Newly Elected Bishop-coadjutor of New York – St. Paul’s Connections
The newly elected Bishop-coadjutor of New York, the Rev. Matthew Foster Heyd, who will be the 17th Bishop of New York has close ties to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Greenville, NC. Our chapel was the site for his baptism in 1970 by the Rev. Pat Houston. At the time, his parents were living in Grifton while his father was a graduate student at East Carolina University. Years later it was the site of his wedding to Ann Thornton, officiated by the Rev. Tom Midyette.
Following his election at a special convention in December, the consent of a majority of the bishops of the Episcopal Church along with the consent of the majority of the standing committees of the Episcopal Church was required to be delivered to the Presiding Bishop. Bishop Michael Curry has announced that consents have been received and ordination of Heyd as Bishop-coadjutor is set for May 20 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. His installation as 17th bishop of New York is planned for March 18, 2024.
Serving first as priest at Trinity Church Wall Street, Heyd has been rector of the Church of the Heavenly Rest. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, Yale, and General Theological Seminary, he was ordained by Bishop Mark Sisk as deacon and priest. He has spent all of his ordained ministry in New York. However, with parents in Southport and mother-in-law in Greenville, he maintains close ties to North Carolina. His daughter Mary was a regular member of St. Paul’s congregation last summer and enjoyed activities with our EYC. His son Jack always looks forward to North Carolina vacations.
Currently the diocese is led by the Rt. Rev. Andrew Dietsche, 16th Bishop of New York, assisted by the Rt. Rev. Allen K. Shin as bishop suffragan and assistant bishop the Rt. Rev. Mary Glasspool. Bishop Dietsche will fully retire in 2024 to be succeeded by the Rev. Heyd.