Thomas E. Breidenthal
Thomas Edward "Tom" Breidenthal (born March 3, 1951) is the former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio. On May 1, 2015, the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church placed Breidenthal's name into nomination for election as the 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church.[1] Michael Curry, who was then Bishop of North Carolina, went on to win the nomination. On September 18, 2020, Breidenthal announced his retirement on November 29, 2020, citing health issues.
The Right Reverend Thomas Edward Breidenthal Ph.D. | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Southern Ohio | |
| Church | Episcopal Church |
| Diocese | Southern Ohio |
| Elected | November 11, 2006 |
| In office | 2007-2020 |
| Predecessor | Herbert Thompson Jr. |
| Successor | TBD |
| Other posts | Seminary professor, University trustee |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1981 (deacon) June 12, 1982 (priest) by Matthew P. Bigliardi |
| Consecration | April 28, 2007 by Katharine Jefferts Schori |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 3, 1951 Jersey City, New Jersey, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Parents | Leslie T. Breidenthal & Ruth Veach |
| Spouse | Margaret Garner (m. 1984) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Victoria Church Divinity School of the Pacific |
| Alma mater | Portland State University |
Early Life and Education
Breidenthal was born on March 3, 1951 in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Leslie T. and Ruth Veach Breidenthal. He was raised in Europe and the Midwest until his family settled in Eugene, Oregon. He attended high school as a theater major at the Interlochen Arts Academy. He earned a B.A. from Portland State University and an M. A. in English Literature from the University of Victoria. He received his M.Div. from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in 1981.
Ordination and Ministry
Breidenthal was ordained a deacon in 1981 by Matthew Paul Bigliardi, Bishop of Oregon. He was later ordained a priest on June 12, 1982 by Bishop Bigliardi.[2]
He has pastored or assisted congregations in Oregon, Oxford, England and New York, as well as serving as a high school chaplain. Breidenthal was an Episcopal Church Foundation Fellow at Oxford University receiving a Doctor of Philosophy in Theology. From 1992 through 2001 he was the John Henry Hobart Professor of Christian Ethics and Moral Theology at The General Theological Seminary in New York City. He then went on to serve as Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel at Princeton University.
Episcopacy
Breidenthal was elected the ninth bishop of Southern Ohio on November 11, 2006 at the diocesan convention, held in Vern Riffe Center for the Arts on the campus of Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio.[3] He was later consecrated on April 28, 2007 at the Mershon Auditorium, Ohio State University in Columbus.[4]
At the 2009 diocesan convention, Breidenthal announced that he would uplift the ban on blessing of same-sex unions in the diocese starting in 2010.[5]
On September 18, 2020, Breidenthal announced his retirement on November 29, 2020, citing health issues.
Personal life
He serves on the boards of Kenyon College, Bexley-Seabury Seminary, in addition to various civic and ecumenical engagements. Breidenthal lives in Cincinnati with his spouse, Margaret Garner Breidenthal. They married in 1984 and have two adult daughters, Magdalene and Lucy.[6]
Bibliography
Christian Households: The Sanctification of Nearness (1997) [7]
Sacred Unions: A New Guide to Life-Long Commitment (2006)[8]
See also
References
- "episcopaldigitalnetwork". Retrieved 14 May 2015.
- https://episcopalchurch.org/library/article/thomas-e-breidenthal-elected-ninth-bishop-southern-ohio
- https://episcopalchurch.org/library/article/thomas-e-breidenthal-elected-ninth-bishop-southern-ohio
- https://www.ecdplus.org/clergies/9870653221
- https://www.dispatch.com/article/20091110/NEWS/311109751
- https://episcopalchurch.org/library/article/thomas-e-breidenthal-elected-ninth-bishop-southern-ohio
- Breidenthal, Thomas E. (1997). Christian Households: The Sanctification of Nearness. Cowley Publications. ISBN 9781561011414.
- Breidenthal, Thomas E. (2006). Sacred Unions: A New Guide to Lifelong Commitment. Cowley Publications. ISBN 9781561012497.