The Consecration of Mariann Budde. (Or, It Couldn’t Happen To a Nicer Person)

I’m pretty tough on denominational Christianity in this space.  But not unequivocally so.  There are bright spots, and grace-filled moments, even in the lives of bureaucracies that are basically on palliative care.

One of these moments happened last weekend, when Mariann Budde was consecrated as the Ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C. And, she’s the first woman to hold that post.

I know Mariann a little bit.  She is a fine person, in whose presence one can actually experience the Holy Spirit.  And I do not write that flippantly.  I’ve met a few bishops in my day — Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, and Episcopal — and I neither agree with a system that appoints bishops, nor have I found many of these bishops to be particularly exceptional.

But I’ll say this: If you’re going to have bishops, Mariann Budde is the kind of person who should hold that office.

Godspeed, Marianne.