Louisiana Episcopal diocese ordains Bishop Shannon Duckworth | News

Within the ornate confines of the historic Christ Church Cathedral in New Orleans, The Rev. Canon Shannon Rogers Duckworth made history herself Saturday by being ordained and consecrated as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana.

In an elaborate ceremony attended by about 750 people, Duckworth formally accepted the crosier from her predecessor, The Right Rev. Morris Thompson Jr., thereby making her the 12th bishop of the diocese and the first woman to hold the position.

Duckworth was elected bishop May 14, following a year-long process of seeking a successor for Thompson, who is retiring. By convention, she did not speak at Saturday’s ceremony. However, her feelings about leading the diocese rang clear in a statement printed in the program.

“Thank you for your support as we, the people of the Diocese of Louisiana, prayed, listened and discerned God’s call to us in this election,” she said. “You have demonstrated countless acts of generosity and kindness throughout this process.”

Even before the doors to the 1886-vintage cathedral opened at 10 a.m., for a ceremony that began an hour later, Episcopalians gathered outside in chilly, drizzly weather eager to gain entrance.

Almost 200 people played a role in the service. Participants included ecumenical and civic leaders, clergy and liturgical ministers. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church U.S.A., The Most Rev. Michael Curry, was the chief consecrator, joined by other Episcopal and Lutheran bishops from around the country for the elaborate ceremony.

Attendees entered to the sounds of Matt Lemmler’s New Orleans Jazz Revival Band playing jazzy versions of “Down by the Riverside” and the classic Louis Armstrong tune, “What a Wonderful World.”

The mood shifted as a long procession of banner bearers and clergy entered amid burning incense, choir music and the soaring sounds of an organ.

After several readings, Curry, and other bishops laid hands on Duckworth, ritually conferring on her status as a successor to the apostles.

Duckworth, 47, who had entered the cathedral in a basic white robe, was then clothed in the vestments of a bishop. After Thompson handed her the crosier, the presider announced loudly, “Now, Louisiana, greet your new bishop.” A thunderous ovation followed.

The New Orleans-based Episcopal Diocese encompasses 24 civil parishes in southeast Louisiana, including East Baton Rouge. It has 16,000 congregants in 48 parishes and schools, as well as more than 100 clergy.

Christ Church Cathedral serves as the official seat of the bishop of Louisiana. Founded in 1805, it was the first non-Roman Catholic church in the Louisiana Purchase territory. The diocese was established in 1838.

Duckworth, a Mississippi native, has been serving in New Orleans as the canon to the ordinary of the Episcopal Diocese for more than eight years. Before that, she served in several positions in Mississippi, including curate at St. John’s Church in Ocean Springs; vicar at St. Mary’s in Lexington; and associate rector of St. James in Jackson.

She received a bachelor’s degree in English and history in 1997 from Millsaps College in Jackson. She was ordained a priest in 2001 after receiving her master’s degree in divinity at General Theological Seminary in New York.

She is married to James Duckworth and has two sons, Nicholas and Tucker.

During her time as canon, Duckworth oversaw the implementation of the diocese’s COVID-19 protocols and the administering of relevant federal aid programs.

She has said the diocese faces headwinds related to declining church membership, economic hardship, natural disasters and social and political unrest. In a statement on the diocese website, she expressed both faith and optimism despite the challenges.

“I ask for your prayers as we move together into this new relationship,” she said. “May we always hold before us the grace that is found through our faith in Jesus Christ, our constant hope for the world in which we live and the love that will sustain us through it all.”

Duckworth will be installed and seated as bishop as the cathedral on Sunday at 10 a.m.

In his sermon at Saturday’s ordination, The Very Rev. Richard Lawson, dean of St. John’s Cathedral in Denver, called Duckworth a “very, very wise” leader of the faith whose kind and caring demeanor makes well suited for the post.

“Breath deep, diocese of Louisiana,” he said. “You don’t just have a new bishop’ there’s a fresh breeze in the air. And breathe deep, Shannon. We’ve got your back.”