Born: 1954 (Staten Island, New York)
Biography:
Mary Douglas Glasspool was born on February 23, 1954, in Staten Island, New York. She was the daughter of Reverend Douglas Murray Glasspool and Anne Dickinson. The Glasspool family later relocated to Goshen, New York, where her father served as rector of St. James’ Church until his passing in 1989.
Glasspool’s journey in education began at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where she graduated in 1976. She furthered her studies and earned a Master of Divinity degree from Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1981.
Glasspool’s entry into ordained ministry came when she was ordained as a deacon in June 1981 by Bishop Paul Moore Jr. She took the next step in her path and was ordained as a priest in March 1982 by Bishop Lyman Ogilby. Her dedication to serving the church led her to become assistant to the rector at St. Paul’s Church in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, from 1981 to 1984.
From 1984 to 1992, Glasspool served as the rector of St. Luke’s and St. Margaret’s Church in Boston. She then took on the role of rector of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Annapolis, Maryland, from 1992 to 2001. Following this, Glasspool served as the canon to the bishops for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland from 2001 to 2009.
On December 4, 2009, Glasspool’s journey took a historic turn when she was elected as a bishop suffragan on the seventh ballot at the 115th convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles in Riverside, California. The Presiding Bishop’s Office certified her election on March 17, 2010, and she was consecrated on May 15, 2010, in Long Beach, California, by the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori.
With her consecration, Glasspool became the first avowed lesbian to be consecrated as a bishop in the Anglican Communion. Her election brought attention to the ongoing debate on gay bishops in Anglicanism. Additionally, she became the 17th woman elected to the episcopate in the Episcopal Church.
Glasspool served as a suffragan bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles until 2016. In 2015, she accepted an invitation to serve the Episcopal Diocese of New York and has since been serving as an assistant bishop.
Throughout her ministry, Glasspool has faced and overcome various challenges, but her dedication to her faith and her pioneering role as an openly lesbian bishop have had a profound impact on both the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. She has left an indelible mark on women’s history, as she stood at the forefront of the movement for inclusivity and acceptance within the church.