barrington College
Barrington College was a four-year Christian liberal arts college located in Barrington, Rhode Island. It is no longer in operation.-History:...
, then studied at the Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
School of Theology, receiving a master's degree in theology in 1971.
Scruton married Rebecca S. Polley in 1968. He was ordained a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
in 1971, a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in 1972, and served as an assistant rector at St. Mark's Church in Riverside, Rhode Island
Riverside, Rhode Island
Riverside, Rhode Island is the southern section of the city of East Providence in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Riverside's zip code is 02915 and has a population of approximately 18,000.Riverside is a suburban neighborhood for Providence...
and at St. Paul's Church in Kingston, Rhode Island
Kingston, Rhode Island
Kingston is a village and a census-designated place in the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States, and the site of the main campus of the University of Rhode Island. Much of the village center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Kingston Village Historic...
in the mid-1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
. Scruton was rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Grace Church in Dalton, Massachusetts
Dalton, Massachusetts
Dalton is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Dalton is the transition town between the urban and rural pieces of Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,892 at the 2000 census.- History...
from 1977 to 1981, and St. Francis Church in Holden, Massachusetts
Holden, Massachusetts
Holden is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was founded in 1741, and the Town Square was donated by John Hancock, former Governor of Massachusetts.The population was 17,346 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
thereafter.
Bishop of Western Massachusetts
Scructon was elected the eighth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western MassachusettsEpiscopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts
The Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the five western counties of Massachusetts. Formed from a division of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, it was officially recognized at the organizing convention of...
on June 29, 1996. He was consecrated bishop on Oct. 12, 1996 in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
. He was consecrated by the following current or retired bishops: Alexander Stewart
Alexander Stewart
Alexander Stewart may refer to:* Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland , Scottish magnate* Alexander Stewart , Scottish prelate, Bishop of Ross...
, Andrew Wissemann, M. Thomas Shaw
M. Thomas Shaw
Marvil Thomas Shaw III, SSJE is a bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He is the fifteenth and current Bishop of Massachusetts.-Biography:...
, Barbara Clementine Harris
Barbara Clementine Harris
Barbara Clementine Harris was the first woman ordained a bishop in the Anglican Communion.-Education:...
, and Emmanuel Kolini (Bishop of the Diocese of Shaba in Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
). Former Presiding Bishop
Presiding Bishop
The Presiding Bishop is an ecclesiastical position in some denominations of Christianity.- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America :The Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is the chief ecumenical officer of the church, and the leader and caretaker for the bishops of the...
Edmond Lee Browning was also a consecrator.
Likewise, Scruton was a co-consecrator of George Edward Councell
George Edward Councell
George Edward Councell, born in 1949 in Detroit, Michigan, is the 11th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey and the 990th in succession in the Episcopal Church. He was elected bishop on May 3, 2003, and consecrated on October 18, 2003, at Trinity Cathedral in Trenton. Officially, Councell...
as Eleventh Bishop of New Jersey.
He has been very active in the House of Bishops
House of Bishops
The House of Bishops is the third House in a General Synod of some Anglican churches and the second house in the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.-Composition of Houses of Bishops:...
since 2001. Scruton has been on the Court for the Trial of a Bishop. He has acted as a mediator
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
in the dispute between the Bishop of Connecticut and some priests in that state in 2007. In 2009, he also served on a committee to assist the Diocese of Southern Virginia in their internal conflicts.
See also
- List of Bishop Succession in the Episcopal ChurchSuccession of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United StatesThis list consists of the bishops in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, an independent province of the Anglican Communion. This shows the historic succession of the episcopate within this denomination.-Key to chart:...
- List of Episcopal bishops (U.S.)
- Episcopal Diocese of Western MassachusettsEpiscopal Diocese of Western MassachusettsThe Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the five western counties of Massachusetts. Formed from a division of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, it was officially recognized at the organizing convention of...